Oneness Pentecostals Are Right on Baptism

[Originalist]

Originally Posted by Jermyn Davidson

Even then, on water baptism, only partially right.

Baptism in the NAME of JESUS is biblically and historically correct. However, their reasoning behind it is faulty.

It would be better to simply state that Christians must be baptized because it is a biblical command.

I believe that normatively baptism precedes the new birth of the spirit/salvation. It is indeed linked to repentance. Peter said "

repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ FOR the remission of your sins

"

The word "FOR" is the Greek "EIS" which is always forward looking. It cannot mean "because of". The correct rendering therefore of this verse is..."Repent and be baptized everyone of you ON the name of the Lord Jesus Christ in order that your sins may be forgiven."

Where I feel our movement errs is when we say 'baptism washes away sins" or even saying "baptism is for the remission of sins" without clarification. First of all, Acts 2:38 links both baptism AND repentance for the remission of sins. But I also see a subtle difference is saying that repentance and baptism are for the remission of sins versus saying "in order that your sins may be forgiven". The latter phrase makes repentance and baptism the doorway or step of faith towards the forgiveness of sins, but place the forgiveness itself slightly beyond the baptism. Oneness folks seem to think that God somehow uses baptism to wash away sin, and I think this is error. I believe that what Peter in essence is saying in Acts 2 and all throughout Acts is....

"If you believe the word we are preaching concerning the fact that God raised his Son Jesus from the dead, glorified him, and placed in him all authority in Heaven and in Earth, including the power to forgive sins, then obey this good news now ! submit to the rule of God's glorified , risen Son by calling on him as Lord in repentance and submitting to his authority in baptism. When you do that, God will forgive you for Christ's sake."

So, we repent and are baptized "FOR" (in order that) our sins might be forgiven. But who does the remitting/forgiving of the sins? God does for Christ's sake! God remits our sins by the authority of Christ The baptism or the spoken invocation of a minister does not remit the sins!.

Somehow in our zeal to make sure everyone has the right words spoken over them in baptism, we subconsciously lead them to believe that the baptism is washing away their sins or the spoken word of the baptizer, No way!! God HIMSELF does the forgiving when we submit to the authority of his risen/glorified Son by repenting and being baptized.