Water Baptism

Eph 5:26 that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word,

Eph 5:27 so that he might present the church to Himself in splendour, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.

The Issue At Stake

On the day of redemption, we must be found to be:

  • in splendour = glorious, free from sin
  • without spot = without stain or defilement
  • without wrinkle = absolute perfection,
  • holy = perfect
  • Without blemish = faultless, spotless, blameless, no defect

However, everything that we do leaves indelible mark on our soul. Every act of sin creates a record of debt against us.

Col 2:14 by cancelling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This He set aside, nailing it to the cross.

The legal consequences of that debt is death – everlasting separation from GOD. Rom 6:23 says “For the wages of sin is death…” Justice will exact eternal separation from GOD unless that debt is cleared.

Rev 21:27  But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the LAMB’s Book of Life.

One sin is sufficient to make a person unclean. Remember eating the fruit once was enough to banish the whole of mankind into eternal separation from GOD, forever.

Holiness by definition is the total absence of sin. One act of sin ruins holiness. One unrepented sin is enough to remove one’s name from the LAMB’s Book of Life.

It is humanly impossible to attain the holiness requirement for entry into Heaven. Those who miss Heaven, will spend eternity in the lake of fire – forever. There will be no second chance in eternity to change our destiny forever. It all depends on the spiritual state at the point of death or at the Rapture e.g., the foolish virgins. Human wisdom, human understanding or logic will fail to help anyone to enter Heaven.

Jeremiah 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?

The nature of sin is to defile and corrupt the heart of man because

  • Sin corrupts the intellect
  • Sin corrupts the emotions
  • Sin corrupts the will
  • Sin corrupts the conscience

It takes just one sin to totally corrupt the heart.

  • A corrupted heart is incurable and deceitful
  • A corrupted heart makes a Christian foolish
  • A corrupted heart does not want to enter Heaven
  • A corrupted heart does not fear GOD or hate sin
  • In fact, a corrupted heart hates GOD and loves sin
  • A corrupted heart rejects eternal life with GOD and chooses eternity in the lake of fire, even when the person wants to go to Heaven
  • Such a heart rejects the SAVIOUR and the Gospel of salvation (remember the rich young man who came to JESUS)
  • There is no way that a corrupted heart on its own will be able to seek and find GOD

What can be done with our corrupted hearts before JESUS comes?

Jn 3:3 JESUS answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the Kingdom of GOD.”

Jn 3:4 Nicodemus said to HIM, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?”

Jn 3:5 JESUS answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the SPIRIT, he cannot enter the Kingdom of GOD.

Jn 3:6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of THE SPIRIT is spirit.

For us to spend eternity in Heaven, we must be born again. We cannot be born again without water and THE SPIRIT.  The water here can only be the water in baptism. JESUS states that

Mk 16:16  Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.

There is a lot of debate about baptism, with some people suggesting that it is not essential for salvation. It is important that we pay attention to what the Bible says and not what human doctrines tell us. On the day of judgement, it is only what the Bible says that will stand and not what some people think.

In Mark 16:16, JESUS says, whoever believes and is baptised will be saved. The SAVIOUR HIMSELF said, those who “…believe and are baptised will be saved…” Faith is not complete without baptism. Some people raise the issue of the thief on the cross, but the instruction about baptism was given after the events on the Cross. Scripture does not contradict Scripture and no Scripture will contradict the Words of CHRIST JESUS HIMSELF.

Gal 3:27 For as many of you as were baptized into CHRIST have put on CHRIST.

Eph 4:22 to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires,

Eph 4:23 and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds

Eph 4:24 and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.

Spiritually it is possible to put off and put on the image or character of an entity.

When we believe in CHRIST JESUS, and live according to HIS ways or HIS Word, we “put on” CHRIST. We become like HIM.

GOD created us in HIS own image and likeness. We were created holy, with a pure heart. When we believed the devil in the Garden of Eden, we exchanged the image and likeness of GOD for that of the enemy of our soul.

