SAVED BY DRY BAPTISM
Maurice M Johnson
Dallas Park Series
August 17, 1959
We're certainly living in days described in the Word of God as "Babylon". You Bible students know that the first occurrence of what God calls confusion was the Tower of Babel. The word 'babel' means confusion. In the heathen religion, it meant ‘gate of heaven’. But when cursed ... I mean pronounced judgment upon the people by sending the confusion of tongues, it became Babel. And that a simpler form of the same word that we find in Revelation 17th and 18th chapters, Babylon. Same root word, babylon, confusion. If there's anything today that describes world conditions it is babylon. The United Nations, they're united in name, it's babylon; a babel of voices more ways than one, that's the United Nations. And religion is certainly going very rapidly into the form described in the Word of God.
I’m sorry that this chart is both so indistinct and so far away that you can't see it, all the details very clearly, maybe not at all. You can these larger words though, "Rightly Dividing the Word". In 2 Timothy 2:15 Christians are commanded in these words (all who can repeat it with me do so, will you), "Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." There are divisions in the Word of God. God has divisions in His sovereign will and omniscience. J Edgar Hoover representing the biggest police force I guess of the nation tells us-and all authorities in that field that they've never found two men that had exactly the same finger prints. I read years ago of a man up in Spokane, Washington, that over a period of years had examined snow flakes under a microscope or magnifying glass, and he said after looking at at least 300,000 snow flakes he had never found two exactly alike as to their geometrical structure. Others tell us in examining leaves by the thousands of one kind of tree, they've never found two leaves that have exactly the same structure. God doesn't have to duplicate. Men do, and imitate. God doesn't.
Confusion. Confusion reigns today. Probably one of the reasons that there are not more people here tonight who believe ... I don't know how many there may be who do believe in water baptism as essential to salvation, but there're not near as many as there were the last time I spoke this general subject here in this park. It was 17 years ago when I was one of the speakers in a series of public joint discussions with J L Hines who was, regarded then (I suppose he's still living, quite elderly I guess), he was regarded then as one of the ablest debaters in the so-called "Church of Christ". We had eight nights joint discussion here, and there were a lot of Campbellites out to hear me and Hines, then. Probably a good many who saw the advertisements: in the Herald, Times-Herald, Saturday or received it otherwise or maybe both that when they saw my name didn't care to come out because those who had heard me (and this is a boast only in the simplicity of God's Word), they know, as you will know when I shall have finished tonight, that what I give on the subject "Saved By Dry Baptism" so far as my belief on the subject, I’ll give negative things that false teachers teach, you will know when I shall have finished if you have ears to hear and can examine Biblical evidence, weigh it properly and get the right result, you will know that no Campbellite on the face of the earth nor no Mormon nor no Roman Catholic nor no Jesus Only Pentecostalist nor no type or kind of water salvationist can possibly meet and refute what I give, because it is the unrefutable, it is the unforced ... some of the unforced truth of God.
I'm going to begin a little differently from any way I've ever begun before, partly because I want to see if I couldn't keep some of you folks that have heard me speak on the subject… sometimes some of you over and over again, some in different parts of the country, some in California and Ft Worth and Dallas and so forth. I'm going to begin a little differently from the way you've ever herd me before. But I won't stay very long an a different line.
Turn to the 2nd chapter of Acts, you who have Bibles and can have enough light to read. I'll first quote in the 1st chapter the 5th verse. There we find the Lord Jesus still on earth and He's talking to His disciples. He said, "John truly baptized with water… John truly baptized with water, but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days hence." And being assembled together, they said, "Lord, wilt Thou at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?" And Christ said, "It's not for you to know the time and the seasons. But you'll receive power after that the Holy Spirit is come upon you and you'll be witnesses unto Me." I won't finish quoting there, I could quote some more, but anyway. The Lord Jesus was caught up into heaven you remember and they went to Jerusalem as He had told them both as recorded in the 24th chapter of Luke and in the 1st chapter of Acts. The Lord told them to tarry in Jerusalem until they were endued with power from on high. And that was also described as I just quoted from Acts 1:5 as being baptized with the Holy Spirit.
Now Acts 2.
And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.
Probably one night next week I'll speak on the subject, "Speaking With Tongues" or "Tongues and Healing" or something like that. And I will, if I do speak on that, I'll call attention probably to this fact,
And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were ... sitting.
That's what the inspired record says, Acts 2. They weren't kneeling, they weren't lying on the floor, they weren't jumping up and down hooting and hollering', they were_ sitting the inspired record, Acts 2, tells us. Now I'm not going to make anything of that, I'm just calling it to your attention. It's there in the Word of God.
And it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues. ... like ... as of doves and sat upon each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and ...
What?
(comment from audience "Fire.")
Oh, I made a mistake. The Holy Spirit didn't appear like as dove, but like as fire. But when the Holy Spirit came upon the Lord Jesus after He was baptized with John's baptism, you remember the Holy Spirit sat upon Him like as a dove.
Now what do you suppose are some of the things anyway that God would have us get out of those two things? The Holy Spirit came upon the Lord Jesus after He came out of John's water baptism, He was 30 years of age we read in Luke the 3rd chapter. He had lived for 30 years as a quiet, private, law keeping Jew, for after the flesh He was an Israelite, born of the tribe of Judah. You remember in the 9th chapter of Romans and in the 2nd chapter of Acts and the 2nd ... 2 Timothy 2, and other places, we're expressly told that Christ after the flesh was an Israelite or a Jew.
I don't know whether I'll ... believe I should take one of the 15 nights that we expect to be here all told to speak on the subject of Anglo-Israelism or not. If I thought enough of you were interested and might be profited by and that we might get some of Johnny Lovell's crowd or some others, or some of Herbert Armstrong's crowd, those that have swallowed those fables about England and America being Ephraim and Manasseh and the Queen of England sitting on David's throne, even I thought I could get some people that are bitten by that silly twaddle to come out and listen, I would ... and I may do it yet, speak on the subject "Anglo-Israelism", or "The Word of God versus Anglo-Israelism", something like that. But now back to this.
Jesus of Nazareth after the flesh, He was Immanuel which being interpreted is. "God with us", but as concerning the flesh we read in Romans 9 He was an Israelite, and since of the tribe of Judah, so forth, an Israelite. And He lived, I repeat, as a quiet, private, law keeping Jew for 30 years. Remember we're told in Galatians 4:4-5 that He was made ... "In the fulness of time God sent forth His own Son, made of a woman, made under the law." Maybe I better ... it's alright for me to digress again for a moment. The Seventh Day Adventists and Herbert Armstrong, when they're trying to explain away the passage Romans 6:14, "Sin shall not have dominion over you," Christians, "because ye are not under law, the law, but under grace." They say, "Well, you're not under the law as long as you're keeping it. But when you break the law then you're under the law." They say "under the law" means to be under the penalty for having broken it. Well if that's true, then God made His dear Son a lawless, anarchist, immoral, adulterer, murderer, thief, and idolater, and so forth, as a baby because we are told, and l repeat, in Galatians 4:3-4, "In the fulness of time God sent forth His own Son made of a woman, made under the law."
I think I'll stop right now by the way and let one or two or three or four of you give something that you recall that you got last night that was helpful. And l want to say this my dear friends and give God all the credit where credit's due because certainly I haven't any truth nor could I get any truth in the spiritual realm that doesn't come from God. None of us has anything but what he has received spiritually. So please believe me when I speak with confidence about what I'm giving. I certainly don't mean to be handing myself a left-handed or righthanded bouquet. I'm nothing but a miserable hell-deserving sinner who was arrested by the law of God and saved by the grace of God. But I do speak with confidence because I am saved and have received the Spirit of God as we're told in 1 Corinthians 2:12, "We ... now we've received not the spirit of the world but the Spirit which is of God that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God." It's no compliment or recommendation for any minister of Christ professedly or Bible teacher to parade his ignorance. Now I know nothing as I ought, but I'm going to speak things that I do know, and speak them with spiritual confidence and I hope humility and spiritual love.
But can you refer to something that you got last night that was a blessing to you. Stand up please back yonder and refer to it.
(comment from audience)
Adam and Eve were the only two human beings that were ever ... that were sinners because they sinned. The rest of us were born sinners, Romans 5:19, "By one man's disobedience," Adam. Here we have it on the chart, I mean suggested, Adam. "By one man's disobedience," Romans 5:19, "many were made sinners, so also by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous." The Campbellites and the Mormons and the Roman Catholics and Seventh Day Adventists don't know that.
