BAPTISM, TONGUES AND THE SABBATH
BY DON BANTUM
BAPTISM
First, let me say that baptism, tongues and the Sabbath are wonderful gifts from God and obviously there is NOTHING wrong with them... in and of themselves. Certain men, however, not fully understanding these gifts, have distorted the purpose God intended for them. That having been said, let's take a close look at Baptism. We will also discuss tongues and the Sabbath in more detail later in this commentary.
Note: Portions of Scripture have been underlined and/or highlighted in bold font for purposes of specific emphasis.
John 1: 29. The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! 30. This is the one I meant when I said, 'A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.' 31. I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel."
32. Then John gave this testimony: "I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. 33. I would not have known him, except that the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, 'The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is he who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.' 34. I have seen and I testify that this is the Son of God."
So, the onset of baptism occurs because God told John (the "Baptist") to baptize, and John testified that the one on whom the Spirit would come down and remain is he who will baptize with the Holy Sprit; which is God in the flesh.
Once having identified Jesus as the Christ, God's one and only Son, there is no further need of baptizing with water. As John testifies, Jesus will now baptize us with the Holy Spirit. John even says to Jesus:
Matthew 3: 14. But John tried to deter him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?" 15. Jesus replied, "Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness." Then John consented.
In Matthew's Gospel, we read these words of John the Baptist:
John 3:11. "I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.
John baptizes with water, for repentance. What are we to repent of? Our UNBELIEF, and once having turned from unbelief, to saving faith in Jesus. The only baptism required to bring LIFE is the baptism with the Holy Spirit of God. When God places us into the Body of Christ, that action by God makes us alive in him, and he in us. It's called the exchanged LIFE. We give God all that we are, dead and without hope in this world, for all He is, which is LIFE eternal, forgiveness, peace, joy and true happiness that can only be received through HIM.
Some ministers, pastors and others, who have placed themselves in positions of leadership, would have you believe you must be baptized with water to be saved. Nothing could be further from the truth. The Bible clearly tells us we are saved through faith and faith alone, and we can not add anything to Christ Jesus' finished work on the cross or his burial and resurrection from the dead. We are in fact saved by placing our faith in Jesus, and what HE accomplished for us, and that alone. At the time we demonstrate that faith in our hearts, GOD places us in Christ's BODY, which is the true Church of the living God. Not a building established by men, but a ‘building' not made with hands, a Spiritual body of believers.
A building is a meeting place, and nothing more, regardless of what name is inscribed above the door. Remember, no Catholic, no Baptist, no Lutheran, or any other denomination will enter the Kingdom of God. God doesn't save denominations, or religious institutions; he saves sinners. If you have any identity other than that of being a Child of God, you're not saved. Our identity must be in Christ Jesus and in him alone. He can't save the self-righteous, they are saving themselves (they think); it's an attitude problem of the heart. Only people who know they're dead will come to Jesus for LIFE.
You're actually saved at the moment YOU come to faith in Jesus, and no amount of water in the world can produce or have any bearing on that. Now, once you have come to Life in Jesus, if you wish to be baptized with water, to identify yourself to the world, outwardly in the flesh that you have died with Jesus, and have been buried with HIM, and having been buried, you're now raised to a NEW LIFE in him, baptism by water can be used to symbolize that new birth. But it can not produce it. Don't let anybody put you on a guilt trip saying you must be baptized by water to be saved. That is just a perversion of the gospel of Christ, which Paul describes for us in:
1 Corinthians 15: 1. Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. 2. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.
3. For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4. that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5. and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. 6. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. 7. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, 8. and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.
This is the gospel that saves. This too is the gospel in which YOU have taken YOUR STAND. Jesus, who is God, went to a cross taking the sins of the whole world, YOURS included, upon himself, paying the penalty for all of our sins. Our sins were judged at the cross, and the verdict was ‘guilty.' Jesus was nailed to that cross in our place. He took the death that you and I deserved, and paid the price on our behalf. Why did he do that? Because he loves us that much. He also took our guilt on himself as well. He was buried, which is the proof of death. He raised himself from the dead. Then he offered us that same resurrected LIFE; if we but put faith in Him.
