Questions and Answers (Part 2)

[Editor’s Note: The following material comes from our Question and Answer sessions on Sunday evenings fifteen years ago; most of them continue to be relevant.]

Question: “1 Corinthians 12:13. Spirit is capitalized; so Paul is speaking of the Holy Spirit. All are baptized into one body. In Acts 11:26, it says that believers at Antioch were the first to be called Christians. Eph. 4:4-5. One body, one Spirit (again capitalized), one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism. ONE. My question is: “Is water baptism really necessary, or are we baptized by the Holy Spirit once we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior and confess truly from the heart that we repent of all sins? Do you feel it’s mandatory for salvation?”

This is a rather lengthy question, which involves different facets of the subject. Let’s try to sort it out. There is one Spirit, who reveals the truth of salvation to all of us through His Word; therefore, by the teaching of this one Spirit, we obeyed the one gospel (1 Cor. 12:13). There is one Spirit and one baptism likewise mentioned in Ephesians 4:4-6, but neither passage is speaking of Holy Spirit baptism. Just because the words Spirit and baptism occur in the same verse does not mean Holy Spirit baptism is the subject—any more than if the two words—evil and priest—were found in the same sentence, the subject would be an evil priest.

We come to a knowledge of the truth by the Holy Spirit (through His inspired words). Therefore, it is by Him—His teaching—that we are all baptized into one body (cf. Gal. 3:26-29). Both Jews and Greeks are part of that one body. We have all drunk of the same Spirit (His teaching). Remarkably, Holy Spirit baptism is not a phrase that appears in 1 Corinthians. Some of the Corinthians were baptized by Paul (1 Cor. 1:14-16), which tells us that it was water baptism; Paul would not have needed to be involved at all if the baptism came from the Holy Spirit.

Is water baptism really necessary or are we baptized by the Holy Spirit? Acts 8:35-39 answers that question. In answering the eunuch’s question, Philip did not say, “Hey, just wait for the baptism of the Holy Spirit.” Baptism is referred to as a washing away of sins (Acts 22:16). Consider 1 Peter 3:21, which also states that water is involved, and the apostle is quick to point out that baptism is not for the purpose of cleansing the physical body.

What we need to realize is that Holy Spirit baptism was a promise—never a command (Matt. 3:11; Acts 1:8; 2:1-4). In the entire New Testament, no one was ever commanded to be baptized in the Holy Spirit. You cannot obey a promise; you simply receive it. The command is to be baptized in water. Jesus baptized people (John 4:1-2). He commanded it (Mark 16:16). Peter commanded it on Pentecost, linking it to repentance. We have already looked at other passages, but consider the Great Commission (Matt. 28:18-20). Could the apostles baptize with the Holy Spirit? No. But they could and did baptize with water.

Is it mandatory for salvation? If not, then how many other commands can we ignore—faith, repentance, meeting for worship? There is only one way to get into Christ, and that is through baptism (Rom. 6:3-5; Gal. 3:27). Consider Acts 2:38: If baptism is to obtain forgiveness, then how can one be forgiven otherwise? Furthermore, baptism is what makes us washed, sanctified, and justified (1 Cor. 6:11). It also qualifies us to be added to the church (Acts 2:47; Eph. 5:26).

The promise of the pouring out of the Holy Spirit was kept on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4, 16-21). The apostles who received it, however, baptized those who desired to be saved in water (Acts 8:35-39; Rom. 6:3-5).

Can a Christian Become a Sinner?

Question: “When a person (who has been properly baptized for the remission of sins) is called correctly a Christian and yet sins deliberately and repetitively (indicating a lack of true repentance), is that person still a Christian in reality?”

This is a difficult question to answer because so many factors are involved. So let us try to break it down into certain elements, beginning with repentance. A person must repent of all his sins before he becomes a Christian. He will not know that certain things are sins at that time; some things he may not discover for some time. He is willing to give up, however, all that stands between him and salvation.

Simon the Sorcerer, for example, obeyed the gospel, but it was not long before his pride made him want to have the same power as the apostles had (Acts 8:18-24). Peter did not tell him he was not a real Christian and that he had never repented of the desire to be someone great. One can repent genuinely of sin and, out of weakness, do the same thing afterward as before. Although a person’s intentions may be of the highest quality, old patterns usually need time to change.

But if a person had no intention of repenting in the first place, then his salvation would be questionable. If he knew, for example, that stealing was wrong and never had any intention of changing that lifestyle, then there was no repentance—the same is true with fornication, homosexuality, or being in an unscriptural marriage. A person must be willing to give those sins up. Falling short afterward is a problem that needs to be dealt with, but never giving it up in the first place invalidates salvation (Luke 13:3). A heart determined to sin does not yet understand the devastating effects of sin nor fully appreciate Jesus’ sacrifice.

