Baptism Water and Paul

By Bob Trescott

Created, Modified or Updated 02/07/12

All references are KJV unless otherwise stated

"This study has 10 pages"

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My friend there is only One Baptism For the church the body of Christ, and it is performed by the Holy Spirit at the moment of salvation without a drop of water!

The reason is very clear in 1Corinthians 1:17, where Paul said, Christ sent me not to baptize but to preach the gospel. In the dispensation of grace, God the Holy Spirit said, in 1Corinthians 11:1, follow Paul as he follows Christ. In 1Corinthians 12:13, God the Holy Spirit  does all of the baptizing for the church the body of Christ without water. Ephesians 4:5 says that there is one baptism. Therefore do you want to be baptized one time by the Holy Spirit or many times by men, which count for nothing?

1Corinthians 1:17 For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect.

Paul baptized some, but according to 1Cor.1:17 God must have told him to stop. God sent Paul, only to preach the gospel. Baptism was only for the Jewish dispensation and the gospel of the kingdom. If the twelve had completed their great commission then they would have baptized everyone and everyone would be under the Mosaic law. Aren't you glad Christ sent Paul to the gentiles without the law? I certainly am, read these next four verses and they should make it clearer.

1Corinthians 11:1 Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.

Ephesians 4:5-6 One Lord, one faith, one baptism, v6. One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

1Corinthians 12:13 For by one Spirit are we 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.

Here are a couple of questions you should be asking yourself, Then check the scriptures to be sure of Your answers.

1. Did Christ send the twelve apostles to baptize?--(Yes! He did!)

Matthew 28:19, Mark 16:15-16.

v19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

Mark 16:15-16 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. v16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.

The twelve are apostles of Israel not apostles of the Gentiles, we have a different apostle, the Apostle Paul.

Romans 11:13 For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office:

2. Did Christ send Paul to baptize?--(No He did not!)

1Corinthians 1:17 For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect.

Christ sent Paul to preach the gospel of the grace of God which is the gospel of Jesus Christ according to the revelation of the mystery that had been hid in God before the world began) Paul calls this gospel my gospel. (Romans 16:25-26/1Cor.15:1-4/ 2Cor.4:3-4)

Romans 16:25-26

v25 Now to him that is of power to establish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began, v26 But now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith:

1Corinthians 15:1-4

v1. Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; v2. By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. v3. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; v4, And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:

2Corinthians 4:3-4

v3. But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: v4. In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

Yes! Paul was sent to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery. And that is the reason that Paul calls it my gospel so there can be no confusion about which gospel he was preaching. I hope you can see that Paul's gospel is completely different from that of the twelve. Paul's gospel is not mentioned anywhere else in the Scriptures, until Christ saved Paul and chose him to go to the Gentiles. Water baptism was set aside by God for the apostle Paul's ministry Ephesians 4:5. My friend there can be only one baptism and it is preformed by God the Holy Spirit at the moment of salvation.

The kingdom gospel that Jesus and the twelve preached was set aside by God finally in Acts 28:28 until the tribulation begins. But you might say, the apostle Paul baptized some, yes he did, until the Lord told him to stop. (1Corinthians 1:17) We can not follow Christ in water baptism because water baptism is part of His earthly ministry to the Jews only and we were not included there!  Jesus Christ was sent to none but the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

Matthew 15:24 But He answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

The body of Christ does not need to be baptized by men! That is a job for the Holy Spirit. You might say, You got to be kidding!

Then! how can you be saved?

You may suggest we take another look at Mark's gospel? Look what it says about water baptism. Tell me what that means?

Mark 16:16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.

You do realize that Mark also writes by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, therefore how can you possibly deal with this verse in that way? Well, I am very glad you asked, and it's a good question too, I'll give you a short and simple answer. Mark does not write to the church the body of Christ. Mark writes to and for the dispensation of law which is the gospel of the kingdom.

Therefore, water baptism is not intended for the church the body of Christ. We have a new and different gospel, it is the gospel of the grace of God created for this new dispensation of the grace of God! This new gospel can not be found in the O.T. it can not be found in the Four Gospels; it is only found in the writings of the apostle Paul.

That is why God sent Paul not to baptize but to preach the gospel! Our dispensation of grace does not require water baptism because we are baptized and sealed by the Holy Spirit without hands or water! In the dispensation of law, the Lord Jesus Christ told the twelve,to go ye therefore, into all the world, and preach the gospel of the kingdom to every creature, beginning at Jerusalem baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. But we in the body of Christ can not preach that gospel. We must preach the gospel of the grace of God and leave the baptizing up to the Holy Spirit.

