DISPENSATIONAL, BAPTISMAL SALVATION? NO!
And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the GOSPEL to every creature. He that believeth AND IS BAPTIZED shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be DAMNED. And THESE SIGNS SHALL FOLLOW them that believe; In my name shall they CAST OUT DEVILS; they shall speak with NEW TONGUES; They shall take up serpents; and if they DRINK ANY DEADLY THING, it shall not hurt them; they shall LAY HANDS ON THE SICK, and they shall recover. -- Mark 16:15-18
It is foolish to approach this scripture with a dispensational solution, for these signs went beyond Mark, Acts, and even some of the Epistles. The sign gifts were, indeed, given to the church as well as given to the Jews with diminishing use until the New Testament was completed. Still, the baptism proof text, used by water dogs and even some hyper-disps to buttress their views must be addressed. What the passage does not say is that the baptism saved them or that the failure to be baptized would damn someone. It does say that the failure to BELIEVE would indeed DAMN a person. The passage does say that the folks that were saved were folks that believed and were baptized, and they had signs following them on into Corinthians. Hyper-dispensationalists have the additional problem of taking this mixed bag beyond the four Gospels and the Book of Acts into the epistles as Follows:
But Peter put them all forth, and kneeled down, and prayed; and turning him to the body said, Tabitha, arise. And she opened her eyes: and when she saw Peter, she sat up. And he gave her his hand, and lifted her up, and when he had called the saints and widows, presented her alive. -- Acts 9:40, 41 (the raising of the dead sign)
. . . they speaking boldly in the Lord, which gave testimony unto the word of his grace, and granted SIGNS AND WONDERS to be done by their hands. -- Acts 14:3
. . . from his body were brought UNTO THE SICK handkerchiefs or aprons, and the DISEASES DEPARTED from them, and the evil spirits went out of them. -- Acts 19:12 (the healing signs)
And when the barbarians saw the VENOMOUS BEAST hang on his hand, they said among themselves, No doubt this man is a murderer . . . And he shook off the beast into the fire, and FELT NO HARM. -- Acts 28:4, 5 (the poison without harm sign)
And God hath set some IN THE CHURCH . . . MIRACLES then GIFTS OF HEALING, helps, governments, diversities of TONGUES. -- 1 Cor. 12:28
Obviously, healing and tongues were gifts to the church, which dispels any dispensational idea, unless one wants to go with the Berean Hyper-dispensationalist and force a Jewish church and also a Gentile church into the mix. And, no doubt, they will try just that!
BAPTISM in the Book of Acts
. . . Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. -- Acts 2:38
Water dogs and some hyperdisps, who see this as another dispensation, see water baptism being required for salvation here. Pronoun and prepositional doctrine are engaged to prove such a theory. We deal this more thoroughly in our article “EIS.” Still, our main argument is whether “FOR” here means “to get” or does it mean “because of.” Obviously, gnawing one’s tongue FOR pain in Revelation does not mean gnawing one’s tongue to get pain. Also, offering the prescribed sacrifice for one’s cleansing in the Gospels after one is already cleansed cannot be such that a person gets cleansed by offering the sacrifice. I addition to this, this is a compound sentence with the first sentence being REPENT with you understood. The second sentence is BE BAPTIZED FOR THE REMISSION OF SINS or because your sins are remitted.
John’s Baptism
But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him. The word which God sent unto the children of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ: (he is Lord of all :) That word, I say, ye know, which was published throughout all Judaea, and began from Galilee, AFTER THE BAPTISM WHICH JOHN PREACHED . . . While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them WHICH HEARD THE WORD. And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost. For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God. Then answered Peter, Can any man forbid WATER, that these should not be BAPTIZED,WHICH HAVE RECEIVED THE HOLY GHOST as well as we? And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. -- Acts 10:35-37, 44-46
Of this man's seed hath God according to his promise raised unto Israel a Saviour, Jesus: When John had first preached before his coming the BAPTISM OF REPENTANCE to all the people of Israel. And as John fulfilled his course, he said, Whom think ye that I am? I am not he. But, behold, there cometh one after me, whose shoes of his feet I am not worthy to loose. Men and brethren, children of the stock of Abraham, and whosoever among you feareth God, to you is the WORD OF THIS SALVATION SENT. -- Acts 13:23-26 (Mark 1:4; Luke 3:3)
The age of grace baptism is the same as John’s baptism, albeit with more revealed meaning, for GRACE CAME BY JESUS CHRIST, according to John the Baptist. It was a baptism of repentance then and now for repentant believers. This same word was preached in the Book of Acts, after the cross and resurrection, as John the Baptist preached Christ, the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world. Folks that heard this same word in the Book of Acts received the Holy Ghost BEFORE they were water baptized. This word of SALVATION was sent to Jew and Gentile alike.
