10250 North Freeway @ West Road
Houston, Texas 77037
Tel: (281) 447-8484
10250 North Freeway @ West Road
Houston, Texas 77037
Tel: (281) 447-8484
BORN OF WATER
Written by H. Frank Fort
This material is copyrighted and may not be copied or reproduced without the express written permission of the Berean Baptist Church.
To order a copy of Born
of Water,
please visit our Publications section.
" BORN OF WATER "
In the
third part of this discussion, I propose to prove that "born of water"
is not baptism and that only Baptists believe, John
3:5, after the "due order." I have already proven that
Campbellites must change the verse in order to get their "begotten of God" and "born
of water" doctrine to stand up.
If they say
it doesn't make any difference what the order is or which of the phrases come
first, then their subject could be born (brought forth) before he is "begotten". Why not? Mr. Hogan (Campbellite) had two men "begotten
of God" one night and they were not "born"
until the next day at the baptizing. Now reverse the order if it doesn't make
any difference he will have an abortion "born"
a day ahead of time. These gentlemen take the same view of every other scripture
that contradicts their doctrine. Take II Tim. 1:9 and ask a Campbellite if he believes it in that order.
Take Acts 10:44-48 and ask if he will
take it in this order. Certainly not. Why? Because the truth cannot be made to
square with a system of lies. For the same reason, John 3:5, is held on to tenaciously for the water's sake, but the
order is reversed for the doctrine's sake. Now I shall prove that there is no
more "water" in John 3:5
than there is "rock" in Matt.
16:18. That the water in John 3:5
is just as symbolical as the "rock" of Matt. 16:18.
Only
Campbellites can answer this riddle, "What is it that has two fathers, yet
is not a child and has no mother?" "Why a man that has made the good
confession waiting for baptism." Can Campbellites evade the conclusion? Let
them try it by answering the following statements from three of their preachers.
1.
"When one has faith in his
heart--he is begotten (born) of God but is not yet a child of God,"
Harding-Nichol Debate, page 71.
2.
"I baptize a child of the
devil," Borden-Ballard Debate. "A
child of the devil," C. D. Nichol.
3.
"Water-the female
factor," Hogan, "then comes
baptism and he (believer) is born of water," Harding-Nichol Debate,
page 75.
Therefore, "born
of God," still a "child of
the devil" and without a "mother."
Now to the
truth on John 3:5, "Except a man
be born of water and (of) the Spirit he cannot enter the Kingdom of God."
This verse does not say "begotten of
the Spirit" and "born of
water," but be born is singular and is effected through "Water and
the Spirit." Whatever the term "born again" in John
3:3 means, it is "of Water and the Spirit". The action of both is
concerted in effecting the new birth. It doesn't say it is begun by the Spirit
and finished by the water, one part today and the other tomorrow, but simply
teaches the "birth" is "of water and the Spirit."
Now remember
Christ had said "marvel not that I said unto thee ye must be born
again," John 3:7, and then said,
in rebuke, "Art thou a master of Israel and knowest not these things?"
John 3:10. In what way could an Israelite, who knew the Old Testament
teaching, possibly know "that born of water" meant baptism? It had
certainly never been taught by any being, human or divine. Yet Christ rebuked
him for not knowing something he should have known by the teaching of the
scriptures in his possession, namely the Old Testament. I affirm that Nicodemus
could know from the Old Testament the necessity for the "new birth." I
submit the proof for those who want the truth. Christ said, "That which is
born of flesh is flesh and that which is born of the Spirit is Spirit, " John
3:6. Now Christ was talking to "the seed of Abraham," John 8:37, after the flesh, or the fleshly descendant of Abraham.
But "They are not all Israel, which are of Israel: NEITHER BECAUSE THEY ARE
THE SEED OF ABRAHAM ARE THEY CHILDREN, but in ISAAC shall thy seed be called.
That is they, which are the CHILDREN OF THE FLESH, THESE ARE NOT THE CHILDREN OF
GOD, but the children of the promise are counted for the seed, "Rom.
9:6-8.
1.
The seed of Abraham, after the flesh.
2.
The children of God, by the promise.
"For he
is not a Jew (spiritually) which is
one outwardly (circumcised) but he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and
circumcision is that of the heart," Rom.
