This scripture has led many to believe that water baptism is a part of salvation and that the born-again experience cannot be a reality without it.

This same kind of thinking would make seeing Jesus a prerequisite for salvation, based on John 6:40.

It is faith in the redemptive work of Christ that produces salvation – not our actions. However, James writes that faith without works is dead (Jas. 2:20).

Faith alone saves, but saving faith is never alone; it must be acted upon.

This is what Mark is referring to when he speaks of baptism.

Water baptism is a command of Jesus and is the initial action taken upon believing. Mark’s statement could be rendered, “He who believes with saving faith (i.e. faith that produces actions) will be saved.” In this sense, water baptism is very important. It is an opportunity to act on your new profession of faith. Anyone who refuses to follow Jesus’ command to receive water baptism, may be suspected of not really believing.

Water baptism is a command, but keeping this command does not produce justification. Jesus administered forgiveness of sins without any mention of water baptism.

Philip told the Ethiopian eunuch, who asked Philip to baptize him, that if he believed with all of his heart, he could be baptized (Acts 8:37). Philip used water baptism only after an individual believed. This is also how Mark used water baptism.

In the same way that this commission is to every believer, not just to ministers, the command to baptize is also for every believer. It is proper for any believer to administer the ordinance of water baptism.

Jesus commands us to baptize in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, yet there is no recorded instance where the believers did so. Instead, the instances of baptism that are recorded in the book of Acts, show people being baptized in the name of Jesus only.

Because of this noticeable difference, doctrines have arisen that teach there is no Trinity, and that unless water baptism is administered in the name of Jesus (only), with faith in the water baptism, a person cannot be saved. This is a false teaching that has led many people astray.

Water baptism is an outward witness of the inner change that has already taken place. In Acts 10:44-48, Cornelius and his friends were filled with the Holy Ghost and spoke in tongues, proving that they were already born again before they were baptized in water.

The harmony between the commission of Jesus and the practice of the early church is simple. When we baptize people in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, we are baptizing them in the name of Jesus because “in him (Jesus) dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily” (Col. 2:9).

Therefore, baptizing in the name of either, the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, or the name of Jesus, is correct as long as Colossians 2:9 is understood.

Every detail of every man’s life, who has ever walked on the earth, has not impacted the world as much as the few recorded details of Jesus’ life. Jesus was not just a man, He was God manifest in the flesh (1 Tim. 3:16).

In Acts 10:38 Peter gives a very brief, yet descriptive summary of the life and ministry of Jesus. Jesus was anointed with power and with the Holy Ghost.

He used this power to do good, not evil. This is one of the main characteristics of God and is one of the easiest ways to discern what is from God and what is from the devil. God is a good God and the devil is a bad devil. If it’s bad, it’s from the devil. If it’s good, it’s from God.

Tragedy can come from three sources: God, Satan, and natural law. God has used nature to bring judgment. However, the New Testament believer is exempt from this punitive judgment of God since Jesus bore it for him.

Satan is the source of much of the calamity that people ascribe to God. Many problems arise because people violate the natural laws that God put into motion. If a person drives recklessly and kills himself, it’s not God or the devil that killed him. He violated natural law and thus paid the price.

It is incorrect to believe that God controls everything and therefore always has some redemptive design in tragedies. This type of thinking will lead us to ignore the devil, thereby giving him a freehand to destroy our lives. It will also cause us not to use wisdom concerning natural laws, because we will think that nothing can happen unless God wills it. We must remember that God is a good God.

Jesus had just told Peter to follow Him. However, Peter wanted to know what the Lord had planned for John. Instead of Jesus answering Peter’s question, the Lord told him that what He had in store for John was none of his business.

Satan diverts many people by getting them preoccupied with what others are doing for the Lord. Comparing ourselves with others, whether we come out better or worse, is unwise (2 Cor. 10:12). We need to be so single-minded following the Lord, that we don’t look to the right or to the left to see what others are doing. It doesn’t matter if we are doing as much to serve the Lord as someone else. The question is, are we doing all that the Lord wants us to do?