But it's true that, "By one man's disobedience many were made sinners and so also by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous."
To obey the gospel of Jesus Christ, I mentioned last night, that expression you know occurs in 2 Thessalonians for instance, "to obey the gospel." Those who obey not the gospel of our ... of the lord Jesus Christ will be punished with everlasting destruction when Christ comes back in flaming fire. Now… I'm going to tie that in directly or mention it in connection with Acts 2. There appeared unto them ... the Holy Spirit like as cloven tongues of fire and sat on each of them. I'm going to tie that Like as cloven tongues of fire with the fire mentioned in Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians, in a moment please.
Now somebody else refer to something that you have been thinking about since. last night. Brother Cecil Spivey.
(comment from audience)
I brought out last night that physical death is not the penalty for sin. Abraham died. Moses, Joseph, David, Daniel, Paul died. Every Christian that isn't living on earth today has died, physically. So physical death is not the penalty for sin, the wages of sin. Wages of ... wages of sin is ... is death in the spiritual realm and separation from God. And when Christ cried, "My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?" then He was dying bearing my sins and your sins separated from the Judge of all the universe from God the Father in heaven.
One other at least unless two decide to refer to something you got last night that you been thinking about sometime today maybe, anyway you can recall now, that was a blessing to you ... As I said last night, I plan on doing this maybe every night partly to exhort you and admonish you to listen carefully expecting to remember, expecting to retain. Certainly I don't want to be an entertainer, I'm a poor entertainer; not even trying to be. I want to give things that you can't get away from. And hope and pray that you'll remember them consciously, the next night for instance. Maybe some of you do but you just don't feel free to speak. But one more before I go on. What did you get last night that you been chewing on today as a part of God's truth?
(comment from audience)
I spoke last night on the subject of "Who Died On Calvary's Accursed Tree? Was It A Mortal Jesus?" Like the Seventh Day Adventists and Herbert W Armstrong and the so-called "Jehovah's Witnesses" teach, that Jesus of Nazareth had a mortal body. And I brought out if that were true, as he's saying it, if that were true that Christ ... that Jesus Christ had a mortal body then He couldn't die for anybody else because He's already dying. Mortal means dying. No my dear friends, Christ's death was supernatural. He had a sinless body, there was no taint of mortality in the bloodstream or the nerve system, the body of Jesus of Nazareth. He was holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sin, the lamb of God without blemish and without spot -- remember that. He was the unleavened bread from heaven; He said, "I'm the bread from heaven." Well there's no leaven, no yeast, nothing poison in heaven. It came down, "God so loved the world that He gave His own Son," God sent His Son we're told in many places, specifically for instance John 3:17.
Now, back to the subject "Saved By Dry Baptism". I have already called to your attention that the Lord Jesus when He was baptized in water, the river Jordan by John as He came up out of the river, Matthew the 3rd chapter, as He came up out of the water, straightway the heavens were opened and the Holy Spirit came upon Him like as a dove, as a dove. And a voice from heaven said, "This is My beloved Son in whom I'm well pleased."
The Baptists need to reread and study carefully and prayerfully the accounts in Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and Acts 1, and Acts 11:16, of John's water baptism. The Baptists tell us, and many ... so far as I know all who teach salvation by grace and then want you to be baptized in water as an outward sign that you've already been water bapt... been saved. The Baptists teach that, and many other groups teach ... I think ... the Presbyterians as to their actual theology teach that water baptism is an out.., is something that follows genuine salvation, a rebirth, spiritual birth. And many people, most all that I know of that practice water baptism today, refer sooner or later from time to time to following Christ in water baptism.
I've been asked often, "Have you followed Christ in water baptism?" And I tell them, "No, no more than I've followed Him in circumcision, no more than I've followed Him… in perfect obedience to the Ten Commandments, no more than I've followed Him in being nailed to the cross and having God the Judge turn His back on me. No I haven't followed Jesus Christ in the work He came to do in my place." It's an insult to Him and it's pious infidelity to try to immitate the work that Jesus Christ did as a substitute. He was circumcised as an eight day old Jewish baby boy. What for? Circumcision is a type of the sterility of the race, that in God's sight the race is spiritually dead. And so God gave circumcision as a type of that.
It's very interesting to study the origin of it back in the 17th chapter of Genesis (I'm just going to touch it now) when God gave it to Abram. You remember after God promised it to Abram, He's going to make him a great nation. And He said, "In thy seed, which is Christ," it's interpreted in Galatians 3, "In thy seed, which is Christ, all the nations of the earth shall be blessed. And the Scripture foreseeing that God would justify," or declare right, "that God would justify the Gentiles," that's over in this present dispensation, I'm quoting Galatians 3:6, "the Scripture foreseeing," way back here, "the Scripture foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles through faith, preached before the gospel to Abraham, saying, In thy seed, which is Christ, shall all nations be blessed. And Abraham believed God and it," what?! …his faith, "Abraham believed ... believed God and it was counted unto him for righteousness." He didn't have any righteousness of his own, but he looked forward through the telescope of promise and prophecy about 1900 years to the coming of his great-great-great-great-greatgrandson Jesus of Nazareth, born after the flesh from Abraham ye know. Abraham looked through the telescope of promise and prophecy 1900 years ahead and saw Jesus Christ dying on the cross for him, and buried and raised again for him. And he believed that inspired prophetic account of the gospel. I quote again Galatians 3:6, "The Scripture foreseeing that God would justify," or declare right, "God would justify the Gentiles through faith, preached before the gospel to Abraham."
The Campbellites say He couldn't have done it. The Campbellites say the gospel wasn't preached until after Christ died, buried, and raised again. And the Roman Catholics don't come out quite as positively, yet their whole system is a system of a new plan of salvation which is actually damnation. Their ... every cult under heaven my friend has a different plan of saving sinners today than the plan that saved Abraham, the plan that saved Moses, that saved David, that saved ... Joshua, that saved David, and that saved the apostles for instance because they were saved, the ones I'm referring to, were saved before Pentecost. Peter was made a living stone.
Now watch. It is very important to realize that there never has been but one plan of salvation, for the simple reason that there never has been and never will be but one Savior from the guilt and penalty of sin. We're told in Matthew the 2nd chapter ... 1st chapter ... 3rd chap... 2nd chapter, that the babe of Bethlehem was to be named and was named Immanuel, which being interpreted is "God with us", and also they shall call His name Jesus which means "Jehovah will save". And why did they call His name Jesus? for He shall save His people from their sins. And He's always been the Savior and always will be the Savior as long as there's any saving done. And He's ... back yonder they were saved by Looking forward to the coming of Christ and what He was going to do on the cross and conquering death and coming out of the grave, they looked forward with the gospel of promise. We read in the 10th chapter of Romans that Isaiah preached the gospel, Isaiah preached the gospel, and that was hundreds of years before Christ's actual death.
The Campbellites and some others are fond of quoting from Hebrews, "without
the shedding of blood is no remission", and they try to make that mean until the blood of Christ was actually shed was no remission. But that's not what the record says, that's not what God says. And the Campbellites won't stand by that themselves when you confront them with the fact that the Lord Jesus Christ forgave sins before he went to the cross. You remember the palsied man that was brought by four of his friends? When they got to the house where Christ was, the house was jammed and they couldn't get in, they got on top, cut the tiles, let him down, the palsied man, on a stretcher. And when the Lord Jesus saw their faith, He said to the man sick of the palsy, (thank you) "thy sins be forgiven thee", "thy sins be forgiven thee." And the gang around there, maybe they were some potential Campbellites; they said, "Why the very idea. He’s a blasphemer. Who has power to forgive sins but God only." And He said, "That you may know that the Son of man hath power," right now, "hath power to forgive sins, He said to the sick of the palsy, Rise, take up your bed," and so forth. And the Lord forgave the sins of a sinful woman before the cross, you remember.
Yes my friends, and we read in the 38th chapter, the 43rd chapter, the 44th chapter of Isaiah about sins being blotted out to be remembered against them no more forever. Did Abraham ... did Abraham have his sins forgiven? Of course he did! ... David said as recorded by Paul in … Romans the 4th chapter, "Blessed is the man," David said, "Blessed is the man whose iniquities are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin." Look, Paul quoted in Romans 4 from Abraham, that Abraham said, "Blessed is the man to whom the Lord imputes righteousness without works." And then he quoted David too. Abraham... 430 years: before the giving of the Ten Commandment system and David in the middle of it, that law program, was given the truth and preached the truth of salvation through faith in the perfect work of the Son of God the Savior.
