Expert: Dr Don Howe - 8/23/2010

Question
QUESTION: Pastor Yamil Luciano wrote about Baptismal Regeneration. I looked the term up as best I could and found it dealing with the salvation of a person through baptism for the remission of sins.
Mr. Luciano sounded as tho he thinks this doctrine is heretical.
Could you please tell me if this is a common baptist view?
Also I would like to understand the Baptist view on salvation in general. How do we attain it and what scriptures do you have to back it up.

ANSWER: Hannah, thank you for your question. Yamil Luciano is correct in saying Baptismal Regeneration is heretical but it is also false doctrine. This is a mature statement for a young pastor. From what I can tell, Yamil Luciano is an Associate Staff in the Nevada Baptist Convention and Pastor of La Familia de Dios Church in Las Vegas, NV.
  What is Baptismal Regeneration. It is a false doctrine that states baptism is necessary for one has to be baptized in order to be saved. In other words, people who believe in Baptismal regeneration believes being  baptized saves you from going to Hell. Baptist, Roman Catholic, Greek Orthodox Churches,  Anglican Churches, Mormons, Lutherans, and   churches associated with the Restoration movement, which includes the Churches of Christ, are sometimes alleged to support the doctrine of baptismal regeneration.
  Baptismal regeneration is nothing but work salvation.

  Eph. 2:4-9 tells us “But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,  even when we were dead  in our transgressions, made us alive together  with Christ (by grace you have been saved),  and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,  so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith; and  that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.” So it is by God’s grace that we are saved and not of works  and text says nothing about being saved by baptism. It is by grace alone by faith alone through Christ alone that we are saved. Not by baptism.    To say we must be baptized in order to be saved is to say we must add our own good works and obedience to Christ's death in order to make it sufficient for salvation. But Jesus' death alone paid for our sins (Romans 5:8; 2 Corinthians 5:21). Jesus' payment for our sins is appropriated to our “account” by faith alone (John 3:16; Acts 16:31). Therefore, baptism is an important step of obedience after salvation but cannot be a requirement for salvation.

  In Acts 2:28 Peter tells us more about the correct order of events that occur when we become saved. The Bible states “Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.” Repent is metanoeō in the plural sense which means to change one's mind for better, heartily to amend with abhorrence of one's past sins, in other words to be born again. This is when all sinners (remember it is in the plural which means everyone) asks Jesus to be their Savior and asks for forgiveness of their sins. Then Peter states “and be baptized” which is baptizō in the singular which sets off from the rest of the sentence and it means to immerse or to cleanse by dipping or submerging. Peter states very specifically that this is two separate acts one must repent, change one’s mind, or be born again, and then be baptized or immersed in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of our sins, and then the third event takes place which is we receive the Holy Spirit and he lives in us. Notice that it is repentance that results in the remission of sins, and not baptizing.

  Most biblical evangelical Baptist Churches denounce Baptismal regeneration as heresy. Southern Baptist believe by grace your are saved. SBC basis their belief of salvation by the following verses: Genesis 3:15; Exodus 3:14-17; 6:2-8; Matthew 1:21; 4:17; 16:21-26; 27:22-28:6; Luke 1:68-69; 2:28-32; John 1:11-14,29; 3:3-21,36; 5:24; 10:9,28-29; 15:1-16; 17:17; Acts 2:21; 4:12; 15:11; 16:30-31; 17:30-31; 20:32; Romans 1:16-18; 2:4; 3:23-25; 4:3ff.; 5:8-10; 6:1-23; 8:1-18,29-39; 10:9-10,13; 13:11-14; 1 Corinthians 1:18,30; 6:19-20; 15:10; 2 Corinthians 5:17-20; Galatians 2:20; 3:13; 5:22-25; 6:15; Ephesians 1:7; 2:8-22; 4:11-16; Philippians 2:12-13; Colossians 1:9-22; 3:1ff.; 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24; 2 Timothy 1:12; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 2:1-3; 5:8-9; 9:24-28; 11:1-12:8,14; James 2:14-26; 1 Peter 1:2-23; 1 John 1:6-2:11; Revelation 3:20; 21:1-22:5.
  
     
I hope this helps.

Dr Don Howe, RN, PhD, ThD







---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank very much for answering my question. It helps quite a lot actually.
However, I have a follow up question. In Act 2:38 which you quoted in your
answer, the it is stated that baptism is for remission of sins. Why then do you
say that repentance is for remission of sins?

Answer
Thanks Hannah for your question. Always, always, there has to be repentence of sin before one can be saved. One has to recognize that he  is a sinner, repent of his sins, and then in their heart accept Jesus as their Savior. No repentence no remission of sin. One can not just casually say "I think today I will be a Christian." If a person does this then he is wanting to be a Christian for the wrong reason. Maybe a person wants to belong to certain church because he likes the Pastor. Maybe one likes a certain person of the opposite sex who goes to a certain church and they want to belong to the church so they can be near that person. Maybe they want to belong to a church for the social interaction. All three are for the wrong reason. The Holy Spirit is the only one that draws anyone to the Savior. We can not do it just because we want to belong to a certain church.

That is why Evangelism is so important by preaching and teaching the Word of God, so people will be quicken by the Holy Spirit and drawn to the cross. Then one has to repent of his sins and ask Jesus  in their heart. Apostle Peter had it right in Acts 2:38. AFTER ONE HAS ACCEPTED JESUS AS SAVIOR, THEN THEY CAN BE BAPTIZED IN FRONT OF THE WHOLE CHURCH TO SHOW THEY HAVE TRULLY CHANGED. BAPTISIM DOES NOT SAVE ANYONE.

Saying that BAPTISM WILL SAVE A PERSON FROM GOING TO HELL IS FALSE DOCTRINE. Baptism never saved anyone. The blood of the Cross is what saves people who REPENT of their sins.
If baptism becomes a requirement of the remission of sins, then this is WORK SALVATION, and that means that man is saying that the blood of the cross is not sufficient, but "NOW I HAVE TO DO GOOD WORKS AND BE BAPTIZED TO BE SAVED. I KNOW MORE ABOUT HOW TO GET SAVED THEN GOD DOES." False doctrine and teaching.

Hannah, if your church says that baptism will save you, then you need to get out that church.

Infant baptism in liturgical churches is teaching that is false also and has sent many people to Hell because these people thought they were SAVED because they were baptized as a baby. They think they are saved because they were baptized as a baby, and then they sin like crazy in thier adult life. Thinking there is a blanket of forgiveness of their sins just because they were baptized as infant. It ain't going to happen. False doctrine.

I hope this helps.

Dr Don Howe, RN, PhD, ThD