Author : Keith Sharp
A Review Of Eric Lane’s “I Want to be Baptized”
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4
Baptism and Our Regeneration Through the Holy Spirit – Titus 3:5-6
But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
Mr. Lane comments, “Paul says here that God saved us not by our works but by the work of the Holy Spirit in regenerating us”(103).
No, Paul says we are not saved by our own “works of righteousness” or “works done in righteousness” (American Standard Version). Since, as Mr. Lane admits, the “washing of regeneration” in verse five is a reference to water baptism, and since Paul uses it in contrast with “works of righteousness,” baptism is not a work of righteousness that will not save. There is nothing in baptism that merits or earns us salvation.
If we tried to earn the forgiveness of sins by doing good deeds for people or giving sacrifices to God (What do we have that God needs? – Psalm 50:7-14), we would be attempting to earn salvation by our own works of righteousness. But no amount of good deeds will make up for even one sin (Luke 17:10). Only the blood of Christ will take away our sins (Hebrews 9:13-14). Meritorious works is the fallacy of the Catholic penance system.
Obedience to divine terms of pardon does not earn salvation but demonstrates our faith. Noah was saved by grace through faith when he obeyed God and built the ark (Genesis 6:8,13-17,22; 7:1; Hebrews 11:7). Abraham was justified by faith when he obeyed God and left his home and kindred to go to Canaan (Hebrews 11:8). Israel was saved by grace through faith when they marched through the Red Sea on dry ground (Hebrews 11:29) and “were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea” (1 Corinthians 10:1-4). Israel received Jericho by grace through faith after they marched around the walls of the city thirteen times, the priests blew on the rams, horns and the people shouted (Joshua 6; Hebrews 11:30). Naaman was cured of his leprosy by grace through faith after he dipped seven times in the Jordan (2 Kings 5:1-14). We are saved by water baptism (Mark 16:16), not as a “work of righteousness,” but as the obedient act of faith that puts us into Christ where God’s grace is given (Galatians 3:26-27; Ephesians 2:4-7). There is nothing meritorious about baptism. It’s not an act of kindness toward men or of sacrifice to God. It is a simple act of faith that expresses our dependence on the blood sacrifice of Christ and by which we receive the benefits of that sacrifice (Romans 6:3-4). Salvation by water baptism nullifies neither God’s grace nor our faith, but unites them.
The author appeals to 1 Corinthians 12:13 as a parallel to Titus 3:5 (Ibid). The passage reads: “For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body–whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free–and have all been made to drink into one Spirit.” The King James Version, New King James Version, New International Version, and New American Standard Version all render the preposition before “one Spirit” as “by.” The American Standard Version translates it as “in.” Why is this significant? The preposition “by” has the idea of instrumentality. The apostle is thus saying the Spirit is the one who leads us to be baptized. It is not that we are baptized “with the Spirit” to get into Christ but that the Spirit leads us to be baptized into Christ. The Holy Spirit leads us by the instrument of the word He revealed to be baptized (cf. 1 Peter 1:22-25) into Christ. This baptism, the one New Testament baptism, is water baptism.
Mr. Lane contends:
This statement is consistent with all the others which contain the idea of baptising with the Spirit, for all refer to the work of regeneration which John the Baptist admitted he could not perform but which Christ could and did. Thus baptism is a sign of this aspect of salvation too (Ibid).
John the Baptist never said one word about the new birth (regeneration). He said Christ would baptize with the Holy Spirit (Matthew 3:11; Luke 3:16). Jesus specified this promise was to His apostles (Acts 1:1-5). It did not save them but enabled them to do their work as apostles (Acts 1:8).
The passage says nothing about baptism being a sign of anything. It teaches we are saved by two things: “the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit.”
Yes, “regeneration” is a reference to the new birth. What are we washed in? Jesus taught Nicodemus to be “born of water and the Spirit” (John 3:5). What a beautiful parallel between Jesus, teaching and Paul’s. Is it not obvious the washing is in water?
Is this not perfectly consistent with other passages that make our salvation dependent on a washing? “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.” (Ephesians 5:25-27). “… let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.” (Hebrews 10:22).
What part does the Holy Spirit play in our regeneration (new birth)?“Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart, having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever, because “All flesh [is] as grass, And all the glory of man as the flower of the grass. The grass withers, And its flower falls away, But the word of the Lord endures forever.” Now this is the word which by the gospel was preached to you.” (1 Peter 1:22-25).
The Holy Spirit revealed the word, the gospel, which is preached to us. When we are led by the gospel to be baptized in water for the remission of sins, we are “born of water and the Spirit.” This is the “washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit.”
