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Introduction
Water baptism is a ritual that is practised by nearly every Christian denomination. However, some denominations among those who observe this ritual do not hold to its biblical meaning, thereby perverting its purpose and implication in the life of a Christian. Lutherans teach that “Baptism is not simple water only, but it is the water comprehended in God's command and connected with God's Word”; and that “It works forgiveness of sins, rescues from death and the devil, and gives eternal salvation to all who believe this, as the words and promises of God declare.” Similarly, the Roman Catholic Church teaches that baptism is the ordinary means of salvation; that it cleanses people not just of the original sin but also of their personal or actual sin, and allows them to be born again as children of God. According to Paragraph # 1213 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, “Holy Baptism is the basis of the whole Christian life, the gateway to life in the Spirit, and the door which gives access to the other sacraments. Through Baptism we are freed from sin and reborn as sons of God; we become members of Christ, are incorporated into the Church and made sharers in her mission: Baptism is the sacrament of regeneration through water in the word.” Paragraph # 1215 of the same catechism reads, “This sacrament is also called “the washing of regeneration and renewal by the Holy Spirit,” for it signifies and actually brings about the birth of water and the Spirit without which no one “can enter the kingdom of God.”
All these assertions are utterly inconsistent with the Word of God on regeneration, and constitute a heresy that undermines the prerogative and the sovereignty of the Holy Spirit, who alone gives life. For water baptism does not wash away sin or set sinners free, nor does it bring them from death to life or turn them into children of God. Never can regeneration be effected by rituals and performances of man, never does it depend on the will of man. For children of God are “born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God” (John 1:13). The Lord Himself declares in John 6:63a, “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all.” Water is not the source of life as the Roman Catholic Church claims in Paragraph 1218 of its catechism. God is the Fountain of life. It is God who, according to His tender mercies, graciously raises sinners from spiritual deadness and gives them life in the Spirit, thereby setting them free from their captivity to sin, death and Satan and making them heirs of His Kingdom.
Regeneration is a mystery that we cannot control or comprehend. Neither the will of man nor his power nor his efforts can bring about his new birth. Unless the Spirit of God, according to His sovereign grace, will and eternal purpose, moves within us and breaks our bonds, we can never experience the new birth. So says the Lord to His disciples in John 15:16, “You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in My name, He may give it to you.” Regeneration is not the result of one’s decision to submit to a ritual, nor does it depend on human achievement; everything depends on God alone. God sovereignly chooses to give life to those who sit in darkness and are held captive by death and ruled over by Satan. And God’s choice does not depend on what we ourselves have done, but upon His mercies. For we all have sinned and our wages is death. Moreover, the Lord Almighty graciously draws us into this experience at His appointed time. According to the counsel of His will, the Spirit of God circumcises our hearts and implants within us faith in Christ Jesus the Son of God, and by this faith we are saved. Thus, the Lord Jesus declares in John 6:44, “No one comes to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him to Me; and I will raise him to life on the last day.”
Any denomination that teaches that water baptism regenerates or saves shows contempt for God’s sovereign will in election and usurps God’s prerogative and sovereignty in regeneration. For instance, Rome’s claim that water baptism is the sacrament of regeneration by which people are freed from sins and reborn as God’s children implies that every Roman Catholic who intends to be baptized with water knows in advance the time when his regeneration will take place: he decides when and where this should happen, and parents, in the case of an infant, decide on his behalf. Nothing is more heretical and deceptive than such an assertion. For the Lord God Almighty sovereignly initiates, at His own discretion, the call to salvation; He draws men to His Son at His appointed time. God and God alone plans and brings about our new birth, thus making us His children and heirs of His Kingdom.
The aim of this message is not only to rebut the claim that water baptism regenerates and saves, but also to sharpen our understanding of what water baptism really represents in the Christian life. However, to set the ground for this message, I will begin with a biblical definition of the term regeneration, followed by an exposition of the difference between the two types of Christian baptism, both of which are fundamental elements of life in union with Christ.
What is Regeneration
What is Water Baptism
The Onset of Water Baptism in Christianity
Who can Baptise with Water
Who Should Receive Water Baptism
What is the Baptism of the Holy Spirit
Who can Baptise with the Holy Spirit
Who Can Receive the Holy Spirit
Why is the Baptism of the Spirit so Important