The apostle Paul told Timothy to rightly divide the Word of Truth. In other words separate yourself from the gospel of the kingdom. But,the twelve were commanded to preach the gospel of the kingdom to every creature, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. In short all nations would become Jewish proselytes and they would be under the law.

And yes, Christ did command the twelve in Mark 16:16 go ye therefore into all the world and preach the gospel of the kingdom to every creature. But, according to Acts 1:8 all Israel had to be won first. The Lord Jesus Christ definitely was not speaking to the apostle Paul, Paul was not saved until Acts 9 which was several years after Pentecost.

Paul laid the foundation for the church the body of Christ, therefore the church the body of Christ, was not formed until after Paul was saved in Acts 9. Truly we must rightly divide the Word of Truth in order to understand the Scriptures. Miles Coverdale's comments would be of great value here. Is it really so difficult to see that all of Christ's commands to the twelve were under the law? But the instructions for the church the body of Christ are not under the law. Therefore, we can not follow the great commission of the twelve. Frankly because the great commission is not ours to follow!

The great commission was set aside by God for now, but it will be reinstated during the tribulation. The 144,000 young Jewish missionaries, will carry out the great commission. They will most likely follow Matthew 28:19, Mark 16:16 and Matthew 24:14.

Matthew 28:19. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

Mark 16:16. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.

Matthew 24:14. And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.

Caution, you must not assume that these three verses above are written to the church the body of Christ, because they are not; Only Paul writes to the church the body of Christ! These verses are to prepare the world for the kingdom during the tribulation. If any one excepts or believes this teaching during the tribulation it will most likely cost them their lives, but what is a few years on earth as compared to eternity in heaven or in the lake of fire?

We must all try and understand that the Great commission is part of the kingdom gospel that Christ gave the twelve. Go ye is a command, it is not just a request? Christ told the twelve to preach the gospel of the kingdom to every creature baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, but they had to win Jerusalem first.

Our Lord Jesus Christ told Paul that he was not sent to Baptize but to preach the gospel of the grace of God. Can you see there is a difference here? Jesus and the twelve preached the gospel of the kingdom and Paul preached the gospel of the grace of God. My friend, these two messages are completely different.

Paul's gospel is not just an option for you and me it is the only gospel for the world today!  Can you understand that? if not look at 2Corinthians 4:3-4, because they are not just space holders between verses two and five they are critical for our salvation. Believe the gospel as found in 1Corinthians 15:1-4, and this is the reason:

2Corinthians 4:3-4

v3 But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: v4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

Christ's instructions:

Christ's instructions to the twelve was under the law, and the great commission is under the law. Paul's instructions on the other hand is under pure grace, he tells us, in 1 Corinthians 1:17 Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ according to the revelation of the mystery. Paul calls the revelation of the mystery, my gospel. The Lord Jesus Christ told the twelve to preach the gospel of the kingdom and to baptize every creature; but, He told Paul to preach the gospel of the grace of God and that he should not baptize anyone. Now do you see the difference! Seeing that the gospel of the kingdom is fully under the law of Moses! But, the gospel of the grace of God is pure grace. This mystery gospel comes from the risen and glorified Lord Jesus Christ in heaven! Again it is not Christ's earthly ministry that is Christ after the flesh.

It is important that we understand that water baptism is really a Jewish ritual under the law and it is part of the great commission. Brothers and sisters in Christ we the body of Christ have nothing to do with the great commission. I can not say it loud enough; the great commission is not ours, water baptism is not for the body of Christ, again, it is not ours. Therefore we must rightly divide the Word of Truth if we want to keep things in their proper order and in their proper dispensational settings. That is why Paul tells us that Christ sent me not to baptize but to preach the gospel. Please do not be taken in by that misguided soul that says: Paul's helpers baptize in his place, they did not!

You may say, the Lord Jesus Christ was baptized and I want to follow Him in water baptism. But, Jesus was baptized under the law to fulfill the law. You are not under the law and you can not fulfil the law. That is why God did not tell us to follow Jesus as the twelve followed Him. On the other hand He said, follow Paul as Paul followed Jesus. We must function in our own dispensation of the grace of God. The Lord Jesus and His twelve apostles were truly under the law, but, we in the body of Christ are not. They followed Jesus and Jesus followed the law. But today no one can follow the law, the law was set aside by God until the tribulation. We follow Paul as he followed Christ.

Water baptism is a Jewish ritual, it is a commandment, it is not an option for the tribulation. During the tribulation water baptism will be reinstated for all who will believe both for the Jews and for the Gentiles alike. Water baptism will be practiced in all the world when the kingdom gospel is reinstated. (Matt. 28:19). Paul was not just making small talk or delegating authority to others when he said, "Christ sent me not to baptize but to preach the gospel." (1Corinthians 1:17). The truth is the Jews in their Pentecostal church and the one new man in the church the body of Christ are not just one big bunch we are altogether different, the Jews are God's earthly people and we the body of Christ are His heavenly people.