2:28-29. Compare with Rom. 9:6-8 above
and with the following statements, "I know that ye are Abraham's seed
(fleshly) but ye seek to kill me, because my word hath no place IN YOU, " John
8:37.
• A Jew
outwardly, natural seed of Abraham.
"If ye were Abraham's children
(inwardly), ye would do the works of Abraham," John
8:39. What were they? "Your father, Abraham, rejoiced to see my day,
and he saw it and was glad, " John
8:56. "But you seek to kill me...this did not Abraham," John
8:40. Now hear Christ, "He came unto His own and His own (people, the
Jews) received Him not. But to as many (of them) as received Him to them gave He
power to become the Sons of God (the children of God, Rom.
9:8) even to them (seed of Abraham) that believed on His name (thus become
children of Abraham according to promise), which were born (the birth of John
3:5) not of blood, nor the will of the flesh, John
3:6, nor of the will of man, but of GOD", John
1:11-13.
From the
foregoing scriptures, no man unless theologically tampered with could fail to
see that Christ came to the "seed of Abraham" (outwardly) who were
merely the natural seed, and was generally rejected, but some of "Abraham's
seed" received Him and became "the children of
Abraham" (inwardly), and that the
transition from "the seed" to "the children" was the
"new birth". This is what Christ talked to Nicodemus about, who was
addressed as a teacher in Israel and who should have known about the being born
again he discussed in John 3:3-8.
This was made obvious by Christ, when He said, "Art thou a teacher in
Israel and knowest not these things?" Now before I give the proof, permit
me to say that I do not believe as some Baptists do that "born of
water" is equivalent to "born of flesh." First, because the
action of both phrases "born of water and (of) the Spirit" in John
3:5 is simultaneous in effecting the birth. Second, because the
"flesh" of John 3:6 is the ''natural seed of Abraham" and that "born
of the Spirit" is "the children of Abraham" as in John
8:39 and Rom. 9:8. Now ladies and gentlemen, if "the children of promise
are counted for the seed (in Isaac), Rom. 9:7-8, then "as ISAAC WAS, SO ARE WE THE CHILDREN OF
PROMISE," Gal. 4:28, "and
if ye be Christ's, THEN are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the
promise, Gal. 3:29. So you see that
in the change from the "seed of Abraham after the flesh" to the
"heirs according to the promise" after the Spirit necessitates the new
birth of
John
3:3-5 and John
1:11-13.
1.
"Flesh--Spirit," John
3:6.
2.
"Flesh--God," John 1:13.
"God is
a Spirit," John 4:24. Therefore,
to be "born of God" in John
1:13 is to be "Born of the Spirit" in John 3:5-6, but the means by which God "begets" is
"the word of truth," James 1:18,
or the "Incorruptible Word," I Pet. 1:23, or the "Gospel, " I Cor. 4:15. Now the Word is not the Spirit, but the "sword of the
Spirit", Eph. 6:17. The
"Sword" (word) is preached and "faith cometh by hearing...the
word of God," Rom. 10:17. Those
who "believe ore sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise," Eph. 1:13.
1.
Hear the Word.
2.
Believe the Word.
3. Sealed by
the Spirit.
Again Paul
said, "Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of
faith?" Gal. 3:2.
• Received ye the
Spirit--by the hearing of faith. Again Paul said, "Because ye are sons, God
hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying Abba,
Father," Gal. 4:6. But "ye are all the children of God by faith in
Christ Jesus, " Gal. 3:26.
"For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God...ye
have received the Spirit of adoption whereby we cry Abba, Father," Rom.
8:14-15. "The world receiveth not the Spirit," John 14:17. "If any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is
none of his," Rom. 8:9. From the
foregoing scriptures I have proven:
1.
That faith comes by hearing the word of God.
2.
That the Spirit was given to those that believed.
3.
That this is the "due order":
a.
Faith by hearing, Rom. 10:17.
b.
Spirit by believing, Eph. 1:13.
4.
That the world received not the Spirit, John
14:17.
5.
But "sons" did, Gal. 4:6.
6.
That they then "cried Father."
7.
Thus, "Word and Spirit" necessary to this end, and in this
order.
