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THE NEW BIRTH
#1
Perry B. Cotham
1912-2013
One “born
of water and of the Spirit” is a penitent believer
immersed in water and brought forth therefrom according to the teaching
of the Spirit. When we are thus baptized we enter into the kingdom of
God. One hears the voice of the Spirit speaking through inspired men,
receives that word into the heart and obeys it, and is born of the
Spirit, is “born of water and of the Spirit.”
CHRIST AND NICODEMUS
John 3:1-8 — “There was a man
of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: the same came
to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a
teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou
doest, except God be with him. Jesus answered and said unto him,
Verily, Verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot
see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus saith unto him. How can a man be born
when he is old? can he enter the second time into his
mother’s womb, and be born? Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I
say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he
cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh
is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not
that I say unto thee, Ye must be born again. The wind bloweth where it
listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence
it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is everyone that is born of the
Spirit.”
There are many hurtful
errors taught in connection with the subject of the new birth. To many
people, it is a deep mystery; a theme that can neither be explained nor
understood. Let us give the language of the Bible on this subject a
thoughtful study and learn what the new birth is. Let us take the
language of John 3 and study it carefully; study it in connection with
other scriptures on the same subject and see if there is anything so
difficult about it.
THE MAN NICODEMUS
“There
was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the
Jews.” Is there anything hard to understand about
this verse? I think not. “There was a man”
— we can understand that. His name was “Nicodemus”
— this is easy to understand. He was a “Pharisee”
— this refers to his religious belief. In his day there was a
religious sect known as the Pharisees, and he was a member of it (Acts
23:7). Then, too, he was “a ruler of the
Jews.” This means that he was a member of the
Sanhedrin, the Jewish supreme court, a council made up of seventy-one
men, whose purpose it was to try people who had violated the Law. This
suggests that he was a man of some reputation and ability among the
Jews. His position must have been one of honor and responsibility. By
John’s references to him later (John 7:50-52; 19:39), he must
have been a very kind man, willing to investigate, and these are
commendable traits of character.
Nicodemus “came
to Jesus by night.” Why, we do not know; the Bible
does not say. The truth Jesus gave him that night is the important
thing for us to consider. When he came to Jesus, he opened the
conversation by saying: “Rabbi, we know that thou
art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou
doest, except God be with him.” Whether Nicodemus
was truly honest in this noble confession or using a little flattery to
get on the good side of Jesus, we do not know. Anyway, he expressed a
vital truth concerning the miracles of Jesus. They were to convince any
honest person that God was with Christ. But Jesus passed by his
compliments and went directly to the thing Nicodemus had in mind;
namely, entering the kingdom of God. Since Jesus “knew
what was in man” (John 2:24-25), He knew what
Nicodemus had in mind, therefore, went directly to the subject of how
to become a citizen of the kingdom. “Jesus answered
and said unto him. Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a
man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of god.”
The thought of the
Saviour’s language is this: “Nicodemus, the
miracles do testify of me, but if you think because you are a Jew and a
prominent man among them that you are entitled to a place in my earthly
kingdom when it is established, you have it all wrong. The kingdom that
I am soon to inaugurate is not an earthly, fleshly kingdom, and YOU
will have to be BORN AGAIN to get into it. Your birthright will give
you no membership in the kingdom soon to be established.”
THE KINGDOM OF GOD
By the expression, “the
kingdom of God,” Christ meant the church
— that spiritual institution soon to be set up by the Lord
among them. The “church” and the
“kingdom” mean one and the same thing (Matt.
16:18-20; Heb. 12:22-23, 28).
A fleshly birth introduced
Nicodemus into the old Jewish kingdom, a fleshly kingdom; but the
Lord’s kingdom was to be a spiritual kingdom, and it would
take a new birth to put him into this kingdom. One cannot enter this
kingdom, the church, unless he is born again, for the condition of
entrance as given by Jesus is that “you must be born
again.” The Jews expected the Messiah to establish an earthly
kingdom, one like David’s, and reign on the earth as the
king; this is the kind of kingdom Nicodemus had in mind.
By the expression, “see
the kingdom of God,” Jesus meant not to see with
the natural eye, but to experience or enjoy the blessings of the
Lord’s kingdom by entering into it.
THE KINGDOM ESTABLISHED
The kingdom was established
on the first Pentecost after the resurrection of Christ. It is NOW in
existence and Christ is reigning in Heaven as “King
of kings and Lord of lords” (cf. Mark 9:1; Acts
1:6-8; Acts 2; Dan. 7:13-14; 1 Cor. 15:25-26; Rev. 14:14; Heb. 12:28).
