Water Baptism : Is It Really Necessary?

WATER BAPTISM : IS IT REALLY NECESSARY?

Copyright 1994 - 2008 Endtime Prophecy Net

Last Updated : July 23, 2006

An Expose On A Tradition Of Men

"... Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect
by your tradition." (Matthew 15:6b)

Recently when discussing being born again in The E.D.G.E.
Online mailing list, one of our members said in part:

"Jesus answered, 'Most assuredly I say to you, unless one is
born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the Kingdom of
God. [ In other words, we must undergo the waters of
baptism and receive the Holy Spirit, and then later we are
literally BORN OF THE SPIRIT when we become spirit beings at
the resurrection.]"

----- End Of Quote -----

Those of you who are familiar with some of my other articles
will know that I hold to a slightly different perspective
regarding the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Before presenting
my case, allow me to quote this section of the Gospel of
John in its entirety so we have a better understanding of
the exact conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus:

"There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler
of the Jews: The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto
him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God:
for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God
be with him. Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily,
verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he
cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus saith unto him, How
can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second
time into his mother's womb, and be born? Jesus answered,
Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of
water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of
God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that
which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I
said unto thee, Ye must be born again. The wind bloweth
where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but
canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is
every one that is born of the Spirit." (John 3:1-8)

As can be seen by the above, the topic of the discussion was
NOT water baptism, but rather of being born physically in
the womb, and then being born spiritually, that is, accepting
Jesus as the Christ, and allowing His Spirit to dwell in us,
having our own spirits renewed, a second spiritual birth. As
the Apostle Paul tells us:

"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature:
old things are passed away; behold, all things are become
new." (2 Corinthians 5:17)

"And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed
by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that
good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God."
(Romans 12:2)

In the above conversation, Jesus was trying to differentiate
between the physical birth and the spiritual birth so that
Nicodemus could understand.

We need to remember that as good-hearted as he was,
Nicodemus was still a Pharisee, trained in the strict
religious doctrines of his day. As I have explained in other
articles such as 'Revelation's Babylon The Great,' by the
time Jesus arrived on Earth, Judaism and Temple worship had
become totally de-spiritualized. It was a cold, dead formal
religion of works, of 'do this and don't do that', going
through the motions, just like some religions today. The
Scribes and the Pharisees prided themselves in being strict
adherents to the Torah, the Laws given to Moses. It was in
this kind of an environment that Nicodemus was trained.
Thus, while it may be very easy for us today to understand
exactly what Jesus meant, for someone like Nicodemus, it was
extremely difficult. As Jesus said of those Jewish religious
leaders who opposed Him:

"Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if
the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch."
(Matthew 15:14)

The Jewish elders had the Law, they had the Word of God, but
they didn't understand it, at least not in the Spirit. All
they understood was the letter of the Law. Jesus knew this,
and that is why He did His best to try to simplify things
for Nicodemus who came to Him with a sincere desire to know
the Truth. By using the term 'born of water' Jesus was
giving a very appropriate answer by expanding upon
Nicodemus' confusion about having to return to his mother's
womb for a second physical birth. I believe that by using
the term 'born of water', Jesus was making a direct
reference to our physical birth, being surrounded by
amniotic fluid, (which is basically salt water), in our
mother's womb. He wasn't talking about water baptism at all.
To say that He was, is inserting something which simply is
not there to support ones own personal beliefs. Look again
at what He said: '...born of water AND of the spirit...'
That word 'and' shows that He was attempting to make a
distinction between what Nicodemus understood, and what He
really meant. In other words, 'physical birth AND spiritual
birth.'

What some may find of interest is that water baptism is
entirely a New Testament concept. I will admit that there
are certain foreshadows in the Old Testament which utilized
water to demonstrate spiritual salvation. Three good
examples would be Noah's Ark, the crossing of the Red Sea
and the stopping up of the Jordan River. However, as far as
the actual practice of performing water baptisms, at this
time I am unaware of any. In doing a Bible search, I
discovered that the words 'baptise', 'baptize', 'baptism'
and related words are not mentioned one single time in the
entire Old Testament. The very first time we hear of baptism
is when John the Baptist arrives on the scene in the
Gospels. As far as we can tell, John received his mandate to
baptise in the Jordan River directly from God or from one of
His angelic agents. In the Gospel of John we read:

"And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending
from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him. And I knew
him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same
said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit
descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which
baptizeth with the Holy Ghost." (John 1:32-33)

What is also worthy of note is that there is no concrete
Scriptural evidence that Jesus ever personally performed
water baptisms. There are one or two commentaries where it
appears that some are saying that He did, but the Apostle
John, one of Jesus' closest followers who eventually became
one of His top three disciples, clarifies for us when he
says:

