Paul’s Grace Message

THE EUNUCH OF Acts 8

Great Example of Jewish Conversion —Without Water!

The eunuch of acts 8, whether Jew “by nature,” or proselyte, was most certainly Jewish in re-/1| ligion, for he had come “to Jerusalem for to worship” (vs. 27). Returning to his native |___ country of Ethiopia, he was found searching the book of Isaiah when Philip joined himself to the chariot. “Understandest thou what thou readest?” asked Philip.

The eunuch was puzzled as he read the account of One being “led as a sheep to the slaughter,” and how “in His humiliation His judgment was taken away . . . for His life was taken from the earth.”

“Of whom speaketh the prophet this? of himself, or some other man?” he asked. “Then Philip opened his mouth and began at the same Scripture, and preached unto him Jesus.”
“And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said. See here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? And Philip said, if thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest.”

(Now hear the eunuch’s confession of faith in Christ!)

“And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. And . . . Philip . . . baptized him.”

The following references will unmistakably prove that the eunuch’s baptism in water followed, not proceeded, his conversion!
1 John 4:15—”Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth IN Him, and He IN GOD.” The eunuch made a confession to Philip that was acceptable to God only because he was in Christ at the time he made it.
1 John 5:1—”Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ IS horn of God . . .” The eunuch believeth it and was therefore “born of God” before water baptism. Millions have gone to hell professing to believe the same thing only because they did not believe “with the heart” (Romans 10:10.) God, who can not be mocked, knows the difference!

1 John 5:5—”Who is he that overcometh the -world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?” The eunuch believed, and was therefore an “overcomer” before water baptism. Multitudes have professedly believed this too but have remained lost because the gospel was mere religious dogma intellectually accepted, not a fact believed “with the heart.”

Matt. 10:32—”Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, [the eunuch confessed before men] him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. The eunuch was therefore confessed before the “Father which is in heaven” before water baptism!

John 5:24—”He that heareth my word [the eunuch heard] and believeth on him that sent me [the eunuch believed] hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation, hut is passed from death unto life.” Thus, the eunuch had everlasting life before he was baptized in water. Think on this great passage of scripture! Ponder over it and believe the gospel! Cease working for the salvation that the finished and sufficient work of Christ has already purchased for you, and accept it. Prayerfully read 1 Cor. 15:1-5 with John 6:29; Eph. 2:8-9; Titus 3:5; Romans 4:5; 11:6; 2 Tim. 1:9.

“For by one man’s odedience [Christ’s perfect physical and spiritual obedience to the Father] many were made righteous.”—Rom. 5:19. (Note: “By ONE man’s obedience,” not two or two million”) A penitent work of the heart of accepting the substitutionary work of Christ for Us is the only obedience God will accept from us, until we have been saved. To accept His work is to “obey from the heart that form of doctrine” found in 1 Cor. 15:1-5 (Romans 6:17)! This is why the Apostle Peter in Acts 3:19 gave but one condition to salvation, “Repent and be converted!” 5000 souls believed what Peter said, repented, and were saved. (Acts 4:4)

Why Was the Eunuch Baptized in Water?

People sometimes demand to know why the eunuch was baptized in water, if it was not for salvation. The eunuch was baptized in water for the sufficient reason that Philip preached unto him “Jesus,” and he believed it!

It is inconceivable to an honest student of the scriptures that Philip could have preached Christ to this Ethiopian Jew (or Jewish proselyte) without presenting Christ as Israel’s Redeemer-King, prophesied and prefigured by Isaiah and all the prophets. (See Luke 24:25-27, 44-47; 1 Peter 1:10-11). It is equally inconceivable that Philip could have failed to mention the Messiah’s forerunner, John the Baptist, whose burning message was “The Kingdom of heaven is at hand” and who promptly baptized all who came to him, “confessing their sins.”

Christ Himself, who came to “fulfill the law and the prophets,” (Matt. 5:17) fulfilled the prophet John by being baptized of him, though He had no sins to confess. We further read that John’s baptism was “the counsel of God” against Israel. (See Luke 7:29-30)

In view of these undeniable facts, what else would a believing Jew or proselyte, like the eunuch, do but humbly submit himself to John’s baptism? And the eunuch did!

The completely reckless and irresponsible position taken by some that John’s baptism was revealed as having been nailed to the cross before the apostle Paul wrote his prison epistles (Ephesians and Colossians— penned some 30 years later), and that therefore John’s baptism was superseded by another water baptism, is utterly fictitious and without scriptural foundation whatsoever!

The eunuch, having submitted to “the counsel of God” against Israel by receiving John’s baptism, “went on his way rejoicing.” And no wonder!

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Bob Thompson

( MORE OFTEN REFERRED TO AS “THE NEW TESTAMENT’) Jeremiah 31:31-34

‘Behold, the days come. saith the lord, when I will make a new covenant (new testament) with the house of Israel and with the house ofJudah.