Some today claim that the kingdom has not been established. If so, the
new birth is not a reality; people are not being born again. But Paul
wrote to people who had been “translated into the
kingdom” (Col. 1:13), and John said he was a
brother “in the kingdom” (Rev.
1:9). The kingdom was in existence in the days of the apostles, and
people were members of it. The kingdom is now in existence, and men and
women are entering into it.
This refutes the theory
that there is no kingdom in existence now and will not be until Christ
comes again.
THE NEW BIRTH A NECESSITY
Since we must be born again
to enter into the kingdom, it is impossible to overestimate the
importance of the new birth. No one will ever be in the kingdom until
he has been born again, for this is the ONLY way to enter into it. It
is not that you should be born again, or that it would be better for
you if you were born again, but you MUST be born again. The rich and
the poor, the high and the low, the educated and the uneducated
— all alike, must be born again or find no place in the
kingdom of God. This subject is one of vital importance!
WHAT THE NEW BIRTH IS
“Born
again” is figurative language. There is a
similarity in some respects to a natural birth. Since one enters into
new life in a new realm, or becomes a new creature spiritually, this
process is called a birth. In other places in the Bible the change is
called “conversion,”
“creation,” “forgiveness of
sins,” etc. (Matt. 18:3; 2 Cor. 5:17; Col. 2:13;
Eph. 2:10). To be saved or to become a Christian, is what Jesus meant
by being “born again.”
The language of Jesus
puzzled Nicodemus. He could not understand how it was possible for an
old man, such as he, to experience another physical birth. Hence, he
said: “how can a man be born when he is old? can he
enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be
born?” Jesus explained by saying: “except
a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the
kingdom of God.” He told Nicodemus what the new
birth was — HOW it could be possible. (In verse three Jesus
expresses the NECESSITY of the new birth; in verse five He tells of
what it CONSISTS). It is a birth of “water” and of
“the Spirit.” There are not two births —
only one, but a man must be born both of “water”
and of “the Spirit” to be born again.
BORN OF WATER
What does “born
of water and of the Spirit” mean? Let us take the
first: “born of water” — what does this
mean? The word “water” means water. If not, why
not? The way of entering the kingdom of God may be given under the
figure of a birth, but that does not mean that the word
“water“is figurative. The words
“water“and “Spirit” are used
literally, they mean what they say — water and Spirit. If
“water“does not mean water, then does
“Spirit” mean Spirit?
Nearly all scholars
understand the word “water” to refer to baptism.
This is correct. In fact, BAPTISM IS THE ONLY THING TO WHICH IT CAN
REFER! It is the only religious act pertaining to salvation in which
water is used. In the Christian system water is NEVER used in any
ordinance or ceremony except in the act of baptism. Then this makes
baptism necessary to the obtaining of all blessings in the kingdom, and
that, by the authority of Jesus Christ, the highest authority in Heaven
and earth. Also, this makes the ACT of baptism immersion, a burial and
a resurrection (Rom. 6:4; Col. 2:12). One is dipped in, and comes forth
out of the water. Therefore, the expression, “born
of water” may be applied to baptism. But a thing
cannot be born of that which is smaller than itself. So, how can a man
be born of a spoonful of water? The man who has had water sprinkled or
poured upon him cannot truthfully say he has been BURIED with Christ in
baptism. The man who has not been immersed (born of water) is not in
the kingdom, for this is a part of the new birth, and one must be
“born again” to get into the kingdom.
Paul used a similar
expression in referring to the resurrection of Christ. He said Christ
was “the firstborn from the dead”
(Col. 1:18). Christ was buried in the grave and from it he came forth
— hence, “born from the dead.” He was the
first to come from the grave to die no more and is, therefore,
“the FIRST-born from the dead.” If to arise from
the grave means to be born from the dead, then the burying in water and
the arising therefrom is a birth of water. It cannot mean sprinkling or
pouring water ON a person. Hence, one must be BURIED with Christ in
BAPTISM that he may be born of water.
To be born of water and to
be immersed and raised to walk in “newness of
life” are identical. “Born of
water and of the Spirit” in John 3:5 means baptism!
The reason some say that
the word “water” does not mean water is because it
would make baptism essential to salvation, and they think baptism is
not a condition of pardon.
According to Wm. Wall, a
reliable church historian, John Calvin was the first man to ever say
that “born of water” in John 3:5 did not mean
baptism, and Calvin confessed that his interpretation was a new one.
“There
is not one Christian writer of any antiquity in any
language but what understands it of baptism. And if it be not so
understood, it is difficult to give an account how a person is born of
water, any more than of wood.” Wall’s History of
Infant Baptism, Vol. 1, p. 92.