The result of sin was that we put on the image and likeness of the devil. Spiritually, we grew a foreskin on our hearts. That foreskin is the character of the devil. The heart now turned against GOD who made us and loves us. Like the devil, we could only hate GOD. Like the devil, we could only love sin. The heart became evil, incurably sick, wicked. The only way out was for the foreskin to come off.

Putting on that foreskin of evil on the heart was a blood covenant – it brought death. That foreskin will not come off without blood – without death. Hence circumcision = removal of the foreskin of the heart. Baptism is spiritual circumcision, circumcision without hands, the circumcision of CHRIST. Spiritual circumcision is necessary to change the nature of the human heart.

Col 2:11 In HIM also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of CHRIST,

Col 2:12 having been buried with HIM in baptism, in which you were also raised with HIM through faith in the powerful working of GOD, who raised HIM from the dead.

Col 2:13 And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, GOD made alive together with HIM, having forgiven us all our trespasses,

Col 2:14 by cancelling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This HE set aside, nailing it to the cross.

Col 2:15 HE disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in HIM. 

Colossians 2:11-15 teaches that baptism is spiritual circumcision. Under the Old Testament, those who were not circumcised were not part of the covenant people of GOD. One cannot dwell with GOD without (spiritual) circumcision, without the removal of the foreskin of the heart, without change of the heart. The nature of the devil cannot dwell with GOD. Spiritual circumcision is a salvation requirement Mk 16:16.

The Bible tells us that circumcision is about the heart.

Deut 10:16 Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no longer stubborn

Circumcision signified the removal of a rebellious attitude towards GOD.

Baptism is the spiritual circumcision by THE LORD HIMSELF to change our attitude towards GOD

  • From hatred to love towards to GOD
  • From disobedience to obedience to GOD

Rom 2:28 For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical.

Rom 2:29 But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the SPIRIT, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from GOD.

Secret revealed: circumcision has always been about the heart and its attitude towards GOD. It has always been all about obedience.

Circumcision in the Old Testament was foretelling how GOD would reconcile sinners to HIMSELF, how GOD HIMSELF will change our heart.

Eze 36:26 And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.

In Ezekiel 36:26 GOD promises to give HIS people a new heart and a new spirit. Under the New Testament, baptism is the means GOD sovereignly employs to take away the sinful heart and give us a new heart that delights in obedience to GOD.

Without the new heart disposition of complete voluntary obedience to GOD, there is no salvation from sin and its wages of death.

Baptism is where the sinful nature (the foreskin of the heart) is cut off and buried in the death and burial of CHRIST JESUS. The believer is raised together with CHRIST in HIS resurrection into newness of life.

Baptism is the means by which believers partake of the death and resurrection of CHRIST. We are grafted into CHRIST, die, are buried, and are raised with CHRIST (Romans 6:3-8).

From the proper understanding of the Scriptures above we can see that baptism is at the core of Christian salvation and not something optional that depends on denominational doctrine.

JESUS the SAVIOUR, who did not need to be saved, the Author and Perfector of our faith, submitted Himself to baptism to fulfil all righteousness. If JESUS found baptism necessary for the salvation, He brought to us, then any questioning of the importance of baptism comes not from Heaven, but from the pit.

Baptism, as THE LORD JESUS HIMSELF baptised and instructed, is by full immersion in water and in the Name of the FATHER, the SON and the HOLY SPIRIT.

We encourage all to follow the instructions of the LORD JESUS CHRIST, THE SAVIOUR HIMSELF and make sure that they do not leave their salvation to human doctrine and human interpretation of Scripture but to the Scripture as spoken by THE LORD HIMSELF.

What next? Believe the Gospel, repent and go and get baptised for the forgiveness of your sins. In eternity you will never have the opportunity to be baptised to be saved. It will be forever late.

Please contact us if you want to get baptised.