 Do we have to be water baptized in order to be saved? And if water baptized, must the person baptize you, say in Jesus' name? Well, the answer to both those questions is no. A text that has a lot of confusion and gets a lot of attention is Acts 238. And for some people, it seems to say to them that you must be baptized in water and that you must have it verbally stated over you in Jesus' name. Well, what happens if a person is baptized and the person is doing the baptizing, doesn't say in Jesus' name? Well, they'll say, meaning we'll say, that person is not saved. Well, that necessarily means that you have to, one, be water baptized in order to be saved. And then, two, the correct word formula must be stated over you. There's a big problem with both of those. Let's deal first with the issue of having to say in Jesus' name. Let's go to the text. Acts 2, verse 38, Peter said, Repent each one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus for the remission of your sins or forgiveness of your sins. This issue of in the name of Jesus, does that necessarily mean that you have to say in the name of Jesus? In other words, verbally stating in the name of Jesus. Well, the problem is with that, we've got other passages that say differently. Remember, Jesus makes a statement in Matthew 2819. He says, Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. The problem with that is that seems to be kind of, if you have to have the exact word, the exact phrase as in the name of Jesus, but Jesus stays baptized in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, there's a huge problem. Namely, when Jesus makes this statement, when do they ever baptize in this formula? They never do. There's never an occurrence in the Bible where they verbally say, in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. And then also makes a question, what is the name of the Father? What is the name of the Holy Spirit? We know the name of the Son, but do we have to say the right name of the Son? In other words, if a person is baptized in the name of Jesus, well then the question is, what if we don't say Jesus? What if they say in the name of Yeshua? What if they say in the name of the Jesus? What if they say in the name of the Lord? What if they say in the name of Emanuel? The problem with that is it was never meant to be taken as in the nomenclature, the word that sounds like Jesus. When we say in the name of something or in the name of someone, we are talking about because what the word Onoma, the Greek word for name means, can mean someone's personal name nomenclature, but it also refers to their reputation, what they have done. So based upon what Jesus has done, based upon what the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit has done, that is the gist of our salvation. So based on that, that is who or what we baptize in. And the other issue that we need to deal with is, is baptism what is required, meaning water baptism? Well, the answer to that also is no. Remember 1 Peter 3, 21 tells us that there's something else, an anti-type of symbolism that saves us. Not the removal of filth from flesh, this physical water, but the answer of a good conscience towards God. That is the Holy Spirit that we receive based upon our faith in Christ. As a matter of fact, let's look at a couple of things. First of all, it needs to be understood that the one that actually does the baptizing that saves us is Jesus, not some other man. And so that is a baptism that saves. How do I know? Remember, John makes a statement we see in Matthew, Mark, and John, as well as Jesus reiterates as he says in Mark 1-8, for example, I baptize you with water, but he will, that is Jesus, will baptize you with the Holy Spirit. And remember, the Bible knows of no such believer who has never had the Holy Spirit. Romans 8-9 says, if you don't have the Spirit, you don't have Christ. If you don't have the Spirit or Christ, you are not saved. And the truth of the matter is all have been baptized, according to Paul. In 1 Corinthians 12, starting in verse 12, where even as the body is one and yet has many members, and all members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ. And look what he says. Verse 13, for by one spirit, we were all baptized into one body, whether Jew or Greek, whether slaves or free, we're all made a drink of one spirit. Now, who causes us to make a drink of that one spirit? Who baptizes us into this one body by the Spirit? That is Jesus, according to what the Bible says. And if you take the longer ending of Mark, Mark 16, and I want you to notice something, notice what's missing. In Mark 16, 16, it says that he who believes and has been baptized shall be saved. Now, there's a phrase, a term called exegetical, where we say two things to mean one. For example, in this scripture, the believed and the baptized are synonymous with saying the same thing. And so, how do we know so? He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved. But he who has disbelieved or not believed, that person shall not be saved or shall be condemned. Well, what's missing in the latter part of verse 16? Being baptized or not being baptized, why? Because it's understood that believing and being baptized go hand in hand. If you believe, you are baptized. If you have been baptized, it's because you have believed. And so, when we read Acts 238, the proper way to understand this is not that there's an order to this. First repent and