Sometimes, to get around the washing in water of John 3:5 and Titus 3:5, psuedo-scholars contend that the conjunction “and” should be translated “even,” making “water” a reference to the “Spirit.” The word is translated “and” rather than “even” in both Titus 3:5 and John 3:5 by the King James Version, American Standard Version, Revised Standard Version,New American Standard Version, New King James Version, New International Version, and New Revised Standard Version. Obviously, the scholarship of the English speaking world recognizes the word should be rendered “and.”
Some contend John 3:5 refers to two births. They contend that “water” refers to our physical birth and that “spirit” refers to our spiritual new birth. This would have Jesus telling us that, to be born again (spiritually), we first have to be born the first time (physically). Kids today would say, “Well, du-uh.” Surely the Lord wasn’t so shallow. In fact, when reference is made in John’s record of the life of Christ to physical birth, it is called a birth of “blood” (John 1:12-13). He even states this is not the birth connected with our salvation (Ibid).
Some appeal to John 7:38-39 as proof that water represents the Holy Spirit. We know water represents the Holy Spirit in this passage because the apostle John so states. But there is no such statement in either John 3:5 or Titus 3:5. Thus, the position that water in these passages represents the Holy Spirit is mere assumption and assertion devoid of scriptural proof.
Mr. Lane concludes on Titus 3:5:
The Holy Spirit is the water of life – without him we lie dead in trespasses and sins,. But through him we are born again and receive a new life which is spiritual and eternal. Baptism symbolises this too, for the Holy Spirit is called not the water, but the bath, of regeneration (104-05).
The Holy Spirit gives life through the word He revealed (John 6:63). The passage doesn’t even hint that water represents the Holy Spirit. It identifies two elements in our salvation: “the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit.” When the Holy Spirit, through the word of the gospel, leads us to be baptized in water, we are born again and saved.
What is Christian Baptism?
In his concluding section, Mr. Lane attempts to define “Christian baptism.” He observes, “All the apostles, both in their practice and teaching, set baptism forth in the closest connection with the gospel they preached” (107). No, baptism is an essential part of the gospel they preached and that we must preach. Jesus directed them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15). Then He told them what the gospel message they were to preach was: “He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned” (verse 16). Baptism is just as much a part of the gospel as faith.
Mr. Lane continues:
So close is the connection between the spiritual response (repentance and faith) and the outward confession of it in baptism that to be baptised becomes virtually the same as to repent and believe (Ibid).
Being baptized is not virtually the same as having saving faith; it is the same. Those who came to Christ were not called believers until after they were baptized (Acts 16:30-34). The saved believer is the baptized believer.
The author adds:
Baptism is used as a metaphor to describe the spiritual process of union with Christ by faith and therefore to stand for the fruits of that union – justification, adoption and regeneration (Ibid).
No, baptism is necessary in order to have union with Christ (Romans 6:3-4; Galatians 3:26-27). Thus, baptism is essential to justification (Romans 5:9-10; 6:3-4), adoption (Galatians 3:26-27) and regeneration (John 3:5; Titus 3:5).
Mr. Lane attempts to place baptism on a lofty plane by declaring, “It is exalted in the mind of Christ and his apostles to such a high position that it is almost made to represent the whole saving process” (Ibid). But this only makes baptism a sacrament, a symbol of the salvation which has already taken place, an idea unknown to Scripture. Baptism represents the death, burial and resurrection of the Lord (Romans 6:3-4). It is essential to salvation (Mark 16:16).
He concludes:
Nor is it ever spoken of theologically apart from the teaching of the doctrine of salvation. (Ibid).
True, but it is spoken of as before and in order to salvation (Mark 16:16).
What is required of those coming to baptism?
Mr. Lane goes to the heart of his error on baptism, and the entire plan of salvation, when he observes:
Now it is usually said that the basic error of Roman Catholicism is not denial of parts of the word of God, (that is the heresy of Liberalism or Modernism) but adding to it – requiring not only faith but works also. It is the Galatian heresy – that while faith in the gospel is necessary for salvation, so also is circumcision (109).
Has Mr. Lane never read James 2:24? “You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only.” God commanded Adam and Eve not to eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil and warned them, “for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die” (Genesis 2:16-17). But Satan deceived Eve with the lie, “You will not surely die” (Genesis 3:4). That one word turned the truth of life into the lie of death. The inspired writer declares that justification is “not by faith only.” Protestants teach that justification “is by faith only.” That one dropped word turns the truth of life into the lie of death.
