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Bibleline Bibleline, here God’s word on Bibleline, here God’s truth on Bibleline. Welcome to Bibleline with Dr. Ralph Yankee Arnold, pastor of Calvary Community Church in Tampa, Florida. Clearly declaring the gospel of Jesus Christ through the radio and the internet. Your regular prayers and monthly support make it possible for Bibleline to continue on the You can reach us toll free at 1-800-576-3771. Online donations may be made by clicking on the donations link on the BibleLineMinistries.org homepage. We pray that you will enjoy our commitment to the clear gospel of Jesus Christ and that today’s first part of this two-part message will be a blessing to you and your family.

Well, it’s good to see you all tonight. Tonight will be just a little bit different. We are going to pretend we are setting in a Bible college class. The only way I can do that is to give you notes and tell you what to do. That’s the way I do all of my college classes. Your homework assignment is to memorize Matthew chapter 3 verse 11. I sure hope you will. You will be extra smart if you memorize the scriptures.

subject is on the issue of baptism. And if you have a Bible, I want you to turn with me to the book of Matthew, turn to Matthew, chapter 28. And notice what he says here. This is on page 1044 in an Old Schofield reference Bible. So the question always comes down is, do we We have to be baptized, and if we are by who, how, and if we don’t get baptized, can we get saved without being baptized? So there’s a lot of people who are teaching that you must be water baptized in order to be saved.

We’re going to take a look at some of these, and hopefully it’ll be clear. Matthew chapter 28, you’ll notice there in verse 18, and Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, all power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go you therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you and lo, I am with you always even unto the end of the world.”

Now, some people believe that they started off baptizing after they led people to Christ. But then later on, when the apostle Paul became the main spokesman for the Gentiles, and Paul made a statement that I’m glad that I baptized none of you. people have taken that to mean that that isn’t relevant for today. Where does it actually say in the New Testamentnum that we’re no longer too baptized? Is there a particular verse that says it’s no longer for today?

I haven’t found that verse and if we take it out and say well that’s no longer good for today, well what about the part go you therefore and teach our nations should we stop that to and preaching the gospel should we stop that to. So we ought not start dissecting it and trying to make it say something that it really doesn’t say. So I believe that he gave the baptism as part of the Great Commission, but the baptism is not the gospel, but it is part of the Great Commission.

So therefore I believe that we should. So I want you to take your Bible and turn to the book of Matthew in chapter 3. Matthew in chapter 3. We’re just a little about a little. Take a look at some of these verses. We won’t have time to look at everything, but we can devour a few of these things here. In the book of Matthew and chapter 3, John the Baptist comes on the scene and he starts to preach the message of the kingdom of heaven.

And he preaches baptism, the baptism of repentance. And he made this statement here in chapter 3, and you’ll notice in verse 11, where he says, I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, who shews I am not worthy to bear. He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire. So there’s different baptism that I’d mention. One, there is water, and two, there is the Holy Spirit, In three there is fire.

And there’s several other types of baptism that are mentioned, and they’re right there in your notes. But we don’t need to take time to look at all these various things. Many of it refers to the same thing. For example, baptism of John, and baptism in water, is the same thing, just found in different places. But it refers to the same thing. So the Bible says that when John the Baptist came on the scene, he did baptize in water. Now remember, if I must be baptized with water, then whoever baptizes me is the one who saves me.

So that means that we can save one another if we just baptize each other because you couldn’t get saved if you didn’t get baptized in water. Well, what if there’s nobody to baptize you and you couldn’t get saved? So, aren’t you glad that you can save somebody just by baptizing them. Then you are the Savior and not Christ. You cannot add works to the gospel. So when He makes the statement, I baptize you with water, simply meaning I am not saving you because water is something that I can do and therefore your salvation cannot depend upon me.

But there is one coming that will baptize you by the Holy Spirit. And you do have to be baptized in order to be saved. But this is the baptism of the Holy Spirit, not the baptism of water. But the baptism of water was a picture of the Holy Spirit baptism. He puts it together here in this one scripture. It’s also found there in the book of Mark in chapter 1 and verse 8 where he says exactly the same thing.

So he says that he came to baptize with the baptism of repentance. It means that if you believe the message that John the Baptist preached, then they were to be baptized in water. He was telling them about the one that was to come. So just to make sure you see that and understand that, look in Acts in chapter 19 real quick, Acts in chapter 19. Acts chapter 19, and you’ll notice that this is moving along a little bit in the life of the Apostle Paul.

So it wasn’t on the day that the Apostle Paul became an apostle. This is later on in his ministry and he’s dealing with some Christians at Ephesus and there were some disciples there that evidently had been reached by Apollos, but Apollos was later on helped a little bit because of Aquila and Priscilla who established him a little bit more in the doctrine that he should be teaching. And so it says there in verse 1, and it came to pass that while the pulse was at Corinth, Paul, having passed through the upper coast, came to Ephesus, find in certain disciples.