Now if we
prove "water" in John 3:5
is symbolical of the "Word," we will then have the order observed in
all the passages given above and prove that "born of water" is not
baptism.
Now remember,
Nicodemus did not understand Christ on the new birth, but he should have, for
which failure Christ rebuked him. But Nicodemus, a Jew, had only the Old
Testament scriptures, therefore, if he should have known what Christ was talking
about, we ought to find it in those scriptures. This we shall do.
Of the change
in men (and Borden said every change takes place in man--before baptism, every
one) through the new covenant as prophesied, we read, "Then will I sprinkle
clean WATER upon you, and as a result) ye shall be CLEAN: from all your
filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you, " Ezek.
36:25.
1. Sprinkle
CLEAN WATER.
2. And ye
shall be CLEAN.
Was this
WATER baptism? To ask the question is to answer it. Hear Christ, "Now ye
are CLEAN (How)? through the WORD which I have spoken unto you," John
15:3.
•
CLEAN--THROUGH--THE--WORD.
Again,
"Jesus said to him (Peter), he that is WASHED needeth not save to wash his
feet, but is clean every whit: and ye are CLEAN, but not ALL. For he knew who
should betray him; therefore said he. Ye are not ALL CLEAN," John 13:10-11.
Now,
ladies and gentlemen, if this WASHING was baptism, then Judas was clean, for he
had been baptized like the rest, but Christ said he was not clean. But since the
cleansing was done by washing, if we can learn how the cleansing was done, we
will know what the washing was. Well just read John
15:3.
This, Ezekiel
prophesied and Nicodemus should have known, Ezek. 36:25, John 3:10.
Again, "A new heart ALSO (with the cleansing) will I give you, and a new
spirit will I put within (the heart, II
Cor. 1:22) you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh Rom.
8:5-9 and I will give you a heart of flesh," Ezek.
36:26.
1.
Cleansing,
2.
A new heart.
This is the
"due order." "The new heart within you," of Ezekiel's
prophecy is found in the following scriptures in the New Testament: II Cor. 4:16, II Cor. 1:22, I Pet. 3:4, Eph. 1:13, Eph. 4:30, Rom. 8:23,
Rom. 8:11, Psalm 22:26.
Now I shall
prove that Nicodemus should have, by the term "born again" as used by
the Lord, known what He meant. Hear it please, "Who hath heard such a
thing? Who hath seen such things? Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one
day? Or shall a NATION BE BORN AT ONCE? FOR AS SOON AS ZION TRAVAILED, SHE
BROUGHT FORTH HER CHILDREN," Isa.
66:8. One may say it doesn't say "born again. " It doesn't have
to. The apostle Paul said, "And last of all (the witnesses) He (Christ) was
seen (on the Damascus rood) of me also, as of one born out of due season," I
Cor. 15:8. But just in case this doesn't clarify the subject. Let us observe
one other passage that shall. The twenty-second Psalm tells us of the
crucifixion of Christ. In Verse 22,
we read, "I will declare thy name unto my brethren John20:17
and in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee," Psalm
22:22. Again, "The meek shall eat and be satisfied: they shall praise
the Lord that seek him: your heart shall five forever," Psalm 22:26. Now
notice, "They shall come, and
shall declare his righteousness unto a people that shall be BORN, that he hath
done this," Psalm 22:31.
1.
Declare his righteousness
2.
To a people (Born once)
3.
That shall (by the message) BE BORN (again).
This
Nicodemus should have known from the Old Testament scriptures. "Now I say
that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision," Rom.
15:8. "It was necessary that the Word of God should FIRST hove been
spoken to you," (Jews) Acts 13:46.
"The Word which God sent unto the children of Israel," Acts
10:36. "And he shall send Jesus Christ which was BEFORE preached unto
you (ye men of Israel. Verse 12),"
Acts 3:20. "He came unto his own," John 1:11. "Go ye to the lost sheep of the House of Israel,
" Matt. 20:6. These scriptures
prove that the first coming of Christ was to "Israel" and through
their "unbelief" salvation came to the Gentiles, Rom 11:11,20. Anyone can see that Jesus Christ was a minister to the
"Circumcision" of the flesh that they might be circumcised in heart,
through the new birth. As Moses wrote, "And the Lord thy God will
circumcise thy heart (Israel's)" Deut.
