Is There Only One True Baptism?

Hello, and welcome to Through the Bible with Les Feldick, an Oklahoma rancher and farmer. Les Feldick has been teaching homestyle Bible classes for over 20 years in Iowa, Oklahoma, and Texas. Les Feldick's unique style of Bible teaching has made the books of the Bible come to life. When Les is teaching, it's so interesting that people say time just seems to fly by. And now, here is Les Feldick. Okay, good to see everybody, and, you know, I had to explain to our television audience one time, when I say I'm glad to see you back, I want them to realize that after every half-hour program, you do go out and have a cup of coffee and one of the girls' cookies and the guys get the cameras ready. So I'm always glad that they're back in from their coffee drinking and back into the studio. So anyway, those of you joining us on television, we're just an informal non-denominational Bible study. We don't particularly, what shall I say, adhere to any one denomination, and not that I'm not a member of a local church or anything like that, but for sake of reaching people, we are going to just stick by what the Word says, and I suppose some of my own denomination don't always agree with me, and all I can say is that's tough. If you can show me from the book that I'm wrong, why fine, but if not, why don't come at me with tradition, because a lot of tradition has been totally misguided. So whatever, all we like people to do is search the Scriptures, and our letters are proof that we're making some headway, where over and over they'll express that they never realized what the Bible really said, and that they have become students, and of course that's all we can ask, is people will just search the Scriptures and look at what it says and what it doesn't say. Well, of course, we've got all the past programs. We always like to mention that for sake of new viewers. All the past programs are available on the videos, and again I like to remind people that we've put six hours or 12 half -hour programs on one video. We send that out postage paid for $30, and then we have the same six hours on an audio cassette package, which we send out for $22, and then the little booklet is the same 12 programs, and we can send that out postage paid for $6, and we just appreciate so much the feedback that we're getting back from the material. Okay, I think that's enough for that, and again we'll get back to where we just left off. I thought I'd finish the whole fourth chapter today, but we'll be lucky I guess to get five or six verses. Wasn't the way I intended it, but once we get into these things, I just can't skip over what I think are little details that make it so interesting. Alright, now verse 5 of Ephesians 4. We continue on with the seven things that make up a unity in the Body of Christ. The One Body, One Spirit, One Hope, and now verse 5. We have One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism, and again we're going to take it one word at a time. One Lord. Now you see, we're living in a world where the New Age movement is coming in, the Oriental religions are coming in. You know, it's almost a travesty that they can teach this Oriental stuff in our public school, and nobody says a word. It's all in the name of education, but can't take a Bible to school practically, can't pray in school like someone said the other day. I wonder where the ACLU was when those kids in Colorado started praying. It makes you wonder. But the ridiculousness of it is that there are so many gods coming up in this world, and yet you and I as believers are admonished that doctrinally there is only One Lord. Now, what I like to show here is that the word Lord is coming out of the Old Testament at least, when we normally have it, I think I can erase most of this now, or we're beyond that for today anyway, that back in Genesis chapter 2 verse 4, in fact maybe we should go back and look at it, turn back to it if you will, to Genesis chapter 2 and verse 4, and back in the Old Testament you have Lord used in two different ways. You have it used all capitalized, and then you also have it used with a small O-R-D with a capital L of course, but back in Genesis chapter 4, did I say 2? Okay, I want chapter 4. No, I don't either. I want chapter 2 verse 4. Yeah, I want chapter 2 verse 4. I'll write the first time. Here's a good example what I'm talking about. Now, all the way of course through chapter 1 you've seen God. God said, and God did, and God was pleased, and now all of a sudden in chapter 2 verse 4, verse, the last part of the verse, "...in the day that the Lord God..." See now, if you'd been in the same format with chapter 1, it would have said in the earth when they were created, "...in the day that God made the earth and heaven." Typographical error? No, no, it's exactly the way it's supposed to be. Here we now have the Lord God in capital L's, capital L-O-R-D, and those of you who've heard me teach Genesis, and I think a lot of our programs now are back in Genesis again, it's from this capital L-O-R-D that we really get the Old Testament term Jehovah, whereas Lord in the small letters is Adonai in the Hebrew, and it is translated over and