“All
the ancient Christians (without the exception of one
man) do understand that rule of our Saviour, John 3:5. VERILY, VERILY,
I SAY UNTO THEE, EXCEPT A MAN BE BORN OF WATER AND OF THE SPIRIT, HE
CANNOT ENTER INTO THE KINGDOM OF GOD; of baptism. I had occasion in the
First part to bring a great many instances of their sayings: where all
that mention that text, from Justin Martyr down to St. Austin, do so
apply it: and many more might be brought. I believe Calvin was the
first that ever denied this place to mean baptism. He gives another
interpretation, which he confesses to be new.” Ibid., p. 443.
Therefore, it may be
regarded as a settled fact that from the days of Christ to the time of
Calvin, to be “born of water,” when referred to by
all writers, meant to be baptized.
Many quibbles have been
made by people in order to get around the obvious teaching of Jesus.
Some say the word “water” means the
“word,” others tell us it means
“grace” or “Spirit,” and others
say, “I do not know what it means, but I know it does not
mean water.” A common error is the idea that the
“birth of water” occurs at the natural birth, and
the “birth of the Spirit” is the second birth. But
this theory does violence to the language of Jesus. Christ said: “except
a MAN be born again, born of WATER AND of the Spirit, he
— the man already born physically — cannot
enter into the kingdom of God.” The natural birth
is NOT the birth of water in John 3:5. Nicodemus had already been born
of fleshly parents — natural birth — and now Christ
tells him he must be born again, not physically, but of water AND of
the Spirit (both), in order to become a citizen of the kingdom of God.
BORN OF THE SPIRIT
What does the phrase, “of
the Spirit,” mean? This refers to the Holy Spirit.
When one becomes a Christian it is according to the Spirit’s
instruction. One is baptized according to the teaching of the Spirit
after he has been made a believer by hearing the Spirit’s
message, the word of truth, as contained in the New Testament. Hence,
one “born of water and of the Spirit”
is a penitent believer immersed in water and brought forth therefrom
according to the teaching of the Spirit. When we are thus baptized we
enter into the kingdom of God. One hears the voice of the Spirit
speaking through inspired men, receives that word into the heart and
obeys it, and is born of the Spirit, is “born of water and of
the Spirit.” (The work of the Holy Spirit in conversion will
be noticed more fully later).
THE HUMAN SPIRIT BEGOTTEN BY THE HOLY SPIRIT
“That
which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the
Spirit is spirit.” Here Christ is still trying to
convince Nicodemus that the “new birth” is not a
“fleshly birth.” Christ was not talking about a
birth of the flesh, a natural birth. He had in mind a spiritual birth.
Watch carefully the reading: “that which is born of the
Spirit” (capital S) “is spirit” (small s)
— meaning, that which is born (begotten) of the Holy Spirit
is the human spirit. It is an inward or spiritual change that takes
place. The mind is renewed. The flesh remains the same; our bodies will
not be changed until the resurrection (Phil. 3:21; 1 Cor. 15).
Consequently, Christ said: “Marvel
not (do not be surprised) that I said unto thee, Ye
must be born again” (John 3:7). The trouble with
this ruler of Israel was his failure to realize the existence of the
“inner man” dwelling in the body. This is the
subject of the change contemplated by the new birth.(f1) The SPIRIT of
man is born anew.
(f1) It has been argued
that the entire man (body included) participates in the new birth, and
that it is not completed until the entire man has participated. This is
true. The BODY is immersed in water, yet it is the changed spirit in
man obeying the command of the Lord in this overt physical act.
Technically speaking, baptism is not just a mere physical act. If this
were so, to force a man under the water and bring him out would
constitute baptism. (A good way to baptize some if this is all it
takes). But scriptural baptism requires faith and repentance on the
part of the one baptized. (This is the reason a baby cannot be
scripturally baptized; the infant is lacking in the prerequisites of
baptism). It is the spirit of man (the inner man) that hears the
Gospel, believes, and turns to God with a sincere desire to serve Him.
Two things are accomplished: (1) The mind is renewed, the heart is
changed, faith is produced, and (2) the individual is immersed
— baptized into Christ.
(f1) After the spirit of
man has been changed by the Holy Spirit — the message of the
Spirit containing God’s thoughts and ideas — it
should maintain the mastery over the body, consecrating it to divine
service. The converted man should bring his body into subjection
— use it as a holy instrument to the glory of God (1 Cor.
9:27; 1 Cor. 6:15,20; Rom. 12:1; Rom. 6:12-13, 19; Rom. 8:12-13; Matt.
15:18-20).
THE WIND — AN ILLUSTRATION
Jesus gave this
illustration: “The wind bloweth where it listeth,
and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it
cometh, and whither it goeth: so is everyone that is born of the
spirit.”