My dear friends, I believe in Jesus Christ the Savior. I believe He's the only Savior. And l don't say that with my tongue in my cheek. I don't say that as a hypocrite, that's going to turn right around and say that you'll go to hell if you don't get a hold of your boot straps or get some preacher to dunk you in the water.
I intended to have a baptistry here tonight. I’ve got a coffee can in my car but forgot all about it. I'll make out like this here has got some water in it, I'll drink a little first. Now I'm not going to stick my finger in this, but I'm going to make out like I'm going to stick a pen in it, fountain pen or ... yeah.
(comment from audience)
No, it's all right, they can visualize here. Now here's a candidate for water baptism and I'm the preacher. I'm going to do the baptizing now.
And here's the swimming hole or the river or the baptistry. Now ... and this fellow has said, "I've heard the gospel, I believe it, I repent, and I confess Jesus as Christ, and I want to be baptized into Christ." He's been told that the way to be baptized into Christ is to have a preacher put him in the water. All right, now I'm going to put this candidate, he's supposed to be a truly penitent believer, I’m going to put him in.
Now would you ever think that was in Christ? Suppose instead of this cup here, it is a baptistry or it's a lake or a river or an ocean. Would you think that putting a fellow into that is the same as putting him into Christ? Well that's exactly what the water salvationists do when they come to Romans 6:3-4 and Galatians ... Galatians 3:27-28 and ... Colossians 2:12. They say baptizing into Christ means to dunk into water. And they get mad at me sometime and say I'm a blasphemer when I say, "I don't believe in your pollywog Jesus. I have nothing but utter contempt for your pollywog Jesus." When one is baptized into Jesus Christ he's not baptized in water. When one is baptized into Jesus Christ my dear friend he's baptized into Jesus Christ.
Am I saying anything against Christ? God forbid. Of course I'm not. I’m speaking reverently, I'm speaking Biblically about the Lord Jesus Christ, and I'm trying to show what damnable idolatry it is... to call a pond of water or a bathtub Jesus Christ. And remember, if baptized into water, if baptized into water isn't baptizing into Christ, if baptized into water isn't baptizing you into Christ, if you're baptized into water and baptized into Christ, then you have two baptisms haven't you. You got two baptisms, one in the water… one in the water, and the other into Christ. You got two baptisms. Make up your mind, it's one or the other.
Now back to ... now my dear friends, I don't know why these are leaving that are leaving, but when I announced the subject and they came expecting to hear a subject on "Saved By Dry Baptism", did they think I was going to preach wet baptism for salvation? Any of you think so? You might as well leave too because it'll just add to your condemnation. If you come so prejudiced and so skitty; why when I go to hear a Campbellite or tune him in on the radio, I know good and well that he's preaching that I am a lost soul and on my way to hell because I haven't been dunked, and that my mother went to hell though she died with "Jesus" on her lips. She had never had anything but sprinkling as a little Methodist ... as a little girl by her Methodist preacher-father. And the Campbellites and all the water salvationists teach, for instance the Roman Catholics teach that little babies that die without having been sprinkled by a priest with holy water never will see God, ... they'll go to Limbo but not to heaven; they'll never see God. Now don't be angry with me because I'm speaking frankly and clearly what you supposedly expected me to say regardless of the words you expected me to give.
But now back again… John the Baptist, I was starting to say, John the Baptist baptized ... I'll quote the text, "There went unto him Jerusalem, Judea, the regions around about and were all baptized of him in the river Jordan confessing" that they had just been saved; No! They didn't confess they had just been saved, they were baptized of him in the river Jordan confessing their sins. They went in dry sinners and came out wet sinners. That's why heaven paid no attention to them. But here comes another one. They didn't follow Him, He followed them remember, according to the inspired record. The record tells us that there went unto John Jerusalem, Judea, and the regions around about and were all baptized of him in the river Jordan confessing their sins. You see they came first. That crowd... of sinning Israelites that wanted the kingdom of God. They had expected a man like John the Baptist for it had been prophesied in Isaiah 40, "The voice of one crying in the wilderness." And so they came out when they heard that this is evidently the prophesied forerunner of the king and the kingdom. And they were baptized of John in the river Jordan confessing their sin. Went in dry sinners, came out wet sinners.
What was John's water baptism for? We read in the 1st chapter of John, John 1:31. John the Baptist said, "l didn't know which one was the Christ, but that He might be made manifest to Israel, that He might be made manifest to Israel, that He might be made manifest to Israel, therefore am I come baptizing with water." I tell the Baptists sometime, I say, "you baptized like John baptized?" "Yeah." "Did you get all the unsaved Jews in the country to come and watch you? Did you? If not, why not? Because we're told as clearly as God wants us to know anything, in John 1:31, "that Christ might be made manifest, to Israel, therefore am I come baptizing with water." Is that plain enough? That's why John baptized with water.
Then we're given some of the moral reasons for it in Luke 7:28-29, Luke 7:2829. We're told that the common people and the publicans justified God being baptized with John's baptism. Now what is the meaning of the word 'justify'? You notice a moment ago when I quoted the word 'justify', that "the Scripture foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles through faith", I defined the word 'justify' as 'declare right'. It doesn't mean saved, the word 'justify' doesn't mean saved unless it's when God justifies a sinner. That's equivalent to saving the sinner because the word 'justify' means to declare right. But we're told there in Luke 7:28-29 that the publicans and the common people justified God. Well they didn't save God. But they declared God is right. They justified God being baptized with John's baptism. But the lawyers and Pharisees rejected the counsel of God against themselves not being baptized. So John's water baptism was the counsel of God against Israel.
I have been surprised at the number of preachers and Bible teachers, some very able men, some sound in most things, that seem to be utterly ignorant of that passage that is so important in understanding John's water baptism. The publicans and the common people justified God being baptized with John's baptism, but the lawyers. and Pharisees rejected the counsel of God against themselves. not being baptized. In other words, John's water baptism was the counsel of God against Israel: you don't deserve to cross the river Jordan and get into the promised land as kingdom people. You deserve to be drowned in the river Jordan and dumped in the dead sea. You don't deserve to get across. And so those that were baptized of John in the river Jordan were baptized in the river Jordan confessing their sins, confessing their sins.
Well here comes another one, here comes another one. And John the Baptist said, "I have need to be baptized of Thee, and comest Thou to me?" And Christ said, "Suffer it to be so for this entire next dispensation John". "Suffer it to be so clear until I come back from heaven." is that what He said? He said,. "Suffer it to be so now, John. Suffer it to be so now. Suffer it to be so now for thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness." Did you ever fulfill the righteousness of God? Had those thousands:... maybe thousands of Jews that had water driven off of ',em maybe by the time Christ came up to be baptized, had they fulfilled righteousness? They were baptized as an outward evidence of their submission to God who said, "You have not fulfilled righteous... you're a bunch of sinners." And they justified God being baptized of John's baptism. But over here stood the smug self-righteous Pharisees and lawyers, and John the Baptist said, "You generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee the wrath to come?" They rejected the counsel-of God against themselves not being baptized.
God help you to see my dear friend that when Christ said, "Go ahead John. Suffer it to be so now for thus it becometh us". Who is the us? All people? Ten thousand times no. The only two that could possibly fulfill righteousness in connection with John's water baptism: John the Spirit-filled and prophesied foreordained baptizer and Jesus of Nazareth (watch now) who was born (I quoted awhile ago from Galatians 4:3-4), He was made of a woman ... Let my Bible represent... the Ten Commandment system, the entire Ten Commandments with its God-given system of meats... I'm quoting from Hebrews 9:8-10, "meats and drinks and divers washings..."
Alexander Campbell says in his book on baptisms which I have here, and l think it's. a very fine treatise on the subject except when he gets into applying it. I think he has some of the finest collection of scholars, Greek scholars and so forth, of the meaning of baptizo and so forth, its other forms, that I've ever found in one book, Alexander Campbell's book on baptism. In this book he said the King James translators had no authority whatsoever for translating baptismos 'baptisms' in the 6th chapter of Hebrews and 'washings' in the 9th chapter. He said it's from the same ... it's exactly the same in the original, baptismos, baptismos. And when they translated it different... "the doctrine of baptisms" in the 6th chapter and "divers washings" in the 9th chapter, he said they had no authority. He said they should have translated it "the doctrine of immersions" and "divers immersions or baptisms". So I'm going to quote it that way, Hebrews 9:8-10. "God gave to Israel a system of meats, ceremonial meats, and drinks, and different baptisms, and carnal ordinances, fleshly ordinances, imposed on them until the time of reformation."