over throughout the Scripture as Master, see, and that makes all the difference in the world. Same God, same God, but see Paul now is using the term Lords, capital L-O -R-D, and he is referring to the Master part of our Savior and our Lord. Now if you'll come back with me again to Ephesians, one Lord, and it's not all four capitalized, it's capital L-O-R -D, and so literally I think we can take it right out of the Old Testament setting that we have one Master, one Lord, and of course it's implied, we'll get to verse 6 where it is the same God and Father, but back up here in verse 5 we're looking at the small L-O -R-D factor, which is again, He is our Master. Now the disciples, if I remember correctly, referred to the Lord more times as Master than almost anything else, didn't they? And it was such an appropriate term, because indeed that's what He is. And so when we come back to Paul's teaching of the Lord being our Master, that means everything, because we're His bond slaves as it were, He is the benevolent Master, He is never hard to serve, and so consequently we have a Lord that we can serve with all the, what shall I say, all the energy that is in our being, because He is so benevolent toward us. And I don't know how else to put it, and He is the only Lord that we serve. He doesn't have all these other aspects that the pagans had and so forth, so we have one Lord, one Master, one Creator God, but I'll come to that more in verse 6. Alright, now the next part, one faith. Boy, now I could stay here all day, couldn't I? Stop and think of the world in general. How many faiths are there? Yeah, you're already cringing. Well we couldn't begin to count the number of what they call various faiths, even within Christendom. Now I always have to qualify. When I use the word Christendom, I'm not talking about the Body of Christ. When I use the word Christendom, I'm talking about anybody and everybody that uses the New Testament to some degree or other for the basis of what they practice. So within the realm of Christendom, how many faiths? Oh my goodness, you know, even amongst Protestantism, most people will think of, well I belong to the Methodist faith, I belong to the Baptist faith, or I belong to the Methodist faith, and so on and so forth, and they've broken it all down to these various faiths, plural. But what does the Scripture say? There's only one. There's only one faith, and we are to stand for it. Now turn back with me to Jude. Now we're not to be adversarial just for the sake of being argumentative or anything like that. But on the other hand, we are to never compromise our faith, which we trust is the one faith that Paul is talking about. The little book of Jude, dropping down to verse 3. Jude, it's only one chapter, so verse 3, And Jude writes, Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you, that you should earnestly contend for what? The faith. The faith. Not just your faith, but the faith. And what's the faith? Well now let's just go back and look at some of the places that Paul uses it, because I'm always stressing that Paul is the apostle of the Gentiles. He is basically the church age apostle. And so let's come back to his letter to the Romans in chapter 3. And he uses this word over and over throughout his letters, faith. And of course you all know my definition of faith. Taking God at His word. And it's never a bad definition. Faith is always taking God at His word. God said it, I believe it. And God reckons that as our faith. And so there's only one of those. You can't just simply say, well I look at it this way, and He looks at it that way. No, there's only one faith. Like I said at the beginning of the first program, this book is narrow. This book is not something that you can just look at it from 15 different directions, and say, well we're all going to the same place. No way. All right, Romans 3. Oh goodness. Let's start at verse 23. For all have sinned because of Adam, and come short of the glory of God. Now then, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God hath set forth to be propitiation through, what's the next word? Faith. See? Through faith in His blood. All right, let's use my definition for the word faith. And let's just feed it in here. That we are realizing God's propitiation through taking God at His word concerning His what? His blood. I'm going to take God at His word about what He has said about His blood. And I haven't got time in this half hour to look at the various verses, but from your own knowledge of Scripture, what is the one major attribute of the blood of Christ? What does it do? Cleanses us from all sin, for the blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth us from all sin. And we know that the blood of Christ is the power, see, that has been able to withstand all the forces of Satan that would destroy us. And again, let me just take you back to the night of the Passover. Why did those Jews stand there at their kitchen table eating that roast lamb with no fear and trepidation of the death angel that was striking all over Egypt? Why could they stand there in their kitchen and have complete peace and safety? The blood was on the door, see? The