This is the hard verse of
the whole story. It is thought to teach the direct, incomprehensible,
mysterious operation of the Holy Spirit in conversion, and that the new
birth is a deep mystery, a thing brought about all of a sudden in some
way unknown, and the experience of it is better felt than told.
Please note that Jesus did
NOT say: “So is the DIRECT OPERATION of the
Spirit.” The comparison is between “hearing the
wind” and “hearing the Spirit.” One must
HEAR the Spirit.
Jesus did not use the
illustration concerning the wind to give an example of the MYSTERY of
the new birth, or to show that it is brought about in some
incomprehensible manner, but to point out that we are “born
of the Spirit” by HEARING the Spirit’s message. Our
Lord often used things in nature to teach something concerning the
kingdom. The wind cannot be seen, yet we HEAR its sound and we see the
effects of it. This is true of the Holy Spirit. We HEAR the Holy Spirit
— hear Him as He speaks through inspired men. We see the
effects of the Spirit’s message as it produces obedience in
man.
Before the coming of the
Holy Spirit upon the apostles, many things concerning the Spirit were
not known; now they have been explained. Hence, Nicodemus did not know
where the Spirit cometh or goeth; we do today. The Holy Spirit came to
the apostles (John 14:16-17; 16:7-14; Acts 2:1-4), and they spake “as
the Spirit gave them utterance” (Acts 2:4). The
people heard the apostles — HEARD THE SPIRIT SPEAK THROUGH
THE APOSTLES — and this message, when believed and obeyed,
produced the new birth. Then the real point of the comparison is simply
this: Just as we hear the sound of the wind, we hear the voice of the
Spirit speaking through the apostles, and a man is born again by
HEARING and OBEYING the voice of the Spirit.(f2) There is nothing
mysterious or miraculous about it.
(f2) Some claim that the
Greek word “pneuma”, translated
“wind” in John 3:8, should be translated
“Spirit.” The word “Spirit” is
given in the footnote of the American Standard Version. This word is
found many times in the New Testament, and in practically all instances
it is rendered “Spirit,” or the equivalent,
“Ghost.” There is not another case in all the New
Testament where the word is rendered “wind.” (The
word is found in the Greek New Testament 386 times, and 384 times it is
rendered into English either by the word “Spirit”
or “Ghost,” once by the word
“life” and here, “wind.“) By
the word “pneuma” translated
“Spirit,” the correct meaning of the verse would
be: “The Spirit breathes (speaks) where he pleases, and you
hear his voice, but cannot tell where the Spirit comes or where he goes
(but you can HEAR him); so (an adverb, meaning: In this way, or in such
a manner: that is, by HEARING the voice of the Spirit) is every one
(born) that is born of the Spirit.” (This is the commonly
accepted meaning of this passage of Scripture.)
(f2) But if the word in the
original, here rendered “wind,” should be
translated “Spirit,” the thought would not be
changed. We would then have a literal statement of the fact that BY
HEARING THE SPIRIT’S MESSAGE WE ARE BORN (BEGOTTEN) OF THE
SPIRIT (James 1:18; 1 Peter 1:23: 1 John 5:1; Rom. 10:17); now we have
an illustration of exactly the same idea. It would still be the spirit
of man, not his body, begotten by HEARING the voice of the Spirit, the
words of the New Testament: and by HEARING Him, faith is produced in
the heart.
(f2) Hence, people are
“born again” today by hearing, believing, and
obeying the Spirit’s teaching. This is the only way the
Spirit brings about the new birth. This is the way people were
“born again” in the days of the Apostles. (I will
refer you to a number of cases of conversion later). The word of God
was first spoken by the Spirit through inspired men, and afterwards
written down by men guided by the Spirit. Now, we have the inspired
BOOK. We hear the Spirit today when we hear the Gospel message. Thus we
see why this change in man resulting from hearing, believing, and
obeying the truth, is represented as a birth of the Spirit.
A NEW LIFE BEGINS
A birth means a translation, a change of state or
relationship, and results in a new life in a new realm. By the new
birth one is translated into a new environment.
When does this new life
begin? Where is that realm?
“Therefore
if any man be IN CHRIST, HE IS A NEW CREATURE; old things are passed
away; behold, all things are become new” (2 Cor.
5:17). Since we are new creatures in Christ, we enter into the new life
when we enter into Christ.
But, when does one enter
into Christ?
“Know
ye not, that so many of us as were BAPTIZED INTO CHRIST were baptized
into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death;
that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the
Father, even so we also should walk in NEWNESS OF LIFE”
(Rom. 6:3-4). “For as many of you as have been
BAPTIZED INTO CHRIST, have put on Christ” (Gal.