There are those who are perverting that gospel, by placing themselves in the salvation equation. These people are either on a flesh trip, or have been deceived themselves, and are merely passing on the error they have been taught; thus perpetuating that same error to the detriment of others. They attempt to make something man can do in the energy of his flesh on a par or equal with what Christ has done; i.e., baptism, tongues, and Sabbath worship, or anything else man's agenda demands. They pervert the gospel of Christ and prevent others from receiving the Life Jesus came to offer. They have not obtained it by faith in Jesus, but have deceived themselves by believing they have received it through faith in their own ability to perform some additional requirement.
Anything man adds to what Jesus has done is actually distorting the intent of what Jesus has done. Anything ‘additional' is not Jesus. It's never Jesus plus something else; it's simply Jesus only,,,Jesus alone!
TONGUES
Another requirement some people want to add to Jesus is "tongues." This is often prevalent with charismatic groups and denominations, who teach if you have received the gift of the Holy Spirit, such will be manifested by your being "slain in the spirit" and/or by "tongues of fire." What are people thinking? Jesus didn't come to slay anybody, we were already dead; he came that we might have LIFE and have it to the fullest.This isn't in the Bible, it's been added by men hoping to deceive, and distort the gospel.
I'm not a young man anymore, yet I have never witnessed anybody ever speaking in tongues as described in the New Testament. I've witnessed people babbling gibberish, falling down on the floor, drawing attention to themselves, but that is hardly a gift from God. God isn't the author of confusion, and he doesn't grab people and throw them about the room, knocking them to the floor, causing them to roll about uncontrollably, while speaking who knows what? That's just more of man's deception, hoping appearing more spiritual or more holy, puffing themselves up to be something they're not. If anybody is slaying people, or tossing them about, or causing them to speak unknown babbling, it's the devil, not God. God provides gifts, not plagues or curses. A gift is something you can use when it is needed; like a special ability to do something, a talent you can use to glorify God. How does one expect to bring glory to God by falling over backwards and smashing their heads on the seat behind them, taking their hands and throwing their dresses over their heads? I have seen such acts many times in the past. Gifts are something controlled by the one who has the gift, and if you can't control it, you didn't receive it from a God of love, and guess what, it's not a gift, it's a curse.
Jesus came to heal the sick and give sight to the blind, and there isn't anything much worse than spiritual blindness; yet everybody who does not have the indwelling Spirit of God is blind and understands nothing, say's the Scriptures. But Jesus has the cure for that too, it's call Spiritual LIFE. Amen?
If you want to know the true evidence of gifts provided by the Holy Spirit from God, they are identified throughout the Bible. They are also evidenced by these:
Galatians 5: 22. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23. gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. 25. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.
The Holy Spirit is LOVE, and produces God's love in his children, as they die to self and allow God to work in and through them. If you want to see how you're doing in this area of your life, take this little test. Just place the words "I AM ALWAYS" in front of each of the following comments, and you'll readily see what a great job you're not doing. Why is that? It's because this is a description of God, not us. We can not produce any of these qualities without God himself doing it.
1 Corinthians 13:4. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
8. Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10. but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. 11. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. 12. Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
13. And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
So, how did you do in the love department? Not very well? Neither did I. Only Jesus can produce love in man. We are incapable of doing any of that on our own. Now if somebody has taught himself to babble or others have taught him to speak gibberish, and to throw themselves on the floor, that my friends is not being produced by the spirit of God. Every good gift comes from God. I hope we can see the difference between what God is producing and that which man produces. If you want to know what true tongues are, consider the following:
Acts 2: 1. When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues (languages) as the Spirit enabled them.
5. Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. 6. When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard them speaking in his own language. 7. Utterly amazed, they asked: "Are not all these men who are speaking Galileans? 8. Then how is it that each of us hears them in his own native language? 9. Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10. Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome 11. (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs-we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!" 12. Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, "What does this mean?"
13. Some, however, made fun of them and said, "They have had too much wine."
14. Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, (11) raised his voice and addressed the crowd: "Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. 15. These men are not drunk, as you suppose. It's only nine in the morning! 16. No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:
21. And everyone who calls
on the name of the Lord will be saved.'
22. "Men of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. 23. This man was handed over to you by God's set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. 24. But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.
40. With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, "Save yourselves from this corrupt generation." 41. Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.
Now this is true Biblical tongues, not vain babbling nobody can understand, including the folks doing the babbling. The gift of tongues was given so that by speaking to people in their own language, they might hear and understand the wonders of God, and come to faith in Jesus Christ, and be saved. Perhaps somebody can show me, how babbling can produce the kind of results speaking in a known language produced in that example. Tongues are a sign, the Bible tells us, not for believers, but for unbelievers. (1 Corinthians 14:22)
Many people have been deceived by the cunning of man. Usually another deceptive doctrine that accompanies tongues, and being slain in the spirit, is the "Prosperity Gospel," which advocates that godliness is a means to financial gain. You give them $100 dollars and God will give you $1,000 dollars. Let's see what St. Paul has to say about such claims:
1 Timothy 6: 3. If anyone teaches false doctrines and does not agree to the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and to godly teaching, 4. he is conceited and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels about words that result in envy, strife, malicious talk, evil suspicions 5. and constant friction between men of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain.
Paul calls them false teachers who have been robbed of the truth and understand nothing. I hope if you're looking for a place to worship, you seek a place where the leadership is teaching Biblical truth, and not fables devised by man; deceiving and being deceived, and all for financial gain. If this is the kind of thing going on where you attend, find some place else to go. And you might want to consider having a Bible study, either by yourself and God, or with a few others who love God and truth, and are willing to allow the Spirit of God to renew their minds with his truth.
SABBATH
Okay, so what about worshipping on Sunday rather than Saturday, the traditional Jewish Sabbath?
Acts 20: 7. On the first day of the week we came together to break bread. Paul spoke to the people and, because he intended to leave the next day, kept on talking until midnight.
1 Corinthians 16: 2. On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made.
Colossians 2: 16. Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. 17. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ. 18. Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you for the prize. Such a person goes into great detail about what he has seen, and his unspiritual mind puffs him up with idle notions. 19. He has lost connection with the Head, from whom the whole body, supported and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows as God causes it to grow.
Revelation 1:10. On the Lord's Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet,
Paul say's here, not to let ANYONE JUDGE YOU, by what you EAT, DRINK, OR A SABBATH DAY. These WHERE but a shadow of what was to come. But the reality is FOUND IN JESUS. If your in Chist, your not under the law. Christ Jesus is YOUR LIFE. We don't worship, food, drink or day's of the week, we worship the CHRIST, who has come to live in us by faith in HIM, not us and what we are doing or not doing.
Ephisians 2:8. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9. not by works, so that no one can boast.
So if your going to a church some place, and the people there are trying to put you on a guilt trip, "requiring you to abstain from meat, or wine, and telling you, you must go to church on a Saturaday. Your attending church with a bunch of people who as Paul has just explained here are, "PEOPLE WHO HAVE LOST CONNECTION WITH THE HEAD". JESUS IS THE HEAD OF THE CHURCH! Those people have lost connection to Jesus and are trying to put you on a guilt trip so they can control YOU, and you MONEY. Don't kid yourself for a minute, its' all about money, and power, not JESUS. And they will also require you to do other ungodly things as well. Do yourself a favor and get as far away from those people as you can.
