Many have received the wrong answers from the “Got Questions Ministries.” The site teaches that salvation comes before a believer is raised alive with Christ being saved by grace. This is found throughout their articles including this one, “Does 1 Peter 3:21 teach that baptism is necessary for salvation?” This article asserts that salvation comes before God raises a believer with Christ from baptism. The Gospel is the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This error is in contrast to the Truth presented in the Scriptures: “Why Does 1 Peter 3:21 Say, ‘Baptism Now Saves Us’?” Because of this error, I was compelled to write. Here is my letter to “Got Questions Ministries,”
Dear Mr. Houdmann and all of your volunteers,
Why is it that your website teaches people that they are saved by grace before being raised with Christ? When is a believer made alive and regenerated with Christ?
“But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ by grace you have been saved, and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast” (Eph 2:5–9, emp. added).
Are not believers born again through the resurrection of Jesus Christ?
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,” (1 Pet 1:3, emp. added).
Why do you not present that the saving Gospel is the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ (1 Cor 15:1–4)? What did Jesus command all people after He was resurrected? Yet, you teach people to be saved like the thief on the cross before Jesus’ died, was buried, and resurrected. The New Testament began at the death of Christ, and you teach people to be saved like someone under the Old Testament. Not only are you rejecting the resurrection by putting salvation by grace before the resurrection, you are putting salvation by grace before the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus and thus before the whole salvation of the Gospel. Are believers not saved by the Gospel (Rom 1:16)?
When are believers raised with Christ and saved by grace? Please, post your answer to that question.
Who has convinced you to believe these things? What did Jesus command to make disciples after He was resurrected? Was that command from man or from heaven? Why libel what Jesus commanded to reject that element of “water”? Would I be right to reject Christ’s crucifixion and being crucified with Christ because I label it as “just wood and nails salvation”? Can you really have been born again through the resurrection when you oppose being buried with Christ in His death? How can you then by raised with Him? Will you not be overcome by temptations when you have not put to death the works of the flesh?
I write this because you all appear to be sincerely religious. Yet, like Cornelius being devout, God-fearing, praying, and giving alms was not saved until Peter told him “words by which you and all your household will be saved” (Acts 11:14). You know that Cornelius must have been born again of the water and the Spirit (John 3:5; Titus 3:5; 1 Cor 6:11), and you know that Cornelius was taught that “the forgiveness of sins is through His name for whoever believes in Him” (Acts 10:43). What was Cornelius commanded to do in Jesus’ name (Acts 10:47–48)? Who can forbid this instruction in Jesus’ name?
What work of Moses’ Law is there in submitting to Christ’s Law? What in Moses’ Law is of faith and of the Spirit of life? Are Jesus’ commands the works of the Law of Moses?
“Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? Of works? No, but by the law of faith. Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law” (Rom 3:27–28).
Christ overcame the curse of the Law, and He did the work. He died, was buried, and was resurrected. Do you not really believe (Gal 2:20; 3:26–27)? His love compels true believers to die with Him (2 Cor 5:14–15). If you truly believe, then answer, “When does the believer begin to ‘walk in the newness of life’ (Rom 6:3–7)?” When are believers freed from sin by being united with Christ in the likeness of His death and resurrection? When are believers buried with Christ and raised with Him through faith in the working of God (Col 2:12–13)? When are believers made alive with Christ having been forgiven of all trespasses? Are believers not saved “through the resurrection of Jesus Christ” (1 Pet 3:21)?
My plea is for you to rethink, reconsider, and pray. Consider God’s judgment. How will you stand before God if you have changed the Gospel (Gal 1:6–9)? Be careful, and do not be like those who are as Jesus described, “For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in” (Matt 23:13). This will be posted as an open letter. I await your response.
May God bless us through His saving Gospel,
Scott Shifferd, evangelist, GodsBreath.net
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Here is the response from “Got Questions Ministries”:
Scott,
The “biblical answer” is already available on our website in numerous different articles on baptism. You can use the phrases “being raised with Christ,” and “made alive and regenerated with Christ” all you want, but it does not change the fact that you are talking about water baptism. Simply put, we do not believe that water baptism is when a person is spiritually raised with Christ, made alive, or regenerated. Yes, water baptism illustrates those events, but it is not necessarily the time when those events actually occur. The vast majority of Scripture verses you point to can easily be interpreted as referring to Spirit baptism, as water is nowhere mentioned in the contexts.
