W. B. Godbey - Enter His Rest

the soul which our Savior gives, and another for the body which the preacher gives. The pronouns in this
sentence must refer to the human soul or body for their antecedent. Let us try them in their application to the
body. If that is correct, then the body believes and is baptized and saved. You see that application cannot
possibly be the true one, because the body cannot believe anything. It is as destitute of faith as a tree. Therefore
we are certain that it does not mean bodily faith. Then let us see about the salvation. Does it mean body
salvation? This is impossible, because the body of the Christian dies just as does the sinner's. Therefore it does
not mean body salvation. Now, as it does not mean body faith or body salvation, it cannot mean body baptism,
from the simple fact that the same thing believes, and is baptized and saved. Now, as you see it cannot mean
body baptism, it must mean that of the soul; therefore the solution of the problem becomes easy and simple. The
soul believes on Jesus and He saves it and baptizes it; that is all it ever did mean or ever can. This conclusion is
abundantly confirmed by the negative clause, “He that believeth not shall be damned.” If the baptism of the
body were necessary to salvation, it would read, “He that believeth not and is not baptized shall be damned.”
The omission of baptism in the negative clause is a confirmation of the conclusion that it is spiritual; as in that
case, it is impossible for a soul to receive the baptism of the Holy Ghost until it believes on Jesus; because He
alone can give it, and it is certain He never does give it to an unbeliever.
Argument 3. “When the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared in
which few, that is eight souls, were saved through the water, which antitype baptism doth now save us, not the
putting away the filth of the flesh, but the seeking of a good conscience toward God.” I Pet. 3:20-21.) You see, a
correct reading of it really takes away all of the force which the Campbellites put upon it. They lay great stress
on the statement, “Saved by water,” when every Bible reader well knows that Noah's temporal salvation, which
is here meant, was by keeping out of the water. The most simple and correct translation of dia hudatos is
“through the water.” The floods were beneath the ark in swelling seas, and above in pouring rains, and Noah
went up through these waters, above and below and all around him, passing safely through into the post-diluvian
world. Where the English Version says, “like figure,” the word which Peter used is, “antitype,” a pure Greek
word, slightly Anglicized from antiupon. The rule is to transfer every word which has been adopted into the
English language, instead of translating it. This passage, like the others, is plain and simple.
Water is one of the types of the Holy Spirit throughout the Bible. Therefore when Peter says the antitype
baptism does not save us, it simply means that the baptism of the Holy Ghost, which is the antitype of water
baptism, now saves. Then Peter kindly fortifies us against the dangerous delusion of water regeneration, stating
that it is not putting away the filth of the flesh, I. e., not water baptism, that does ceremonially purify us from the
filth of depravity, which is the word here used. So Peter informs us that it is not the mere outward symbol, but
that it is the seeking of a good conscience. The grand desideratum of every true Christian is entire sanctification,
which takes away that “filth of depravity” here mentioned and gives us a clean heart, like Adam had before he
fell, and makes our conscience good. So long as we have this hereditary depravity, I. e., the filth of the flesh, I.
e., the carnal mind, our conscience condemns it, therefore we never do receive this pure conscience, void of
offense toward God and man, till we receive this glorious antitype baptism, which Jesus gives in sin-consuming
flames, exterminating the “filth of the flesh” and making your “conscience good” in the sight of God.
Argument 4. John 3:5: “Jesus responded, Truly, truly, I say unto thee, unless any one may be born of water and
the Spirit, he is not able to enter into the kingdom of God.” I once read a little book, written by one of their
preachers, under the title, “Methodism Not Christianity,” in which the author expounded this along with their
other favorite passages, using it in the support of their great doctrine of baptismal remission. In his exposition he
urged the people to come along and get immersed in the water and give themselves no concern about the
spiritual birth, resting assured that God would attend to it, and all they had to do was to see that the water birth
was all right. Of course this was calculated to lull the people to sleep in the cradle of carnal security. Satan uses
such men to sing lullabies over souls till he can dump them into Hell.
If you will read on, the very next chapter of John's Gospel will explain the statement “born of water.” When
Jesus was preaching to the Samaritan woman, He said ten times as much about water as he did in the sermon to
Nicodemus; she all the time thinking that He meant the water then sparkling in Jacob's well, but He fully
relieved her mind by plainly notifying her that He has no allusion to that temporal water, but means the water of
life (verse 11). You will certainly let Jesus define His words; consequently you conclude that it means the water