Here on this chart this darker line here is green. (You may ... may not be able to detect the color there.) And you notice we have it beginning with Abraham, because Abraham was promised a nation, that he would be the father of a great nation, more than one, but the nation Israel. Now we have this green line going down into Egypt. That you remember was in the days of Joseph. Coming out of Egypt, that's in the days of Moses. And then the Ten Commandments here, that's Mt. Sinai in the wilderness. And then... the kingdom in the days of ... Saul, and David, and then the one born King of the Jews at Bethlehem; remember, and His ministry up to the cross.
But notice we do not have the green line, the Jewish nation, we do not have it broken off at the cross. Most Bible teachers and preachers think that God was through with the Jewish nation when they crucified the Messiah. But that is not true. It's a most confusing error ... I think there's probably no more confusing error taught at large by preachers and Bible teachers than that very thing: that God broke Israel nationally off when they crucified Christ.
Before the cross Christ had promised no sign shall be given this wicked and adulterous generation but the sign of the prophet Jonah. And then He said, "Not one stone will be left upon another, this temple." He prophesied utter destruction of the temple at Jerusalem. And then He said, Matthew 21:43, "The kingdom of God shall be taken from you." And yet on the cross He said, "Father forgive them, they know not what they do." And the first ... He died for their sins and for all the sins of the world... and the first sermon preached after the cross saw signs. And we see through the book of Acts, signs and wonders. And yet Christ said, it's recorded in Matthew 10 and Matthew 16, "A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign and no sign shall be given it but the sign of the prophet Jonah."
If I were an infidel I'd pull those things out and say, "Now there's your rank flat contradictions in your Bible." But they're not contradictions. The explanation is that ... that Christ gave Israel another chance when He died for them on the cross and prayed for them. Remember, when He said, "Father forgive them, they know not what they do," He wasn't praying for you and me Gentiles. He hadn't come to the Gentiles. We're told in the 15th chapter of Matthew that Christ said, "I am not sent but to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. I am not sent but to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." When He chose His 12 apostles as recorded in Matthew 10, He commissioned them, gave them power to heal all manner of sicknesses, all manner of demons., cast out demons., and raise the dead. And He said you do like A A Allen and Oral Roberts, don't take any money at all in your purse. He said the laborer's worthy of his hire. Wherever you go preaching He says, why somebody there will receive you,- and if they don't receive you why shake the dust off ... their dust off your feet and go on out and say, "But be know ... but be sure of this, the kingdom of God was nigh at hand." They were to go there preaching to Israel and preaching that the kingdom of God is at hand, and they proved it by the Messianic physical miracles while they were going to the physical people Israel in physical Palestine. God help you to see that.
And so the Lord promised His nation Israel, "The kingdom shall be taken from you," Matthew 21:43. "And this temple is going to he utterly destroyed, not one stone left upon another," He gave that before the cross. "And your house shall be left unto you desolate." "And no more signs will be given; but the sign of the prophet Jonah. As Jonah was three days_ and three nights in the belly of the whale, even so will the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth." But on the cross, "Father forgive them, they know not what they do." And then He died for them. And I repeat, the first sermon preached by the Spirit-filled Peter to what people? lsrael! He said, "Brethren, men of Israel, brethren, I know that through ignorance you did it." And miracle ... first the miracle of tongues and then all through the book of Acts, miracles. God gave them another chance. And my friend... and the temple was left standing, and even the apostle Paul went into the temple, you remember. Regularly observed the Jewish religion.
Now watch my friend. Until you have the Bible explanation why Paul, the great apostle to the Gentiles, who received for the first time anybody ever got it, the truth for this present dispensation regarding the new man, the church which is Christ's body ... this ... between these two green lines here, we have the green line broken off here, and the green line being resumed here. The church dispensation we have indicated here, beginning here, ending here, Christ in the heavenlies, and the church is the body of Christ.
People that are ... in order to be a member of the true church of Jesus Christ they have to be baptized into it. The Campbellites say, "That's right." And when they're debating with the Baptists or talking about it, they say, "Now you vote your members in, don't you? Well I read in my Bible, "As many as have been baptized into Jesus Christ have put on Christ."" And they make that to mean water baptism. And I ask the Campbellites, "Say just a minute now. I read in my Bible Acts the 2nd chapter, the Lord adds to the church daily such as should be saved, the Lord adds to the church daily such as should be saved." And I say, "l read that too in my Bible. Now, let's put the two together; they belong together. "As many as have been baptized ...", I Corinthians- 12: 13, "For by one Spirit," or literally, the King ... the Revised Version, "in one Spirit are we all-l-l-l baptized into one body, whether it be Jews or Gentiles, bond or free," baptized into the church which is Christ's body. The Lord adds to the church."
Now, does the Lord add after you're baptized into the body? You try to get a poor deceived Campbellite to face that. Some of them have, thank God. There's some ex-Campbellites here tonight. Amen? There's several ex-Campbellites here tonight, thank God. They began to see what hopeless confusion and what utter contradiction it is to say ... to try to make this ... these two verses fit together, I mean with pouring water, pouring water into Romans 6:3-4, Galatians 3:27-28, Colossians 2:12, 1 Corinthians 12:13, and 1 Peter 3:21, try to make that water baptism that gets you into Jesus Christ. They say, "The Bible says that the Lord adds to the church, and you're baptized into it." Well if the Lord adds to the church, and the Bible says He does, and you're put into the church by baptism, then it must be the baptism that the Lord performs. It must be the baptism that the Lord performs.
And John the Baptist said, "I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but, but, there's one coming after me mightier than l the latchet of whose shoes I'm not worthy to loose; He it is that shall baptize 12 of you. The Campbellites stay that only the 12 apostles of the Jews were baptized with the Holy Spirit.
And John the Baptist is talking to a great thong there. "I indeed baptize you with the Holy Spirit... with water unto repentance, but," now that conjunction suggests not some more of the same but a different thing, "but there's one coming after me whose mightier than I whose shoe latchet I'm not worthy to stoop down and unloose; He it is that shall baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire," watch now, "whose fan is in His hand"; that's going hack to the old method of threshing wheat, "whose fan is in His hand, He'll thoroughly purge His floor, gather the wheat in the garner, burn the chaff with unquenchable fire." Now what process gathers the wheat into the garner? And what process burns the chaff with unquenchable fire? If it isn't with sublime simplicity what God just told us there. The baptism of the Holy Spirit gathers the wheat in the garner and the baptism of fire burns the chaff with unquenchable fire.
My friend, what under heaven is the necessity of going, to man's schools and listening to preachers complicate the simplicity which is in Christ? Read the 3rd chapter of Matthew, and ask God to open your eyes, and get water off of your brain, and read it for yourself, and see the simplicity of it ...
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... straightened till it be accomplished." Now I repeat my statement a moment ago. Suppose I had announced I was going to speak on "The Baptism of Jesus Christ" tonight. I wonder how .., with that ad in the paper like we did... this other Sunday, how many do you suppose, if they had seen that in the paper or printed announcements otherwise, would have thought splash immediately? I was going to speak on "The Baptism of Jesus Christ": water, splash, John baptizing Him in the river Jordan.
John R Rice that some of you know, used to be in Dallas here, published a magazine; paper started in Dallas, called "The Sword of the Lord". John Rice gives a lot of truth. He's a Southern Baptist now working out of the North; Wheaton, Illinois, evangelist. And in his book on baptism he says what a lot of people say, that the literal meaning of baptism is all-l-l ... in the Bible, is all-l-l-ways water baptism.
Now my friend, that's just as honest and as scholarly as for me to say the literal meaning of the word 'shoot' means a rubber and a pin. Suppose I'd say, "All scholars know that the literal meaning of the word 'shoot' means use a rubber and pin." You might say, "Why listen, I never thought in my life before that the word 'shoot' suggests the instrument to be used in the process. Whether a rubber and pin or an air gun or a canon or a hot rod shooting out of a side street or something like that. The word 'shoot' doesn't suggest the element.
My friend, the word 'baptize' doesn't suggest the elements to be used in it. Don't think splash when you hear 'baptism'. Don't think splash when you hear the word 'baptism'. Why ... why is it most everybody in christendom, that ... as far as I know, and I've had a good deal of experience; why is it that most everybody in christendom seems to believe that the literal meaning of the word ‘baptism' means something with water? It's because of priestcraft. It’s because of Roman Catholicism and her daughters. Priestcraft. Water, because that's something that makes the preacher more or less important.