Paul’s Account of His Baptism
And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be BAPTIZED, and WASH AWAY THY SINS, calling on the name of the Lord. -- Acts 22:16
And Ananias went his way, and entered into the house; and putting his hands on him said, BROTHER Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest, hath sent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost. And immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales: and he received sight forthwith, and arose, and WAS BAPTIZED [Paul received sight and was filled with the Holy Ghost, then he was baptized]. . . he preached Christ [not baptism] in the synagogues, that he is the Son of God. --Acts 9:17-20
NOT BY WORKS of righteousness WHICH WE HAVE DONE, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of REGENERATION (not baptism), and renewing of the Holy Ghost; -- Titus 3:5
Paul was saved on the way to Damascus, as Ananias acknowledges and calls Paul— BROTHER. Paul was blinded and regained his sight and was filled with the Holy Ghost BEFORE he was ever baptized. If he was still lost prior to baptism, he did not have the Holy ghost, he was lost, and was getting baptized for the wrong reason. Yes, he washed away his sins, but he did that symbolically, the same way that we do. It is a washing of REGENERATION that he symbolized in water baptism apart from works, which anyone has done.
The Figure or Type of Baptism
. . .once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved BY WATER. The LIKE FIGURE whereunto even BAPTISM DOTH NOW SAVE US (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ: -- 1 Pet. 3:20, 21
If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as BYFIRE. -- 1 Cor. 3:15
Neither the fire nor the water saves us EVER. Still the LIKE FIGURE or type of the ark, CHRIST, SAVES US. The ark portrays the safety that is in Christ as was in the ark. The ark saved them BY Water without any harm to them, indeed. Moreover, at the judgment seat, Christ will save us BY FIRE without any harm to us.
No Difference between Jew and Gentile
When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then hath God ALSO to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life. -- Acts 11:18
. . .It was necessary that the word of God should FIRST HAVE BEEN SPOKEN TO YOU [Jews]: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of EVERLASTING LIFE, lo, we turn to the Gentiles [with the same word]. -- Acts 13:46
. . . through this man [Christ] is preached unto you the FORGIVENESS OF SINS: And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses. -- Acts 13:38, 39
. . . Peter rose up, and said unto them, Men and brethren, ye know how that a GOOD WHILE AGO God made choice among us, that the Gentiles by my mouth should hear the word of the gospel, and believe. And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us; And put NO DIFFERENCE BETWEEN US AND THEM, purifying their hearts by FAITH. Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear? But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ WE SHALL BE SAVED EVEN AS THEY. -- Acts 15:7-11
. . . Bring forth therefore FRUITS MEET FOR REPENTANCE . . . I indeed BAPTIZE you with water UNTO REPENTANCE. -- Matt 3:7-11
. . . But showed first . . . at Jerusalem, and . . . Judea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should REPENT and TURN TO GOD, and do WORKSMEET for REPENTANCE.-- Acts 26:20
Repentance unto LIFE was granted to both Jews, to whom it was first spoken in the Gospels, and to the Gentiles and thereafter. They were both justified by believing, unable to be justified by the law of Moses. Both received forgiveness of sins by believing. There was NO DIFFERENCE between them, and they both had their hearts purified BY FAITH. The Gentiles were saved EVEN AS THEY (the Jews). So, this nonsense about separate entities in the Book of Acts and beyond is not at all credible. Repentance and fruits or works were demanded by John the Baptist and also the Apostle Paul. NO DIFFERENCE! BAPTISMAL SALVATION? NO!
--by Herb Evans