then be baptized and then you receive the Holy Spirit. No. The word that's used here for the word for is the Greek word ice. Let's put it back on the screen and highlight that the word ice right here. This can, it can mean for, but how do we take this? Well, it should be taken as because of or in view of, not in order to get the Holy Spirit, because I think so would be contrary to everything else that we've heard about the scripture. Remember, our faith alone is what says us, not of any sort of words. If baptism is required, water baptism is required, then that would be a work that would cause us to be saved. Further, as we look through scriptures, not everyone that was saved, even in Acts, were water baptized. At least we weren't told. So Acts 1348 says that when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing, glorifying the word of the Lord. And as many as had been appointed to eternal life, they believe there's no mention of them being baptized. And we have a few other instances in even in Acts where they are not baptized in water. But then one specific example where they were baptized in water kind of changes the way some folks have to view Acts 238. Because if you have to repent and then be baptized and then you get the Holy Spirit, well, there's a contradiction then in Acts, very same book, Acts 1044. Look what happens. And while Peter was speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who were listening to the message. All the circumcised believers who came with Peter were maids. Why? Because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles. Notice what had not happened to these Gentiles yet. They had not been baptized as of yet. Now they're going to get baptized, but there's a reverse order. They received the Holy Spirit. That's the more important baptism. They were baptized with the Holy Spirit. Then they were water baptized. Well, wait a second. If Acts 238 means that you must repent, then get baptized, then receive the Holy Spirit. Well, that's in contradiction or at least contrast to what happens in Acts 1044. They received the Holy Spirit, then got baptized. Well, all of this kind of flows together. If a person places their faith in Christ, that person is immediately baptized into the body. And here's the strange part that people don't flesh out. If it's required that you must be baptized, water baptized, and you must have this formula, this word formula, in the name of Jesus. And you have to say it in the English form. You couldn't say another language's version of Jesus. You couldn't say Yeshua, which is the Hebrew version. You couldn't say his name in Greek, which is Jesus. You couldn't call him the Lord. You couldn't call him God. You couldn't say anything other than in the name of Jesus, which by the way is a bit arrogant on our part to say that you must say it the way that we speak. But that aside, think about how odd and how legalistic this would be. As a matter of fact, think about how your salvation would then be dependent upon someone else. For example, you decide to place your faith in Christ on a Thursday and you have to get baptized in water to be saved. The waters aren't flowing until Sunday or whenever someone can get you there. And so in the meantime, between the time you place your faith to the time that you get to the water, you're not saved. You're not totally safe. You're not all the way there yet. And it depends upon some other person dipping you, immersing you into the water in order for you to be saved. But if you can't make it there or something precludes you there, you can't be saved. Even though your heart has been changed, even though your heart has been regenerated, according to what Jesus stated in John 3, that has happened, you're still not saved. And then, oh, by the way, if you do get baptized and the person that's baptizing you happens to say the wrong words. If he happens to say in the name of the Father, the Son, or the Holy Spirit, or if he says, I happen to baptize you upon the profession of your faith, you're not saved. So not only is your salvation based on a second work, which is being baptized in water, it's also based on the person who's baptized you. So that they also play a role in you being saved. Do you see how preposterous that sounds? Now, not only is this a work, this is not only a work for you to be saved, it's also dependent upon the work of someone else. This is not what the Bible requires. The Bible says that we are saved by faith in him. It's our faith alone. Now, should we be baptized? There's nothing wrong with that at all. As a matter of fact, it's a public declaration of what's taking place. But how the world will know that you've been baptized is because the Spirit that's living in you, who Jesus baptized you into and with, then he is living in your life. And so you will start exhibiting the fruits of the very same Spirit that you've been baptized in. And so again, taking Acts 2.38 or any other passage to say that you must be baptized and there's a magic formula to say that in the name of Jesus, it's how it has to be done. Well, that goes contrary to what scriptures say. But the true baptism that takes place in the name of Jesus upon what Jesus has done is your professional faith. And then he, Jesus, the one that actually does the baptizing, he baptizes you into the body and the identifying mark of every Christian is the Holy Spirit. That, my friends, is the baptism that saves you. Amen.