Easter, now. Here's Easter week. We've worked up to the high finale, Easter. The name of the filthiest of all the female deities of Babylonianism, Ishtar, Ashteroth, the Queen of Heaven so called in the 7th chapter of Jeremiah and the 44th of Jeremiah, Queen of Heaven. The Roman Catholics have given Mary, their Mary, the title Queen of Heaven. And I think their Mary is the Queen of Heaven no more than Mary the mother of Jesus, and Santa Claus is God. I announced last night I may speak one night next week on "Who Is Satan's Leading Lady?" As I announced last night, I may speak one night next week on "Who Is Satan's Leading Lady?" And if l do, I'LL take that question up. I've spoke on it many, many times. I've studied it very carefully.
But now watch my friend. Baptism. Baptism. Why is it that so nearly all people in christendom think that the one baptism referred to in Ephesians 4:5 is, water baptism? It's because the preacher wants to be important.
I started to say awhile ago, Easter now. We've got a Easter meeting. This is Easter Sunday morning, and I'm a Presbyterian preacher or a Lutheran preacher or a Methodist preacher and in some cases Baptist. I haven't been around here on Easter time, I don't know how many Southern Baptists in Dallas are adopting this method but I've seen them in California; some... they take advantage of Easter service too, and even the Fundamentalists, Church of the-Open Door, Bible Institute, Los Angeles. They have a dedicatory service for babies. A dedicatory service on Easter. So here's the preacher, now suppose I’m a preacher now, not necessarily a Roman Catholic priest or Episcopalian rector but a Lutheran and ... we're going to have baptize now… here I stand, and here comes a mother, maybe it's... I saw the other day where Senator Kennedy (that some of you may vote for for president, the Roman Catholic... Irish Roman Catholic), Senator Kennedy came to Los Angeles to be godfather at the baptizing of a little baby, and the newspapers 're giving him a lot of publicity. Now whatever godfather is. It's a Godless thing, I can assure you. But anyway He came to be a godfather at the sprinkling of some baby; Roman Catholic you see.
But now you think that the preacher doesn't feel important? Oh-h-h boy. I used to be a Methodist I'm ashamed to say. And used to be song leader at Bob Shuler's in California, went out there in '21. Director of Music in that Methodist of 3000 members downtown. And I used to lead the singing at Easter time and other times. And here's some parents, the grandparents, come up with a little baby to be baptized. Now of course the Methodists don't actually teach that sprinkling washes away original sin, but the Lutherans, Episcopalians, and Romanists do you know. It actually washes away sin; sprinkling. And you take that precious little baby, doesn't know any better you know… precious little baby, it can't jump out of mom and papa's arms, so it comes up ... I mean it's brought up, and... when the water hits it somehow… "What", I thought; "I wonder if original sin's coming out that way?" But anyway, the preacher is important just the same.
Now my dear friends, I wouldn't ridicule things like that if I didn't know they were not of God. I'm not ridiculing God. I'm not ridiculing the baptism of Jesus Christ in the river Jordan. I didn't ridicule the baptism of those Jews that confessed their sins. I wouldn't ridicule at all the baptism of the Ethiopian eunuch who was already saved of course because he believed that Jesus was the Christ, "And whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God," we're told in 1 John. I wouldn't ridicule the baptism of any of those that Christ's disciples baptized. But I do ... not so much ridicule, as dispute and refute Biblically the teaching that there's any water in Acts 2:38, or any water in Matthew 28:18-19, any water in Mark 16:15-16, there's no water in Romans 6:3-5, there's no water in 1 Corinthians 12:13, there's no water in Colossians 2:12, the text doesn't say there is. Now you might come back and say, "The text doesn't say in each of those cases that they're Spirit baptism either." No, and it doesn't say death baptism or fire baptism either. And so we must be humble Bible students to find out what baptism it is. And we can find out, and by God's Spirit I have.
Now watch. John's water baptism was the last water baptism given by God. You try to find any authority for another water baptism after John's baptism. Why do you suppose the Lord Jesus ... why do you suppose Matthew was inspired to say, recorded that John said, "I indeed baptize with water unto repentance, but one coming after me mightier than I He'll baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire." Now there's the first inspired record of the contrast. ''I baptize with water but one coming after me mightier than I He'll baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire." Mark was inspired-to record leaving out the fire baptism that John said, "I baptize with water but one coming after me will baptize with the Holy Spirit." Luke in the 3rd chapter was inspired to record that John the Baptist said, "I baptize with water but one coming after me mightier than I. He will baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire." John the beloved in John the 1st chapter was inspired to record that John said, "One that ... I was told that the one the Holy Spirit descends upon and remains, He it is that shall baptize you with the Holy Spirit; I with water, He with the Holy Spirit." Now that's the fourth inspired record of the contrast between John's water and a greater and later Spirit baptism, without the faintest hint that there'll be another water baptism.
Let me repeat that slowly. In Matthew the 3rd chapter, Mark the 1st chapter, Luke the 3rd chapter, and John the 1st chapter, we have four inspired records. We have four inspired records. of John stating, "I baptize with water unto repentance but after me there will be a greater and a later baptism, Spirit." And he doesn't hint that there'll be another water.
Now, the risen Christ, as I quoted while ago, the risen Christ, Acts 1:5, Acts. 1:5, "John truly baptized with water." I imagine I can hear Peter as he often you know spoke out of turn real quick, but the Bible doesn't say he did, but I imagine he wanted to. When Christ said to him and the other apostles. on the Mount of Olives there, Acts 1, "John truly baptized with water," I imagine l can hear Peter, "Well I did too." We read in Acts ... in John the 4th chapter that there was a dispute between the disciples of John, the disciples of Jesus as to which baptized the more.
Now why do you suppose the Lord Jesus said, "John truly baptized with water"? My friend, because it was John's water baptism. That's precisely why. And the baptism that Christ's disciples performed was John's baptism. That's why we find the Lord Jesus saying, "John truly baptized with water," the risen Christ mind you, just before He goes back to glory. At about the same time as Matthew 28 commission and Mark 16, about the same time. Won't forget that. Study Matthew 28:18-19 and Mark 16:15-16, with Acts 1:5. If not, why not? If not, why not?
"John truly baptized with water but you'll be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days. hence." And then in the... 11th chapter of Acts, after Peter had commanded Cornelius and his household who had just been baptized with the Holy Spirit, after Peter had commanded Cornelius and his household, watch (and I've got a chart I want to ask some of the brethren to hold up for just a minute, I want you to see it on Cornelius; just a minute I'll call up two of them), after Cornelius had been baptized... and all of his household of Gentile kinfolks and friends who had come there to hear all that God had told Peter to say. And Peter had given this much: he'd told about Christ preaching the gospel of peace to Israel, and that they had crucified Him and hung Him on a tree, but God raised Him up and showed Him, not to everybody but to chosen witnesses and ordained that it would be He that should be the judge of the quick and the dead. The next verse, "And to Him," Peter said, Acts 10:43, "to Christ give all the prophets witness," now watch, that goes way back maybe to Abel because he was… a prophet. Peter says, Acts 10:43, preaching to the first group of Gentiles in this present dispensation, Peter says, "To Christ give all-l-l the prophets witness that through His name who-so-ever believeth in Him shall receive remission of sins."
How did Abraham get his sins remitted? He believed the prophetic message. How did Isaiah get his sins remitted? He heard and believed and preached the gospel we read in the 10th chapter of Romans that he preached the gospel, "Isaiah preached the gospel." Did he preach water baptism for salvation? No. Did Abraham preach water baptism for salvation? No. Now maybe somebody would like to ask me, "Did they preach Holy Spirit baptism for salvation?" I know that they preached the gospel, and I know that they were saved by believing the gospel. God doesn't have but very ... how, how much did He tell us about Enoch? Enoch walked with God and he was not for God took him. And then over in the book of Jude, next to last in the Bible we read that Enoch was a prophet. But we read very little about that mighty man of God, that man of God. But we know he was saved by the grace of God.
But now watch again please now. Watch again. When Peter had given that message of the death and resurrection of Christ witnessed to, and that all-l-l that believe in Jesus Christ through His name, that Christ, "Give all the prophets witness that through His name whosoever believeth in Him shall receive remission of sins. While," I'm quoting the next verse, Acts 10:44, "While Peter yet spake these words the Holy Spirit fell on all them that heard the word." And they spoke with tongues. The six Jews that came with Peter marvelled. They said, "Why the Holy Spirit has come on them like on us at the beginning." Peter said, "Can any man forbid water?" Had those Gentiles had John's water baptism? Of course not. The Ethiopian eunuch hadn't had John's water baptism. And Peter said, "Can any man forbid water that these should not be baptized which have received the Holy Spirit as well as we? And he commanded them." He commanded after asking the question, "Can any man forbid water that these should not he baptized which have received the Holy Spirit as well as we? And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord." And we're not told that they were. baptized, he just stopped there on that process.
