No, you do not need to be water baptized.

Water baptism is not required for salvation, for receiving the Holy Spirit, or for membership in the Church, the Body of Christ, in this present dispensation of the grace of God.

The Apostle Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles to whom the Mystery was revealed (Eph. 3:1-9), plainly stated, “For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel…” (1 Cor. 1:17).

If water baptism were necessary today, Paul could never have made this statement or thanked God that he had baptized so few at Corinth (1 Cor. 1:14-16). His God-given priority was the gospel of the grace of God: Christ died for our sins, was buried, and rose again the third day (1 Cor. 15:1-4).

Today, there is “one baptism” (Eph. 4:4-5), and it is the spiritual baptism performed by the Holy Spirit the moment a person trusts Christ as Savior. This baptism places every believer into the Body of Christ (1 Cor. 12:13; Gal. 3:27; Col. 2:12). There is no water in this baptism because it is done by the Holy Spirit and is not a ritual performed by man.

Water baptism was part of Israel’s prophetic/kingdom program—a sign of repentance, identification with the Messiah, and preparation for the earthly kingdom that was offered to the nation (Matt. 3:6-11; Mk. 1:4; Jn. 1:31; Acts 2:38). It was practiced during the transitional period in the Book of Acts while God was still dealing primarily with Israel.

Once the ascended Lord revealed the Mystery to Paul (the formation of the Body of Christ, made up of Jew and Gentile alike by pure grace), the pattern for this age changed. We are not under law, but under grace (Rom. 6:14). Believers today are complete in Christ (Col. 2:10) the instant they trust Him. Nothing—including water baptism—can be added to that completeness.

What this means for us today:

– Salvation is by grace through faith alone (Rom. 4:5; Eph. 2:8-9). No religious ceremony or work is required.

– If you have already been water baptized in the past, there is no need to be re-baptized or to feel any condemnation. It simply has no saving or sanctifying power in this dispensation.

– Our identification with Christ is positional: We are already buried and raised with Him spiritually (Rom. 6:3-4; Col. 2:12).

This truth brings wonderful liberty and clarity. We encourage you to study these things for yourself, rightly dividing the Word of truth (2 Tim. 2:15), and to rest fully in the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ.

See also:

To Be Or Not To Be Baptized

A Brief Commentary on a Commentary

One Distinct Baptism (Episode 310 of TBG)

One Unifying Baptism (Episode 311 of TBG)

It is widely known that Catholics believe in the need to “go to confession.” But did you know that many Protestants also live under the burden of thinking they have to confess their sins to get them forgiven? Are you one of them?

Well, let’s look at the verse that many pastors use as their “proof text” for this false doctrine—1 John 1:9, which reads, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

When interpreting any Bible verse, the FIRST thing to always do is to examine its context. To whom was the book of 1 John written? To the Body of Christ, the Church today? Or to the kingdom church? It was written to kingdom saints, not the Body of Christ. So, just by using the first rule of interpretation we know that this verse is NOT written to the Church that exists today in the dispensation of grace. But even if it were, it would still not mean what these pastors say it means because this passage is addressed not to the saved, but to the unsaved.

To get the full context of 1 John 1:9, let us go back to verses 1-5. In these verses, John wrote about the start of Jesus’ earthly ministry, and what he said here is very similar to what he wrote in his earlier gospel account (compare 1 Jn. 1:1-5 with Jn. 1:1-13). Then in verse 6, John changed from writing about Jesus’ advent to the Jews’ response to Him, saying that if the Jews said they had fellowship with Jesus but “walk[ed] in darkness,” they were liars—in other words, their works (which Jews had to do under the kingdom program) proved they really did not believe. But in verse 7, John said that if they truly believed, they would “walk in the light”—their works would prove that they really did believe.

When we get to verse 8, John wrote, “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” This is talking about unbelieving Jews, not believing or saved Jews. An integral part of the kingdom gospel was the requirement to “repent” or to admit that one was a sinner (Matt. 3:2; Mk. 1:15; Lk. 13:3). For a Jew to say that he had no sin meant that he was unrepentant. By saying he had no sin, he denied his need for Jesus as Messiah—the Lamb of God who took away the sin of the world (Jn. 1:29).

Now we get to verse 9. In verse 8, John wrote about unrepentant Jews—they said they had “no sin.” But in verse 9, he wrote about repentant Jews who admitted that they had sin (“confess our sins”). If these repentant Jews confessed their sins, God was faithful to forgive them their sins and cleanse them from all unrighteousness—i.e., if they repented, God would save them.

So, we see that 1 John 1:9 was written to kingdom Jews regarding how they could be saved—by admitting they were sinners (repenting) in need of a Savior (Jesus their Messiah). This verse has nothing to do with forgiveness of sins after salvation.

