Pastor John,
I was talking to a friend today about why we don’t believe in water baptism, and I mentioned that John the Baptist said that someone was coming after him that was greater and was going to baptize in the Holy Ghost and fire. “I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:” Matthew 3:11. They then asked about why Paul water baptized people after Pentecost after they already received the Holy Ghost. I know that it has to do something with the two gospels, but I was confused could you explain it to me?
Thank you!
Samantha
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Hi Samantha!
The people that Paul baptized with water were Jews, and that was because John’s baptism was required of them. He never baptized a Gentile with water. Having said that, here are the facts:
(1) in Acts 19, the Bible never says whether the 12 men Paul baptized with water were Jews or Gentiles, so people will argue over that depending on what they already believe. There is nothing we can do about that. But even then,
(2) those 12 men received the holy Ghost AFTER Paul baptized them with water, not before, which is consistent with the way God dealt with the Jews.
(3) The only other people that Paul ever baptized with water were a few Jews in Corinth (1Cor. 1), and he regretted doing that because the Corinthians started making clubs based on who baptized them. Paul told them,
(4) “I thank God I baptized none of you except…”. Then he listed the names of the few Jews there that he baptized. Then, he told them
(5) “Christ did not send me to baptize [in water]” because water baptism was not for the Gentiles, to whom Paul was sent.
(6) There is no indication that the Jews whom Paul baptized in Corinth had the Spirit before Paul baptized them. The Bible doesn’t say, but I can tell you for sure that they did not. God would not have given Jews the holy Ghost before they were baptized with John’s baptism.
(7) The Bible doesn’t specifically say that each person Paul said he baptized was a Jew, but it does tell us that at least one or two of them were. You can look up their names and see that.
There is no one else that Paul baptized with water. I don’t know who else your friends could have been thinking about. But I do know that Christians assume that whenever “baptism” is mentioned in the Bible, it is talking about water baptism, but with Paul, especially, that is not the case (example: the Philippian jailor in Acts 16, who was a Gentile and would not have needed John’s baptism).
I think it is great that you are discussing these issues with your friends and thinking about them. Keep it up! And thanks for the question; it is a good one! I love questions!!
Pastor John
PS John’s baptism for the Jews was not merely a water baptism. It ALWAYS included John’s message, which was to expect Jesus’ baptism to follow. That is why Paul re-baptized those 12 Jews in Ephesus (Acts 19). They had been baptized in water, but without John’s message. Therefore, they had not really received the baptism that God required of Jews. After they received that baptism, they received the holy Ghost. God has never sent anyone just to baptize in water, the way Apollos had baptized those 12 men before Paul arrived. But Paul straightened it all out when he came there and met them.