30:6, and Paul wrote, "But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; (as well
as outwardly) and circumcision is that of the heart, " Rom.
2:29. Now a child can see that in order for an Israelite in the flesh to be
"of Israel" after the Spirit, he must be born again. This Christ
affirmed to a "Jew outwardly," John
3:3-6. "Ye must be born again," John
3:3.
The three following scriptures are
interpreted as meaning the same thing. Namely baptism, by all sects from
Catholics down:
•
"Born of Water," John 3:5.
•
"Washing of Water," Eph. 5:26.
•
"Washing of regeneration," Titus
3:5.
The above
phrases are the first in the scriptures cited, and the second phrases in each
scripture and in the order above are as follows:
1.
"And of the Spirit," John
3:5.
2.
"By the word," Eph. 5:26.
3.
"Renewing of the Holy Ghost," Titus
3:5.
One can
readily see the consistent order of the three passages above. "The washing
of water by the Word" is equivalent to saying that whatever the term
"washing of water" means, it is through the means of, that is,
"by the Word." Therefore, whatever it means, it follows the preaching
of the word. This, no one can successfully deny.
Now in spite
of the fact that Campbellites, Catholics, Mormons, Lutherans, Episcopalians, and
others use all these passages to teach the new birth through baptism, I am going
to prove that these three passages do not teach the same thing at all. Notice in
Eph. 5:26 it isn't said, "that
he might save the church by the washing of water and the word," but
"sanctify the church by the washing of water by the word. " Now, if
the "washing of water" here is equivalent to "born of water"
in John 3:5, why does it say in Eph.
5:26, "BY THE WORD," and in John
3:5, "AND THE SPIRIT". One is the medium through which; the other
an addition to the preceding phrase to accomplish the same thing successfully.
Second, Eph. 5:26 doesn't read to
"save or beget" but does say "that he might sanctify it."
Now what is the antecedent of "it"? Why the church, of course, Eph.
5:26. But God doesn't beget the church or cause the church to be born by
baptism, but a "child of the devil." Campbellism, itself, being
witness. But Christ does "cleanse and sanctify the church by the washing of
water by the word," Eph. 5:26.
Now this church that He cleanses by the washing of water, by the word, He
"first loved and gave himself for it," Eph.
5:25. Let us see who it was.
"Having
loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end," John
13:1. "Jesus saith unto him (Peter), he that is washed needeth not save
to wash his feet, but is clean every whit: and ye are CLEAN, BUT NOT ALL
(Judas), John 13:10-11. "Ye are CLEAN through the WORD," John
15:3. "Those that thou hast GIVEN ME I have kept," John
17:12. "MY SHEEP hear my voice," John
10:27, (His sheep). "I give my life for THE SHEEP," John
10:15. "Sanctify them (the ones Christ loved and gave himself for, and
kept) THROUGH THY TRUTH: THY WORD IS TRUTH," John
17:17. Now notice:
1.
Loved His own.
2.
Gave Himself for them.
3.
Prayed that they (not sinners) be sanctified by the truth.
Now compare
these facts with Eph. 5:25, 26,
"Christ also loved the church (His own,
John 13:1) and gave himself for it, John
10:15, that he might sanctify it, John
17:17, by THE WASHING OF WATER BY THE WORD." Compare this last phrase
with John 13:10-11 and John
15:3 and try, if you are commonly honest, to get BAPTISM out of Eph.
5:26. It is doubtless obvious to the average intelligence, and if not to you
by now, God takes care of babies and the mentally irresponsible, that Eph.
5:26 is not a parallel.
"Except
a man be (1) born of water and (2) the Spirit," John 3:5.
"By the
(1) washing of regeneration, and (2) renewing of the Holy Ghost," Titus
3:5.
Now since
"water" and "washing" precede in point of order and is
followed by "and the Spirit" and "renewing of the Holy
Ghost," and since, all who say the former phrases mean "baptism,"
let us take two passages of where "baptism" occurs and see if the
order is parallel.
"He that
(1) believeth and is (2) baptized," Mark
16:16.
"They
that gladly (1) received his Word were (2) baptized," Acts 2:4.
The order (if
"Water" and "Washing" mean baptism) is the exact opposite in
Acts 2:41, Mark 16:16, from that in John
3:5, Titus 3:5.
