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That Holy Spirit Baptism Saves? By: Gary Colley
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That Holy Spirit Baptism Saves? By: Gary Colley
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It is sad to any good Bible student, to hear some talk today about being saved by Holy Spirit baptism. There is no passage in the BIble that connects Holy Spirit baptism and salvation! This cannot be a teaching of faith, since it is not taught in the Bible (Romans 10:17). Though there are several baptisms mentioned in the Bible, the baptism of suffering, baptism of John The Baptist, baptism of fire, etc., we must study to know which is the "one baptism," spoken of by Paul 65 years after the church was established, that is connected to salvation today (Ephesians 4:4-6). We do know from the Scriptures that 1. Jesus Christ is the only One who could administer Holy Spirit baptism (Matthew 3:11), 2. Jesus Christ promised this baptism to the apostles, and kept His promise (Luke 24:48-49, Acts 2:1-4), and 3. that no one today can administer Holy Spirit baptism, nor is it promised to anyone today! Jesus said that men are to administer water baptism for the salvation of the lost today, and it is baptism in water, not baptism in the Holy Spirit, that saves today (Matthew 28:18-20, Acts 10:48). We can know with a little study, that Holy Spirit baptism never saved anyone. The apostles received the baptism of the Holy Spirit AFTER THEY HAD BEEN BAPTIZED FOR THE REMISSION OF SINS (Mark 1:4, Luke 3:3, Luke 1:77). Jesus said of them that they were already clean from sin (John 15:3). The Scriptures do not teach that the apostles were baptized in water again at Pentecost. In Acts 10, Cornelius and his household, Gentiles, received an outpouring of the Holy Spirit in the same manner as the apostles on Pentecost (Joel 2:28, Acts 2:15-17), but this outpouring was BEFORE THEIR SALVATION BY WATER BAPTISM (Acts 10:44-48). Hence, we must conclude that since the apostles received the baptism of the Holy Spirit AFTER they were baptized, and Cornelius and his household received the outpouring BEFORE their salvation in water baptism, HOLY SPIRIT BAPTISM NEVER SAVEDANYONE. When the Word was confirmed by the apostles (Hebrews 2:1-4), and those on whom they laid their hands died (Acts 8:18), miraculous power by the Holy Spirit baptism ended, just as Paul said it would (I Corinthians 13:8-10). There is only ONE BAPTISM for salvation today. That is water baptism (Mark 16:15-16, Ephesians 4:4-6).