Nathan, in order for you to better understand why we can’t be born again by baptism, I put together a chronology of God’s plan of salvation for the whole human race starting with Adam and Eve. This may help you to better understand John 3:5.
IN THE O. T. ANIMAL’S BLOOD----N. T. JESUS’ BLOOD FORGIVES SINS!----Leviticus 17:11, “for the life of every creature is in the BLOOD. I have given you the BLOOD so you can make atonement for your sins. It is the BLOOD, representing life, that brings you atonement.”
God’s salvation plan for ALL mankind is twofold. (a) Substitutionary death (b) Blood for atonement (a) Instead of people dying because of sin, in the O. T. animals were substituted. In the N. T. Jesus is substituted. (b) in the O. T. animal’s blood for atonement, N. T. Jesus’ Blood.---- AS FOLLOWS: Adam & Eve were re-clothed from leaves to with animal’s skins. WHY? Animals died/blood. From Moses’ time on same thing. N. T. Jesus our Lamb died /Blood. Mat. 26:28, Jesus said, ”This is my BLOOD of the new covenant, which is poured out for many for the FORGIVENESS of sins.” ----Acts 20:28, “—church of God which He bought with His BLOOD.”----Rom. 3:25, “God presented Him as a sacrifice—through faith in His BLOOD.”----Rom. 5:9, “Since we have now been justified by His BLOOD–.”----Eph. 1:7, “In Him we have redemption through His BLOOD.”---- Eph. 2:13, “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the BLOOD of Christ.”----Col. 1:20, “—by making peace through His BLOOD shed on the cross.“ ----Heb. 9:12, Jesus, “entered the Most Holy Place once for all by His own BLOOD.”----Heb. 10:19, As a result, “Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the BLOOD of Jesus.”----1 Pet. 1:19, We were not redeemed by silver or gold, “but with the precious BLOOD of Christ, a Lamb without blemish or defect.”----Rev. 1:5, “To Him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by His BLOOD.”----Rev. 7:14, “ These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the BLOOD of the Lamb.”
PLEASE NOTE; Jesus above did not say, “This is my BLOOD and WATER BAPTISM of the new covenant, which is poured out for the FORGIVENESS of sins.---- PLEASE NOTE: the past tense we were bought, redeemed, justified, freed of sins by the BLOOD-----In the O. T. they had original sins too, where they baptized? NO! They entered the community by circumcision. In the N. T. Baptism is exactly what John says it does, he ought to know why God sent him Mat 3:11, “I baptize you with water for REPENTANCE. -----OF COURSE God wants us to be baptized, He even commands it but it’s to show our desire to start a new life in Christ repentance and our entrance to the Christian faith.----- As you can see starting with Adam & Eve, BLOOD is the ONLY atonement for sins required by God as Heb 9:22, states, “without the shedding of BLOOD there is NO FORGIVENESS of sins. -----Why then is Peter in Acts 2:38 saying be baptized for the forgiveness of your sins? Is there a contradiction? NO and there can‘t be! Peter combines, repent, belief in Jesus and baptism all lumped together into one statement. In v41 “Those who accepted his message (what message? The gospel of Jesus) were baptized. Their sins were forgiven by the belief in the gospel not the baptism In v37 the people were cut by the message.------Paul in Acts 22:16, “Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, CALLING ON HIS NAME. It’s the calling on His name that washes sins away. Sins aren’t physical that can be washed away, they have to be confessed an act of repentance.-----1 Pet. 3:21, “and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also—not the removal of dirt from the body but the PLEDGE of a good conscience toward God.” It’s the pledge of good conscience (repentance turning to God) is what baptism does.-----TO SUMMARIZE: Nowhere in the entire Bible are sins forgiven by any other means accept through BLOOD.
Nathan where does baptism fit in all of the above to forgive sins and that we are born again by it? Does water baptism represent life? ED O.
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