But in the next chapter when Peter's explaining to the Jews at Jerusalem, he said, "As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on them, as on us at the beginning. Then I remembered the word of the Lord," not my command, "I remembered the word of the Lord how He said John truly baptized with water but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit," Acts 11:16.
Now watch my friend. You study together this: Matthew 3, the inspired record of the contrast between John's water baptism and the later and greater Spirit baptism that Matthew was inspired to give, Matthew 3. And Luke was inspired to give it, and to write it. And Mark. And Luke was inspired to give it. And John was inspired to give it, number four. And Luke in the book of Acts, the risen Christ, number five. And... Peter quotes it in Acts 11:16, that's the sixth inspired record of John's water baptism to be followed by a greater and later Spirit baptism. What under heaven has ever made anybody believe that there was another water baptism brought in?
In Acts the 16th chapter we read that Paul had Timothy circumcised. In Acts the 16th chapter we read that Paul had Timothy circumcised. Is that God's order for today? No. How do you know it isn't? Paul was the great apostle to the Gentiles. And Timothy... Paul says in Philippians, he said, "I don't have anybody like Timothy; he's a godly, most unselfish helper I have." He said, "All men seek their own, but Timothy's number one." Paul had Timothy circumcised. Why? Acts 16:3. Paul had his head shaved with a Jewish vow, Acts 18:18. Why? Paul went into the temple at Jerusalem as recorded ... (listen) Paul went into the temple at Jerusalem as recorded ... (follow me carefully please, I am having to hurry to get toward a close, not keep you too long), in Acts 21… the 18th verse we read that Paul got to Jerusalem and he went... to the Jews, there was James and the others, and he reported the wonderful things God had been doing through him and his assistants with the Gentiles. And James, James said, "Brother Paul, thou seest how many thousands of Jews there are which believe and they are all zealous of the law."
Oh how the Seventh Day Adventists like that. They say, "Why the preachers tell you that the law was nailed to the cross. But I can show you that there's many thousands of Christian Jews zealous of the law as late as Acts 21:19." And the Seventh Day Adventists are right. But they're not right in knowing the reason why the temple was left standing. You know when Christ cried on the cross outside Jerusalem, "My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?" and the earthquake came, you know what happened to the temple? The veil in the temple was torn from top to bottom. It wasn't explained. The Campbellites… and most of the Baptists, and the Presbyterians, and Roman Catholics, and the Mormons… and Jesus Only would make it appear that there was supposed to be a skywriter all of a sudden appear around Golgotha and make it very plain. Now when the veil in the temple yonder is torn now when Christ cried on the cross, "It's finished," and died, and that means now that the way in the holiest of all is opened by the blood of Christ and we don't need to go in the gate of the temple and come to the brazen altar and the lover of cleansing and on in with the blood of a lamb once a year on the Day of Atonement with the high priest. We don't need that anymore with the "meats, and drinks, and divers baptisms, and carnal ordinances", we don't need that anymore now because the ... but that wasn't revealed by a skywriter at the time of the crucifixion was it? The Jews sewed the veil back up again, the chief priests and the rabbis sewed the veil up again.
And God had even the apostle Paul go right into the temple observing Judaism during the period suggested here on the chart as the overlapping period. God ... I repeat what Christ said on the cross, "Father forgive them," the nation Israel. "He came to His own," we're told, "and His own received Him not." I quoted another verse on this subject awhile ago. He didn't come to the Gentiles, He came to Israel. He didn't send the 12 apostles to the Gentiles, He sent them to Israel. And so He ... He gave the Jews another opportunity, God in heaven did, left the temple standing, the veil was sewn up again, and the apostle Paul said as late as 1 Corinthians 9, he said, "Though I'm free from all men," 1 Corinthians 9:19-23 or -4, "Though I'm free from all men, yet have I made myself servant to all. To those that are Jews, I became as a Jew. "Why you were born a Jew, Paul." "Yes I know, but I'm saved from Judaism. And I know this new program, but the Jews don't, and it isn't God's time to reveal it yet.." "Though I'm free from all men," ...
By the way, I'll ask this question. I've asked Baptist preachers, I've asked Presbyterian theologians, I've asked Fundamentalist Bible teachers, I've asked Jesus Only Pentacostalists, I've asked Seventh Day Adventist preachers, I've asked Campbellites, I've asked all kinds of preachers nearly: "When did God first reveal that John's water baptism was no longer of any value? When did God first reveal that John's water baptism was. of no value?" Is Raymond King here tonight? His brother is. One of his brothers? One of his brothers? let me see. Oh, right here. Well, you weren't saved out of Campbellism, water baptism at that time, but Bob Thompson and I went with your brother, he made the appointment to see old professor Clark (was that his name?), had been a Campbellite preacher, debater for many years and principal of the North ? High School. We went and had two hours with him. I asked Mr Clark, a good deal older than I then, several years ago, about six or seven years ago, l said, "Mr Clark, when was it revealed by God that John's water baptism was of no value anymore?" And he was utterly at sea. I said, "We find Apollos, a young man mighty in the Scriptures, Old Testament Scriptures, teaching-the doctrine of the Lord knowing only the baptism of John as late as Acts 18, as late as Acts 18.
That's what the text says, that Apollos was mighty in the Scriptures teaching the doctrine of the Lord, that Jesus was the Messiah the Redeemer of Israel and knew only the baptism of John as late as Acts 18. And Priscilla and Aquila who had been with Paul making tents and learning from Paul took Apollos aside and instructed him more perfectly in the way of the Lord. In other words, they said, "John's water baptism has served its day."
My friends, when did God first reveal that John's water baptism was not to be observed anymore? He didn't do it at the cross: try to find it there. He didn't do it at Pentecost: try to find it there. He didn't do it on the Mount of Olives: try to find it there. He didn't do it in Acts 21… try to find it there... John's water baptism was practiced my friend among certain Jews all through the book of Acts period, and so also was seventh day sabbath keeping, so also was circumcision, so also was head [shaving]... Acts ... 1 Corinthians 9:19-21. But watch now ... 19-23, 'Though I'm free from all men, yet have I made myself servant to all. To those that are Jews I became as a Jew," Paul said. Now 1 Corinthians was written in the middle of the Acts period, somewhere around 58 or 59 A.D. - anywhere from 25 to 35 years after the church began was when 1 Corinthians was written. And Paul said, 'Though I'm free from all men, yet have I made myself servant to all. To those that are Jews I became as a Jew; to those under the law as under the law," and so forth. "And I do this that I might save some." That's why he had Timothy circumcised, Acts 16:3. That's why he had his head shaved with a Jewish vow, Acts 18:18. That's why he baptized Crispus, the chief of the synagogue and a ... and a Sosthenes and a Stephanus as we read in 1 Corinthians the 1st chapter. But he said, "I thank God I didn't baptize but a few. I didn't baptize anymore lest you'd say I baptized in my own name, for Christ sent me not to baptize but to preach the gospel."
Now watch. In 1 Corinthians 4:15 he said, "Now in Jesus Christ I have begotten you by the gospel." That's the beginning of the new birth, the begettal. Did Paul... "Wait a minute now Paul, could they be begotten? The Campbellites say you've got to contact the blood in the water." Of all the gory, religious butcher shop, monkey business. It's almost worse than the ... Roman ... than their mama Rome. But anyway, Paul said, "I didn't baptize but a few of you. But in Jesus Christ I have begotten you through the gospel." Well when they were begotten, you think it took a later time for them to be born? I've had Campbellite preachers and other water salvationists argue, "Well is begettal ... are, begettal and birth in the human family physically the same period of time?" I said, "No, normally they're nine months apart. Would you like to try to prove that there must essentially be a lapse of time between the spiritual begettal and the spiritual birth? I read in John 3:5 ... 5:24, Christ said, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth My word, and believeth on Him that sent Me hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation but is passed from death unto life." My friend, how long did it take the thief on the cross ... by the way, the thief on the cross you know didn't have water baptism. And you try to get a Campbellite to face that squarely. The thief on the cross didn't have water baptism. Was he saved? Was he saved? "Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved," Romans 10:13. Did he call? Yes. Was he saved? Listen my friends, the baptism that puts you into Jesus Christ comes as a result of believing the gospel of salvation. The moment Paul preached the gospel which is God's dynamite unto salvation, all the believers were miraculously baptized into Christ's death.