3:27). The man IN CHRIST is born again.
Therefore, baptism is a
part of the new birth.(f3)
(f3) The expression,
“the WASHING OF REGENERATION,” shows that baptism
is a part of the new birth (Titus 3:5). “The washing of
regeneration” — the washing that pertains to or is
connected with regeneration — is admitted by all scholars to
refer to baptism. (See Acts 22:16; 2:38; Eph. 5:26: Heb. 10:22; 1 Cor.
6:11). It will be noticed from Rom. 6:4 that one is buried with Christ
in baptism; and not only this, he is raised from the watery grave to
“walk in newness of life.” If one is saved before
he is baptized, why is it that he does not walk in “newness
of life” until after he is baptized? Hence,
“baptism doth also NOW SAVE US” (1 Peter 3:21).
(f3) This verse also
teaches that baptism is NOT a work of righteousness —
man’s righteousness. It is placed in contrast to
self-righteousness. Baptism is a work of God’s righteousness,
not our righteousness (cf. Matt. 3:15; Rom. 1:16-17; 10:1-3; Acts
10:34-35; Psa. 119:172). Too, we see how we are saved by grace. Titus
3:6-7 is in perfect accord with Eph. 2:8-9. In being baptized, we are
saved by grace.
One is not a “new
creature” (2 Cor. 5:17) — born again —
until he gets “into Christ,” but according to the
Bible, one is not “in Christ” until he has been
baptized into Him (Rom. 6:3; Gal. 3:27). The new birth translates one
from the kingdom of Satan into the kingdom of Christ where he obtains
the forgiveness of sins (Col. 1:13-14).
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EDITOR'S NOTE: I had the
privilege of knowing Brother Cotham. He was a great encourager as he
would often write and commend the work of Seek The
Old Paths. He always encouraged me to write and
print tracts. He was a great debater, especially on the subject of the
Holy Spirit. He sought desperately to dispel the confusion on that
topic.
His tract on “The
New Birth” was written more than 70 years ago. I’ll
give you more details about it in the July issue (Lord willing).
--gmr
Table of Contents
ALL THE CONVERSIONS
IN THE NEW TESTAMENT
Garland M.
Robinson
Please examine the chart
below. You will see that water baptism is the final step that puts one
INTO Christ, taking away sins and making that person a new creature
—a Christian, a child of God.
Water baptism is no more
important than Believing, Repenting
or Confessing, but neither is it less important
than Believing, Repenting, or Confessing.
It is simply a part of every conversion account in the New Testament.
As a matter of fact, there is no conversion to Christ without it
— just as there is no conversion without Faith, Repentance or
Confession. Each point is simply a step taken in order to receive
forgiveness of sins and entrance into the kingdom/church of God (John
3:3-5).
None of the examples in
this chart (this is all the accounts of conversion in the New
Testament) shows a sinner was saved before baptism. One’s
“new life” as a Christian begins AFTER baptism, not
BEFORE (Rom. 6:3-5). Sprinkling or Pouring water on someone has
absolutely zero to do with baptism, even though men call it baptism.
Baptism is an immersion, a burial, a planting (Rom. 6:4-5; Col. 2:12).
The definition of “baptism” is
“immersion.” There is no burial in sprinkling or
pouring. Those who have had water sprinkled or poured on them have
never been baptized.
Baptism is when a sinner,
called an “old man of sin,” is crucified
—put to death (Rom. 6:6). That does not happen at the point
of faith, nor at the point of repenting,
or at the point of confessing. It happens when one
is baptized. Baptism is the final step in completing obedience to the
Gospel of Christ. It is the exact moment “when” one
is made free (forgiven) of their sins. This is exactly what we read a
few verses later in verses 17-18. When one “obeys from the
heart” the doctrine of water baptism (vs.3-6), verse 18
plainly says, “being THEN made free from
sin.” If sins are forgiven at the point of
“faith” as commonly believed, then verse 18 is a
lie! The word THEN is very clear. It reveals the exact moment that one
becomes a Christian. There is no passage that says a sinner is made
free from their sins the very moment they believe. Denominational
preachers are bold in telling people to just
“believe” by accepting Jesus into their heart as
their personal savior and they will be saved. BUT, you will never hear
them refer to a passage in the Bible that says (teaches) that! They
follow uninspired men instead of Holy Spirit inspired men who gave us
the Scriptures.
Jesus himself made it very
clear what a sinner must do to be saved in Mark 16:16: “He
that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth
not shall be damned.” Lord, what did you say? Tell
us again what to do to be saved. “He that believeth
and is baptized shall be saved.” If you read
Jesus’ statement a thousand times to first graders and then
ask them what Jesus said to do to be saved, what would their answer be?