The early Church Fathers compared the observance of the Sabbath to the observance of circumcision, and in that vein, demonstrated that if the apostles abolished circumcision, then observance of the Sabbath was equally suspect. Look closely at the following:
Galatians. 5: 1. It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. 2. Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all. 3. Again I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law. 4. You who are trying to be justified by law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. 5. But by faith we eagerly await through the Spirit the righteousness for which we hope. 6. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.
So the observance of the Sabbath must also be abolished. The early Church wanted to break with Jewish tradition, and worship on the first day of the week, which they deemed to be "The Lord's Day." because Sunday was the day that Jesus rose from the grave. So Sunday today, is as it was for the early Church Fathers, "The Lord's Day."
Mark 2: 27. Then he said to them, "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. 28. So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath."
The Sabbath Day was to be man's day of rest. That's why God gave us the Sabbath day; it was a type of Christ or a shadow of Christ, because Jesus put an end to all religious works of trying to obtain righteousness through self effort. So we, also rest in Jesus, who is our Sabbath, and we rest in Him 24/7/365 days a year.
Hebrews 3: 1. Therefore, holy brothers, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, the apostle and high priest whom we confess. 2. He was faithful to the one who appointed him, just as Moses was faithful in all God's house. 3. Jesus has been found worthy of greater honor than Moses, just as the builder of a house has greater honor than the house itself. 4. For every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything. 5. Moses was faithful as a servant in all God's house, testifying to what would be said in the future. 6. But Christ is faithful as a son over God's house. And we are his house, if we hold on to our courage and the hope of which we boast.
7. So, as the Holy Spirit says: "Today, if you hear his voice, 8. do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion, during the time of testing in the desert,
9. where your fathers tested and tried me and for forty years saw what I did. 10. That is why I was angry with that generation, and I said, 'Their hearts are always going astray, and they have not known my ways.' 11. So I declared on oath in my anger, 'They shall never enter my rest.' "
12. See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. 13. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness. 14. We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at first. 15. As has just been said: "Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion."
16. Who were they who heard and rebelled? Were they not all those Moses led out of Egypt? 17. And with whom was he angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the desert? 18. And to whom did God swear that they would never enter his rest if not to those who disobeyed? 19. So we see that they were not able to enter, because of their unbelief.
Hebrews 4: 1. Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it. 2. For we also have had the gospel preached to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because those who heard did not combine it with faith. 3. Now we who have believed enter that rest, just as God has said,
"So I declared on oath in my anger,
'They shall never enter my rest.' " And yet his work has been finished since the creation of the world. 4. For somewhere he has spoken about the seventh day in these words: "And on the seventh day God rested from all his work." 5. And again in the passage above he says, "They shall never enter my rest."
6. It still remains that some will enter that rest, and those who formerly had the gospel preached to them did not go in, because of their disobedience. 7. Therefore God again set a certain day, calling it Today, when a long time later he spoke through David, as was said before:
"Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts."
8. For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken later about another day. 9. There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; 10. for anyone who enters God's rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his. 11. Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following their example of disobedience.
12. For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. 13. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.
14. Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. 15. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are-yet was without sin. 16. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
We no longer rest in a specific day of the week; we rest in Jesus Christ the righteous one, where we cease from all our labor, and rest in him alone. And I say to you, rest in the finished work of Jesus, and don't put any faith or confidence in the flesh or anything that can be produced in the flesh. It's all Jesus and none of ourselves, and as Paul declares:
Galatians 5:5. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.
We are saved by placing faith in the faithful One, not in our ability to allow some man to baptize us, or our ability to learn how to babble, or by the hard work of showing up at a building on a Saturday, thinking we are doing God a service. God said:
John 6: 28. Then they asked him, "What must we do to do the works God requires?" 29. Jesus answered, "The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent."
Ultimately you're going to have to decide. I hope this was of some value to you, and if you have any questions, be sure and e-mail me.
May the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ rest on you all. Amen
Then Jesus told them this parable: 'Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.' I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent. Luke 15:3-7
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