Watch this please, look for a moment, before you have to go some of you. Somebody, two of you fellows come hold it will you? I appreciate that the seats are not very comfortable, but my friend these things are too important, they're too serious, and there's too much confusion for us to think that we can help fully (hold it up a little bit, fine) ...
Now, the Corinthians saints… Paul said, "Now in Jesus Christ I have begotten you through the gospel. I have begotten you through the gospel. But I didn't baptize but a few." Now the Campbellites, and the Jesus Only Pentecostals the Roman Catholics, the Lutherans, the Episcopalians, and all who teach water baptism for the sprinkling ... immersion, essential to salvation, they are confronted with this. Paul said, "I ... in Jesus Christ I have begotten you through the gospel." That means the beginning of the new birth. Begotten. I have begotten you through the gospel. But you got to be baptized into death later on. Because all the water crowd says that baptism in water, the salvation crowd, water salvation, that baptized into water, Romans 6:3, is water baptism. "Know ye not as many of us as have been baptized in Jesus Christ were baptized into His death." Well if water baptism is essential, and that puts you in Christ's death, then after Paul had begotten these Corinthians by the gospel, that begotten life, that Spiritually begotten life had to be baptized into death. And buried by baptism in death. How do you like that?
And the same way with Cornelius.. Cornelius and his household had already been baptized with the Holy Spirit and had received the Holy Spirit. I've asked Campbellites a good many times, "What happened to the Holy Spirit when Peter baptized Cornelius into death according to you fellows?" The Holy Spirit was in Cornelius and all the other Gentile believers that had received the Holy Spirit and been baptized. Now when Peter baptized... if he did, mind you, if Peter baptized Cornelius in water, according to you Campbellites he baptized them into death, well what happened to the Holy Spirit? The Holy Spirit was already indwelling Cornelius and his household. What happened to indwelling Holy Spirit in Cornelius and his household of Gentiles who'd already heard the gospel and been saved, been baptized with the Holy Spirit, what happened to the Holy Spirit when Peter baptized them in water? According to you fellows they had to be baptized into death, the Holy Spirit had to be baptized into death, baptized... crucified with Christ, baptized into death, and buried by water baptism in death, and then the Holy Spirit came out and, jumped-back into Cornelius some way because the Campbellites say that Acts 2:38 is water baptism. "Repent and be baptized" in water "for the remission of sins and then you'll receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." But the Gentiles received the Holy Spirit before Peter said a word about water.
What happened to the ... you see, when you come to the way we're saved, the Gentiles, first group of Gentiles were saved, we find they were saved before a word was said about water. And ... imagine, I repeat, imagine the Holy Spirit in Cornelius and his household, they were already baptized with the Holy Spirit and already received the Holy Spirit, Peter said, "Can any man forbid water that these should not be baptized which have received the Holy Spirit." What happened to the Holy Spirit when Cornelius and his household were baptized into Christ's death and buried! according to the water salvationists? My friend, that's hopeless anarchy and antichrist doctrine. (Thank you very much brethren.)
Nowhere in the Word of God, nowhere in the Word of God is the faintest hint ... I'm going to let you ask a question or two, and of course I haven't covered everything, it'd take too long. Later on in this ... latter part of this week maybe I'll give out studies… that I've written on "Saved By Dry Baptism". One that I prepared I think about 20 years ago. Maybe not ... no, 18 years ago. "Saved By Dry Baptism".
But now watch. Nowhere in the Word of God is there one single verse that teaches water baptism essential to salvation or for remission of sin. I've got a ten dollar bill here that I'll gladly give to anybody that will give me one verse or a declaration to the effect that water salvation is essential for the remission of sins.
(comment from audience)
What?
(comment from audience)
Here's an ex-Campbellite, sad to say got a Campbellite brother out here in McKinney and you're father's still in that sect, he used to be in it. He said he'll add $50 to it. Anybody want that money? You can get it if you can give one verse in the Bible or the positive declaration that water baptism is essential for remission of sins or necessary for salvation.
(comment from audience. "Nowhere in the Bible.")
Nowhere in the Bible. l've offered my automobile in street meetings and public places like this. I'll give you the keys to my car, you can drive it away, give you the pink slip to my automobile if you will give me one verse in the Bible teaching water baptism for remission of sins. Now baptism is for remission of sins but not water.
Now let me close by going hack to where I began. When Christ came out of the river Jordan at the end of His 30 year under the law, He was made of a woman, made under the law, circumcised as an eight day old Jewish baby boy, and the last thing he did to fulfill all righteousness, was what He submitted to John's water baptism. Thus He graduated from the law school. Now brother Todd when you graduated from the law school at SMU, you got a certificate, I guess you've got a sheepskin didn't you? Well listen bud, that didn't mean that you were spotless. That didn't mean you were spotless. Today in our schools they give sheepskins. Well Christ was declared to be the sheep, the lamb without spot or blemish. I think that's why He lived as a quiet, private, law-keeping Jew during those 30 years. No miracles, nothing public, until He had fulfilled all the law, closing with John's water baptism. Thus He fulfilled all righteousness, and that's why the Holy Spirit came upon Him then in a public form.
The Holy Spirit came upon Him in the form of what? A dove! Oh, I wish I had time to dwell a little bit upon that. The first occurrence of the dove is the overshadowing of the Holy Spirit, brooding upon the waters in Genesis 1. And then the dove with the ark you remember. The dove that came that Noah put out of the door of the ark you know, and the dove couldn't find any rest and it came back you remember and stayed in the ark for seven days, Noah opened the window let it out again, and it came back with what? It came hack with an olive leaf the text says, an olive leaf.
I thought I was going to have time to show you these. Maybe I'll paste them. I've been intending ... I got about 40 or 50 cartoons of newspapers and all about the dove of peace, the dove of peace. Some of them are blasphemous and they're all ignorant. But literary men and newspaper men, reporters and all, talk about the dove of peace. Where'd' it come from? It came from Genesis.
Why did the dove, the Holy Spirit come upon Christ like a dove? It's because, my friend, because His baptism in the river Jordan was the only acceptable water baptism ever performed. Never was but one acceptable water baptism. Was there ever any more than one acceptable circumcision? Circumcision ... listen, circumcision verily profiteth if, if you keep the law. Circumcision verily profiteth, Paul said to the Jews, speaking of Jews there in Romans 2, circumcision verily profiteth if you keep the law. Was there ever but one law keeper? Never was but one.
My friend, when Christ came out of the river Jordan after the end of His 30 years under the law, the Holy Spirit came upon Him, He was through with all the tests under God's school. That's how the Holy Spirit led Him into the wilderness to let the devil test Him. And after having passed that, He comes back in and begins His public ministry.
But the first time a group of believers in Christ were baptized in the Holy Spirit, didn't come in the form of a dove (I never saw this in my life until a few weeks ago), you ... you folks in Ft Worth, from Ft Worth, never heard me give this, but the other day in California I was meditating and studying and it flashed into my mind and l said, "Hallelujah". Never saw this before. Why did the Holy Spirit come upon the believers at Pentecost in the form of fire. Because the Holy Spirit then was putting them into the cross of Christ where the .., rather than ... and the fiery judgment, so they were potentially ... they were escaping the fire judgment by the Holy Spirit's baptism that put them in Christ's death. Because the fires of God's wrath were over Him, He was the antitypical brazen altar sacrifice remember that was burnt up with fire.
Well, I'll have to stop with that now. Have you ... if you've received Christ as your Savior, the Holy Spirit ... the Lord Jesus Christ baptized you with the Holy Spirit. And first it took you to the cross for to be crucified with Christ. Crucified with Christ doesn't mean like does it? But baptized into Christ's death, lot of people say means to be baptized in water. No, baptized into Christ's death is crucified with Christ. And then buried with Him by baptism in death. And then raised to walk in newness of life.
Let me say this one word before I let you ask a question. I thought that maybe I'd have time to read from Alexander Campbell's book tonight on the meaning of baptism. He quotes scholars, and he said there's no greater scholar, that was in his. day, and probably not now, no greater Greek scholars in all the realm of christendom he says than so-and-so and so-and-so and so-and-so, and he said all of them say that the Greek word for 'baptized' means immerse, plunge, dip, bury, and he never hints, correctly, that there's any resurrection in baptism. What would that do with the Campbellite preachers and the Baptists that dunk you? If they say, "All I'm going to do now is baptize you," they'd be arrested for murder pretty soon unless the people were able to scramble out in a hurry.
