NO WATER BAPTISM UNDER GRACE

By Edwin Christiaan | July 28, 2023 | 

The Christian/Charismatic church keeps baptizing people in water, believing that God requires it for salvation. Absolutely not! 

Here is what the Bible teaches!

Water baptism comes from Old Testament Law roots and was related to purification, ceremonial cleansing,

“Present Aaron and his sons at the entrance of the Tabernacle, and wash them with water.”
‭‭Exodus‬ ‭29‬:‭4‬ ‭NLT‬‬ (Dedication of priests)

“Then he presented Aaron and his sons and washed them with water.”
‭‭Leviticus‬ ‭8‬:‭6‬ ‭NLT‬‬ (Moses ordained priests)

“Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. Your filth will be washed away, and you will no longer worship idols.”
‭‭Ezekiel‬ ‭36‬:‭25‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Israel’s washing in water symbolizes her being purified of her pagan idol worship.

That is why John the Baptist came with a ministry to wash Israel from her paganism, to demonstrate her change in mind from worshiping idols to trusting God.

Before Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins, He told His disciples to,

“Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone. Anyone who believes and is baptized will be saved. But anyone who refuses to believe will be condemned.”
‭‭Mark‬ ‭16‬:‭15‬-‭16‬ ‭NLT‬‬

But after Jesus’ death and resurrection, the apostle Paul teaches in the New Testament that,

“If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved. As the Scriptures tell us, “Anyone who trusts in Him will never be disgraced.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭10‬:‭9‬-‭11‬ ‭NLT‬‬

As you can see here, water baptism is NOT mentioned as a requirement for salvation!

Why? Because,

“When God our Savior revealed His kindness and love, He saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit. He generously poured out the Spirit upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior. Because of His GRACE He made us right in His sight and gave us confidence that we will inherit eternal life.”
‭‭Titus‬ ‭3‬:‭4‬-‭7‬ ‭NLT‬‬

All of this started in the book of Acts where the apostles and elders at one point concluded the following,

“For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay no greater burden on you than these few requirements: You must abstain from eating food offered to idols, from consuming blood or the meat of strangled animals, and from sexual immorality. If you do this, you will do well. Farewell.”
‭‭Acts of the Apostles‬ ‭15‬:‭28‬-‭29‬ ‭NLT‬‬

No water baptism is included here in the few requirements!

That’s why it says,

“God saved you by His GRACE when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.”
‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭2‬:‭8‬-‭9‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The key here is that you are saved because you believed in Jesus Christ and not because you have been water baptized, which is considered ‘human efforts’ under the New Covenant of God’s GRACE.

It is for this precise reason that the apostle Paul writes, 

“For Christ didn’t send me to baptize, but to preach the Good News.”
‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭1‬:‭17‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Jesus Christ Himself did not water baptize anybody! John the Baptist clearly said,

“I baptize with water those who repent of their sins and turn to God. But someone is coming soon who is greater than I am—so much greater that I’m not worthy even to be His slave and carry His sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭3‬:‭11‬ ‭NLT‬‬

In other words, 

Water baptism won’t do anything for you, it is being baptized in the Holy Spirit that is what counts.