Answers to Twenty-Five Advanced Salvation Questions

Here is the third answer to an advanced salvation question

What is a biblical refutation of annihilationism?

Grudem writes “the idea that there will be eternal conscious punishment of unbelievers has been denied recently even by some evangelical theologians.” He then lists some of these evangelicals in a footnote: “See Philip E. Hughes, The True Image: The Origin and Destiny of Man in Christ (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1989), pp. 405-407; David L. Edwards and John R. W. Stott, Essentials: A Liberal-Evangelical Dialogue (London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1988, pp. 275-76; Clark Pinnock, “The Destruction of the Finally Impenitent,” CthRev 4 (Spring 1990), pp. 243-59).[1]

In addition to the arguments refuting universalism, Jesus’ statement in Matthew 25:46 disproves annihilationism: “And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” The same Greek word aionios for eternal is used to describe both eternal punishment and eternal life. The annihilationists cannot have an eternal heaven without an eternal lake of fire.

            [1] Wayne Grudem. Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1994) 1148.

Ezekiel: The Glory of the Lord

 I. Judgment on Judah (Chapters 1-24)

II. Judgment on Near By Gentile Nations (Chapters 25-32)

III. Blessings on Israel (Chapters 33-48) 

A. New Life for Israel (33-39)

1. Ezekiel Reappointed as a Watchman (33)

2. Present False Shepherds Contrasted with the Future True Prophet (34)

3. An Enemy Nation Defeated (35)

4. The People of God Blessed (36)

5. The Nation Restored (37)

6. Defeat of Far Off Enemy Nations (38-39) (Including Russia, Iran, Sudan, Egypt. Ethiopia, and Libya)

a. Who invades from the north? A Northern Confederation in which Russia is predominant (38:1-6)

b. Where do they invade? Israel (38:7-9)

c. Why do they invade?

First, the human reason for the invasion is given in 38:10-13. The northern confederacy invades to take a spoil. Part two of the questions is answered in 38:14-16. The divine reason is God.

d. What happens at the invasion? The northern army is destroyed by God (38:17-18)

e. How does God destroy the northern army? (38:19-39:8)

f. What are the results of God’s judgment? (39:9-29)

B. New Order for Israel (40-48)

1. A New Temple (40-43)

2. A New Worship (44-46)

3. A New Land (47-48)        

Question about baptizing only in the name of Jesus

I was raised in a oneness Pentecostal church and was taught that baptism in Jesus name was the only legitimate form of baptism according to Acts 2:38. Some believed it was necessary for salvation while some believed it was necessary to be included in the bride of Christ which is a step above being just children of God. I have come to believe that baptismal regeneration is not salvific. I appreciate you bringing out the Greek language in Acts 2:38. This just adds better argument for baptism as obedience, and not justification. 

But I would like to know scriptural arguments on why we baptize in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. How do we say use the formula in Matthew 28:18-20 while Acts 2:38 uses just Jesus name?

That is a really good question. If you will check netbible.org, Thomas Constable gives a good explanation, which I quote here:

Was Peter violating the Lord Jesus’ instructions when the apostle told his hearers to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ alone? Jesus had commanded His disciples to baptize “in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit” (Matt. 28:19). I do not think so. When Jesus gave the Great Commission, He had in view the discipling of the nations: everyone. When evangelizing non-Christians, it was necessary to have them identify with the triune God of Christianity through water baptism. Peter’s audience on the day of Pentecost, however, was Jewish. They needed to identify with the true God too, but identification with Jesus Christ is what Peter stressed since baptism in the name of Jesus would have been a particular problem for Jews. It meant acknowledging Jesus as their God. Jews already accepted the fatherhood of God and the idea that God is a Spirit.

What is proxy baptism (1 Cor. 15:29)?

Bible Knowledge Commentary states that there are approximately 200 explanations for 1 Cor. 15:29 (page 544). The Mormons’ practice of vicarious or proxy baptism is a perversion of this verse as explained by C. Penrose in Mormon Doctrine: “Millions of earth’s sons and daughters have passed out of the body without obeying the law of baptism. Many of them will gladly accept the word and law of the Lord when it is proclaimed to them in the spirit world. But they cannot there attend to ordinances that belong to the sphere which they have left. Can nothing be done in their case? Must they forever be shut out of the kingdom of heaven? Both justice and mercy join in answering ‘yes’ to the first ‘no’ to the last question. What, then, is the way of their deliverance? The living man may be baptized for the dead. Other essential ordinances may be attended to vicariously. This glorious truth hid from human knowledge for centuries, has been made known in this greatest of all divine dispensations….It gives men and women the power to become ‘Saviours on Mount Zion,’ Jesus being the great Captain in the army of redeemers” (page 48).