blood was on the door, and it was their mark of safety. It's the same way with us. Why are you and I safe? We're under the blood, see? And so I have to tell people this constantly, that Satan can't touch us because we're under the blood. How do I know I'm under the blood? The Bible says so. And if the Bible says so, then I take it as what God has said. I take Him at His word. All right, and so this is a good example. Read it again. Verse 25. "...whom God has set forth to be a propitiation through taking God at His word concerning His blood, and to declare His righteousness for the remission of sins that are past." And oh, let's see. Let's just back up a page to chapter 1 in Romans. Romans 1-16, a well-known verse. Now the word faith itself isn't in here, but the synonymous word is. And you know, I've always said there's three words in Scripture that all mean the same thing. What are they? Faith, believe, and trust. They're all the same thing. All right, now look at it in verse 16 of Romans 1. "...for I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ. For it," the gospel, "...is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that..." What? Believe it. Or does what? Takes God at His word. See? "...to every person who takes God at His word, to the Jew first, and also to the Greek." And so all the way through. Now let's come all the way over to, oh, for sake of time, let's come back to Ephesians where we were several weeks ago in chapter 2. In Ephesians chapter 2, verse 8. A classic salvation verse. Ephesians 2, verse 8. "...for by grace are you saved through taking God at His word." See how plain that is? By grace we're saved through taking God at His word. "...and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God." And so all the way through. Galatians. Back up a chapter because we've got to hit as many of these as we can. Galatians chapter 2, verse 20. This is Paul's own testimony. Galatians 2, verse 20. "...I," Paul writes, "...am crucified with Christ. Nevertheless I live." So it's an identification process. "...Yet not I, but Christ liveth in me, and the life which I now live in the flesh." In other words, in his day-to-day experience. "...I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." In other words, again what's Paul saying? He's taking God at His word. The Son of God is the One who was declared. Now that brings me back to still another verse, and that'd be back to Romans again. Romans chapter 1. I hope this all fits in your mind, as at least it does in mine. Romans chapter 1, beginning in verse 4. Romans 1, verse 4. "...And declared," that is Jesus Christ in verse 3, "...and declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead, by whom," Paul says, "...we have received grace and apostleship." But for what purpose? For the obedience to the what? To the faith, see? "...among all nations for His name." And again, what's he talking about? So that people would take God at His word. And what has the Word of God declared? That Christ died for our sins. He paid our sin penalty, but He arose from the dead, see? And this is all taken by faith, and there's only one. You can't put your faith in some other god. You can't put your faith in a denomination. You can't put your faith in some great, beautiful Oedipus. Our faith has to be completely centered on the One who went to the cross, and rose from the dead. Alright, now we've got to go on to the next one in Ephesians chapter 4, verse 5. And again, I hope that as I'm teaching these words one by one, you're getting the picture that out there in the world around us, instead of being one of any one of these, we've got many. Oh, we've got many so-called bodies of Christ, and they know nothing of the gospel. We've got so many spirits that are working. We have so many various hopes that people are clinging to, and they're hopeless. We have so many gods, and not like the pagans exactly, but they had gods and goddesses both. And Paul says, uh-uh, there's only one. Now we've got all the various faiths. I hope you're getting the picture. Now it's the same way with the next word, believe it or not. One baptism. And oh, as I said on my program more than once over the years, there is probably no other one word in the Christian language that will set people's hair on end quicker than to disagree with them over baptism. And isn't it funny? Something as really doctrinally unimportant so far as our salvation is concerned, can cause such enmity, and the sparks just fly immediately. All right, now let's just look at it a minute. One baptism, and even as your mind is floating out there amongst the world of Christendom, how many different kinds of baptism can you think of? Oh, some sprinkle, some pour, some immerse, some do one way or another, some demand it has to be in a creek, and some do it in a this moat. And I'll never forget years back, I don't know whether these churches even exist anymore, but there were two churches out on the East Coast. One baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, the other baptized in the name of the Son, the Father, and the Holy Spirit. And other than that, their teachings and their doctrines weren't all that, but they wouldn't accept one another's members. I mean they were just at complete odds, simply because of the terminology that they used when they baptized. Ridiculous, isn't it? When you really stop to think about it. Alright, but Paul says again, there aren't four or five different modes of baptism, there aren't two or three different ways of doing it, there's only one. Now, we've already looked at it previously, but I'm going to take you back and look at it again. 