It would not be “just believe.” Jesus made it so
simple when he said: “He that believeth and is
baptized shall be saved.” How could first graders
say anything else than what Jesus said? But
“learned” men, “educated” men,
answer this question, not only in their “words,”
but also in their “practice” when they say,
“He that believeth and is NOT baptized
shall be saved.” What if men twisted your words around to
make you say something you did not say? We’re not left to
wonder what Jesus thinks about men doing that to His words! “Why
call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say”
(Luke 6:45)? His condemnation is obvious.
Anyone with even an
elementary knowledge of the Bible remembers what God told Adam and Eve
in the garden of Eden. “And the LORD God commanded
the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:
But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat
of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt
surely die” (Gen. 2:16-17). Satan comes
along and says to Eve: “...hath God said, Ye shall
not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the
serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the
fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said,
Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.
And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall NOT surely die”
(Gen. 3:1-4).
Satan added the word NOT to
what God said, just like he does when he speaks through denominational
preachers today by adding the word NOT to what Jesus said. God said, “thou
shalt surely die,” but Satan says “thou
shall NOT surely die.”
Jesus said, “he
that believeth and is baptized shall be saved,” but
Satan says, “he that believeth and is NOT baptized
shall be saved.” Multiplied millions of people fall for
Satan’s lie regarding baptism. They will go to great lengths
to circumvent the simple words of our Lord. The Bible condemns
“adding to” or “taking from”
God’s holy inspired word (Deut. 4:2; Prov. 30:6; Rev.
22:18-19). But, men think they have a better solution to the
forgiveness of sins than what Jesus gave. They convince men to
disregard what the Lord said —ignore baptism! They say that
Jesus really didn’t mean what He said. But to these who
corrupt His words He said: “except ye repent, ye
shall all likewise perish” (Luke 13:3,5).
In Mark 16:16 the word AND
connects “believeth” and
“baptized.” No man can successfully separate these
two words. To do away with one is to do away with the other.
It’s impossible to ignore the word AND! Jesus plainly said, “He
that believeth AND is baptized shall be saved.” All
the twisting and wrangling in the world will not take away what Jesus
said: Belief + Baptism = Salvation —B + B = S, not B = S + B.
Consider two simple
illustrations. “He that eats and digests food shall
live, but he who does not eat shall die.” Eating
and digesting are inseparably linked together. Unless you eat and the
food is digested, you will die. You may eat all you want to, but unless
your body digests it, you will die. On the other hand, if you do not
eat, you will die. It makes absolutely no sense to say “he
that does not eat and does not digest the food will die.” If
you don’t eat, there’s nothing to digest! If you
don’t eat, you will die. At that point, digestion has nothing
to do with it!
“He who
gets on the train to New York AND does not get off, will arrive in New
York. But he who does not get on the train will not get
there.” Does it need to be said, “He who
does not get on the train to New York and does not stay on the train
will not get there?” That makes absolutely no sense.
Obviously, if you don’t get on the train you can’t
get off the train and certainly will not make it to New York. See how
simple this is?
Those who don’t
like what Jesus said about baptism, or think he made a mistake, want
Him to say, “he that believeth not and is NOT
baptized will be condemned.” While that’s
true, he did not say that. But, if one doesn’t believe, he
certainly won’t be baptized.
“Faith
only” advocates think the comparison of “eating and
digesting” and “riding the train and staying on the
train” is flawed and ridiculous. They think that, because
they can’t answer it. In reality, their “faith
only” doctrine would have us believe that the very moment you
step on the train you’re in New York! or the moment you eat,
the food is digested!
Many say Saul was saved on
the road to Damascus; but if so, he was the most miserable man you
could ever meet (Acts 9:9). He never “ate a bite, drank a
drop, or slept a wink” until AFTER he was baptized to wash
his sins away (Acts 22:16). If he was saved on the road, he did not
have any sins to wash away at Damascus! Ananias did not lie to him
about his sins. He told him the truth. Saul did not quibble and argue
that he was saved on the road and did not have to be baptized to have
his sins washed away. He simply complied with the Lord’s
words and was baptized (Acts 9:18).
Actually, sins are washed
away by the “blood of Christ” (Rev. 1:5; Eph. 1:7).