Now, what about a Christian who falls into sin? A man at Corinth had his father’s wife. Apparently, such was not the case when he first obeyed the gospel, but as long as he continued in that relationship, it was wrong and immoral. Paul said the church needed to withdraw fellowship from him, which they did (1 Cor. 5:1-8). The indication from 2 Corinthians is that he repented; Paul writes that the church needed to forgive him (2 Cor. 2:5-8).

Immorality is a real danger that threatens God’s people, but believing and following false doctrine is another. Frequent are the warnings because, when one adopts a false belief, he is likely to remain in it (1 Tim. 1:18-20; 2 Tim. 2:16-18). We must be careful to walk in the truth.

Sinner? Brother?

Question: “When fellowship is withdrawn from a Christian, are they still considered a ‘Christian’? Or is that a “name only” state of being?”

James 5:19-20. The brother who has turned away has become a sinner once again—meaning “one who practices or walks in sin.” John makes clear that we all sin (1 John 1:8, 10) but not deliberately and defiantly (1 John 3:8-9). We walked in sin before we obeyed the gospel (Col. 3:5-7). If we turn back, we are acting the part of a sinner once again. Actually, we are in worse shape than those who are just plain ignorant (Heb. 10:26-31).

Those who have been withdrawn from might be referred to as former members or former Christians. Now, however, they are no longer following Christ and should not be called by His name.

But we are to try to rescue them (Gal. 6:1) and admonish them as a brother (2 Thess. 3:15). They are no longer considered brethren, but we are to admonish them as such.

Why Satan?

Question: “Since God is all-powerful, why didn’t He just kill Satan before he tempted Adam and Eve in the garden? Then God’s Son wouldn’t have had to die because there would be no sin.

This is a good, logical, thought-provoking question, but the answer is complicated. First of all, it is the case that God is all-powerful, as Job acknowledged (42:2). Today, Jesus has all power (authority) in heaven and on earth (Matt. 28:18).

God’s determination to create beings causes us to ask: “Shall they be created with free will, or shall they have no choice but to do what He wants?” God could have created angels and humans who would praise and honor Him, but if He made them that way, how much would it be worth? It would be like creating your own doll that says, “I love you,” when you pull the string. The doll may have a voice that is fervent and sincere, but you made it that way, and it has no option. It will never say, “I don’t like you today.”

God began with a spiritual creation—all the orders of angels (cherubim, seraphim, archangels, etc.). He gave them free will so that, when they praised Him, it was out of gratitude and sincerity. They dwelt with Him in a state of perfection. There were no lusts of the flesh to entice them. Yet one was puffed up with pride (1 Tim. 3:6). He was blessed, but he wanted more than what God had given him. He felt that he deserved praise. Eventually, he challenged God and convinced many others living in heaven to follow him. They rebelled, but they lost because God has all power. What is significant is that they became dissatisfied with a state of perfection. God cast them down from heaven (2 Peter 2:4).

But He did not kill them yet. This conflict in Heaven forced every angel to make a decision—to remain faithful to their Creator—or to follow Satan with his convincing but empty promises. It was a one-time, once-for-all decision. The faithful angels will not at some later time sin. They have made their decision.

Although they were cast out of heaven, that was not a final judgment—but a preliminary one. God has appointed a time for a Day of Judgment in which all of these evil angels shall be sentenced. And God prepared a place of eternal torment for the devil and his angels (Matt. 25:41; Rev. 20:10). While they were in the presence of God, they were dissatisfied. On the Day of Judgment, therefore, they shall be forever removed from His presence (2 Thess. 1:8), which is, ironically, what they wanted. Since God possesses all goodness, to be removed from Him is to be turned over totally to evil. Since God is light, those removed from Him will dwell in darkness. There was no redemption for the angels, because they disdained perfection.

At the point of casting out the angels, did Satan challenge God, or did God know what he was thinking? He was probably thinking that God was unfair—that they couldn’t help but rebel (“You made me this way”). In some way they probably contested the free will they had.

Whatever happened in this exchange, God determined to show Satan that He could create lesser beings who would of their own free will love and serve him. Man was made a little lower than the angels (Heb. 2:9) and likewise put into a perfect world, as God created it (Gen. 1:31).

Satan immediately tempted mankind and introduced sin into the world. Would man have sinned without Satan? Yes. Who, after all, tempted the devil? The fact that you have a choice means that you can choose to rebel against any commandment that God gives. Had Satan not been in the garden to hasten things along, mankind still would have made that decision eventually.

God knew what it would cost to prove His point; for that reason Jesus was slain from the foundation of the world. Every person who chooses God’s ways and wants to live with Him is making the choice now, just as the angels did long ago. We shall not be granted everlasting life and sin afterward. We are making that decision right now.