He said unto them, have you received the Holy Ghost since you believed? They said unto him, we have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost. And he said unto them unto what then were you baptized? What was the purpose of you being baptized? Because the baptism was a picture of the Holy Spirit baptism. It means that when Christ died, He died on the cross, He was buried, came back from the dead. So you believe that this is what Christ was going to do for you.

They were baptized in water, looking forward to the day the payment would be made, and that the baptism of the Holy Spirit was a picture of that, talking about the baptism of the Holy Spirit, placing you into the body of Christ. because what Christ did was for you. So the baptism of the Holy Spirit was simply the Jesus who is the baptizer placing you into the body of Christ. So he says here in verse two under what then were you baptized.

So in verse three he says, and they said, under John’s baptism, then said Paul, John barely baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on Him which should come after Him, that is on Christ Jesus. You can’t get it any better than that. So John the Baptist who began his ministry was talking about Jesus Christ and preparing the people saying, look, Jesus is coming. And you’re to believe on him. And if they believed on him, they were baptized in water, but he would kept telling him, this is a picture of a baptism that’s coming later.

And it’s also about the death, the burial, and the resurrection of Jesus Christ. And I believe that John the Baptist preached that. So did the baptism save? No. They were baptized because of what they believed on Christ. And when they did that. Then you’ll notice in verse five, when they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. So afterwards, the Apostle Paul still had them baptized. So it wasn’t that baptism was over with and stopped and nobody was supposed to do it anymore.

You don’t find in the Bible where baptism was definitely come to a stop and he gave a command altering the Great Commission because if that was true, then the Great Commission, to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature and teaching them and baptize them would only been good until Paul showed up. You know, that wouldn’t have been very long. I mean, you can’t get into all the world and preach the gospel everybody in just that little short time till the Apostle Paul comes along.

I still believe the Great Commission is in effect today that is still what we’re supposed to do and therefore I do not believe in hyper dispensationalism. So I have my own little belief on that. Now also notice something here in the book of Matthew. You may hear someone say that what you need is the baptism of fire. Well if you really want the baptism of fire you can have it. I really don’t care anything about it but look there in verse 11 the last part of it says of chapter 3 in Matthew, he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire.

The Holy Ghost, those who believe, fire, those who do not believe. Then the very next verse explains what he’s talking about, whose fanned is in his hand and he will thoroughly purge his floor, gather his wheat into the garner, the believers, and he will burn up the chaff, the unbelievers with unquenchable fire. Now which one would you rather have? So you want the baptism of the Holy Spirit. And remember, he does go through and explain what he’s talking about that.

So here in your notes you’ll notice there, water baptism. Baptism of the Holy Ghost is the place of believers into the body of Christ. No commands to be baptized because it is Christ who places you into the body when you believe. That’s why there’s no commands in the scripture to be baptized by the Holy Ghost. You’ll think that, but it’s not there. There is scriptures about being filled with the Spirit and we are commanded to be filled with the Spirit.

That means to be controlled by the Holy Spirit, but not to be baptized by the Holy Spirit. Because that happens the moment, the day you trust the Christ is your Savior. You’ll also notice there under water baptism. Number two, baptism comes from the Greek word baptism, a transliteration, not a translation, meaning to dip, to plunge, or to immerse. Water baptism is a picture of the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. Baptism is by immersion alone. Look up here just for a second.

When you stand in the water, it’s a picture when you were on the cross. You died. You were buried. And you came back from the dead. When you believe Christ did that, then you and I are commanded to be baptized in water because it’s a picture externally of what we believe internally. I believe this, but it’s a public declaration of, I believe that when Christ died, He died for me. And when you’re baptized and you come up out of the water, I believe that we should walk in newness of life.

We should live as a person on the other side of the grave. We should live as though we have been crucified and though we have been crucified nevertheless I live. Yet I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me. So they look forward to the payment that would be made and we look back to the payment that has been made. So keep that in mind. Look down at number five. The baptism of fire referred to in Matthew 3, 11, applies to those who are going to hell.

Baptism is necessary for salvation, but the question comes up is what kind of baptism? So take your Bible and turn to 1 Corinthians in chapter 12. First Corinthians in chapter 12. But in 1 Corinthians chapter 12 and verse 13, remember this simple little statement, not all believers will be baptized in water, but all believers will be baptized by the Holy Spirit. So you can be saved and never be water baptized. And if you are saved, you have been baptized by the Holy Spirit.