I baptized a lady years ago, big tall lady, New Mexico woman, said ... I was a Methodist preacher for awhile I'm ashamed to say, and she was converted in a meeting, probably was saved, and she said, "Brother Johnson, I was brought up with the Campbellites," and she said, "I don't believe anything is baptism but immersion," and she said, "Will you immerse me?" Well we didn't have a baptistry in the Methodist building. And I said, "Yep, I'll immerse ya." (Now, that, is years ago.) And so I went up to the "Christian Church" so-called, Central Christian Church in Glendale, California. The preacher, I knew him pretty well, and I said, "Say, I got to immerse a lady. Could I use your baptistry?" "Sure," and he laughed you know, and imagine a Methodist preacher. So he loaned me his rubber suit (water didn't touch me, you know), and I'm telling you I like to drowned that woman. And if she'd have drowned then I'd have really baptized her unto death.
I read the other month about five Negroes that were drowned in a baptizing service in the Mississippi River. The preacher got overwhelmed you know, I think four of them, four of the candidates drowned. Well that preacher could have said, "l baptized four unto death."
Listen my friend, don't forget that. It's a good subject to go into farther: there is no resurrection in baptism. If there is, when you're baptized into Jesus Christ you're taken out of Him then. And the unsaved, when they're baptized with fire, they'll be taken out. No, there's no resurrection in baptism. Resurrection has to he added where where it is, and you find it in... the 6th chapter of Romans.
Now have you a question. You’ve been patient, and I've stayed late. I shouldn't probably stayed… kept you so long because maybe some of those folks that left won't wanna come back because, they say, "He preaches too long." But did you know, that some of us., maybe you, some of us counted other things more important than studying God's Word where we should have years ago. And we can't redeem the time lost yesterday, last month, can't redeem it. ALL we can redeem is today.
Yes. You have a question?
(Comment from audience)
... buried with Him in baptism are not raised. Thank God! It's a new man that's raised. It's a new man that's raised. "If any man be in Christ ... He's a new creature." Do you believe that? Don't forget the people that are baptized into Christ's death and buried with Him in baptism in death, that's the end of them -- in God's book. Paul says in Colossians 3, "You're dead," when did we die? "you're dead and your life is hid with Christ in God." When I was baptized by the Lord Jesus with the Holy Spirit, I was> first taken to the cross, crucified with Christ, buried with Christ, and quickened and raised up with a new life in Christ and Christ in me.
Another question. Have you a question? Guess you'll have to ... better let you go. Alright....
(comment from audience)
Quote that now. That's a good question. I said a while ago of course that I haven't covered all, I couldn't possibly at one time and maybe I've tried too hard to cover all tonight. But I ... believe a question ... that's a very legitimate question and... I made the statement while ago that there's no water in Matthew 28, and no water in Mark 16, and no water in Acts 2:38, and no water in Romans 6:3-4, no water in Galatians 3:27-28, and so forth. But he's asked the question, "What did Jesus mean?"
Alright, Matthew 28. The risen Christ. Remember John the Baptist said, "I indeed baptize you with water. I baptize you with water." Now would we know John's water baptism was water if ... if the word 'water' hadn't been added? We wouldn't know it was water baptism if it hadn't been with water. He might have baptized them with ... with cotton seed you know, he might have baptized them with sand, with confetti. But we're told in the inspired record he baptized them with water. He said, "I baptize with water."
Alright. "I baptize you with water but... but there is one coming after me." Well that's the same one that was on the Mount of Olives later isn't it, Matthew 28. "There's one coming after me whose mightier than I, the latchet of whose shoes I'm not worthy to unloose, He it is that shall baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire." Now watch, He'll baptize you. Now this mightier one is come. He suffered and died on the cross, He's risen, He's ready to go hack to the glory. He's talking to His apostles on the Mount of Olives. "All-l-l power in heaven and earth given unto Me, go ye therefore." What does the word 'therefore' look to? It looks back to what He just said. "All power in heaven and earth is given unto Me, go ye therefore." Suppose I were to say, "Now my dear friend ... or suppose the bombadier in the first airplane that carried the atomic bomb over Japan a few years ago, said to the fellow that was supposed to spring the trap door, "Alright now, we've got the atomic bomb here and we're over the target, therefore shoot your cap pistol, therefore shoot your cap pistol."
Now watch. "All-l-l power in heaven and earth is given to Me, go ye therefore and teach all-l-l nations." What was he going to throw out? Twinkle twinkle little star, how I wonder what you are? What we going to teach? They were going to teach dynamite. Paul said in Romans 1:16, "I'm not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, it's the dynamite! of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth." We're told that, "We're born again," I Peter 1, "born again, not of corruptible seed, but" what? "incorruptible by the Word of God that liveth and abideth forever." In James 1, James said, "Receive with meekness the engrafted Word which is able to save your soul." James says in James 5, "Let him know that he which converteth a -sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins."
Now back to Matthew 28, "All power in heaven and earth is given unto Me, go ye therefore and teach all nations" and baptize them in water. The text doesn't say that does it? But water... water crowd all over the world has poured water into there. Let... let me give what it says, what the Lord says, "All power in heaven and earth is given unto Me, go ye therefore and teach all nations." Several times I've illustrated it this way, when we're renting an auditorium in a building. I said, "Suppose right now, it's not so, but suppose right now a fireman were to come in the door, back door, or the side door. Said, "Ladies and gentlemen, pardon the interruption just a minute." Suppose I said we're on the third floor of a plain building, a hall up on the third floor, and a fireman came in, "Pardon me just a minute, mister preacher. Uh, don't be disturbed please folks, don't be excited. You have plenty of time to walk orderly out, but there's a fire broken out below. Go out this entrance and the fire escape." What would that teaching do to the audience? It would move them. It would move... it would move... move.
"All power in heaven and earth is given unto Me, go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them," into what? "into the name of the very Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit." How do we get into God? Baptized. The Father. How do we get into the Son? Baptized into Him. How do we get into the Holy Spirit? Baptized into Him. "Baptizing them..." they're not two acts The teaching results in the baptizing. "Teach all nations baptizing in the name of the Father," or literally, "into the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit." "Teaching them, after they're baptized into Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you, and lo, I am with you." Now watch. "All power in heaven and earth is give unto me, I'm with you, go and teach, teach things that will accomplish something, that usually would never be accomplished were it not that all authority in heaven and earth were given unto Me and I’m with you." And that's what Paul meant when he said, "Now in Jesus Christ I have begotten you by the gospel." "I taught the gospel and you that heard it were begotten of the Spirit of God." Don't you see? That's what happened to Cornelius and his household. When Peter who was one of those 12 apostles, when Peter taught them, what happened to them when they'd heard it? They were baptized of the Holy Spirit and received the Holy Spirit. They were baptized into the Father, and Son, and Holy Spirit before Peter said a word about water.
Listen now. One more and I'll stop. In the same truth is given us in other words in Mark the 16th chapter, the same truth in Mark the 16th chapter. "Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature." Preach what? The gospel. What is that? The dynamite of God unto salvation. Christ said as recorded in John 6, "The words that I speak unto you they are spirit and they're life." In… Hebrews 4:12, "the Word of God is quick, living, powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit." All right Mark 16:15, "Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and" gets baptized in water. No! "He that believeth and is baptized shall he saved;" now watch, "he that believeth not shall be baptized with fire."
I have a Biblical authority ... wait a minute now, I have Biblical authority to say that... I've asked Campbellites that, and they'll all agree… unless they think you're going to use their correct answer. I've asked Campbellite ... I met a fellow in joint discussion sometime ago in Southern California. We wrote each other questions. I wrote him this question, "Is baptized with fire the same event to the disbeliever as being damned, Mark 16:16?" He came right back, "Yes". I gave it, I said, "That's right." So I'm going to change the word 'damned' to be baptized with fire now in Mark 16:16. "He that believeth and is bapt... believes the gospel and is baptized shall be saved; he that believeth the gospel and is ...
(gap on tape)
... 2 Thessalonians 1st chapter. Those that obey not the gospel will be baptized with fire when Christ comes in flaming fire.
Now watch. What do you have to do, what will an unbeliever have to do to be baptized with fire? Disbelieve the gospel. What does a believer have to do to be baptized into Jesus Christ? Believe the gospel. You believe the gospel and you'll be baptized into Jesus Christ. You disbelieve it and you'll be baptized with fire.
That's the simple doctrine of baptism. Let's stand shall we and bow our heads.