To understand justification, we must realize the different kinds of works mentioned in the New Testament: good and evil (Titus 2:14; 2 Timothy 4:18), of God and of darkness (John 6:28-29; Romans 13:12), of Christ and of iniquity (Philippians 2:30; Matthew 7:23), of the Lord and of the flesh (1 Corinthians 15:58; Galatians 5:19), befitting repentance and wicked (Acts 26:20; Colossians 1:21), righteous and hypocritical (Acts 10:35; Matthew 23:3,5), perfect and dead (James 1:4; Hebrews 9:14), of faith and of the law (also called boastful and of righteousness, i.e., earned righteousness) (1 Thessalonians 1:3; Galatians 2:16; Ephesians 2:9; Titus 3:5). Some of these works will cause us to be lost (Galatians 5:19-21), some will not save (Galatians 2:16), but some are essential to salvation (John 6:28-29; Philippians 2:12; Galatians 5:6; James 2:14-26). Judgment will be on the basis of our works (Romans 2:5-10). How can this be if works have nothing to do with our salvation?
Mr. Lane summarizes concerning who should be baptized thus:
It is not over-simplifying the situation to say that the question Who may and should be baptised?, is exactly the same as the question Who and what is a Christian?, If baptism is only for Christians, and for all Christians, then its requirements are precisely the same as those for becoming a Christian, or, to put it another way, for salvation itself (109-10).
Of course, this means one is saved and a Christian before he is baptized. But the Lord put baptism before salvation. “He who believes and is baptized will be saved” (Mark 16:16). “Christian” is the proper name for a disciple of Christ (Acts 11:26). Remember, baptism is the act by which penitent believers become disciples.
To make the determination who should be baptized, Mr. Lane summarizes his position on the requirements for salvation. He concludes:
Faith is the response to the whole set of facts contained in the preaching of Christ…. It is believing that the things he did in his life, death, resurrection and ascension he did in order to make forgiveness and life available to those who hear and believe. Faith also has two elements:
i. an acceptance of the literal truth of the facts of the gospel, so that there is no doubt about any of them ….
ii. Coming personally to him with these sins and, because of what he did and offers, believing he takes them away from the sight of God and implants a new life by which they can be overcome.What is important is that nothing else is required, either for salvation or baptism, other than these two things – no further instruction, spiritual guidance or even response (114-15).
The gospel not only contains facts to believe, it also includes commands to obey (Romans 10:16).
There is more to preaching Christ than Mr. Lane realizes. Philip preached Christ to the Samaritans (Acts 8:5) and as the result they believed and were baptized (verses 12-13). He preached Jesus to the eunuch of Ethiopia (Acts 8:35), and as the result the eunuch asked to be baptized (verse 36). Preaching Christ includes preaching baptism.
There is more to saving faith than Mr. Lane recognizes. Saving faith is the basis of hope, is itself based on evidence and pertains to unseen things (Hebrews 11:1,3). But saving faith also includes trust in God. “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6). We must trust God to reward us ifwe “diligently seek Him.”
How do we seek Him? Isaiah advised Israel: “Seek the Lord while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near.” (Isaiah 55:6). We seek the Lord by calling on Him. How do we call on Him? Certainly not by praying (Matthew 7:21). The New Testament never teaches alien sinners to pray for salvation. The prophet Joel promised and prophesied concerning the latter days: “And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Joel 2:32)
On the day of Pentecost the apostle Peter quoted this passage and applied it to the events of that day (Acts 2:17-21). He informed them that the Lord on whom we are to call is Jesus of Nazareth, whom God has made “both Lord and Christ” (Acts 2:22-36). His audience, many of whom had participated in the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, were cut to the heart and urgently inquired what to do (Acts 2:37). Peter replied, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38). This was how these believers were to call on the name of the Lord. Ananias was sent to Saul of Tarsus to tell him what he must do (Acts 9:1-17). Ananias, command to Saul was, “And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord” (Acts 22:16). The apostle Paul reminded the Roman Christians of the “word of faith” by which they had been saved (Romans 10:8-17). That word promised, “For whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved,” (Romans 10:13). But that word teaches, “So then faith [comes] by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17). It promises:“But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach): that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” (Romans 10:8-10).
Thus, to call on the name of the Lord, you must hear the gospel, believe in Christ Jesus, repent of your sins, confess your faith in Christ and be baptized for the remission of sins.
What does baptism have to do with calling on the name of the Lord? “And corresponding to that, baptism now saves you not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience through the resurrection of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 3:21, New American Standard Version).
Baptism is the means God has appointed for us to reach the blood of Christ (Romans 6:3-4), and when we obey the Lord in baptism we are calling on Him, appealing to Him, to cleanse our consciences of the guilt of sin.
What Blessings Are Experienced in Baptism?
Mr. Lane asserts:
The only means of publicly confessing an experience of conversion that we find in the New Testament is baptism. (117).
Not only is baptism never identified in the New Testament as “confessing an experience of conversion,” the whole idea of an “experience of conversion” is foreign to the New Testament. The Lord’s appearance to Saul of Tarsus is usually cited as just such an experience (Acts 9:1-6; 22:6-8; 26:13-18). As Mr. Lane recognizes, the Lord did not appear to Saul of Tarsus to convert him but to call him to be an apostle (Acts 26:16-18). It was three days later when Saul’s sins were washed away (Acts 22:16).