You didn’t have to seek it, you didn’t have to ask for it, you didn’t have to pursue it, you didn’t have to pray it down. It happens automatically when you trust the Christ as your Savior. Now, in the book of 1 Corinthians, these are individuals that are very carnally minded, worldly minded, lot of problems in this church. And he makes the statement, ye are saints, the saints at Corinth. Now they don’t live like saints, they weren’t acting like saints, but why are they called saints?

Because they had been made pure and holy, instead of part because of their faith and what Christ did on the cross for them. So you’ll notice there in verse 13, for by one spirit are we, and hear that word, you need to circle it in your Bible, all baptized into one body. Whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free, and have been all made to drink into one spirit. So once you trust the Christ is your savior, all have been baptized into one body.

Now, you may not live like a saint, act like a saint caught like a saint, but in God’s eyes, you have been set apart. You now belong to God. You are his child made pure and holy because of the payment Christ made for you. That is called GRACE. It’s called GRACE. The best news anybody has ever heard in their whole life. Now turn your page there to page two. Remember, water baptism may put you into the local church, but it will not put you into Christ.

As you even read in the book of Romans in chapter six, though water baptism does not put you into Christ. There’s only one baptism that saves, one baptism that puts you into Christ, that puts you into the body of Christ, and that is the Holy Spirit baptism. Now you’ll notice at the top of the page there, repent and be baptized. This is used an awful lot by individuals that want to add water baptism to salvation. So if you will, take your Bible and just turn over there to the book of Acts in chapter two.

Acts chapter 2, and understand the context, Christ has been crucified. He’s come back from the dead. He’s now shown Himself by many infallible proofs for 40 days on the 50th day, which is Pentecost, 50 days from the resurrection of Jesus Christ. He had told them that the Holy Spirit was coming. Now that’s mentioned in the book of Acts in chapter one, and why we’re right there that close, just take a quick look at it. First chapter and notice what he says in verse four, chapter one verse four, and being assembled together with them commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which said he ye have heard of me.

Now what was the promise? Jesus had already asked the Father that he would send the Holy Spirit and and the Holy Spirit would come and he would bring to their mind these things that he had taught them. Remember, many people wonder how can these apostles remember everything word for word what Jesus had said. And he says that when the Holy Spirit has come he will bring to their remembrance what he has said. and so they were able to perfectly recall another thing.

In the end of the book of John when the Bible talks about when he met his disciples it says that he breathed on them and said receive ye the Spirit. Now I’m not convinced this is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit as the Holy Spirit comes upon them because of those 40 days that he has to spend with them and teaching them and so forth and and to recall all these things that he has said, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit came, I believe, on the day of Pentecost.

So here in the book of Acts, he says in verse five, John truly baptized with water, but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost, not many days hence. This was something that we caught, had said was going to take place. Now when you read over there in the book of John, in chapter seven, in verse 39, it says, on that great day of the feast, He’s the stood in Christ, and if any man thirst, let him come into me and drink, and as the scripture hath set out of his belly, show, flow rivers of living water, this spake he of the spirit, which they that believe on him, So the Holy Spirit came to the Holy Spirit and he said, I will ask the Father and he will do this.

But the day was coming on the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came right on schedule, not because people prayed it down. He came because it was the promise of the Father. He said, I will ask the Father and He will. He will do this. So the Holy Spirit came, not because they were joined together and, you know, won a one accord and that’s wonderful, they did all of that. .

But 50 days is coming, buddy, he’s coming. . That’s prophesied, that’s part of scripture. . Leviticus chapter 23. So that happened and we know that when you trust Christ . . to save you, he gives you eternal life and you’re his child. . But look at this verse here. . Then Peter said unto them, repent and be baptized every one of you .

and the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins . you shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.” Now I have quite a few things that I wanted to say about this one little issue because here in Acts chapter 2 and verse 38 it gets into a lot of terminology that because it talks about the gift of the Holy Spirit, talks about repent, been baptized and so what does all of this mean? They did not believe on Christ and they saw what was going on on the day of Pentecost and what they saw and what they heard.

And said, what meaneth this? And so Peter begins to explain what was going on. He referred a little bit to Joel’s prophecy, but not all of it totally fulfilled, but parts of it and about the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and how that it was prophesied. And then he says, “‘Ye have taken and by wicked hands have crucified. this one that God had determined to send into the world and be the Savior, the King, and all of us, and you murdered him.

Peter didn’t spare anything. He didn’t worry about their feelings, he didn’t like it. He just put it out there. But when he did, it says their hearts were pricked, and they said, Men and Brother, what shall we do? And that’s when he told him, says, repent and be baptized. Now it does say be baptized but does that mean naturally it’s talking about being baptized in water? No they didn’t have to be baptized in water in order to get the gift of the Holy Spirit and I don’t believe that that was what he was referring to.