Sincerely in Christ,
Shea
GotQuestions.org
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Here is my following response:
Hi Shea and all,
Please, forgive my delay. I have been traveling. As previously addressed, I presented to you that a believer is raised and made alive from baptism, and this is when one is saved by grace (Col 2:12-13; Eph 2:4–7; cf. Rom 6:3–7). Any person teaching otherwise is separating faith from the resurrection of Christ that we have with Him.
As you agreed, a believer is saved when baptized, but you have excluded Jesus’ command of water baptism in His name. Why? There is big problem with your belief that “Spirit baptism” excludes Jesus’ instruction for baptism in water (Matt 28:19; cf. Acts 2:38). See, baptism in Jesus’ name is in water (Acts 10:47–48). Does the Holy Spirit have anything to do with this water baptism that Jesus commanded in His resurrection? This baptism is in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Spirit (Matt 28:19). This is the baptism of 1 Corinthians for it is the name of Christ within the proclamation of the Gospel (1 Cor 1:11–13). The Spirit washes, sanctifies, and justifies a believer when washed in His name (1 Cor 6:11). This is the baptism spoken of throughout 1 Corinthians as it is compared to the water baptism of Israel (1 Cor 10:1–2). This baptism in the name of Christ is “by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body” (1 Cor 12:13). Faith in the resurrection is essential to this baptism or one is baptized for the dead (1 Cor 15:29).
The baptism that Jesus commanded is the one baptism (Matt 28:19; Eph 4:5; cf. “water” Eph 5:26). Christ commanded His baptism in His name after His death, burial, and resurrection. Likewise, remember that the Pharisees also rejected John the Baptist’s baptism (Matt 21:25–27; Mark 11:30–33; Luke 20:4–8). I plead with all by the love of Christ to reconsider the baptism that Jesus Christ commanded in His resurrection. Do not have the spirit of the Pharisees who closed their eyes and ignored Christ’s words as the rest of the Scriptures? As proved before, one is raised and made alive from this baptism, and this is when one is saved by grace (Col 2:12–13; cf. Eph 2:4–7). This is really undeniable unless one denies Christ and the Scriptures altogether. Note that I am not saying that the water has any power outside of the commands of Jesus Christ. I am not saying a believer is regenerated and saved when entering the water or under the water, but that believers are regenerated and saved when raised with Christ and this is when God has raised the believer from the burial in water. Therefore, this is God’s work and His grace that raises us. This is taught in Ephesians 2:1–10. Look to Jesus again. He said that salvation does not come before this baptism, but salvation comes after belief and baptism (Mark 16:16). “Can anyone forbid water?” (Acts 10:47). “And now why are you waiting? Arise be baptized, washing away your sins calling on the name of the Lord” (Acts 22:16). Why is it that no one waited to be baptized in Acts? Yet, many wait until a certain time of the season to be immersed now. Is that scriptural? Look to Acts at all those believers who obeyed by faith Christ’s command of baptism to become His disciples (Matt 28:19–20).
I urge you to seriously consider what you are teaching. Read these scriptures and be willing to make a stand for Truth no matter what you have been previous taught. Remember James 3:1 and 2 John 9 among many scriptures that warn us to teach the Truth or be judged strictly. This is why I have sided with Christ in all things concerning His command of baptism.
May God bless you all,
Scott Shifferd, evangelist, GodsBreath.net
The Breath of God 
I read the comments here, with great interest, concerning baptism, what’s right or wrong, what power Jesus possessed, which comes first, and whatever. It is quite interesting to witness just how much vehemence is expended by those who harden their hearts, rather than open their hearts, to God’s Word. Didn’t Jesus tell us to love one another and go into all the world and teach the Word of His Father to all people? Some say He was only talking to His 11 Apostles, who have all long since died and been buried. I see so much hatred and name calling in this world today that I sometimes have a sense of how Jesus felt when trying to convince those who knew they were right and would never accept that they were wrong, and Jesus plainly told of the reward those who prophesied, cast out devils, done many great works in His name would receive, ate and drank with Him, and taught His Father’s Word in the streets (Matthew 7:22-23 and Luke 13:26-27).