(1) After those daUS. (spoken ofinvss. 7-13, 27-28) I Will put my laws in their inward parts, and write them in their hearts;

(2) and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
And (3) they shall teach no more every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying. know the Lord:

(3) for they shall all know me. from the least of them unto, the greatest of them. saith the Lord:

(4) (Why? Because the Lord Jesus will be on the throne in Jerusalem ruling the nations “with a rod of iron.” Rev. 19:15 Eueryonewm know him)
(5) for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”

NOTE: In view of the above, there is no way the new testament (covenant) can be put into force until evangelism ceases, which precludes any possiblity of the body of Christ entering into new covenant relationship during this age of evangelism — conventional wisdom notwithstanding.

Only when Christ returns to establishJHis kingdom will the new testament (covenant) become effective.

[This letter was written to a brother who expressed a desire to better understand why we do not observe the Lord’s Supper. Bold captions are for summary purposes and alterations were made in some areas for clarification. My prayer is that this study will prove a blessing to each of you who read it.

Bob Thompson, 4056 Skyline Rd., Carlsbag, CA 92008 

E-mail address  bthompson123@sbcglobal.net

SAVED BY “DRY BAPTISM”
A Biblical Refutation of Water Baptismal Regeneration
Maurice M. Johnson
(1893-1979)

Let us look for a moment at the beautiful and very simple picture of salvation that is given us in 1 Pet. 3:18-21. In the 18th verse we are told of Christ’s having endured the judgment of God in our place. In the 20th verse we are told how the ark endured the water judgment of God in Noah’s stead. And how clear it is that the way those “eight souls in the ark were saved by water” is the “like figure” (or the picture) of the way “baptism doth now save us … by the resurrection of Jesus Christ.” Noah and his family did not receive a drop of the judgment water from heaven. The ark took their judgment. Likewise, we saved sinners did not get a bit of the judgment “baptism” that Christ, our Ark, “suffered for our sins, the Just for the unjust.” And remember that Christ called His death a “baptism”. Luke 12:50. Noah’s good conscience answered God’s invitation to “come thou into the ark,” by physically stepping inside that physical ark to be saved from the physical water judgment. And my good conscience answered Christ’s tender invitation, “come unto me … and I will give you rest”. by taking the step of faith into Christ, my spiritual Ark and His baptismal death satisfied the Judge of High Heaven, so far as my offenses were concerned. But Christ’s death, alone, could not save any of us. We must be raised from the dead in order to give us new life. And this entire need He perfectly met for “He was delivered for our offenses and raised for our justification.” Rom. 4:25. Nor is this glorious message of the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ a New Testament fact, only, for all who have ever been saved from their sins were saved “by faith without works”. This is exactly what Peter meant when he said to Cornelius: “To Christ give all the prophets (the Old Testament prophets) witness that through His name, whosoever believeth in Him shall receive remission of sins.” Acts 10:43. Note, also, that as soon as Peter said “these words” God saved all of those gentiles “who heard the word.” And they were saved before Peter had said a word about their being baptized with water, too. (See also Gal. 3:6-8.)

All are only too ready to admit that “with” means just exactly “with” and not “like” when Paul says: “I am crucified with Christ,” but when he says: “buried with Christ”, then many are eager to get their sectarian followers to seek to imitate Christ’s water baptism. This they do in spite of the plain fact that the apostle is speaking of Christ’s burial in death and not His burial in the waters of Jordan. My friends, be well assured of this: Christianity is not our miserable imitation of the earthly life of Jesus of Nazareth as He lived His perfect life of law-keeping under Judaism, Christianity is the life we live after we have been created anew in Christ Jesus: the life of the indwelling Christ who move into all “broken and contrite hearts” the moment His glorious gospel of grace is humbly heard and honestly believed. “For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.” Rom. 5:19. In other words, Adam’s disobedience made all of his children like their father, sinners. Now Christ’s perfect, law-keeping obedience with His fulfillment of all the physical ordinances is passed on to all who receive Him. With His perfect heart and sinless flesh He obeyed all fleshly tests of character and then “became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.” Now, that is good news! It is THE good news! It is simply the “gospel of Jesus Christ.” I have “obeyed the gospel.” That is I have heard with submission, of Christ’s perfect, substitutionary life, death, burial and resurrection. He not only died for me. He also lived for me. Therefore his law-keeping and ordinance-keeping obedience is put to my credit as well as His death-obedience. Thank God, as a new creature in Christ I am “complete in Him.” Col. 2:10-12.