We often hear the saying, “Three strikes and you’re out!” Well, we have seen two strikes against the false teaching that 1 John 1:9 means believers today need to confess their sins to be forgiven: (1) This verse is written to kingdom (lower) Jews not the Body of Christ, (comma) and (2) Even for (change from “to”) them, (comma) it referred to salvation, (comma) not to forgiveness of sins after salvation.

The third strike is this: In Paul’s epistle to the Colossians, written to the Body of Christ in this dispensation of grace, he wrote, “And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses” (Col. 2:13). At the very instant we believe the gospel (1 Cor. 15:1-4), ALL of our sins are forgiven! The language is very specific here—“having forgiven” speaks of a past completed action. So to repeat, at the moment we believe the gospel, ALL of our sins—past, present, and future—are forgiven!

It is impossible to understand how pastors who teach that we are saved by grace though faith by believing in the finished work of Christ can then go on to also teach that after salvation we need to confess our sins to get them forgiven.

So, do believers need to confess their sins to get them forgiven? The answer is a resounding “NO!”

See also:

The Confession of Sins

Confessing Daily Sins – I John 1:9

John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

Many people today use John 3:16 as their primary verse in evangelism. But are they correct in doing so? Well, yes. And no.

As with all verses, John 3:16 must be understood in its context. And the context of this verse is the First Advent of the Lord Jesus Christ. During His earthly ministry, the Lord presented Himself to the nation of Israel as their Messiah. This is critical to understanding and properly applying this verse to our current dispensation of grace.

Now the first half of this verse presents no problems because it presents a universal, transdispensational truth: God loved the world so much that He gave His only Son to provide salvation. So far, so good.

But the problem comes with “whosoever believeth in him should not perish.” What does this verse mean by “believeth in him?” What are we to believe about Him? And what does that belief entail?

In its context, John 3:16 says nothing about the gospel of the grace of God. What was Nicodemus (a Jew under the law in the kingdom program) supposed to believe? That Jesus was the Messiah, that He was the Son of God—and in that context, that belief also included baptism and keeping the law (Matt. 3:8; 5:20; 28:20; Jn. 20:31). Without Paul’s gospel to explain what it is we are believing, no one is saved.

So the “believing” in this verse is not the same “believing” that saves today in the dispensation of the grace of God. That is why people who mistakenly use this verse in evangelism today have to go to Paul’s epistles to explain what it means to “believe in him.”

No one who uses John 3:16 for evangelism stays within its Jewish kingdom context and teaches that “believing in him” means to believe that Jesus is the Messiah and to keep the law. Instead, they start at John 3:16 and then go to Paul’s epistles to explain that “believe in him” means to believe the gospel of the grace of God—which is faith alone in the finished work of Christ on our behalf.

So, is John 3:16 valid to use in evangelism today? Well, only to the point of showing that God loved the world so much that He provided salvation for it through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. But after that, you have to go to Paul’s epistles, where the gospel of the grace of God is revealed to find out what “believe in him” means.

See also:

In Christ — The New Man

October 2025 Searchlight (pp. 8-9)

People often contact the BBS because they fear they’ve lost their salvation, and almost always it’s due to something they believe they’ve done. Some are afraid that they have committed the “unpardonable sin.” Others think that because they have fallen back into sinful habits or behavior they have forfeited their salvation.

This questioning reflects a misunderstanding of how we are saved in the first place. Do you see the problem? Works—what we DO, have NOTHING to do with our salvation. As the Apostle Paul has made abundantly clear, we are NOT saved by our works (Gal. 2:16; Eph. 2:8-9). Rather, we are saved by placing our faith in the finished work OF CHRIST on our behalf.

Now here is the comforting part: Since we are not saved by our “good works,” it logically follows that we are not unsaved by our “bad works.” Our works have nothing to do with our salvation!

Now, to be sure, we are to do good works—but good works result from salvation and are not the cause of it. Ephesians 2:8-10 makes this clear, “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.” We are saved “unto” or “for” good works, not by them. Good works are the result of salvation, not the cause of it.

So, the answer is most assuredly “NO”—a person cannot lose his or her salvation, once they are truly saved by placing their faith in the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ on their behalf!

See also:

The Unpardonable Sin

Can A Christian Lose Salvation?

The Security of the Seal

Who Shall Separate Us From Christ?

Security in Christ – Ephesians 1:13

We are often asked, “How do I know for sure that I am saved?” There is probably no greater question that can be asked. Fortunately, the Bible is very clear about this IF we “rightly divide” Scripture and get our understanding of salvation from what is written TO us in this dispensation of grace.

Most everyone who questions their salvation is laboring under false teaching about what it takes to be saved. That is why it is so important to get our doctrine from Paul’s epistles and not the Gospels or General Epistles, written to kingdom Jews and not to the Body of Christ, which is the Church today in this dispensation of grace.