Singleness of purpose and vision is a necessity to victorious Christian living. James said that if we try to master many things we will fail (Jas. 3:1). We have to set priorities and focus on them.

The scriptures teach that memory can be a powerful force for good in our lives. It is always good to remind ourselves that we were once apart from God’s saving grace. It is an antidote against pride and self-righteousness. A person who remembers what he used to be will have a clearer understanding of who he is now. We have to cultivate our memories by meditating on the great things God has done for us and spoken to us.

Water baptism is a command of Jesus and is the initial action taken upon believing. Mark’s statement could be rendered, “He who believes with saving faith (i.e. faith that produces actions) will be saved.” In this sense, water baptism is very important. It is an opportunity to act on your new profession of faith. Anyone who refuses to follow Jesus’ command to receive water baptism, may be suspected of not really believing.

However, there are scriptural examples of people being born again before they were baptized in water. Cornelius and his friends were filled with the Holy Ghost and spoke in tongues before they were baptized in water (Acts 10:44-48). John 14:17 records Jesus saying that an unbeliever cannot receive the Holy Ghost, so Cornelius and his friends must have been born again before their water baptism.

Water baptism is the sign of the new covenant in the same way that circumcision was the sign of the old covenant. The apostle Paul made it clear in Romans 4, that although Abraham was circumcised, his circumcision was only a sign. Abraham was justified in the sight of God before his circumcision. Paul goes on to state in Galatians 5:1-6, that anyone who trusts in circumcision has fallen from grace; Christ will profit him nothing.

It is faith in the redemptive work of Christ that produces salvation – not our actions. However, James writes that faith without works is dead (Jas. 2:20).

Faith alone saves, but saving faith is never alone; it must be acted upon.

This is what Mark is referring to when he speaks of baptism.

Recognition of our completeness in Christ is a tremendous safeguard against deception. Prior to salvation we are incomplete and constantly strive to satisfy our hunger. But through the new birth, we are complete in Christ and our hunger should only be for more revelation of what we already have in Christ. Total satisfaction with Christ disarms Satan’s lies. A big part of all temptation is dissatisfaction.

Adam and Eve would not have eaten of the forbidden fruit if they hadn’t been made dissatisfied with what they had. Through Satan’s lie they were led to believe that they didn’t have it all (Gen. 3:5). The truth is, they did have it all. They were more like God before they ate of the fruit than after they ate the fruit. Their dissatisfaction was a preliminary step to their action of sin.

Satan tempts us in the same way he came against Adam and Eve (2 Cor. 11:3).

Therefore, a full revelation of our completeness in Christ will keep us from chasing after all the things the devil has to offer. If anyone tells you that Christ isn’t enough; that you need something more, then that’s the devil trying to turn you away from your completeness in Christ.

In the same way that Jesus has the fullness of God in Him, we have the fullness of Christ in us. That makes us complete or perfect in Him – that is our spiritual man. Our born-again spirit is identical in righteousness, authority, and power to Christ’s spirit because our born-again spirit is the Spirit of Christ (Rom. 8:9) which has been sent into our hearts crying “Abba Father” (Gal. 4:6).

Thomas refused to believe what He couldn’t see or feel. Our five senses were given to us by God and are necessary to help us function in this life. But if we do not renew our minds to acknowledge the limits of our five senses, they will keep us from believing. Faith can perceive things that the senses cannot (Heb. 11:1).

There is a human faith and a supernatural, God-kind of faith. Human faith is based on physical things that we can see, taste, hear, smell, or feel. God’s kind of faith believes independently of physical circumstances. To receive God’s gift of salvation, we have to use the supernatural, God-kind of faith which isn’t limited by our five senses. This is because, to be saved, we must believe for things that we can’t see or feel. We haven’t seen God or the devil. We haven’t seen Heaven or Hell. Yet we have to believe that these things exist. Human faith can’t believe what it can’t see.

Man is so destitute that he can’t even believe the gospel on his own. To receive God’s gift of salvation, we have to receive the supernatural, God-kind of faith first. Where does this faith come from? How do we get it?

