Why Mark 16:16 Romans 6:3 Acts 2:38 1:Peter 3:21 Acts 22:16 Galatians 3:27 Acts 8:36 John 3: 5 Does Not Say Be Water Baptized To Be Saved?

By Anthony Edmondson

Finally, a book that uses Bible scriptures only to answer the sometimes confusing questions that surround the purpose of water baptism apart from misinterpretations and traditional theories.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookTrail Publishing
• Release date: Jun 15, 2021
• ISBN: 9781637670873

Anthony Edmondson

Anthony Edmondson is a married man who resides in Central Florida. He also is a Christian who shuns prejudice behaviors while upholding Bible principles. Anthony’s hope is that everyone will come to the full knowledge of Jesus Christ. He is a faithful studier and believer in the word of God and looks forward to receiving it daily. Outside of being a servant of the Almighty, Anthony is a screenwriter, an early-retired firefighter, and a distinguished pie chef

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Copyright © 2021 by Anthony Edmondson.

ISBN-978-1-63767-087-3 (eBook)

ISBN-978-1-63767-088-0 (Paperback)

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Introduction

For those who are not familiar with me, I am a Christian who takes special interest in church-dividing topics. And there’s no other topic that causes the greatest division in our church community than the necessity of water baptism for eternal life. Churches have accused other churches of teaching false doctrine for not requiring water baptism to receive salvation as well as accused them of teaching false doctrine for saying that it’s mandatory. And what makes matters worst is that the impact from absorbing the wrong teachings can take years of Bible study and discussion before a renewed mind can manifest itself. Yet, God does grant people wisdom about water baptism so we can cut-the-chase and get on track concerning what we need to know about the elements required to receive eternal life. Obviously, I chose 8 staple Bible verses to study, and hopefully, this examination poses no discomfort in search of the truth about water baptism. I also chose these verses as headliners because they are the actual scriptures which drives the movement in our church community that promotes water baptism for remission for sins. 1 Peter 3:21, Acts 2:38 & Mark16:16 will lead us to the topic of water baptism, but I’m using their entire chapters to keep things in context. Other notes and email discussions will house Romans 6:3, Acts 22:16, John 3:5. Acts 8:36 &Galatians 3:27.

May the God of Israel open your understanding for his glory.

Table of Contents

Introduction

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

C.O.C. Debate

Final Thoughts

Chapter 1

(1 Peter 3:21)