The gospel for today clearly states that we are saved totally by grace through faith alone. Not faith plus works, but only faith. Not “believe and do,” but only “believe.”

Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “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.”

Galatians 2:16 says, “Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.”

How does this happen? It is very simple. When we hear the message of salvation, we BELIEVE it. Ephesians 1:13 says, “In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise.”

If we BELIEVE the gospel that Christ died for our sins (1 Cor. 15:1-4) and place our trust in His finished work on our behalf, we are eternally saved.

But some doubt because they do not “feel” saved—they don’t “feel” like they have been transformed, don’t “feel” the Holy Spirit within them, or don’t “feel” like they are forgiven. But do you see the problem with all these statements? They are all based on what we “feel” instead of what the Word of God declares. By faith we must accept what God says is true and not go by the whimsy of how we feel.

Satan loves to manipulate our feelings. He wants us to doubt our salvation. He wants us to doubt that all of our sins are forgiven the moment we believe the gospel (Col. 2:13) and that we are secure in Christ because God has sealed us with the Holy Spirit (Eph. 4:30).

So if you have believed the gospel, also trust in God’s Word that you are indeed eternally saved–nothing can cause you to lose your salvation if you truly believe.

See also:

Eternal Security in Christ (Episode 290 of TBG)

Salvation: Do You Have It?

The Gospel of Salvation (1)

The Gospel of Salvation (2)

Salvation

No, we do NOT exalt Paul over Christ! Yet some tell us, “All I ever hear from you guys is ‘Paul, Paul, Paul.’ What about the Lord Jesus Christ?” We do, however, understand how some could get that impression—but the fault lies not in what we teach but in how it may sometimes be communicated.

So, again, let us clear up any misunderstanding—we do not put Paul over Christ. Rather, we emphasize that our doctrine for faith and practice today is to be taken from the words of the risen Lord given to the Apostle Paul, instead of His words to kingdom Jews during His earthly ministry as recorded in the Gospels.

If anything, rather than exalting Paul over Christ, we exalt Christ to His highest position in the heavenlies as the resurrected Lord and Savior of the Church today—which is the Body of Christ.

Part of the problem may also be that some think the words of Christ as recorded in the Gospels are somehow “more” the Word of God than the rest of Scripture (after all, aren’t they often the words in red?). But ALL Scripture is the Word of God. 2 Timothy 3:16 says, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.” And the Apostle Paul said that what he taught was in fact the words and wisdom of God (1 Cor. 2:7; 14:37; 1 Thes. 2:13; 4:2) which he had received by direct revelation from the risen Lord Himself (Gal. 1:11-12).

So, no, we do not exalt Paul over Christ. But we do teach that the words for the Church today come from the risen Lord as given to the Apostle Paul and reveal further truth than what He taught the Jews during His earthly ministry.

See also: Why Paul?

Yes, we can trust that our Bible is the preserved Word of God—but the answer requires careful distinction between what God has promised to preserve, what that preservation looks like in history, and what the Bible actually claims about itself.

1. What the Bible actually promises about preservation.

God has promised to preserve His Word—but the promises are specific and do not extend to flawless transmission of every copy or translation. Isaiah 40:8 says, “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever.” And Matthew 24:35 says, “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.” These verses show that God’s Word will endure eternally in its message and authority. (Psalm 12:6-7 is used by some to try to prove the infallibility of certain translations, but it must be pointed out that the word “them” in “thou shalt preserve them” refers to preserving the godly, not perfect manuscript copies.) Everything God has said will abide forever and Scripture affirms that His Word is reliable, authoritative, and sufficient for faith and practice—but none promise that every handwritten copy, every manuscript, or every translation will be letter-perfect or free from scribal error.

2. What we actually have: preservation through the manuscript evidence.

The Bible has been preserved remarkably well—far better than any other ancient document—through thousands of manuscripts. The New Testament is supported by over 25,000 partial and complete manuscript copies, a number that vastly exceeds the manuscript evidence for any other ancient work, such as Homer’s Iliad (~1,800) or Plato’s works (~27). These manuscripts are not only numerous but also notably close in proximity to the original writings, with some fragments, like portions of the Gospel of John, dating to within 50-100 years of the original compositions, and complete books preserved within 200-300 years. This proximity to the originals enhances confidence in their fidelity. Additionally, over 36,000 quotations from early Christian writers are so extensive that nearly the entire New Testament could be reconstructed from these alone, providing an independent corroboration of the manuscript tradition. When we compare these manuscripts, we have a New Testament Greek text that is over 99.5% certain—which is a far higher confidence than for Plato, Homer, or Caesar.

For the Old Testament, the Dead Sea Scrolls (dating to around 150 BC) demonstrate exceptional preservation, with the Isaiah scroll being 95% word-for-word identical to later texts. The Bible’s text has been transmitted with extraordinary accuracy. This robust manuscript evidence, combined with early dating, consistency across copies, and external corroboration, underscores the Bible’s reliability as a historical and religious document, offering a strong foundation for its validity.

