Questions & Answers
Questions 151 (COD Page 653)
We believe in being baptized...Acts 2:38, but how can we answer people concerning the other baptism? Are they saved or not? Also those that have gone on and never received the light?
38 Now, that is a–a good question. Now, let me say again (see?) on these questions, if you–if I don’t answer them according to your thoughts...I’m going to answer them just as close to the Scripture as I know how, to make them Scriptural.
39 Now, the Scriptural way of water baptism is in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ, which is found in Acts 2:38 and the rest, all the Bible. And many peoples today and nearly all the churches all the way from the beginning, the one that started it, they baptize the people in the name of the Father, in the name of the Son, and in the name of the Holy Ghost. Now, they do that through a error. There is no such commission as that in the Bible, nowhere at all. It’s not even found in the Scriptures.
40 When Peter...When Matthew was writing what Jesus said...Where they’d taken Matthew 28:19, “Go ye therefore, teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost”...
41 Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, that’s titles, not a name. The Name of the Father, Son, Holy Ghost is the Lord Jesus Christ. Father, Son, and Holy Ghost...And if He...And then they baptized all through the Bible, every person in the Name of–of the Lord Jesus Christ. On down through history they come until the establishment of the Laodicean (I beg your pardon), the Nicene Council of the Catholic church at Nicea, Rome.
42 When the Pentecostal church...Two groups, they separated, one wanted to stay with the Word, the written Word, others wanted a classical church. It was during the time of Constantine’s reign. And Constantine was not a religious man; he was a heathen to begin with. But he–he was a politician that wanted to unite...Half of Rome was Christian; half of it was pagan, so he adopted some of paganism and some of Christianity to a classical group; and they made up their own religion.
43 Therefore, to disregard the Bible, the Catholic church believes that God gave the church the power to change or do anything it wanted to. See? Therefore, if the Catholic church is right, if that is true what God did, then we’re all wrong but Catholics (see?), the Catholic church is right. Then the Methodist church is right. Then the Baptist church is right, or all the organizations are right. See? They have a right. And who is right then? If the Catholic has power that they can change anything the Bible wants to say and make it some other kind of doctrines to “Hail, Mary’s” and so forth, the Methodist has the right to say, “Baptism by immersing is wrong; we’ll sprinkle,” and they’re everyone right, because each one can do whatever the church is, now, who is the church then? Is it Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian, Catholic, or what is it? See?
44 So you can’t–you know that God, the–the source of all wisdom couldn’t do a thing like that. There’s no such...There not even common sense in it, let alone the intelligence of the supernatural Being. There’s one thing that’s right; that’s the Word. The Word is right!
45 So then, if the Catholic church wanted to say this morning, “We’ll just omit baptism altogether and take eating a lump of sugar each morning. That’s what we’ll take for remission of sins!” then that’s got to be right, ’cause it–God gave that authority to the church.
46 But you see, to me it’s the Word is right, because at the close of the Bible, God said this in His Word, “Whosoever shall take one Word away from This or add one word to It, the same will be taken, his part, out of the Book of Life.” So to me it’s the Word!
47 And there is no such a thing in the Bible as anybody ever being baptized in the name of the Father, Son, Holy Ghost; because there is no such a thing. Father’s no name; and Son’s no name; and Holy Ghost is no name, but the Name of the Father, Son, Holy Ghost is the Lord Jesus Christ. Exactly what the apostles and all down through the age they’ve recognized.
48 Now, the next question is...Course that’s Scripturally right. That’s the Truth.
49 And in the Bible when they found people that had been immersed some other way besides the Name of Jesus Christ, they were commanded to be baptized over again in the Name of Jesus Christ before they could receive the Holy Ghost–Acts 19:5. Right! So that is Scripturally the Truth.
50 Now, there’s no bishop; there’s no archbishop; there’s no minister; there’s nobody else can say one word against that, ’cause that’s the Truth. See?
51 And I asked the other day in Chicago before three hundred ministers that stood over there to debate and to ask that...I...And the Lord told me, He give me a vision, and told me where we’d be and what to do. I stood before three hundred trinitarian ministers, and I said, “Now, if I am so wrong in this doctrine, some of you man stand up here and show me where I’m wrong by the Scripture without textbook. If there is no such a thing as serpent’s seed or something like that that I’ve been teaching, just come here and show me by the Scriptures.” Nobody moved (see?), because it can’t be done. That’s true. Not to be different, but just it’s the Truth; it’s the Word. And there’s where...No one can debate that; that’s the Word of God; nobody can do it. See?
52 But now, “Will these who have not...” Let me read this to be sure it’s right. See? “Concerning other baptisms, are they saved or not? Also those that have gone on and never received the light?”
53 Well, I believe–I believe strictly that God called His people and ordained His Church, and all those that would be there, before the foundation of the world. I believe the Bible teaches that. And I believe that every man that loves God with all of his heart will seek after Truth. I–I–I believe that, that they’ll do that. Every man that loves God will do that.
54 I believe if a man was baptized wrong ignorantly, not knowing that he was baptized wrong...Now, I can’t say this Scripturally. But I believe it with my heart that if a man did not know what to do right, and he did something the best of his knowledge, I believe that God would overlook that and save him anyhow, ’cause he didn’t have...Remember, back in the days of Wesley, back in the days of Luther in the reformation, those great man of God who God honored and proved that He honored them, they died in the faith (see?), with all the Light that they had.
55 And there may be things I believe yet like...Anybody hear Charles Fuller this morning on “Old Fashioned Revival Hour?” He’s one of my favorite teachers of the Bible, yet he’s way, way old, and...But I think he’s a great teacher of the Bible. And he said this morning (he was teaching on–on prophecy, I believe); he said that–that there were great things ahead, things that the church knows nothing about would be opened up to the people. I said, “Amen!” to that. I believe that we still have great Light coming on now that’ll just flood the earth one of these days for a short period, maybe just in a matter a months. But I believe that there’s great Light coming.
56 I do believe that any person upon their faith and sincerity and walk in all the Light that they have will be saved.
57 Remember, in the coming of the Lord Jesus, you remember how that He found those who walked in all the Light that they had to walk in? Remember what happened? “Is not he a good man, even a Roman Centurion, he’s built our city–or our people a synagogue, and he’s (all these things he’d done)–he’s worthy of this blessing that’s being asked for him.” See, God is a understanding Father; He knows your heart, whether you really see Light or whether you don’t see Light; He knows.
58 Now, I truly believe with all my heart that the correct answer for this question is that the correct baptism is in the Name of Jesus Christ, and that those who was baptized contrary and in their heart, not selfish, just say, “Well, I don’t want to fool with that!”...Now that person, that’ll be up to them and God. But if they didn’t know any different, I believe that they’re saved. I–I believe it with all my heart, because they didn’t know any different. We could stay a long, long time on that one, but we try to get to all of them if we can.