Where
In The Bible Will I Find:
That
Holy Spirit Baptism Saves?
It is sad to any good Bible student, to hear some
talk today about being saved by Holy Spirit baptism. There is no passage in
the Bible that connects Holy Spirit baptism and salvation! This cannot be a
teaching of faith, since it is not taught in the Bible (Rom. 10:17).
Though
there are several baptisms mentioned in the Bible, the baptism of suffering,
baptism of John, baptism of fire, etc., we must study to know which is the "one
baptism," spoken of by Paul 65 years after the church was
established, that is connected to salvation today (Eph. 4:46). We do know
from the Scriptures: 1. Jesus Christ is the only one who would administer
Holy Spirit baptism (Matt. 3:11), 2. Jesus Christ promised this baptism to
the apostles, and kept His promise (Lk. 24:4849; Acts 2:1-4), 3. That no
one today can administer Holy Spirit baptism, nor is it promised to anyone
today!
Jesus
said that men are to administer water baptism for the salvation of the lost
today, and it is baptism in water (not the Holy Spirit) that saves today
(Matt. 28:18-20; Acts 10:48). We can know with a little study, that Holy
Spirit baptism never saved anyone. The apostles received the baptism of the
Holy Spirit AFTER THEY HAD BEEN BAPTIZED FOR THE REMISSION OF SINS (Mk. 1:4;
Lk. 3:3; 1:77). Jesus said of them that they were already clean from sin (Jn.
15:3).
The
scriptures do not teach that the apostles were baptized in water again at
Pentecost. In Acts 10, Cornelius and his household, Gentiles, received an
outpouring of the Holy Spirit in the same manner as the apostles on
Pentecost (Joel 2:28; Acts 2:15-17), but this outpouring was BEFORE THEIR
SALVATION BY WATER BAPTISM (Acts 10:4448). Hence, we must conclude that
since the apostles received the baptism of the Holy Spirit AFTER they were
baptized, and Cornelius and his household received the outpouring BEFORE
their salvation in water baptism. HOLY SPIRIT BAPTISM NEVER SAVED ANYONE.
When
the Word was confirmed by the apostles (Heb. 2:1-4), and those on whom they
laid their hands died (Acts 8:18), miraculous power by Holy Spirit baptism
ended, just as Paul said it would (I Cor. 13:8-10). There is only ONE
BAPTISM for salvation today. That is water baptism (Mk. 16:15-16; Eph.
4:4-6).
--Gary Colley
