This morning, I'm talking about what is called baptismal regeneration. And who knows what that is? baptismal regeneration. I know what it is. It's the teaching that baptism is required for salvation, obviously false. So this morning, what I'm going to do is give some good verses that we can use to attack that obviously as being false and show show that it's false, not true. But by way of introduction, growing up, my family and everyone I grew up with in the churches I grew up in, we'd always refer to the people that
believe this as water dogs. So if you hear me say water dog, I'm referring to people who believe that you have to be baptized to be saved. So so Ephesians one, you're there in Ephesians one, the first thing I want to cover is, is, is, and this is kind of the way I want to go about the sermon is, is you can write down all this, definitely write down all the verses. If you have a pen and paper or your phone, definitely write down these verses, especially if you've never talked to someone at the door.
That's beliefs that you have to be baptized to be saved. Definitely write down these verses and get prepared. A lot of these verses will you could only you might only have to use if you're dealing with somebody who's who's like really hardcore Church of Christ or something. That's really heavy heavy into this. But there will be some verses that will be great for the majority of people that believe baptism is required for salvation.
But the first thing that I think you should do, especially for the hardcore people, is show them what the gospel is in the Bible and show them how clear what just the gospel is defined as in the Bible. You're there in Ephesians one, look at verse 13. It says, In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, in whom also that after that you believed you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise. You can turn over to Romans one.
But the first thing you can show them is that once you believe the gospel, you get sealed with the Holy Spirit. And you only get sealed with the Holy Spirit after you know, you know, at the moment of salvation, when you believe the gospel.
Romans 1 16 says, you can hold your place there. But before you before I read that, First Corinthians 15 one says, Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel. So he's about to tell us what the gospel is. He says, which I preached unto you, which also you have received and wherein you stand by which also you're saved, if you keep in memory that what I preached unto you unless you believed in vain.
In verse three, notice this, he says, For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, that Christ died for our sins, according to the scriptures, and that he was buried and rose again the third day, according to the scriptures.
So you can show them that it's a death, burial and resurrection of Christ and that once we believe the gospel, we're saved because we're sealed with the Holy Spirit.
You're there in Romans 1 16 says, For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth. It does not mention baptism. None of the verses that talk about what the gospel is ever mentions baptism as being a part of the gospel.
That's what you want to show people. The gospel is separate from baptism. It's about the death, burial and resurrection of Christ. And the gospel is what saves us.
You can turn over to 1 Corinthians 9. And what I want to show now is how the gospel is separate from baptism. Obviously those verses already are showing enough that it's not, you know, the gospel and the baptism is not connected, but the verse I'm about to show you is even more clear verses that you could show someone.
You're there in 1 Corinthians 9. Hold your place there. But the Bible speaks of Paul or Paul speaks in 1 Corinthians 1 17. He says, For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect.
Now, here's the thing. The Church of Christ and the water dogs, right? They teach that baptism is a part of the gospel. So their excuse to this verse might be, well, he preached the gospel. He just didn't execute the gospel, right?
But here's the foolishness of that. Look at verse 22 of 1 Corinthians 9. You're there. It says, To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak. I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.
The Bible talks about he that winneth souls is wise. So when we go soul winning, we actually win souls. We don't go out there and show people how to be one to Christ.
Or we just we if we pray, you know, we show them the gospel and they pray and receive Christ, we won them to the Lord. And here it uses the terminology of saving some, you know, we got them saved, right?
So wouldn't it be foolish to say that Paul was a missionary that traveled all over the world, but he didn't actually win someone because he didn't actually baptize someone.
If baptism was a part of the gospel, then he didn't win anyone to Christ because he said he was not sent to baptize. But obviously, he did win people to Christ. He did save some because the gospel doesn't have to do with baptism.
But turn to John chapter three. John chapter three. I want to cover a couple of verses they like to distort. And then I want to cover a passage right after that, that I think could probably be your go to passage for nearly every scenario.
But the verses they like to screw up a lot of times. You're there in John three, hold your place there. But they like to mess up Mark chapter number 16.
Mark 16, 16 says, he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved. And they'll just take that and run with it. Just like people will take verses that say, you know, he that is born of God doth not commit sin.
They'll just take that phrase and exclude everything else and run with it. Be like, oh, once you're saved, you're never going to sin again. It's like, yeah, you got to read everything that's there.
The latter part of the verse says this, it says, but he that believeth not shall be damned. So who's going to be going to hell, the person that doesn't get baptized? It doesn't talk about that person going to hell. It only talked about the person that doesn't believe.
The person that's damned and on their way to hell is the person that doesn't believe, not the person that doesn't get baptized. It doesn't say that. So John three, look at verse five. They like to take this verse and mess it up.
John three, look at verse five. It says, Jesus answered, verily, verily, I say unto you, except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
Look at verse six. It says that which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Now, they will take the part that says born of the water and be like, that's how you get born again right there. You got to get baptized.
But anyone that's witnessed a birth will know that when it says that which is born of water could be referring to a physical birth, right? A woman's water breaks when the child is being born, obviously, and especially since it's paralleled like that, right? It's born of water, born of the Spirit, and it says born of the flesh is flesh, born of the Spirit is spirit.
It's obvious it's referring to a flesh birth, a physical birth, not the new birth, right? You can turn over to Acts 10, Acts 10.
So we see the gospel is clear that it's the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. If we believe it, we're saved then and sealed with the Holy Spirit then, and that it's separate from baptism.
Those are very important fundamentals because showing that can prove the counteractions they have to the passions I'm going to show you now.
Acts 10, Acts 10 43 says, to him give all the prophets witness, verse 43, to him give all the prophets witness that through his name, whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.
Now, that should be proof enough, but the Bible has even more clarity on this. It says, verse 44, it says, while Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word,
and they of the circumcision which believed were astonished as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost.
So that right there, the Bible says, you know, once we believe the gospel, we're sealed with the Holy Ghost, that shows that these people were saved.
And look at verse 46, it says, for they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God, then answered Peter, can any forbid water that these should not be baptized?
So they have not been baptized, but they received the Holy Ghost and they heard the gospel and believed it.
So that shows that they got saved before they ever got baptized.
And the reason why I showed you all the other verses is because a lot of times what they'll do with this passage is they'll say, well, you can't say they actually were saved before they got baptized because it doesn't say that.
It only says the Holy Ghost fell on them.
But obviously, God's not going to give them the Holy Ghost if they're not saved, especially with Ephesians 1, verse 13, I believe it was.
It says you're sealed with the Holy Ghost once you believe the gospel.
So obviously, they definitely were saved and they have not been baptized.
And even the thief on the cross, you could use that story, you could go to that passage.
You know, obviously, he did not get baptized.
He absolutely did not get baptized before he died, but he called upon the name of the Lord and he still got saved and he still went to heaven.
So, yeah, definitely write this stuff down, especially if you've never dealt with someone at the door with this, write this stuff down.
You don't want to be in that scenario and you're just like, you don't know what to say.
You need to write this stuff down.
The Bible is clear on it and you can hammer it.
So let's pray real quick.
Dear Lord, thank you for this opportunity.
We have to go out and win souls, Lord.
I pray you would help us to, especially to the water dogs, I pray you would help us to show them that they're wrong on that on that doctrine and that they need to be saved because of relying on some sort of work to be saved.
And fill us with your spirit as we go out there.
And in Jesus name, amen.