Jesus was sent into this world by His Father to simply deliver the Truth of His Word and was hated for so doing, even though He plainly told everyone that if they didn’t believe what He was saying, to at least believe what they saw (making the blind see, the deaf hear, the lame walk, healing disease, and ultimately raising the dead), but they still didn’t believe Him. He even went on to say that if you believe in Him, you will do greater works that He did (John 14:12), so Jesus knew just how hard it would be to change a heart. If you read John 1:1, you would know who Jesus is, and what John went on to say in First John (chapter 2, verse 27), if you believe in the divisions men created in adding chapters and verses, whether it be in the 11th, 12th, 13th, 14th, 15th, or 16th centuries, and whether it be Langton, Stephanus, Caro, Kalonymus, Pagnini, Estienne, Whittingham, or whomever, that added the divisions (which some are quite obviously amiss), and they all apparently thought they had it “right”, which is no different than the holy trinity doctrine that was created in the 4th century or the Pharisees in the time of Christ. Yet many so-called Christians believe (90% plus) that the Nicene Council got it right, but Jesus never said or taught the He was His Father (God, Elohim, Yehovah, Jealous, or whatever). He only said that there was one who was good and that is God (Matthew 19:17, Mark 10:18, and Luke 18:19), and He went on to say in John 14:28 that His Father was greater than He was, but if you don’t believe in the immaculate triangle (which is declared by men as the “Godhead”, then you are wrong). I find it interesting that the word trinity is found nowhere in Scripture, and the word Godhead is only found in a few translations, and if you look at the three places it is found in the KJV (Acts 17:29, Romans 1:20, and Colossians 2:9) and look at the words in the Greek, in each case, the word is not even spelled the same (one is theion, one is theiotEs, and one is theotEtos), but the four translations (that even mention Godhead) say it is the same, even though they are spelled differently, cased differently, and have a different meaning. I think Paul summed it up pretty well in First Corinthians 14:23, when he clearly stated that God is “not” the author of confusion.
I attend different congregations, and what I see astounds me, and that astounding is justified by those who claim they have the truthful version of the Truth, and yet they won’t even speak to one another or associate with one another in any way, form, or fashion, and if it the individuals are Muslims, Jews, Catholics, Buddhists, or whatever, they avoid them like the plague. I see preachers who won’t preach, unless they are paid, and when I ask where in Scripture did Jesus (God’s Perfect Example, who never committed a sin, yet demanded to be baptized by His forerunner) ever collected money from people, they can’t point me to one single verse, which is no different than the man-made creed of the holy trinity, because Jesus never said He was God. It is no wonder in Revelation chapter 11 that John was told that God will send His two witnesses, who will prophesy for 1,260 days, until their testimony(truth) is finished, and people won’t like what they hear. Those two witnesses will be killed, and the people of earth will rejoice and send gifts to one another in celebration, because they are dead and will be left unburied for three and a half days, but God will raise them up, and a great fear will come those that see them, just as it did at the time when Jesus was crucified. The worst is yet to come, but it seems that the House of God is still devise, rather than cohesive. After all, there is only one church, one body of Christ, and one God, and it is men who continue to create the divisions.
I could go on and on, but I don’t have to, because the Word of God is forever, and we all must study and learn. I often ask preachers, elders, and deacons why they love God, and I always get the same answer. They are seeking a reward. So, I ask if they would still love God, if He didn’t reward them, and the silence is deafening. I can only say that I love God, because He is the only thing and everything that is good, and I seek goodness, not a reward. If He allows me to be His humble servant, then I am rewarded already.
Romans 9:5b, “according to the flesh, Christ came, who is over all, the eternally blessed God. Amen.”
Isaiah 9:6, “For unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His shoulder.
And His name will be called
Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
Isaiah 48:16-17, “”Come near to Me, hear this:
I have not spoken in secret from the beginning;
From the time that it was, I was there.
And now the Lord God and His Spirit
Have sent Me.”
Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer,
The Holy One of Israel:
‘I am the Lord your God,
Who teaches you to profit,
Who leads you by the way you should go.'”
Is Jesus God?
John 10:30
“I and the Father are one.”
Hi Damon,
Can you not see why do many believe Jesus is God in the flesh? John recorded that the Word, which was with God and is God, became flesh and dwelt among men (John 1:1, 14). The prophecies of Isaiah clearly state that the suffering Servant is a child born of a virgin, who is Mighty God. In Isaiah 48:16, the LORD said that God and the Spirit sent Him. These are of many passages that I plead with you to reconsider your understanding of God in Christ. You may not believe in the equality of the Spirit and the Son to the Father, and thus you may rightly not accept the equality definition of the “Trinity”. Still, God the Father is the Head of Christ (1 Co 11.3), and the fullness of God dwelt in the Jesus bodily (Cl 2.9).
Phil i’m with you. Scott why are you so willing to be a slave to the law. Grace.
Do you even know what slander is???
Without the marriage ceremony the love union still exists.
The water baptism does not create the spiritual union with Christ anymore than the the wedding creates the love that the ceremony represents. This is so clear, yet you miss it.
And yet you couldn’t say the two were married before the ceremony, could you? I pray you really think about that
“More stupid accusations and foolish talk. You slander me again as though I believe that water is magical. Jesus commanded baptism in water, and believe in Him. Pardon me for being indoctrinated with Christ’s words.”
