06/05/2026
Among the Brethren
Breakfast Bible Bytes welcomes you to a short Biblical exhortation by Donald DeHaven. I humbly ask for your support to Breakfast Bible Bytes by hitting the thumbs up button and share these short exhortations so the algorithms would push it out to more people.
Acts 15:30-41 KJV, “So when they were dismissed, they came to Antioch: and when they had gathered the multitude together, they delivered the epistle: 31 Which when they had read, they rejoiced for the consolation. 32 And Judas and Silas, being prophets also themselves, exhorted the brethren with many words, and confirmed them. 33 And after they had tarried there a space, they were let go in peace from the brethren unto the apostles. 34 Notwithstanding it pleased Silas to abide there still. 35 Paul also and Barnabas continued in Antioch, teaching and preaching the word of the Lord, with many others also. 36 And some days after Paul said unto Barnabas, Let us go again and visit our brethren in every city where we have preached the word of the LORD, and see how they do. 37 And Barnabas determined to take with them John, whose surname was Mark. 38 But Paul thought not good to take him with them, who departed from them from Pamphylia, and went not with them to the work. 39 And the contention was so sharp between them, that they departed asunder one from the other: and so Barnabas took Mark, and sailed unto Cyprus; 40 And Paul chose Silas, and departed, being recommended by the brethren unto the grace of God. 41 And he went through Syria and Cilicia, confirming the churches.”
We find here that following the council of Jerusalem, when it was finished, Paul and Barnabas returned to Antioch teaching and preaching. From there Paul suggests to Barnabas that they go again and visit the brethren in every city where they had preached the word of God and see how the brethren are doing in those cities.
Here we read that Barnabas wanted to take John Mark who is a blood relative to Barnabas. John Mark at some point during the first missionary journey that Paul and Barnabas had been on, John Mark suddenly left them and returned home. We’re not told what happened or why John Mark left, just that he had basically abandoned the missionary journey. This had apparently upset Paul, and we now find that Barnabas wants to take John Mark on this journey and Paul says, no. This sadly causes a great rift between them. We discover that the apostles were human and fallible just as we all are and despite having been given authority from God to build the foundation of the New Testament Church, the apostles had to deal with their own flesh just as we all do but their authority as apostles is to be honored.
If there is one truth I know, among believers, there can at times arise some disagreements and sometimes these can blow up into major rifts where one or both will walk away from each other. That is a travesty when it happens unless the justification is heresy or apostasy where repentance is not made. I certainly know that I have had a few occasions when it was best to walk away in order to avoid a situation that was devolving rapidly. I would hope that prayer, open dialogue, and patience would always prevail to prevent division, but I also know ego and pride can often prevent a resolution. We all have ego’s and pride that we must always guard against.
There often arises when people are involved in studying the Bible that differences of interpretation arise. I believe most of the differences arise for several reasons. Bad church doctrine. Taking verses out of context in order to make an argument and forgetting the importance of context. Misunderstanding word meanings by forgetting that often the Hebrew, Greek, Aramaic, and Latin words being translated into English where often a word is not interpreted correctly from what it meant centuries before. We must be careful to define properly what words meant at the time of the writer. Also, many times, people fail to properly read and understand what is being written. It happens sometimes with Breakfast Bible Bytes. Sometimes I fail to communicate properly, and this causes some misunderstanding and sometimes others read but misinterpret what I write or miss what I write altogether.
For instance, baptism. I have never said baptism was not important. It is very important. I have always stated it is important to all Christians. It is commanded that all believers should be baptized. I have never stated or inferred that baptism is not relevant or necessary. Baptism like the Lord’s supper is a required ceremony for all Christian’s to observe. I have read Mark 16:16 and though there is great controversy over Mark 16 verses 9-20 but for the sake of argument we will look at verse 16. “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.” What verse 16 does not teach is that baptism saves for we must look at context. At the end of verse 16 what does it say? It says he that believeth not shall be damned. It does not say if you are not baptized you will be damned. It says if one does not believe. Again, we cannot take one or two or even three verses and make it proclaim a doctrine when it is not in context with all other scriptures.
Let me be clear. I have written many studies over the last nearly five years and I have demonstrated time and time again that scripture makes it clear that our coming to believe in Jesus Christ is by the grace of God alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone and there is no other way. Baptism does not save a person, but baptism is an essential part of walking out our salvation by obeying the command of Christ to every believer to be baptized in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. It is the observable work that demonstrates our commitment to Jesus Christ and our now reformed life in Christ Jesus where we publicly confirm our belief in Jesus who is now Lord of our lives. The ceremonial work of baptism is the confirmation of our redemption in Christ. Baptism, however, is not and cannot be what saves us from eternal damnation. Mark even says it. Unbelief is what damns a person.
There are those who mock baptism and say it is not necessary as a Christian to observe baptism. If someone believes that they are in error. Baptism is necessary but not for salvation, but to demonstrate to all that we now belong to Jesus Christ. That is why when we are baptized it is in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. We in being baptized are now confirming we recognize the trinity is now a part of our lives and Jesus Christ is Lord of our lives. We are a reformed person in Christ Jesus.
If anyone has this idea that baptism is not important, then they do not understand the gospels or the epistles. If anyone says baptism is necessary in order to be saved, then they do not correctly understand the gospels or the epistles. I don’t say that to offend anyone. We cannot take one verse here and another verse somewhere else and make an entire doctrine of how only people who are baptized are saved. Why? Because the entire New Testament in context does not support that. We’re going through Acts now and we went through the Gospel of John not long ago and we have been through many of the epistles, and we find the Bible, chapter after chapter, in context, tells us that salvation is by God’s calling us to His Son, Jesus Christ. We are called, regenerated to believe which is why we repent, and we commit ourselves publicly in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost to be reformed. It is a serious and solemn ceremony to be baptized.
Is it blasphemy to say baptism is not necessary? To say baptism is not necessary for a Christian goes against the scriptures. I certainly have never said that nor suggested that baptism is not necessary. What I have said and stand by it with much Biblical resources is that to believe in Christ Jesus is by faith in Christ alone and scripture supports that and anything else added to faith in Christ alone for salvation is to lay a burden upon people such as what was happening when the Judaizers were saying to be saved a man must be circumcised. Again, the thief on the cross who believed never got baptized. Is he saved? It would have been wonderful if he had been baptized but he never got the chance. If a person genuinely believes that baptism is necessary for salvation, then they have to believe Jesus lied to the thief while they both hung on a tree and the thief did not go to be with Jesus in paradise at his death. That would be blasphemy to think that.
Titus 3:5 “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost.” The washing of regeneration is the Holy Spirit regenerating us, making us alive spiritually in order to call us to Christ. A person must be regenerated because as unbelievers we were dead in trespasses and sins. A dead person cannot of their own raise themselves to life not in the physical world and certainly not in spirit. It is according to His mercy He saved us. Notice the verse does not say according to His mercy and baptism, He saved us. Salvation is by faith alone and not by any works of righteousness. Baptism is an important ceremonial outward act that tells the church and the world we belong to Jesus Christ.