Category Archives: Baptism

Born of Water Expanded

Last night, I got an unusually good night’s sleep, and I woke up realizing that I failed to conclude the book with a practical applications chapter. And so I added new chapter 14. And then I added chapter 15 (excerpts … Continue reading

Posted in Baptism, Uncategorized | 10 Comments

Born of Water rewritten

Back in 2002, I taught a Bible class on whether those not properly baptized are damned. I survived. I wrote up my notes and gave copies to the students. I survived that, too. By 2005, I’d turned the notes into … Continue reading

Posted in Baptism, Uncategorized | 15 Comments

Question from a Reader

I get emails — I really enjoy your stuff. The first thing I read of yours I had to stop and see where you grew up I thought it was the church I grew up in. I am still at … Continue reading

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Salvation 2.0: Part 8.5: On the Necessity of Believing in Baptism

I confess that baptism is, to me, terribly difficult to fit into this analysis. I find nothing in the scriptures that say that teaching baptismal error damns. I find very plain teaching that prohibits adding anything to “faith working through … Continue reading

Posted in Baptism, Grace, Salvation 2.0, Soteriology, Uncategorized | 21 Comments

Salvation 2.0: Part 6.8A: Baptism and the Temple

I’ve been reading Andrew McGowan’s Ancient Christian Worship: Early Church Practices in Social, Historical, and Theological Perspective, a fascinating account of early Christian worship. I just got to the chapter on baptism. Early on, McGowan says, Ritual baths, or miqva’ot, … Continue reading

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Salvation 2.0: Part 6.8: The Impact and Symbolism of Baptism

I think the original design of baptism is not only God’s design, but the best possible design. God’s wisdom in providing for a confession followed by baptism of a believer is how churches ought to handle conversions. Words are necessary, … Continue reading

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Salvation 2.0: Part 6.7: Marriage as Analogy; Infant Baptism

An arranged marriage One more story. A couple is married at the age of 8 days. They are from a province in India where the parents arrange and make marriages for their children. Many years later, when the children are … Continue reading

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Salvation 2.0: Part 6.6: Why Water Baptism?

Why does God want believers to be baptized? Well, actions matters, just as words matter. * The requirement to be baptized forces another requirement — confession. I can have something like faith and keep it a secret. But when I … Continue reading

Posted in Baptism, Salvation 2.0, Soteriology, Uncategorized | 11 Comments

Salvation 2.0: Part 6.5: Why Faith Must be Confessed

Sixth point: For some reason, God wants his converts baptized in water. There’s not the least hint of water baptism in the OT. It was introduced by John the Baptist as a sign associated with the coming Kingdom and adopted by … Continue reading

Posted in Baptism, Salvation 2.0, Soteriology, Uncategorized | 26 Comments

Salvation 2.0: Part 6.4: Saved by Faith, Just Like Abraham

Fifth point: The faith that saves is the faith of Abraham. Paul says so in Rom 4 and Gal 3. The one wrinkle is that, after the resurrection, Abraham’s faith in God becomes faith in God the Father and the … Continue reading

Posted in Baptism, Salvation 2.0, Soteriology, Uncategorized | 23 Comments