"When therefore the Lord knew how the Pharisees had heard
that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John,
(Though Jesus himself baptized not, but his disciples,)"
(John 4:1-2)

If water baptism was so important, why didn't Jesus perform
this necessary act? I believe the answer is very clear:
Jesus knew that the physical act of water baptism was only a
stepping stone, a foreshadow of something greater to come,
the baptism by fire, the anointing of the Holy Ghost. Now
some may argue, 'Well, wasn't Jesus baptised by John?'
Indeed He was. Jesus made it very clear on many occasions
that He had come to fulfill the Law:

"Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the
prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil."
(Matthew 5:17)

The problem we have today is that many folks do not
understand what is meant by the word 'fulfill'. What Jesus
meant was that He had come to carry out, to complete the
Law, to put an end to it. He came to do everything which had
been prophesied of Him in the Old Testament. Thus, He
fulfilled Old Testament prophecy...and once it was
fulfilled, that was the end of it. The Law was terminated by
Jesus' death on the cross. As the Apostle Paul told the
Roman disciples:

"Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law
by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another,
even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should
bring forth fruit unto God." (Romans 7:4)

The problem was, that in Jesus' day, that is all they had,
that is all they knew how to do, to keep the Law. In his
epistle to the Galatians, Paul expounded over and over again
that the Law was our guide, our schoolmaster to bring us to
the knowledge of the Truth, to know Jesus that we might be
justified by faith and no longer by works:

"Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the
law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed
in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of
Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of
the law shall no flesh be justified." (Galatians 2:16)

"But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of
God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith."
(Galatians 3:11)

"Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto
Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that
faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster."
(Galatians 3:24-25)

"Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you
are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace."
(Galatians 5:4)

The water baptism of John was likewise a schoolmaster. And
like the Mosaic Law, we are no longer under it or obligated
to fulfill it. It had its time, but that time is now passed.
As with keeping the Law, water baptism was a physical act to
show an inward change of mind and heart. The message of
John's water baptism was:

"...Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."
(Matthew 3:2b)

The true meaning of the word 'repent' isn't just to feel
sorry for what you have done. It is to make a positive
change in your life. To turn around and go the other way. To
put on the brakes and make a U-turn. It is a complete
revolution in your life. This is what John was preaching.
His whole ministry of water baptism was to prepare the way,
to prepare people's minds and hearts so that they would be
ready to accept it when their means of salvation finally
arrived. As John said:

"...The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare
ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight."
(Matthew 3:3b)

When Jesus arrived, the way of salvation was finally open to
all men everywhere, but in order to accept it, they had to
be willing to forsake some of their old ways of thinking. It
is for this reason that once John had fulfilled his final
mission, baptising Jesus, as soon as he was sure that Jesus
was the One they had been waiting for, he knew that his work
was just about over. That is why he then directed his
disciples to follow Jesus, the One who would baptise them,
not with water, (the old way), but with the fire of God's
Spirit, (the new way), and take away the sins of the world:

"Again the next day after John stood, and two of his
disciples; And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith,
Behold the Lamb of God! And the two disciples heard him
speak, and they followed Jesus." (John 1:35-37)

You see, John was basically saying to them, 'Look, there is
your Saviour. Now it is time to follow Him, not me. I have
accomplished what I came to do. My ministry is almost over.
It is about time to put away these childish things of water
baptism. There is the One who will baptise you with the
Spirit of God.'

A short time later, just prior to his imprisonment and
death, John said:

"Ye yourselves bear me witness, that I said, I am not the
Christ, but that I am sent before him. He that hath the
bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom,
which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of
the bridegroom's voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled.
He must increase, but I must decrease." (John 3:28-30)

Once John had directed enough people to Jesus, once he had
prepared their hearts and minds through water baptism, the
Lord knew it was time to take him out of the way and take
him home. So a short while later, John received his
graduation to Heaven. The Lord took away the old
schoolmaster to bring in Someone who could take them to
higher heights and build on John's foundation. I mean,
really think about this: what would have happened if John
hadn't been imprisoned and beheaded? Would it have been as
easy for his disciples to follow Jesus? Probably not. Many
of them would probably have still been happy with their
water baptisms. They would have still been happy just
following John. He must have been quite a personality. They
would have been blinded to God's full Truth being revealed
in Jesus. Their spiritual growth would have been stunted.
John knew this, so I don't doubt that he was glad to go.

Today we have the written Word. We have the full platter set
out before us so-to-speak. In some regards we have it a lot
easier inasmuch as our spiritual understanding is concerned.
We can flip through our Old and New Testaments, turn on our
computers and use our Bible programs, etc. and make a lot of
interesting connections such as the specific prophecies
Jesus fulfilled. Many things have been opened up to us like
never before. In a spiritual sense, we are really glutted.
Even though many of us would have loved and would have been
thrilled to sit at the feet of Jesus and hear Him teach us
directly, to hear some of the many things which were never
recorded in the Gospels or the Epistles, I truly wonder if
given the situation back then, we might not have found
ourselves in the same situation as the first disciples:
struggling with trying to understand everything Jesus said
and taught.