Some believe Paul is referring to an early version of this false teaching in 1 Cor. 15:29. “Paul does not endorse or support the practice. Indeed his language indicates that he dissociates himself and orthodox believers from it. He asks, ‘What shall they do which are baptized for the dead?’ Not ‘what shall we do.’ Yet he does use “we” in the next verse: ‘And why stand we in jeopardy every hour?’ If he is referring to vicarious baptism at all, Paul appears to draw a clear line of demarcation between they and we” (Alan Cairns, Dictionary of Theological Terms, page 55.

 Another plausible explanation is Paul’s motivation from the truth of the resurrection that we should seek to win people to Christ who will be baptized and serve in the local church in the place of those believers who have died. The “they” Paul is referring to are the ones who will be baptized and take the place of the deceased workers in the church.

We know proxy baptism is unbiblical because salvation is by grace through faith, not of works according to Eph. 2:8-9. Baptismal regeneration is unbiblical for the living and therefore cannot be salvific for the dead either. No one can be saved after death according to Biblical texts like Luke 16:19-31 and Heb. 9:27.

What is alien baptism?

Alien baptism means an unbiblical or defective baptism such as infant baptism, or someone baptized in a baptismal regeneration church, or a false profession baptism. We would not hold to alien baptism as practiced by Landmark Baptists who refuse to accept any baptism except those performed under the auspices of a Landmark Baptist church.          

When Christ gave the Great Commission in Matthew 28:19-20 he commanded the church to make disciples by winning sinners to Christ and then baptizing them. So if a person makes a false profession and is baptized by immersion in a Scriptural local church by definition that baptism would not be a Biblical baptism and therefore an alien (or at least an unscriptural) baptism. That false professor would need to be saved and baptized as a believer.

A Biblical example sometimes cited by those who espouse this position is the rebaptism of John’s disciples in Acts 19:1-7. Paul asked the twelve, “Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, ‘Unto John’s baptism.’ Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus. When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.”

We as local Baptist congregations should not allow persons to join our churches who have not first of all trusted Jesus Christ as their Savior and been Scripturally baptized by immersion. If they had been saved and baptized by sprinkling or pouring or in a church, such as the Church of Christ that believes in baptismal regeneration, then that person should be baptized by immersion understanding the significance of baptism as a picture of the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ.

Trine baptism and what denomination advocates it

The Church of the Brethren actually has six ordinances which include the love feast, the anointing with oil, the laying on of hands, the assembling together for worship, the holy kiss, and trine baptism.

There are several reasons the Church of the Brethren believes in trine baptism which means to baptize the person face forward three times. One reason for the face forward aspect of baptism is that baptism pictures our crucifixion with Christ and John 19:30 says that when Jesus died on the cross “he bowed his head and gave up the ghost.” Therefore baptism face forward is a literal application of the Scripture. The identification with the death of Christ pictured in water baptism by immersion is the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ (Romans 6:1-4) not all of the details of the death of Christ. Because Christ was nailed to a cross, does this mean that this detail must be duplicated in baptism?

The three times forward aspect of water baptism is based on the Trinity in the Great Commission in Matt. 28:19-20. Each baptismal candidate is baptized forward as each name of the Trinity is mentioned. In the Great Commission of Matt. 28:19-20, Jesus said to baptize “in the name” (singular) of God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.” Baptizing once in the singular name of the Trinity emphasizes the deity or essence of the Trinity. There is no evidence from any baptismal passage that the converts were immersed three times face forward. Also in Acts 19:5, the believers were baptized in the short formula of Jesus’ name only and therefore were not baptized three times.

The Didache also called The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles, and written around the turn of the 1st century is referenced as evidence for trine baptism. The part quoted reads: “But concerning baptism, thus baptize, ye having first recited all these precepts, baptize in the name of the Father, Son, and of the Holy Spirit, in running water.” “The Didache states that if immersion is not possible then water was to be poured three times on the head (chap. 7). Notice that this early work does not say to immerse three times, only pour three times” (Ryrie, page 491).

Ryrie also states that “Proponents of trine immersion point out that some lexicons say that baptizo means to dip repeatedly but some do not). The evidence for this view is not strong” (page 492).