1 Peter 3:1 Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands". Since Peter begins 1 Peter Chapter 3 with Likewise, this means we must include something he emphasized in the previous chapter. So looking back in 1 Peter Chapter 2: we see the topic Peter is using to leave Chapter 2 and enter into Chapter 3 is the command for us to be in subjection to whomever is in authority: 1Peter 2:13 "Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake:..". 1 Peter Chapter 2:18 also saysServants, be subject to your masters…. And as you read closer to the end of 1 Peter Chapter 2 you will see verses 20 & 21 that tell us that we may experience suffering for well doing, and that we should take it patiently because Christ has left us an example to follow in his own suffering. And as we read in 1Peter Chapter 3 we will see again the idea of suffering for well doing, which maybe by the hands of someone in authority of us, but still, that does not change the ordinances God has put in place. 1 Peter Chapter 3:6 also talks about using Sara as an example for women, and about us not rendering evil for evil as well as holding our tongues from speaking evil, and that we need to turn from doing evil in verses 9-11. But the scripture I wanna use to start the study is 1 Peter 3:13, as we make our way to 1 Peter 3:21. 1 Peter 3:13 reads, And who is he that will harm you, if ye be followers of that which is good?. Don’t let this verse fool you into thinking that Peter is contradicting himself against the previous verses that tell us we’re most likely going to suffer for following that which is good and now making it sound as though harming us for doing what’s right doesn’t existence. 1 Peter 3:13 is not focusing on us suffering for doing well, but rather on who’s causing us to suffer for doing good. And suffering for doing good could come from whomever is in authority over us. Parents cause children to suffer for doing right (they didn’t lie for you) as well as husbands causing wives to suffer for doing right, too (they came to Bible study and left the kids at home with you). Persecution could also come from a friend, or even a family member, as Jesus has told us in Matt. 10:36. "And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household".1 Peter 3:14 reads But and if ye suffer for righteousness’ sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled. Now this is a tall order because, not only does Peter expect us to accept suffering for righteousness sake and endure persecution from our bosses, our government, our friends and families, but that we also be happy or at peace through it all. And it doesn’t end with just being happy during this unpleasant experience, but that you don’t be intimidated by their threats either. Peter is saying if you see a mob torching your neighbor’s house because of righteousness sake and then scream at you you’re next if you don’t think like us, that you don’t worry about it—just keep whistling ‘Dixie’. How are we supposed to respond like that? It almost sounds crazy to react this way. Yet, this is what the Bible tells us to do! Well, thank God Peter also gives us the only solution that makes our suffering for righteousness sake triumph under these conditions. 1 Peter 3:15 reads "But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts…".Peter says the solution that produces joy or peace in us during our trail of suffering for righteousness sake is that we sanctify God in your hearts. What is ‘sanctify’ God in our hearts? First, you must sanctify God in your hearts for righteousness sake, not wrongfulness sake. Don’t ask God to bless your mess; this method only works when suffering for doing right. To sanctify God in your heart means to set God in a place inside you apart and above any other knowledge or understanding you possess. Take every true thing you know about God or have experienced with God or seen or heard or trusted or depended upon God for and bury it deep within yourself. And no matter what people put you through they won’t be able to weaken or remove that which you know about God and your relationship with him. As a result of your joy and peace, something strange will happen to the person who’s persecuting you. That’s why Peter tells us to always be ready because the question is coming if you react the way Peter instructs us to when someone causes us to suffer for righteousness sake. 1 Peter 3:15…and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear. What and which hope is Peter talking about? It’s the same hope mentioned throughout the Bible. The Bible gives us full definitions of Love:1 Cor. 13:4-8, of Faith: Hebrews 11:1, and of Hope. So in examining the definition of the Hope that Peter is talking about, we turn to Romans 8:24For we are saved by hope…. We’re not gonna include ‘saved by hope’ as part of the definition because we are examining the characteristics of Hope, and ‘saved by hope’ is the result of hope. Again, Romans 8:24… but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?. The hope that Peter is talking about in 1 Peter 3:15 has four characteristics: The first characteristic of hope that Romans 8:24 shows us is that hope is not seen, and if you do see it, then it’s not hope. At least it’s not the hope Peter is referring to. The second characteristic of hope is that we have not received it yet, again according to Romans 8:24-25…for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? "But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it. The third characteristic of hope is that it’s eternal. Turn to 2 Cor. 4:18While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternalTitus 1:2 In hope of eternal life…. And the forth characteristic about hope is that there is only one Hope: Eph. 4:4 reads There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling. Once you have given a right answer for the correct hope that is in you—and that your conscience is clear, according to 1 Peter 3:16 "Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ,"this will prompt the person who’s making us suffer for righteousness sake become ashamed for falsely accusing us of being evildoers, after we reveal our hope being Christ. How do we know this hope that we cannot see, have not received yet, that’s also eternal and being only one of: that this hope is Christ? Turn to 1 Tim. 1:1Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the commandment of God our Saviour, and Lord Jesus Christ, which is our hope. Paul suffered as an evildoer because he preached the gospel of Christ, as we read in 2 Tim. 2:6&8Remember that Jesus Christ of the seed of David was raised from the dead according to my gospel Wherein I suffer trouble, as an evil doer…. Many of you may be familiar with two American stories, one of which was about Kentucky marriage clerk, Kim Davis, who spent 5 days in jail for not issuing a marriage license to same-sex couples. She had to give a reason for the hope that was in her. Also, Jack Phillips, a Christian baker, who refused to make wedding cakes for same-sex couples is now required by law to give a reason for his denying them. All of these people suffered for righteousness sake had to give a reason for the hope inside them to their persecutors; which their hope was Christ. This is also why Peter ends 1 Peter 3:16 with …good conversation in Christ. So these scriptures show us that we should always be ready when asked what is the Hope that in us, and for our answer to be Christ, and when Christ returns: says 1 Peter1:13…and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.So our Hope is Christ and with Christ. 1 Peter 3:15 reveals the who& the what of hope, while 1Peter 3:18 reveals the why and the how of it. 1 Peter 3:18 "For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, is the why he did it ‘being put to death in the flesh’,is the how he did it but quickened by the Spirit."1 Peter 3:19&20 speaks in behalf of what Christ did after his resurrection, before he revealed himself to Mary and the others. 1 Peter 3:19&20 By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison Which sometime were disobedient, when once the long suffering of God waited in the days of Noah.‘Waited in the days of Noah’ is the timeline when God manifested his long suffering. But Noah lived to be over 900 years old according to Genesis 9:29. So when did God’s long suffering show itself during Noah’s lifetime? Well, 1 Peter 3:20 says God’s long suffering was manifested "while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water". Now we’re arriving to the reason we’re here eight souls were saved by waterThe like figure where unto even baptism doth also now save us" 1 Peter3:21. The way that we are going to examine 1 Peter 3:20 & 21 is that we’re going to first magnify Verse 20. There are two ways to magnify something. Either you bring that which is far in closer or you make that which is small larger. Both tactics are designed to reveal greater detail about an object that is not exposed under normal observation. So, in magnifying 1 Peter 3:20eight souls were saved by water, we find more details about who and what actually saved Noah in 2Peter 2:4-5 For if God spared not the angels that sinned… And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person….Now we see that Peter says God saved Noah and his family. Plus, we read in Hebrews 11:7 "By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet… prepared an ark to the saving of his house…"and in Genesis 6:18-19 "…and thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons’ wives… And of every living thing of all flesh, two of every sort shalt thou bring into the ark, to keep them alive…". These writers say the ark Noah built was used to save him and his family. So by magnifying 1 Peter 3:20 we are able to see more details about the saving of Noah other than what we read in this one verse. Let’s move on;