So just kind of give you an idea. Look in 1st Corinthians in chapter 6. Hold your place here but look in 1st Corinthians in chapter 6. You have some people who naturally when they see the word baptized, they naturally think, well, it’s got to be water. It’s water. It’s water. They got water on the brain. But notice what he says here in verse 11. Now he’s talked to these people about how bad they were. And these were some bad folks.

You see what he says there? And let’s just start in verse 9. No ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God. Be not deceived neither fornicators, no idolaters, nor adulterers, nor feminine, nor abuses of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkers, nor revilers, nor extroesner shall inherit the kingdom of God, so you don’t inherit it because you’re not God’s child. God’s children inherit eternal life, but those that are lost don’t. So you that are lost are considered you unrighteous.

When you trust Christ as Savior, God sees you as righteous. It’s not because you live righteous, it’s because you’re declared righteous and then he makes his statement in verse 11 and such were some of you but ye are washed but ye are sanctified but ye are justified in the name. You are cleansed in a name. There is power in that name that we believe in. When we believe on Jesus Christ you are cleansed in his name. Also take your Bible and turn to the book of Titus in chapter three.

The Book of Titus in chapter 3. This is important to understand this because if you don’t you automatically just jump to a conclusion. Here in Titus chapter 3 notice what he says in verse 5, not by works of righteousness which we have done. So we know that baptism is something that we can do. That’s something that either either I do to you or you do to me, it’s an act of a man’s will and effort. No salvation can depend upon man.

My salvation cannot depend upon another person baptizing me. Was he baptized? He wasn’t baptized. Did he go to heaven? Yes, he did. So you don’t have to be baptized in order to go to heaven. Notice this. He makes the statement, but according to his mercy, he saved us by the, and here’s that word, washing. That word, washing means that you are cleansed by the Holy Spirit. Washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost, the Holy();. So this is the Holy Spirit.

what the Bible is teaching. Take your Bible and turn to the book of Mark chapter 7. Mark in chapter 7. Now the Pharisees been a little on the hypocritical side, a little on the self-righteous side. Of course they believed in washing their hands before they ate. And long comes Jesus and lo and behold he was, well he would have in corn on the cob. And they didn’t wash their hands. And so they got called on the carpet for this.

But Jesus, he knows how to handle every situation. So he made the statement there because of what they had said. See there in verse 3 of chapter 7, for the Pharisees and all the Jews, except they washed their hands. Now you look it up, there’s about three different words, washed and washed and washing that are used in the Greek, and each one of these has a different word. But the problem is that sometimes the word baptismo and baptismos, they’re used, but it simply means a cleansing for the purpose of washing utensils or pots and pans.

They washed them and they would submerge them. It means to wim, to dip, to totally immerse in water. but it was for the purpose of cleaning. And so you goDouerna says it in verse 4 and the washing of cups. And so these words are used in here and also twice in verse 4, but there’s…? Several different words that are mentioned here. But it was for the purpose of cleansing and it uses the word baptism which is the same word used for baptized.

Baptism doesn’t always refer to water baptism, like trying to save you or wash your sins away, but the word can mean to be cleansed in a name. All of that just to tell you that when you believe on Jesus Christ, he says repent and be cleansed in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sin. Now some say you can take the word because and the word for and it can be translated from the Greek that chi meaning that you can because of the believe in on Jesus Christ, you shall receive then the Holy Spirit.

But it’s all seen the same thing. But remember this, no verse can add any works to a clear verse like John 3 16 or Ep. 2.89. Regardless of what any verse seems to say no verse can contradict these clear verses of believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shall be saved. If you had to be baptized and it simply says believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, that is either enough or it’s not enough. If it’s not enough they should have added it.

I believe it’s enough. And so simply believe in on Jesus Christ. Are you a new listener to Bibleline? Do you enjoy the teachings of Dr. Arnold? Well, if you’ve never contacted us before, we want to give you Dr. Arnold’s book, The Gospel Driven Man. Every day we receive many emails from folks who have questions about repentance and salvation, about faith in works, and about how to share the gospel with friends and loved ones. This book, The Gospel Driven Man, covers all those topics, and we want all new listeners of Bibleline to receive a free copy.

There’s no obligation, no donation necessary, simply call us at 1-800-576-3771 or write to us and request your free copy of the Gospel-Driven Mail. The mailing address is 4811 George Road, Tampa, Florida, 33634. Again, don’t forget to include your mailing address, and God bless you and thank you for listening to Bibleline. Thanks for joining us on Bibleline. If you are in the area, we welcome you to visit us. The address for Calvary Community Church is 4811 George Road, Tampa, Florida, 33634.

And now, a closing thought from Pastor Arnold. Friend, one day it will happen. The trumpet will sound. And we will be changed. Caught up to meet the Lord in the air. So live today and every day. Believing that the Lord is coming soon, just keep looking up.