Now my dear
reader, WHO OBSERVES THE "DUE ORDER"? Baptists or Campbellites? There
isn't a Campbellite preacher on earth that believes John 3:5, Titus 3:5 as
they are. They must reverse the order in order to make their "begotten
of God" by believing, and "born
of Water" by baptism doctrine stand up. I challenge them to deny it.
They can't successfully deny it in view of their doctrine. So what do they do?
Why, just say it doesn't make any difference, of course.
In spite of Matt.
21:32 on repentance and faith, they reverse the order. Also Heb.
6:1, Acts 20:21, Mark 1:15, in spite of II
Tim. 1:9 they say Paul was saved three days after he was called of God. In
spite of Eph. 5:25 they say the
church didn't exist when Christ gave Himself. In spite of I
Thess. 1:10 they say one is only delivered from
"past sins." In spite of John
3:5, Tit. 3:5 they teach one is
begotten of God before he is born. In spite of Rev.
3:21 they teach Christ is now on His throne. In spite of Matt.
19:28, Matt. 25:31 they teach that Christ is now on the throne of His glory.
In spite of John 6:47 they teach you don't have eternal life. In spite of Rom.
4:5 they teach you must work for salvation. In spite of Rom.
5:2 they teach baptism is the means of access into grace. In spite of Rom.
1:16 they teach baptism is the power to a believer. In spite of I
Cor. 15:1-4, I Cor. 1:17, I Cor.
4:15, Acts 26:22-23 that baptism is a part of the gospel. They have a system
of religion that is steamed up and running full blast in REVERSE, and everyone
who thinks he is going to heaven on that ticket will go to hell, Matt.
7:21-23, and because the system is in reverse, the "due order" of John 3:5 will not fit it. Reverse the order of John 3:5 and it will fit Campbellism, Catholicism, Mormonism,
Lutheranism, and nearly every other "ism." Leave John 3:5 alone and it squares perfectly with the truth as preached
by the church for nineteen centuries. Before any of the above institutions could
make an intelligent public swallow their doctrine, they had to convince it THAT
THE TRUE BRIDE WAS DEAD, and this in spite of Matt. 16:18, Eph. 3:21, I Cor. 3:11, II Tim. 2:19. But thanks be
unto God, the truth is still being preached and can be read.
1.
"Clean through the Word," John
15:3.
2.
"Washing of water by the Word," Eph.
5:26.
3.
"Beget us by the Word," James
1:18.
4.
"Begotten by the gospel," I
Cor. 4:15.
5.
"Begotten by the Word," I
Pet. 1:23.
6.
"As many as received him which
7.
"Were born-of God," John
1:11-13.
8.
"Whosoever believeth...is born of God," I
John 5:1 AND
9.
"As many as received his Word...were BAPTIZED," Acts
2:41.
10.
"Believed and were baptized,”Actsl8:8.
11.
"Believeth and is baptized," Mark
16:16.
The truth
commands men to hear, Matt.15:10. The
truth commands men to believe,
I
John3:23, Mark 1:15, Acts 16:31. The truth
commands men to be baptized. Acts 10:48,
but the word of God does not command believers to be born of God, but does state
that "A believer is born of God," I John 5:1.
If you would
"seek God after the due order," I
Chron. 15:13, don't be guilty of supporting a system of false doctrines that
necessitate the reversal of half the Bible in order to make it work, because the
truth needs only to-be "rightly divided," II
Tim. 2:15, and not reversed or "wrested," II
Pet 3:16.
You can be
saved. The gospel is the message to that end, Rom.
1:16, and'" faith is the means of 'access' into this grace," Rom.
5:2, "where we are accepted," Eph.
1:6, which is and was the "death and resurrection," Rom. 4:25, the antecedent of Rom.
5:1-2. Why not trust Him, Eph.
1:13, and settle it UNTIL the redemption of
the purchased possession? Eph. 1:13,
"By grace through faith...not of works," Eph. 2:8-9. Be certain. I
John 5:1-13, by acceptance in Him, Eph.
1:6.
Prepared by:
H. Frank Fort
Berean Baptist Church
Houston, Texas
"It Does Make a Difference What You Believe"