Throughout the four Gospels we find examples of how The
Twelve were slow to understand certain things, things we
take for granted today. My personal feeling is that the
necessity of water baptism might have been one of them.
Jesus chose to meet people where they were at spiritually
and then try to gradually take them higher and teach them
deeper truths so that they could leave behind or build upon
the childlike things of the past. In the case of water
baptism, I'm sure He knew it was no longer necessary, but in
His loving way, He also knew that it would take His
disciples time to realize this. Perhaps that is why He
didn't try to impede them from baptising people. If it
served to strengthen people's faith and made their
repentance more sincere, maybe it was alright, even though
un necessary. It certainly didn't hurt anything. I think
this might be the reason why the early disciples continued
to baptise up through the book of Acts. It was a matter of
habit. We really don't know how long John had been baptising
before Jesus arrived, but it must have been a while. And
when Jesus arrived, He was baptised, so they just figured it
must still be necessary. It wasn't until later after Jesus'
physical presence was gone and they began to mature more in
the Spirit that they began to understand things better. I
believe that is what Paul meant by the following verses:

"For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. But when that
which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall
be done away. When I was a child, I spake as a child, I
understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I
became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see
through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know
in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known."
(1 Corinthians 13:9-12)

Even though Peter also baptised in the book of Acts, we find
him later stating that true baptism and true salvation has
nothing to do with water. In comparing spiritual salvation to
Noah and the flood, he tells us:

"Which sometime were disobedient, when once the
longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the
ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were
saved by water. The like figure whereunto even baptism doth
also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the
flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by
the resurrection of Jesus Christ:" (1 Peter 3:20-21)

In conjunction with that verse, I am also reminded of what
Jesus said in John chapter six:

"It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth
nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit,
and they are life." (John 6:63)

The physical baptism of the flesh with water does absolutely
nothing for anyone. It is only the spiritual baptism we
receive when we accept Jesus that counts. Water baptism was
only meant to serve to help people understand a spiritual
truth. It was a simple picture, just like the many parables
Jesus told. It is an outward physical act to signify an
inward change. That is why throughout the book of Acts and
the Epistles it is called a 'baptism of repentance'. As said
earlier, to repent is to change, to become a new person in
Christ Jesus. A physical water baptism is only a
manifestation of faith, but it is not necessary for
salvation or even to receive the Holy Spirit. As I explained
in my article, 'Was Jesus Filled With The Holy Spirit From
Birth?', all we have to do to receive God's gift of the Holy
Spirit is to ask for it, plain and simple:

"If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto
your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give
the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?" (Luke 11:13)

Jesus just said 'ask.' He didn't say go to your favorite
church and get dunked in water. He didn't say you had to
speak in tongues to be saved or to prove you had received
the Spirit...He just said 'ask':

"And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer,
believing, ye shall receive." (Matthew 21:22)

Jesus didn't say you had to roll all over the floor, stomp
your feet, shout 'Hallelujah!' ten times at the top of your
voice or do anything else to convince others you are saved
or filled with the Spirit...all He said was 'ask':

""Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find;
knock, and it shall be opened unto you:" (Matthew 7:7)

The minute we accept Jesus as our personal Saviour and ask
for the gift of eternal life, we are born of the Spirit
right then and there. God's Spirit dwells within us even
without a physical water baptism from that very minute, not
at some future date. Of course, receiving our heavenly
bodies will be the final complete fulfillment of what we
have believed by faith.

In closing, if water baptism is absolutely essential to be
saved or to be filled with God's Holy Spirit, then I must
not be saved or filled with God's Spirit because I have
NEVER been water baptised as per certain church beliefs. As
far as I know, the only physical act which proves we are
saved and filled with God's Spirit is the following:

"That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus,
and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him
from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man
believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession
is made unto salvation." (Romans 10:9-10)

That's witnessing folks...and I have done plenty of it over
the years...without a water baptism. As I said previously, I
don't see anything wrong with being water baptised. It might
even encourage certain people's faith. But when it is taught
as a church doctrine that you cannot be saved or filled with
God's Spirit without it, then that is where I must disagree.
We are saved by grace through faith, just like the Old
Testament saints who NEVER were water baptised either. To
insist on water baptism is like the Scribes and Pharisees
who clung to the Mosaic Law instead of to the Grace and
Truth of Jesus Christ. You can't have it both ways.

I trust this article has been a blessing to many.