20/04/2026
โCATHOLIC MISINFORMATION ON BAPTISM
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โI made a post yesterday about being born again, and many Catholics commented on it. Their responses surprised me, as it became clear that many of them believe water baptism itself is what makes a person born again.
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โIn Scripture, baptism is never presented as a replacement for faith in Christ, but as an outward response to genuine belief in Him. The consistent pattern in the teachings of Jesus and the practice of the apostles shows that belief in the gospel comes first, and baptism follows as an act of obedience and identification with Christ.
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โJesus Himself stated the order clearly:
โโHe who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemnedโ (Mark 16:16 NKJV).
โNotice that condemnation is tied to unbelief, not the absence of baptism, showing that faith is foundational.
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โThe apostles followed this same pattern. On the day of Pentecost, Peter called the people to repentance and baptism, beginning with their response to the message of Christ:
โโRepent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sinsโ (Acts 2:38).
โRepentance and receiving the word came first; baptism followed as the response.
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โThis order is also seen in individual conversions. The Ethiopian eu**ch first believed the gospel preached by Philip before being baptized. When he asked to be baptized, Philip replied:
โโIf you believe with all your heart, you mayโ (Acts 8:37).
โOnly after confessing faith did he go down into the water.
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โIn the house of Cornelius, the Holy Spirit came upon those who were hearing and believing the word before water baptism took place (Acts 10:44โ48). This shows that God responds to faith before the act of baptism.
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โScripture also makes it clear that salvation is by grace through faith, not by ritual:
โโFor by grace you have been saved through faithโฆ not of works, lest anyone should boastโ (Ephesians 2:8โ9).
โBaptism is important as an act of obedience and public identification with Christ (Romans 6:3โ4), but it is not a substitute for faith.
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โBaptism without being born again will take you to heaven no more than swimming in rainwater can.
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โJesus said:
โโMost assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of Godโ (John 3:5).
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โThis verse is often misunderstood. Being โborn of waterโ does not mean being regenerated by water baptism. Rather, baptism represents the outward expression of being buried with Christ and raised with Him (Romans 6:4). The true transformation is being born of the Spirit, which occurs when a person genuinely believes in Christ.
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โJohn the Baptist said:
โโI indeed baptized you with water, but He (Jesus) will baptize you with the Holy Spiritโ (Mark 1:8).
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โPaul also clarified the nature of Johnโs baptism:
โโJohn indeed baptized with a baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe on Him who would come after him, that is, on Christ Jesusโ (Acts 19:4).
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โJohnโs baptism pointed people to Christ because it does not replace belief. One is born again through belief.
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โJesusโ baptism with the Holy Spirit began after His ascension. The first outpouring occurred in the upper room when the Holy Spirit came upon the believers. This is the experience that empowers the believer:
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โโBut you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Meโฆโ (Acts 1:8).
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โThis experience still occurs today. However, it begins with receiving Christโnot with pouring of water on the head.
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โWithout accepting Christ as Savior, no amount of water poured on the head can save anyone.
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โMeanwhile, water baptism in Scripture is consistently portrayed as immersionโbeing buried and raised with Christ (Romans 6:4). This is the pattern seen throughout in the New Testament. Not pouring water on the head.
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โ Jude C. Okoro
Dunamis Word Assembly