And this is not slanderous? I guess it’s ok for you to slander but not ok if it’s seemingly done to you.
You have yet to make the distinction between a spiritual covenant and a physical covenant. You assign attributes of the old covenant (of the letter) to the new covenant without regard for the fact that this new covenant is spiritual in nature, and is based upon inner faith and not on outer works and physical action. Under the new covenant any physical action is an effect of the spiritual cause that precedes it. The new covenant is founded in cause and not effect. That is because the effect can be a product of that which is not spiritual. Fear can create the obedience that you seem to deem as paramount. Yet fear is not from the Spirit.
Physical baptism is an effect of a spiritual “cause” that precedes it. But physical baptism is not the cause of spiritual transformation, and therefore cannot precede the actual regeneration that it represents. A wedding ceremony does not precede the love that the ceremony represents. It is a physical effect of that love. Likewise water baptism is a physical effect of the spiritual baptism (the actual transformation) that precedes it.
Sorry you don’t get this.
I call your slander “stupid”, and you call that slander? Okay.
Yet, love is completed in the wedding ceremony just as faith in completed in being immersion into water in Jesus’ name.
You said, “Both the thief and Nocidemus must be baptized under the New Covenant in the name of Jesus.”
There is no record of the thief being baptized, yet he was given eternal life. How do you reconcile this with your theory?
Again and again, the thief was promised before Jesus died, was buried, and resurrected. If want to try to be saved without the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, that is your choice and a devastating decision.
You are so mixed up and conflicting on this. You said that the thief needed to be baptized and now your saying his salvation was promised before Christ died and that he did not need to be baptized???
The death, burial and resurrection happen “spiritually,” not in water. Why can’t you get this??? Spiritual regeneration is what matters. That does not happen in water!
You somehow missed the principle of cause and effect. The water baptism is the effect of spiritual regeneration, not the cause.of spiritual regeneration.
Why go after Jesus’ baptism, His Apostles, and all His disciples about practicing baptism in Jesus’ name?
We are talking salvation issues. I have nothing against water baptism, but water baptism is not the point of salvation, no matter how much you want it to be so. The new covenant is a Spiritual covenant and physical actions do not place one into a Spiritual realm. I don’t know how you can miss this. You assume that when the bible mentions baptism that it is referring to water baptism.
May I say, whether or not the thief died before or after, the word of God as you’re saying is that one must be baptized to enter heaven, right? for all those who died before knowing the promise of Jesus, they were not baptized, for 1 Peter declares 3:18-19 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: 19 By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison…it doesn’t say he baptized, but he preached.
Your point is that salvation is by faith from Abraham through the OT and into the NT. I agree.
True faith works because faith without works is dead (Jas 2:14–26). That is not to say that believers are saved by works because we are saved by grace through faith (Eph 2:8–9). I think you are trying to harmonize the scriptures about baptism with the passages about salvation by faith. We should do that.
Are we saved when we first believed and in whom we believe? In John 3:16–17, Jesus revealed that those who believe should be saved meaning in the Greek text that salvation is further conditional in whom we believe. Even, the demons believed in God and that Jesus is the Christ (Jas 2:19). Those who believe Jesus must believe His words that one must be baptized to be saved and become His disciple (Matt 28:19–20; Mark 16:16). Peter proclaimed that repentance and baptism are for the remission of sins (Acts 2:38). To be saved, one must not solely believe that Jesus is the Christ, but also Jesus is the Lord and that He rose from the dead (Rom 10:9–10). Jesus proclaimed, “Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am, you will die in your sins” (John 8:24). My point is that faith includes more than a generic faith but a specific faith in the identity, the resurrection, and the words of Jesus Christ. We may not get that impression from John 3:16.
Do we believe the apostles that Jesus’s death, burial, and resurrection is the saving gospel and that believers must unite with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection through baptism (Rom 6:3–7; Col 2:12–13)? I do. I must because I believe Jesus that I must lose myself to be saved. I must take up my cross to live again. We must not be ashamed of Jesus’s words (Luke 9:23–26).
James wrote, “Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only” (Jas 2:24 KJV). Furthermore, James revealed, “You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone” (Jas 2:24 ESV). Works complete faith and faith is inclusive of works (Jas 2:22, 24).
Please, keep challenging me on this matter and seeking the answers. I enjoy the conversation and study. God bless your studies.
You can’t be serious. You rarely teach faith and grace, and almost always teach obedience and conformity to laws, rules, and regs. Read your own posts.