But it is in water baptism that sinners contact Christ’s
blood. Jesus shed his blood in his death and was buried. Sinners die to
a life of sin and are buried (baptized in water). As Jesus was raised
from the dead, those baptized are raised from the water of baptism to
live a new life (Rom. 6:4). The first 18 verses of Romans 6 makes this
very clear — death to sin and rising from the water to live a
new life in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17). Salvation is IN Christ, not OUT of
Christ (2 Tim. 2:10). Sinners are OUT of Christ. Baptism puts
believing, penitent, sinners INTO Christ (Rom. 6:3; Gal. 3:27). If one
is IN Christ before baptism, why do these two verses say one is
baptized INTO Christ? The Bible does not contradict itself.
The connection of water
baptism to salvation is also made clear in the account of Noah and the
flood. “Eight souls were saved by water.
The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us”
(1 Peter 3:20-21). Noah and his family were saved by
“water.” Baptism in water now saves us. God makes
this comparison, not man. This fits perfectly with all the Scriptures
on the subject of salvation. The Bible does not contradict itself (1
Cor. 14:33). Being saved by water (in baptism, converted, Acts 3:19) is
only possible when one acts upon their “faith”
(Heb. 11:6) by “repenting” of
their sins (Acts 17:30), “confessing”
faith in Christ (Acts 8:37) and being “immersed
into water” (baptized) for the forgiveness of their
sins (Acts 2:38; 22:16). Water baptism is WHERE and WHEN one contacts
the saving blood of Christ that washes sins away (Eph. 1:7).
I’m not going to argue with God when He says water baptism
saves us just like water saved Noah and his family. Are you ready to
argue with God on that point?
Jesus also made it plain
when he connected water with salvation in John 3:3-5. He said: “Except
a man be born again...born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter
into the kingdom of God.” This is in accordance to
what He said in Mark 16:16: “He that believeth and
is baptized shall be saved.” However, man changes
what Jesus said by saying, “he that believeth and is not
baptized shall be saved.” The devil added the word
“not” to what God said (Gen. 3:4), just like men
today add the word “not” to what Jesus said. They
claim Jesus made a terrible mistake when he said “he
that believeth and is baptized shall be saved.”
The Holy Spirit knew men
would attempt to get around baptism having a connection to salvation by
introducing “faith only” as the means of salvation.
Therefore He wrote: “Ye see then how that by works
a man is justified and not by faith only”
(James 2:24). This is the only time “faith only” is
found in the Bible; and it says ”not
by faith only” (James 2:17). The
“works” by which man is justified are not works of
his own merit; instead, they are works of obedience that God has
commanded. Faith without obedience to God’s commands is dead,
barren, useless (James 2:17). As a matter of fact, even
“faith” is a work (John 6:29). It is the work God
commands sinners to do. “Faith only” is a lie of
the Devil (James 2:17,24,26).
Jesus is the savior of
those who BELIEVE “and” OBEY him. He is not the
savior of those who disobey Him. “Not every one
that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven;
but he that DOETH the will of my Father which is in
heaven” (Matt. 7:21). Jesus is the “...the
author of eternal salvation unto all them that OBEY
him” (Heb. 5:9). “...Whosoever
shall DO the will of my Father which is in heaven,
the same is my brother, and sister, and mother”
(Matt. 12:50; Mark 3:35; Luke 8:21). “Except ye be CONVERTED,
and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of
heaven” (Matt. 18:3). “Well
done, thou GOOD and FAITHFUL
servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee
ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord”
(Matt. 25:21). “...Why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and DO
NOT the things which I say” (Luke 6:46).
Are YOU ready to study more
and obey God’s word by believing, repenting, confessing and
being baptized? There’s no salvation without it!
Table of Contents
MARRIAGE IS...
#2
Bill Boyd
In our homes we treat our
weaker vessels with greater honor. We handle them gently; we often have
a special place for them on our shelves. A man should honor his wife as
he honors his weaker vessels. He should treat her like a fine piece of
china, not like an old bucket.
Marriage is for
“the grace of life;” that is where this article is
going. This is the last of a six-part series on what marriage is not
and what it is. We have seen how that the Bible teaches that marriage
is not of man, not just a civil union, not sin nor an accommodation of
sin, not for animals, and not for the self-centered and immature.
Marriage is of God, what God hath joined together, from the beginning,
older than sin, a sacred spiritual covenant, a God blessed
relationship, honorable in all, a relationship that exceeds all other
human relationships; and, a commitment. Marriage is for companionship,
for a godly seed, for man’s good, woman’s good,
good for society’s good. Marriage is something God loves, for
it is “very good.” We have learned of marriage from
Moses, Solomon, Hosea, Malachi, Jesus, and Paul. This series will end
with what we learn from Peter.
