No, baptism into Jesus Christ is not water baptism; it is the work of the Holy Spirit placing believers into Christ's death and into His body.
According to Les Feldick, water baptism cannot accomplish the spiritual realities Paul describes in Romans 6, such as being buried with Christ into death and walking in newness of life. Instead, this baptism is performed by the Holy Spirit, who engulfs believers into the body of Christ, as seen in 1 Corinthians 12:13.
Romans 6:3 — This verse introduces the concept of being baptized into Jesus Christ and His death, which Les identifies as spiritual, not water.
1 Corinthians 12:13 — Paul clarifies that by one Spirit we are all baptized into one body, showing the baptism that places believers into Christ is Spirit-led.
In Romans 6:3-4, Paul asks, "Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life." This passage connects baptism with death and resurrection, not with water. In 1 Corinthians 12:13, Paul states, "For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit." Here, the Spirit is the agent of baptism, and the body is the body of Christ. The Bible does not explicitly say that water baptism accomplishes these spiritual realities, and the evidence points to a Spirit baptism that unites believers with Christ.
Les Feldick teaches that being "baptized into Jesus Christ" is not water baptism but the work of the Holy Spirit. In Romans 6, Paul describes a burial into Christ's death, which water cannot perform. Les emphasizes that this baptism places believers into the body of Christ, as stated in 1 Corinthians 12:13, where the Holy Spirit is the baptizer. He contrasts this with water baptism, which he says only makes one a member of a denomination or church and does not ensure eternal salvation. The Spirit baptism is what counts for eternity, as it engulfs the believer into the body of Christ.
Les teaches that water baptism cannot do what Paul speaks of in Romans 6—it cannot give new life or bury us into Christ's death. He notes that denominations baptize into the church, not into death, and that water baptism alone does not place anyone into the body of Christ. Even those baptized in water can remain unsaved if they are not true believers.
Les explains that the Holy Spirit baptizes every born-again believer into the body of Christ, as stated in 1 Corinthians 12:13. This baptism is spiritual and happens at the moment of salvation. It makes no difference what water, such as Jordan or Timbuktu river water, was used; the Spirit's baptism is what secures the believer for eternity.
Les notes that the phrase "body of Christ" is unique to Paul's writings. He connects this to the church, which is His body. This concept is introduced in 1 Corinthians 12 and further clarified in Ephesians 1, emphasizing the spiritual union believers have with Christ through the Spirit's baptism.
Why Grace Is Not a License to Sin — Romans 6 Explained
For if the truth of God had more abounded through my lie under his glory, why yet am I also judged or concluded as a sinner? And not rather, and then in parentheses, as we be slanderously reported, and some affirm that we say, you see what he's saying? We are being falsely accused of this very thing that when we proclaim the grace of God as being so great and so free, then they accuse us of saying…
Water Baptism Cannot Achieve This
Les explains that Romans 6:4 speaks of a baptism into death, which water baptism cannot accomplish since denominations baptize into the church, not into death.
Spirit Baptism into Christ's Death
Les identifies the baptism into Jesus Christ as the Holy Spirit's work, engulfing believers into the body of Christ and into His death, burial, and resurrection.
Two Baptisms Explained: What Most Christians Miss in Acts 1
We have all been made to drink or partake into that One Spirit for the body that is the body of Christ is not one member, but many. Now as you'll read your Bible, you'll notice that that, as I said, is a term unique only to Paul. The church, which is his body. The body of Christ, which is the church. And that makes all the difference.
The Only Baptism That Counts for Eternity
Les asserts that the Spirit's baptism into the body of Christ is what secures salvation, regardless of any water baptism.
Convinced It's Spirit Baptism
Les states his conviction that the baptism in Romans 6 is not water baptism but the Holy Spirit's baptism, since water cannot give new life.
Unbelievers Not in the Body
Les emphasizes that water baptism can make members of local churches but does not place anyone into the body of Christ, which only Spirit-baptized believers enter.
Only Saved Are in the Body
Les concludes that only true believers are placed into the body of Christ by the Holy Spirit, and water baptism does not ensure that.
Romans 6:3: Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?
This verse introduces the concept of baptism into Christ, which Paul explains is into His death, not water.
Romans 6:4: Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
This verse shows that baptism into Christ is a spiritual burial and resurrection, which water cannot achieve.
1 Corinthians 12:13: For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.
This verse explicitly states that the Spirit is the baptizer into the body of Christ, not water.
Galatians 2:20: I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
This verse connects with the believer's death to old Adam and life in Christ, which is the result of the Spirit's baptism into His death.
According to Les Feldick, water baptism does not place a person into the body of Christ or ensure eternal salvation. Only the Holy Spirit's baptism, which happens at the moment of belief, places a believer into the body of Christ and secures salvation.
Water baptism is a physical act performed by men, symbolizing something but unable to give new life. Spirit baptism is the work of the Holy Spirit, who engulfs the believer into the body of Christ, as taught in 1 Corinthians 12:13.
No, Les teaches that water baptism can make one a member of a local church, but it does not place anyone into the body of Christ. Only the Holy Spirit baptizes believers into the body, regardless of water baptism.
Watch the Teaching: Why Grace Is Not a License to Sin — Romans 6 Explained