Faith is something that needs to be your priority because it is from that we are moved to do the work. You seem to indicate that if the works is done then it is acceptable as long as it gets done.
You might want to look up the word, “slander.” You accuse me of not being truthful and non-diligent and have the gall to accuse me of slander? Seriously????
You’re not Jesus!!! If you can know my heart then just say that you are special.
What are your qualification to be able to call me dishonest and not diligent. Just because you are a preacher does not give you special abilities or liberties.
You have used improper judgment and it is strictly prohibited in Christianity.
Jesus said, “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them” (Matt. 7:15-20).
Do you not fulfill these words of Christ?
You are as likely to be that false teacher as everyone you accuse of the same. You teach that obedience to commands, laws and rules is the way to heaven. You teach as if the NT is another letter of law. It is wrong and full of false teaching. You diminish the power of grace as that which saves by faith.
You slander me as though I believe that Christ’s words and His law exclude faith and grace. You want to force me into your imagined anti-Christ, so that you can speak against me. For what? See the fruits that you have produced!
If Nicodemus could not enter the Kingdom w/o baptism in water then neither could the thief on the cross nor anyone else.
To use the idea that the thief could have been baptized w/o it being recorded is weak. This VERY important point would have been made apparent (in the bible) to avoid confusion and drive the important point of water baptism home. You are making assumption to support a theory.
Again, you seem to think that Jesus cannot refer to the New Covenant before He instituted it. Yet, Jesus refers to the Church and the Lord’s Supper before instituting them (Matt. 16:18, John 6:51-56), but you refuse to compare John 3:5 to Titus 3:5 and 1 Corinthians 6:11.
Truly, the veil of mysticism covers your eyes until Judgment or you remove it. Until you learn to think of Christ first and follow His life and words to His Church rather than your “necessary inferences”, then you will never know the Truth.
You totally missed it. Was Nicodemus required to be baptized or not? Yes or no!
Water baptism is carnal by definition. How can a carnal action put one into a Spiritual Kingdom? It simply cannot!
You oppose Christ and His resurrection again! Jesus said, “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, and whoever does not believe will be condemned” (Mark 16:16). You know this baptism in His name (Matt. 28:19), and that this baptism is water baptism (Acts 10:47-48).
Yes under the New Covenant in baptism in Jesus’ name, and yes under the Old Covenant in John’s baptism. John 3:5 is about the coming baptism that Jesus would institute in His resurrection.
Why do you reject baptism in Jesus’ name? Do you believe in the resurrection yet?
I believe that new covenant is a spiritual covenant and that it is spiritual baptism that represents the death, burial and resurrection and causes the actual spiritual rebirth and transformation. Water has no power to do do this. This belief is more held by true seekers of truth than yours. Do some research.
Why don’t you study your bible without the indoctrination that you have been raised with? You are promoting superficial changes and actions without regard for the the inner man.
More stupid accusations and foolish talk. You slander me again as though I believe that water is magical. Jesus commanded baptism in water, and believe in Him. Pardon me for being indoctrinated with Christ’s words.
You are totally conflicted on this. Nicodemus and the thief were under the same covenant. Nicodemus needed to be baptized and and the thief did not?
Both the thief and Nocidemus must be baptized under the New Covenant in the name of Jesus. Yet, both should have been immersed by John under the Old Covenant.
Nicodemus was under the same covenant as the thief on the cross. Jesus had not died yet. So why did Jesus instruct Nicodemus to be baptized? There had not yet been his death, burial and resurrection that needed to be represented by baptism.
I guess your special spirit led you to think that Christ cannot see the future or allude to His New Covenant before it was established by His blood. Can Jesus not speak of His Church before it came? He can and did (Matt. 16:18). Do you remember what Jesus said about the Lord’s Supper before He instituted it in John 6:51-56?
Think without prejudice, Phil.
I guess your bible and your fallible mind led you to believe that Christ put His New Covenant in force before His death.
The thief on the cross was not baptized.
See, this is how I know that you do not know that you are talking about. You are not an honest and diligent student. When the thief was promised salvation on the cross, Jesus had not died, been buried, and resurrected or instituted baptism in His name. Also, you do not know if the thief was baptized or not by John, which is different from Jesus’ baptism also. The Scriptures say that everyone, but the Pharisees were baptized. I could ask you, “Why wasn’t John the Baptist, Abraham, Moses, or Jesus’ father Joseph?”
Your personal comments are not appreciated. To call me dishonest and not diligent is a personal opinion and shows a side of you that is controlled by ego. You do not know my heart and this type of accusation hurts your credibility.
So the Pharisse would say to Christ in Matthew 24.