And how did I get into this glorious place of salvation and completeness “in Christ?” “With (or by) one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, bond or free, and have been made to drink into one Spirit,: 1 Cor. 12:12-13. This is the same two-fold operation of the Holy Spirit as that referred to in Acts 2:38. The moment a sinner hears the gospel of Jesus Christ believing in the depths of his repentant heart, that moment he is “baptized in (or into) the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins” and he personally receives “the gift of the Holy Spirit.” Christ is the One who baptizes him with the Spirit and the Father gives him the indwelling Spirit. John 14:16-17; Acts 10:38-46; John 1:33. What must we think any more of those who would say that there is no such thing any more as the “baptism of the Holy Spirit.”? Will not the honest reading of these passages surely answer them? John 1:28-33; 3:27-30; Acts 1:5; 11:15-18; 1 Cor. 12:12-13 and Eph. 4:4-6; Phil. 3:3; 2 Cor. 5:16-17.

The gospel of Jesus Christ is the ‘good news’ or glad tidings concerning what Christ did for the sinner and is not a system of fleshly commandments as to what the sinner must do for Christ. Paul said: “I delivered unto you the gospel … how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day … I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth; unto the Jew first, and also unto the Greek (Gentile).” 1 Cor. 15:1-5; Rom. 1:16. Therefore, to ‘obey the gospel’ merely means to trust the perfect, finished work of Christ as you humbly and gratefully believe God’s record that “Christ hath once suffered for our sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened (made alive) by the Spirit.” 1 Pet. 3:18. Paul wrote the Ephesian saints reminding them of the fact that they were saved when they “trusted in Christ. In whom ye also trusted after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation … For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” Eph. 1:12-13; 2:8-10.

Surely every honest reader is convinced that the “baptism that saves us …” does not have a drop of water in it. It is the miraculous baptism that Christ endured for us and that is put to our credit when Christ baptizes us with the Holy Spirit, thereby uniting us to Himself and everything in the way of law-keeping and ordinance-keeping righteousness, that He fulfilled for us. If you have not already, will you just here and now throw up your hands of rebellion and gratefully receive, by faith, the glorious work the Lord of Glory came to do for us sinners? Just think of the glorious privilege of being instantly accepted in the Beloved, of being miraculously clothed with the righteousness of Christ which is “unto all and upon all them that believe.” “He that believeth not shall be damned.” Mark 16:16. “Why will ye die?”

Now it is quite true that God has different ages and dispensations and different programs with people but none of the dispensational or racial differences in any way affect the “gospel of Christ” that was foreordained for the salvation of any member of Adam’s family that would “call upon the name of the Lord”. Joel 2:32; Acts 2:21; Rom. 10:13; Acts 10:43; 15:10-11; 13:38-39. (Please honestly read these.) Though all penitent believers in Christ have His death baptism and His burial and resurrection put to their credit, I believe the Scriptures teach that only since Pentecost (Acts 2) have believers been baptized by the Lord “with one Spirit into one body.” 1 Cor. 12:13. The difference between salvation from the penalty of sin and the rewards held out for faithful Christians, is another difference that none of the “water-salvation” cults observe. I will give but one text here. 1 Cor 3:11-15.

In other words, when He had gotten John to baptize Him with water, Christ had “fulfilled” the very last righteous act demanded by the law and its physical ordinances. John the Baptist was the foreordained one to thus baptize Christ so that Israel would know their Messiah and King. And don’t forget, that is exactly why Christ was baptized in water, namely, “to fulfill all righteousness” and in order to “be made manifest to Israel.” Matt. 3:14-17; John 1:31. When we thus clearly see that Christ’s life for thirty years (Lu. 3:23) was lived in, perfect obedience to the law and its physical ordinances we can then begin to see what we have when we, by faith, receive Christ. We have nothing less than the perfect “righteousness of the law” for “Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every that believeth.” Rom. 10:1-3. Thus, it is that, without our having taken one single step in our vain efforts to keep the law or fulfill its physical ordinances with our weak and sinful flesh, we have put our credit every righteous act that Christ performed during those thirty years of his righteous life lived in perfect, sinless flesh. “For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” Rom. 8:2-4. There it is. The repentant sinner, by believing the gospel of Christ, has a miracle performed in his heart. All of the “righteousness of the law” that Christ lived in His perfect flesh and blood life is instantly put to the credit of the trusting sinner without his making any effort whatsoever to “walk after the flesh,” or try to keep any fleshly tests of character.

Let us who are saved remember well that water baptism is an act of righteousness that Christ fulfilled. Matt. 3:15. And that the righteousness is put to our credit when we receive Christ as our personal Savior and Lord. Rom. 10:4. “For not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy hath he saved us by the washing of regeneration and the renewing of the Holy Spirit … But, let us who ARE saved be careful to maintain good works …” Titus 3:5-8. This we should do out of love and gratitude to Him Who has so wondrously saved us and made us righteous in Christ.

(Please remember that this study does not pretend to take up the entire question of water baptism.)

There is so much confusion about The One True God today. I have a 10 minute audio message below. Just click on the link below and be sure to turn your speakers on.

     http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7BFtxXI2iaE 

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