I read your web page on Baptism by Water and see that you are grossly misleading people. Your deductions are based on and taken from temporal things, even to the point of using Jewish culture as a means to justify your diminishing of God's word. Ye has used your own tradition, learned of men, to diminish God's word (Mark 7:13) Even making the un-informed claim that all we need is faith, when it is clear in James 2:17 that faith without works is dead. In James 2:18, the example is given that those who claim faith without works is out done by faith and works together. James 2:18 shows a proper use of faith (Spirit) and flesh (works), having spirit first and foremost. Isn't preaching a form of works (outward action) and that is also a direction by God for us to do? Your thinking is the erroneous "faith without works" belief I see weeding its way through the masses. This is not the teaching of God, but surely the teaching of man.
The things you say holds so much contradiction, and stands in disjointment with the rest of the scriptures. Your web page gives the impression that the temporal practices revealed by Christ are of none effect. One of which is that he was baptized by full immersion in water. What has occurred Dear Sir, is that the premise of Spirit is being used to denounce outward ordinances. This is the manner of thinking of men, being unable to comprehend spiritual premises (1Cor 2:14). Using a spiritual premise (as in faith) within the scriptures as a base to create your form of division. This blinds you from seeing how God's truth (Spirit) is applied here in the world (body/flesh). Your web page on baptism is one large division. If such temporal (outward) practices are of no value today, then why pray, why go to Church, why physically read the Bible, why preach? In the manner of your logic, all we need is to think it, or believe it and that is all.
The serious inconsistency to your logic is that since certain outward ordinances in the Bible are now none effect, then all outward ordinaces are also none effect. This is your line of logic and as such nullifies the Bible. This is also called Idleness in the eyes of the Lord and idleness is the hand of Satan. True, baptism by water is an outward ordinance, but a necessary one to establish the first level of cleansing and preparation for the second level of Baptism by Spirit. This premise is shown in 1Cor 15:46 (referring to Spirit to Body, then body to Spirit). Baptism by Water is the proper progression from the outward to the inward (Spirit). Baptism by water cleanses the flesh body in preparation for the entry of the Spirit. For the Spirit of God cannot enter an unclean body. The "Body" by itself profits nothing, yet to have spirit within you, requires clean body. This is easily seen in John 13:17 when Satan entered the body of Judas, who had evil intentions.
In all, your web page fails to account for this connection between Spirit and Body, which is necessary to understand for a proper transitions into righteousness. Interesting, you deny outward ordinances, by way of "outward type references" (using other works by men). This is the same as saying "using flesh to understand Spirit". What is missing in your web page is the teaching of the spirit. It is clear that you used your own personal method of deduction, which is absent of the teachings of the Spirit (Prov 3:5) Baptism by water is a commandment by God (Mark 1 / Mark 6:16 / John 3:5 / Act 2:38 ). When God speaks of the flesh profiting nothing, this refers to putting flesh first and ignoring the Spirit. Which is what you ignored in your outward study. I say this in the name of Jesus Christ Amen
Mark Warbinek |