Furthermore, the wrong Person in the Godhead appeared to Saul to make this an evangelical conversion experience. Mr. Lane contends conversion is effected by Spirit baptism. Jesus Christ, not the Holy Spirit, appeared to Saul on the way. Three days later, when Ananias came to him, Saul still had not received the Holy Spirit (Acts 9:17).
Baptism itself is the culmination of conversion. Being converted is turning to God (cf. Acts 3:19; 26:20). Conversion is the comprehensive word to describe the whole process by which the sinner returns to God (Acts 15:3). To be converted, the sinner’s heart must be changed (Acts 16:14). This involves faith (Acts 15:9), but there is more to conversion than faith (Acts 11:21). There must also be a change in one’s life (Matthew 18:1-4). This involves repentance (Matthew 12:41; cf. Jonah 3:10), but there is more to conversion than repentance (Acts 3:19). Conversion also involves a change of loyalty (1 Thessalonians 1:9). This involves confession of faith with one’s mouth (Romans 10:10), but since confession is “unto” salvation, there is more to conversion than confession (Ibid). Conversion also involves a change of relationship, leaving Satan and becoming one with Christ (Colossians 1:13). This is accomplished in baptism (Romans 6:3-4; Galatians 3:26-27).
Mr. Lane continues:
If we ask about the grace of which baptism is the means, the answer must be: the grace of assurance. It is not the grace of salvation, for that is assumed to be present in those who come to baptism. What baptism is intended to do is to seal to the heart of the believer the benefits of Christ’s work which he has already taken by faith (119).
He adds:
We easily doubt the reality of the invisible and spiritual. And even if we continue to believe in its reality we may doubt whether we have any part in it. So Christ gave sacraments or ordinances – simple, tangible and dramatic presentations of his work for and in us (120).
Remember, this whole idea of a sacrament is wholly foreign to the Scriptures and was borrowed by the Protestants from the corrupt system of Roman Catholicism.
The only benefit Mr. Lane sees in baptism is a mysterious assurance we have been saved. What a pathetic caricature of the Gospel teaching about baptism. When a penitent believer obeys the Lord from the heart in baptism, he becomes a disciple of Christ (Matthew 28:19), is saved (Mark 16:16; 1 Peter 3:21), is born again (John 3:5), has his sins remitted (Acts 2:38), i.e., washed away (Acts 22:16), gets into Christ (Romans 6:3-4), is freed from sin (Romans 6:17-18), gets into the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:13), becomes a child of God (Galatians 3:26-27), is sanctified and cleansed (Ephesians 5:26), has the body of sins put off (Colossians 2:11-12), and has his heart sprinkled from an evil conscience (Hebrews 10:22). Now those are indeed important reasons to be baptized.
It is true that we receive assurance of our salvation as the result of baptism but not in some mysterious way. The apostle Paul assures us: “The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs–heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with [Him], that we may also be glorified together.”(Romans 8:16-17). He doesn’t say the Spirit bears witness to our spirits. Rather, He bears witness “with” our spirits.
The Holy Spirit, in the word, tells us how to be saved. If our spirits can testify we have done this, we have the witness of the two spirits, the Holy Spirit and our own spirits, to our salvation. The Holy Spirit informs us, “He who believes and is baptized will be saved.” If we know we have done this, we have the testimony of the two spirits to our salvation. The Spirit commands, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins.” If we can truthfully testify we have obeyed, we have dual testimony to the remission of our sins. The Spirit teaches, “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.” If we have the inward assurance we have complied, we have divine and human testimony that we are children of God.
Finally, the author teaches:
Baptism, in a sense, is our first act of obedience apart from the initial obedience of faith, by which we accepted the terms of the gospel and responded to them (121).
Baptism is the act obedience by which we get into Christ and His death and receive the benefits of His blood (Romans 6:3-4,17-18). It is the obedience of faith by which we become sons of God (Galatians 3:26-27). It is a term of the Gospel by which we are saved (Mark 16:15-16).
Conclusion
I honestly believe if you will study this review carefully and with an open mind, you will realize you need to be baptized for the remission of sins. Remember, as Mr. Lane correctly taught, there is only one baptism presently in effect with the approval of the Lord. If you have not received that baptism, you need to. That baptism is by the authority of Jesus Christ, immersion in water for penitent believers and is for (in order to) the remission of sins.
If you haven’t received this baptism, it stands between you and becoming a disciple of Christ, being saved, being born again, having your sins remitted, i.e., being washed away, getting into Christ, being freed from sin, getting into the body of Christ, becoming a child of God, being sanctified and cleansed, having the body of sins put off, and having your heart sprinkled from an evil conscience.
“And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord.”
