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