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What is True Baptism? (Endnotes)

1. The “Church Epistles” are Paul’s letters to the Romans, Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Thessalonians. They contain the majority of the “all truth” of which Jesus spoke prophetically in John 16:13, that is, all the truth that we as Christians today need to know in order to live as God wants us to live. Properly understanding what are referred to in the Bible as “administrations,” that is, distinguishing between the different ways that God dealt with people through the ages, is the key to understanding baptism. Scripture tells us that throughout the history of mankind, there have been only three groups of people (“Jews, Gentiles, or the Church of God” [i.e., Christians] – 1 Cor. 10:32 – KJV). If we do not understand which parts of Scripture are written specifically for which of these groups, the Bible will contradict itself. For an overview of this critical subject, we refer you to our booklet, Defending Dispensationalism and our audiotape, The Purpose of the Ages (May/Jun 97). Close

2. Biblically, a “Christian” is one who has confessed Jesus Christ as his Lord and believed that God raised him from the dead, as per Romans 10:9. The person is then saved by being “born again of incorruptible seed” (1 Pet. 1:23—KJV) and is part of the Church of the Body of Christ that began on the Day of Pentecost, as recorded in Acts 2. See our booklet, Becoming a Christian. Close

3. In the original, God-breathed Scriptures, there was no delineation between capital letters and small letters. That means that every capital letter was added by a translator. In English, the meaning of some words is not changed by capitalizing them, such as “dog,” but other words are radically changed, such as “mark.” It goes from being a spot on the wall to being a person named “Mark.” So it is with the words “holy spirit” in the Bible. The “Holy Spirit” is one of many names or titles for God, the Father of Jesus Christ and the Creator of all things, the only true God. But “holy spirit” is the gift of God’s divine nature and power that every person receives at the moment of his new birth. Only the context determines whether or not “holy spirit” should be capitalized, and the majority of Bible translators have failed to properly make the distinction between the Giver (God) and the gift (His nature). This has caused no end of confusion among Christians. For a thorough exposition of this subject, see our book, The Gift of Holy Spirit: The Power to be Like Christ. Close

4. “The Holy Spirit” should be rendered “holy spirit,” because there is no article “the” in the Greek text, and it is referring to the gift from God, His divine nature that Jesus Christ deposits into the heart of each person at the moment of his new birth. The “Holy Spirit” refers to God Himself, the Giver. Close

5. In the culture and custom of biblical times, one’s “name” represented all the power and resources behind it. This is similar to our modern times when a policeman says, “Stop in the name of the law.” He is backed up by all the power and authority of that local government. Close

6. Walter L. Wilson, A Dictionary of Bible Types, (Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., Peabody, MA, 1999, p. 452.) Close

7. NIV Study Bible, note on Matthew 3:15, p. 1446. Close

8. A Dictionary of the Bible (Hendrickson Publishers, Peabody, MA, originally published by T. & T. Clark, Edinburgh, 1898, reprinted in 1988), James Hastings, “Baptism,” Vol. 1, p. 239. Close

9. Biblical Archaeology Review, March/April 2002, "They Are Ritual Baths," Ronny Reich, pp. 50-55. Close

10. See our booklet, Righteousness– Every Christian’s Gift from God Close

11. There are about 50 places in Acts and the Epistles where there is no article “the” used before the words “holy spirit.” In nearly every such instance, the “holy spirit” referred to is the gift, not the Giver. Close

12. For a complete look at the relationship among the Church Epistles, see E. W. Bullinger, The Church Epistles. (Eyre and Spottiswoode, England, 1906). Close

13. The Greek text literally reads, “in one spirit.” This refers to the one gift of holy spirit into which each Christian has been fully immersed. However, most Bible versions read as does the NIV: “by one Spirit.” This is the common instrumental use of the dative case, and it is also a legitimate translation of this phrase. But if the word “Spirit” is capitalized and translated as referring to a person, that person is Jesus Christ, our baptizer. We can biblically document that Jesus is referred to as “the Spirit” in 2 Corinthians 3:17 (“Now the Lord [Jesus] is the Spirit…”) and in Revelation 2:7 (“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit [Jesus, as per 1:12-19] says to the churches.”). Technically, “in one spirit” and “by one spirit” are both correct, and one reading from the Greek text would see this. This is the figure of speech called Amphibologia, or double entendre, when one phrase has two meanings. Close

14. See our book, The Gift of Holy Spirit: The Power to be Like Christ, p. 34. Close

15. Many charismatic Christians properly recognize that there are times when they seem to be “tapped into” God’s power in a greater than average way. This often happens in witnessing, teaching, or ministering healing. Sadly, this genuine experience gets mislabeled as “the anointing.” Biblically speaking, each and every Christian is “anointed” with the gift of holy spirit at the moment of his new birth, and there is no further “anointing” mentioned in the Church Epistles. What then is the experience that is genuinely occurring in Christians’ lives when they are supernaturally empowered? 1 Corinthians 12:6 says: “There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men.” The words “working” and “works” are the Greek words energema (noun) and energeo (verb), which refer to the spiritual energizing each Christian can experience. The Lord Jesus does indeed “energize” Christians via the gift of holy spirit, and because that is the vocabulary God uses in His Word, our using the same vocabulary will help us become united in our beliefs. Close

16. It is sd fromsay that the early Christians who did understand about the true baptism were not enough to change the Christian world. The love of ritual, the desire to have some kind of ceremony defining who was and who was not “Christian,” and the dominance of the Roman Catholic Church for more than a thousand years virtually obliterated the truth that the “shadow,” water baptism, had been replaced by the reality of immersion into holy spirit. The Reformation produced change in the ritual of water baptism but, for the most part, Protestant churches have not yet regained the great truth and understanding about it. Close

17. The use of “accompanied” instead of “followed” in the NIV is unwarranted. The Greek word means “followed.” It is translated as “followed” or “follow” 73 times in the NIV, and acompanied” only twice (once here, and once when the disciples “followed” Christ.) It is unfortunate that the NIV reads “accompanied,” because Christ did not “accompany” the Israelites. He followed them in time, i.e., he came later in history. Close

18. For more about the salvation each Christian has, see our book, The Christian’s Hope: The Anchor of the Soul; and our audiotape, Justification by Faith (Sep/Oct 95); Saved, Sealed, and Secure in Christ (Nov/Dec 95). Close

19. See our booklet, Beyond a Reasonable Doubt: 23 Arguments for the Historical Validity of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Close

20. See our book, The Christian’s Hope, The Anchor of the Soul. Close

21. See our book, One God & One Lord: Reconsidering the Cornerstone of the Christian Faith. Close

22. For an in-depth look at a Christian’s multi-faceted salvation, we refer you to our audiotape, Why the New Birth is the Miracle of All Miracles (May / Jun 98). Close

23. Alan Eyre, The Protestors (Billing and Sons Limited, Worchester, Great Britain, 1985, p. 49). Close