WATER BAPTISM OR SPIRIT BAPTISM: A FALSE CHOICE (Part 5 in a series).

And the Spirit said to Philip, "Go up and join this chariot." . . . Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this scripture he told him the good news of Jesus,  And as they went along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, "See, here is water!  What is to prevent my being baptized?" (Acts 8:29,35-36).

The anti water baptists would have you believe that every reference to baptism in the New Testament is Spirit baptism; they would have you believe that I Peter 3:21 is Spirit baptism if the context didn't prevent it, so then they try to tell you why it doesn't mean what it says.  As I have taught earlier, water and Spirit baptism are two facets of the one baptism (See part 4).  From the text above, the providence of the Spirit moves people to be baptized as well as being the baptizer (I Corinthians 12:13).

Preaching the gospel also demanded teaching a response to the gospel, and baptism was taught as part of the response to the gospel.  In the conversion stories of Acts, faith isn't always mentioned because it is obvious that it exists when a person asks in response to hearing the gospel, "Men and brethren, what should we do?" It is interesting that in the conversion accounts, not once is a person instructed to pray the sinners prayer, or bow his head and raise his hand, or some equivalent.  Baptism in water with the acaccompanying Holy Spirit was the normal response to the gospel.  That was the understanding at the writing of the New Testament and is how it should be understood when one encounters baptism when studying the New Testament, unless it is an obvious metaphor.

for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith.  For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.  There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:26-28).

Our Father's Blessings,
Tom

Note:  Whole books have been written on this subject, but I have decided to end the series with this post.  I have painted with some very long and broad strokes, but I can back them up with credible scholarship.  I understand why there is disagreement on this subject, but as teachers and preachers of the gospel we have the responsibility to rise above the creeds and systematic theologies and teach truthfully from the Bible.