When we mix the preaching of law and the preaching of grace, then we are asking for anathema! Have you ever wondered, why it is so hard for folks to understand that the inspired Word of God given to the apostle Paul is different? We must take God at His Word by faith and by faith we must follow Paul as he followed the risen and glorified Lord Jesus Christ. Peter said, something's of the apostle Paul's message are hard to be understood, but again Peter's message was to the Nation Israel alone, and it was under the law. Don't forget Peter and the ten at the Jerusalem council agreed that Paul and Barnabas should go to the Gentiles and they the eleven would stay with the Jews

Galatians 2:9

v9. And when James, Peter and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given unto me, they gave to me and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship; that we should go unto the heathen, and they unto the circumcision.

We must realize that every word the apostle Paul wrote, came directly from the risen and glorified Lord Jesus Christ in heaven. Christ gave us the apostle Paul as a pattern for everlasting life.

1Timothy 1:16

v16. Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting.

Therefore God says we must follow Paul as he followed the Lord Jesus Christ.

1Corinthians 11:1

v1. Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.

Paul followed the risen and glorified Lord Jesus Christ from heaven, and not from His earthly ministry to the Nation Israel only. Here is a very frightening fact that should deeply concerned both of us; God the Holy Spirit tells us if Paul's gospel be hid it is hid to them that are lost. You can still hear folks saying the apostle Paul should not be in our Bibles. But, do you see what would happen to the body of Christ (us) if Paul's writings were not in our Bibles? The apostle Paul is the only one that Christ chose to write to the body of Christ which is composed mostly of Gentiles.

Miles Coverdale: 1488 to 1568

"It shall greatly help you to understand Scripture if you mark not only what is spoken or written, but of whom and to whom, with what words, at what time, where, to what intent, with what circumstances, considering what goes before and what comes after."

William R Newell: 1868 to 1956

"You can judge any man's preaching or teaching by this rule : - Is he Pauline? Does his doctrine start and finish according to those statements of Christian doctrine uttered by the Apostle Paul? No matter how wonderful a man may seem in his gifts and apparent consecration if his Gospel is not Pauline, it is not the Gospel; and we might as well get our minds settled at once as to that."

Sadly I have found a huge resistance to Paul's gospel in almost every church that I have attended. And I really do not understand why, if we have heard the gospel and we believe the scriptures then why can't we accept the fact that Paul is our only apostle according to (Romans 11:13). Then according to 1Timothy 1:16 Paul is our pattern for everlasting life; therefore we do not baptize, because our apostle was not sent to baptize. Understand, 1Corinthians 3:10 Paul is the master builder who laid the foundation of this new church, called the body of Christ, and that foundation is Jesus Christ.

1Corinthians 3:10

v10. According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon.

We certainly should understand that the gospel of the grace of God, is Christ's gospel and it is the same gospel that Paul calls my gospel. Furthermore this gospel is the only gospel for the world and the body of Christ today. Paul called for anathema on anyone preaching any other so called gospel.

Galatians 1:8-12

v8. But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. v9. As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed. v10. For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ. v11. But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man. v12. For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.

Romans 15:4

v4. For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.

Do not turn Romans 15:4 into 2Timothy 3:7. Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.

If we neglect the teachings of the apostle Paul we are bound to suffer this curse! Did you know that the unsaved world will be judged by Paul's gospel, at least the world starting with Paul's ministry? They will be judged by Paul's gospel (Romans 2:16). Our doctrine can only come from the writings of the apostle Paul because he is the only apostle commissioned to write to the Gentiles (Romans 11:13). Before the apostle Paul was saved and appointed as the apostle of the Gentiles. (Ephesians 2:12).

Romans11:13

v13. For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office:

Before Paul was saves and sent to the Gentiles we were without God in this world and we had no hope. But now!

Ephesians 2:12-13

v12. That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: v13. But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.

Truly Christ's earthly ministry was not to the Gentiles, it was to the Nation Israel only.

Matthew 15:24

v24. But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

The Lord Jesus Christ commanded the 12 apostles go not into the way of the Gentiles.

Matthew10:5-6

v5. These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not: v6. But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

The only way that we can please God, is by faith; believe what he says.

Hebrews11:6

v6. But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

So by faith let's follow our apostle and our pattern for everlasting life just like God said, we should do.

2Thessalonians 3:7,9

v7. For yourselves know how ye ought to follow us: for we behaved not ourselves disorderly among you; v9 Not because we have not power, but to make ourselves an example unto you to follow us.

I welcome Any Comments or Questions that you might have.