Romans 10:17 says, “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” God’s Word contains His faith. As we hear the Word of God about salvation, We receive God’s faith so that we can believe the good news of our salvation. We actually use God’s faith to get saved.

This God-kind of faith doesn’t leave us after our born-again experience.

God’s faith becomes a fruit of the Spirit which is in our hearts. We never lose this supernatural faith. We just have to renew our minds to God’s faith which is in us, and then learn how to use it.

The meaning of this verse has been hotly debated for centuries. One thing is certain, it does not mean we have the power to justify a person from his sins so he can be born again; only God can do that.

Many people have taught that Jesus is saying, that if we fail to witness to others, we are retaining their sins unto them, and if we do share His love with others, then we are remitting their sins. Although there is truth in this statement, it is not what this verse is teaching. Rather, this verse deals with the temporal effects that sin has on a person’s life. Not only is there a future death penalty for sin, but sin destroys us emotionally and physically in this life too. It is this present destruction that sin brings into a person’s life that Jesus gave us the power to remit.

Through intercession we can remit a person’s sins, so even though he has sown to the flesh and deserves to reap corruption (Gal. 6:8), he will not reap what he has sown. This is done for the purpose of loosing a person from the bondage that Satan desires to hold him in, until he sees the light and repents. This is only a temporary situation and must be continually repeated if the person we are praying for continues to live in sin.

On the other hand, there are times when it is not in the best interest of the individual to remit his sins. There are times when he needs to be made painfully aware of the consequences of his sins. In these cases, we have power to retain his sins; that is, we withdraw our intercession and he reaps what he sows in hope that this will cause him to turn back to God.

The dictionary states that to reconcile means to re-establish friendship between; to settle or resolve, as a dispute. The key to reconciliation is to effectively deal with the enmity, ill will, hatred, or hostility that caused the dispute, etc.

The enmity between man and God was sin. God took the initiative to remove this barrier through the means and agency of Jesus Christ, thus leaving man and God as friends once again.

We have received the ministry of reconciliation. That means we are in the ministry of reconciling people to God. Much of what people call the gospel today is actually alienating man from God. True, we need to show people their need for God to get them to receive His forgiveness and reconciliation, but the angry and bitter attitude some people have when confronting the sinner, is not correct.

Imputing people’s sins unto them was not the way God used Jesus to reconcile the world unto Himself. We should not focus on the problem of sin, but on the answer of God’s grace (Rom. 5:20).

When you read a newspaper, you read about things that have already happened. They are not reporting prophecy. They are reporting the news. So our real job as ministers of reconciliation is to announce the good NEWS, which is an accomplished fact – that sin has already been dealt with through the person of Christ. We should say, “Now we beseech you, be ye reconciled to God. Change your mind and believe the gospel so that you may partake of what has already been done on your behalf.”

This filling of the Holy Ghost is subsequent to the born-again experience.

Paul reveals in Rom. 10:9, that a person has to confess with his mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in his heart that Jesus was raised from the dead, before he can be saved.

It is possible to be saved, yet not have what Jesus said was the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Since the Holy Spirit is now given freely and we don’t have to tarry for His coming, we can receive salvation and the baptism of the Holy Spirit at the same time. However, it is not automatic. We must ask and believe for the baptism of the Holy Ghost, just as we believed for salvation.

Speaking in tongues is unique to the Church Age. This is because when a person speaks in tongues, his new born-again spirit is speaking (1 Cor. 14:14), not his mind. Before salvation, our spirit was the part of us that was, “dead in trespasses and sins.” Until we received a new spirit (2 Cor. 5:17), the Holy Ghost could not give us this supernatural communication with the Father.

There are two kinds of speaking in tongues which are clearly spoken of in 1 Corinthians 13:1. They are called “the tongues of men and of angels.” The tongues of men are the known languages in which the disciples spoke. The tongues of angels, or heavenly languages, are the tongues that all Spirit-filled believers can speak, and are what Paul spoke about in 1 Corinthians 12-14.

Jesus said that the Holy Spirit would lead us into all truth and teach us all things. Receiving the baptism of the Holy Ghost is the single most important key to receiving revelation knowledge from God.