The Bible is the best-preserved ancient document in existence.

3. Rebuttal: There’s no such thing as an “inspired translation.”

The idea that any translation is inspired or inerrant is not biblical and is rejected by virtually all serious conservative scholars—including most KJV-only advocates who are careful with their language. Inspiration applies only to the original autographs—God inspired the prophets and apostles as they wrote (2 Tim. 3:16). No translation is inspired because they are all human efforts to render the original Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek into another language. All translations have some degree of interpretive choice, and all contain minor inaccuracies or ambiguities (no perfect translation exists because languages are not 1:1 equivalent).

Even the KJV translators themselves disclaimed inspiration for their work. In their 1611 preface they wrote, “As the King’s speech, which he uttereth in Parliament, being translated into French, Dutch, Italian, and Latin, is still the King’s speech, though it be not interpreted by every Translator with the like grace, nor peradventure so fitly for phrase, nor so expressly for sense, everywhere.” The false doctrine of inspired translations (especially the extreme KJV-only claim that the KJV is the only inspired Word of God in English) is a post-1900 invention and contradicts the Bible’s own teaching about inspiration.

4. So, can we trust our Bible?

Yes, we can trust our Bible—not because any translation is perfect or inspired, but because God has preserved His Word sufficiently through the manuscript evidence—the text we have today is reliable and trustworthy. Furthermore, the main doctrinal content of the Bible (who God is, what sin is, who Christ is, how we are saved, etc.) is clearly and consistently presented across the manuscript tradition. The gospel that Christ died for sins, was buried, and rose again is not affected by any textual variant.

We can trust that our Bible is the preserved Word of God because He promised to keep His Word, because thousands of manuscripts overwhelmingly confirm its accuracy, and because the Holy Spirit bears witness to its truth in the hearts of believers.

See also: Why You Can Trust the Bible – Part 5 (Episode 254 of TBG)

We are often asked what it means to be a “mid-Acts” dispensationalist. To answer that question, we first need to define what it means to be a “dispensationalist.”

A dispensationalist reads the Bible as showing God’s unfolding plan across time, with Israel and the Church having separate but complementary roles, and prophecy (especially end-times events) taken literally. This contrasts with covenant theology, which sees more continuity (the Church as the fulfillment of Israel).

While dispensationalists in general see a difference between God’s program for Israel and His program for the Church today, they differ from “mid-Acts” or “Pauline” dispensationalists in three basic areas:

1.  The biggest difference between a classic dispensationalist and a mid-Acts dispensationalist is when they believe the Body of Christ started. In general, traditional dispensationalists believe that the Body of Christ started at Pentecost with Peter, as recorded in Acts 2. Mid-Acts dispensationalists believe that the Body of Christ began with the Apostle Paul (either at his calling in Acts 9 or with his first missionary journey in Acts 13) and is based on his unique apostleship and revelations.

2.  While both traditional and mid-Acts dispensationalists say that the Book of Acts is a transitional book, showing the change from the age of law to the age of grace, only mid-Acts dispensationalists are consistent in their interpretation. Traditional dispensationalists contradict themselves because, on one hand they say that the Body of Christ started at Pentecost, but on the other hand say that those saved at Pentecost were added to the church which already existed, which was operating under the kingdom program for Israel. By contrast, mid-Acts dispensationalists say that the Body of Christ did not start until after the conversion of the Apostle Paul. This is consistent because it allows those who were saved at Pentecost—responding to a kingdom message—to be added to the kingdom church which already existed, and those saved after Paul to be placed into the separate Body of Christ.

3.  Both of these differences (1 and 2) lead to the most practical distinction between traditional and mid‑Acts dispensationalists—where the church today should go in Scripture for its doctrine of faith and practice. Because traditional dispensationalists fail to maintain a proper distinction between the kingdom program and the Body of Christ, they mistakenly apply the teaching of the Gospels and the General Epistles as sources of the Church’s doctrine today. This leads to contradiction and conflict when what is said about salvation in the Gospels (e.g., “believe and do” in the kingdom context) is applied directly to the Church today alongside Paul’s clear teaching of “only believe” (grace through faith without works). We clearly see this contradiction when traditional dispensationalists use John 3:16 in evangelism—but then define “believe” using Paul’s gospel—they are mixing two different dispensational programs and two different contents of faith. Scriptural consistency requires that we derive our doctrine of faith and practice from Paul’s epistles, while recognizing that all Scripture is profitable and offers valuable application.

See also:

The Dispensations of God (Episode 402 of TBG)

Are We Hyper-Dispensationalists?

Ultra-Dispensationalism: A Personal Testimony

Bullingerism or Ultradispensationalism

Fundamentalists Divided