Peter was a married man. In
Matthew 8:14-15 and Mark 1:29-31, Jesus was in the house where
“Simon’s wife’s mother” lay
sick of a fever. In 1 Corinthians 9:5, Paul said he had the right to
lead about “a sister, a wife, as well as the other apostles,
and as the brethren of the Lord, and Cephas.” In 1 Peter 5:1,
Peter called himself as “an elder” (Peter did not
call himself “the Pope“). It is necessary that
“an elder” be “the husband of one
wife” (1 Tim. 3:2, Titus 1:6). This ancient apostolic
tradition that was necessary for Peter to be qualified to be
“an elder” would disqualify him to be “a
Pope” (under current Roman tradition).
Peter began his discussion
of marriage with the obligations of a believing wife to an unbelieving
husband. Paul wrote of believers married to unbelievers in 1
Corinthians 7:10-15. He told them to remain married, but he said that
if the unbelieving spouse was to depart, then the believing spouse was
to let them depart. They were married, but they were not and had never
been bound to their spouse as a slave. Paul did not tell the abandoned
believers that they could marry another, he said, “If
she depart, let her remain unmarried or be reconciled to her
husband” (1 Cor. 7:11). Jesus gave one exception
for remarriage following a divorce (Matt. 19:9,
fornication); Paul did not give another exception to the Corinthians.
Peter told the believing
wife to “be in subjection to her own
husband” (1 Peter 3:1). Freedom from sin does not
free one from the obligations of marriage. Peter taught that the godly
submission of believing wives could open the hearts of unbelieving
husbands to the Gospel, and that they may “without
a word be won by the conversation of their wives; while they behold
your chased conversation coupled with fear” (1
Peter 3:1). What Peter said has often occurred.
“Conversation” in the King James Version refers to
her manner of life. The “fear” of which Peter spoke
is not fear of harm from her husband, but respect for him in the fear
of the Lord. Peter clarified a few verses later saying, “not
afraid with any amazement.” A wife’s submission to
her husband does not come from a woman’s fearful weakness,
but from the inner strength of her meek and quiet spirit. With this
inner quite strength, she is not afraid to call her husband her lord (1
Peter 3:5-6). We learn from this that for the married, a commitment to
Christ includes a commitment to their marriage.
Peter also had a few things
to say to husbands; “dwell with them according to
knowledge” (1 Peter 3:7). Husbands cannot cop out
saying, “I do not understand her,” and be the
husband God expects him to be. It is true that sometimes a wife can be
hard to understand, but it is just as true that sometimes a husband can
be hard to understand. Men and women are different, and part of the joy
of marriage is getting to know and learning to understand one another,
and then, having that knowledge and understanding, to complete one
another.
Peter also said, “giving
honor unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel” (1
Peter 3:7). It is true that men are often physically stronger than
their wives, but I am not convinced that this is what Peter is
referring to. A wise surgeon told me, “Men are often
stronger, but women are usually tougher.” Men should stand
amazed at what women endure. Peter’s admonition to give “honor
to the wife as unto the weaker vessel” reminds me
of how Paul said that the potter will “make one
vessel unto honor, and another unto dishonor” (Rom.
9:21). In our homes we treat our weaker vessels with greater honor. We
handle them gently; we often have a special place for them on our
shelves. A man should honor his wife as he honors his weaker vessels.
He should treat her like a fine piece of china, not like an old bucket.
At the end Peter writes, “as
being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not
hindered.” “The grace of life”
is the best of life. I am reminded of how Solomon said, “Whoso
findeth a wife findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favor from the
LORD” (Prov. 18:22), and, “Live
joyfully with the wife whom thou lovest, all the days of the life of
thy vanity” (Eccl. 9:9). The married enjoy
“the grace of life” because, “Two
are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour.
For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that
is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up.
Again, if two lie together, then they have heat: but how can one be
warm alone? And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand
him” (Eccl. 4:9-12). The married enjoy the grace of
life when they walk hand in hand together. sharing all life has to
offer. Paul says, “Rejoice with them that do
rejoice, and weep with them that weep” (Rom.
12:15). There is comfort in marriage when you weep together, and joy is
magnified when you rejoice together.
In the normal course of
events, the day will come when one will walk away from the grave of the
other. Even then, if they have done things God’s way, so that
their prayers have not been hindered, there is the grace that comes
with the hope of being together again. Jesus said, “in
the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in
marriage” (Matt. 22:30); nevertheless, we will know
each other in heaven, and the married should anticipate a special joy
in knowing how they helped each other get there.
Those who know the grace of
hope and joy, know what marriage is.
wmhboyd@aol.com
647 Finger Bluff Road
Morrison, TN 37357
Table of Contents
Bound
Volumes (with a complete index) for the years of
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Publishing
2007 Francis Ferry Rd.
McMinnville, TN 37110
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