1 Corinthians chapter 12, and this is the only baptism that Paul knows. And as I've taught my classes here in Oklahoma over and over, it's the only baptism that will make a difference for eternity. You can be baptized in water a hundred times, and it's not going to fit you for eternity. You can be baptized by sprinkling or any other way, I don't care how many times, it's not going to fit you for eternity. There's only one baptism that will do that, and that's this one that Paul teaches in 1 Corinthians. Verse 13, Now remember, Paul always writes to what kind of people? Believers, see? He doesn't write to the unsaved world, he writes to the believer. And so he says to you and I as believers, we are all baptized into one body, the one that we talked about in the first half hour today. And being baptized into one body, and all the members of that one body being many are one body, so also is Christ. So by one Holy Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jew or Gentile, bond or free, it doesn't make any difference to our status in life. There's only one baptism that counts for eternity, and that's the moment we believe the Gospel, the Holy Spirit in His invisible, all-powerful modus operandi placed the believer into the body of Christ. That's the one baptism that Paul talks about in Ephesians. He never mentions water baptism in this book, because you see, we made that jump up, and we're coming from even his earlier revelations to these later ones as we had it on the board earlier, and so now he can define the fact that there is only one baptism that counts for eternity. Now, I'm not putting down what denominations may demand for church membership. That's up to them. I don't care what they demand for their church business, and that's not my prerogative. My prerogative is to show what is the Bible talking about, and it is talking about that the moment we were saved, we were placed into the body of Christ, and as I've said over and over over the years we've been on television, there are no unbelievers in the body of Christ. Not a one, because see the Holy Spirit never goofs. You and I can miss, I can remember back in my earlier days when I was in a congregation that interviewed their candidates for baptism. Interviewed them, can you imagine? And if we didn't think that they had a real salvation experience, it was our prerogative to forbid baptism. Not that it ever happened, but that was our prerogative. Now I look back at it and I think, how in the world could I do something like that? I can't look on the heart, I can't tell if someone is genuinely saved, and neither can any other group of men in whatever denomination. And so this is the reason that local churches, again I don't care what denomination, they have unbelievers baptized and in their membership, because humans cannot determine. But the Holy Spirit never makes a mistake. The Holy Spirit knows the moment a heart truly believes, and immediately the Holy Spirit places us. Again come back to chapter 1, a verse that we've used earlier, but I guess these are all so important that this is why I'm hitting them today. Back to chapter 1 in Ephesians, verse 13. A good verse, oh use it, use it on your friends. I had such an interesting phone call this morning from a gentleman down in Florida, kind of phone calls that just make your day. And he had a next of kin and a nephew I think it was, I could never approach them, they wouldn't listen to me. So I finally got the idea that I'd tape your program, and I took some of your tapes and just simply asked if they'd watch them. And he said in no time at all, both that dad and his son were saved. And now they're working with me to reach other members of the family. Well now that says it should be, see. Now that's what I'm talking about, that when you get that kind of a salvation experience, and being able to pass it on to others. Oh I've only got 30 seconds left, okay verse 13 quickly. And after you heard the word of truth, that gospel of your salvation, in whom also after you believed, you were sealed, how? By that Holy Spirit of promise. And what was the sealing? Placing us into the body of Christ, becoming indwelt by the Holy Spirit, who became God's brand on us, that we belong to him. Thank you for watching Through the Bible with Les Feldick, a weekly Bible study. If you would like more information about the Les Feldick Ministries, a Bible study in your area, or about this program, write to Les Feldick Ministries, Route 1, Box 760, Kenta, Oklahoma, 74552. That's Route 1, Box 760, Kenta, Oklahoma, 74552. Through the Bible with Les Feldick is viewer supported, and your gift is appreciated. Thank you, and be sure to tune in next time, for Through the Bible with Les Feldick.