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Baptismal Regeneration: Refuting Jason Engwer’s Attacks

Baptismal Regeneration: Refuting Jason Engwer’s Attacks

Last updated on: December 19, 2024 at 3:45 pm by Dave Armstrong

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Baptismal Regeneration: Refuting Jason Engwer’s Attacks 2024-12-19T15:45:05-04:00 Dave Armstrong

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This is a reply to the first section of Jason’s article, “The False Doctrine of Baptismal Regeneration” (Dec. 1998). His words will be in blue. I use RSV for Bible citations.

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If baptism is a requirement for salvation…

Why do so many passages refer to salvation through faith, but mention nothing of baptism (John 5:24, John 6:29, Acts 13:39, Acts 16:31, Romans 1:16, Romans 4:5, Galatians 3:24, 1 Peter 1:5, etc.)?

Because they’re not required to. Not every passage has to mention every aspect of a given topic, particularly if other portions of the Bible have done so. For example, St. Paul mentions very few events in Jesus’ life. Why? It’s because four Gospels had already done so, making a fifth account unnecessary. We know from the Bible that at least 14 Bible passages teach that we’re regenerated through baptism (see also my video commentary on the same topic). Moreover, I proved the strong connection in Scripture of baptism and justification in another one of my articles.

The task of every exegete is to incorporate and harmonize all of the Bible into a coherent and self-consistent whole; not merely pick-and-choose or “cherry-pick” highly selected passages that seem to teach a thing but in fact do not, in light of other related topics. That’s what Jason has done above. But let’s play his game for a moment and briefly examine the eight texts he mentions (verse numbers highlighted in green), to show that they don’t disprove baptismal regeneration at all.

John 5:24 Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears my word and believes him who sent me, has eternal life; he does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.

John 6:29 Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.”

Acts 16:29-31 . . . he fell down before Paul and Silas, [30] and brought them out and said, “Men, what must I do to be saved?” [31] And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.”

Romans 1:16 . . . the gospel: it is the power of God for salvation to every one who has faith . . .

Romans 4:5 And to one who does not work but trusts him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is reckoned as righteousness.

Galatians 3:24 . . . that we might be justified by faith.

1 Peter 1:5 who by God’s power are guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

These offer no disproof. John 5:24 doesn’t say, “if one does nothing else but hear my word and believe him who sent me, he has eternal life.” That would actually be an explicit proof of Jason’s position (if only it were Scripture . . .). The text as it reads doesn’t teach Jason’s position. It teaches that faith is an important component of salvation. It’s the same thing with the others above. The same Jesus also states in John chapter 6 that faith alone doesn’t save; that the Eucharist is also required (reiterating the point no less than seven times):

John 6:50- 58 This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that a man may eat of it and not die. [51] I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if any one eats of this bread, he will live for ever; and the bread which I shall give for the life of the world is my flesh.” [52] The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” [53] So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you; [54] he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. [55] For my flesh is food indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. [56] He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. [57] As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats me will live because of me. [58] This is the bread which came down from heaven, not such as the fathers ate and died; he who eats this bread will live for ever.”

So is baptism, according to Jesus, speaking shortly before He ascended into heaven:

Mark 16:16 “He who believes and is baptized will be saved; . . . “

Thus we see that the above seven passages cited in isolation are far from sufficient in determining the entire doctrine concerning salvation, even from Jesus alone. A half-truth is little better than a falsehood. People are indeed saved by faith, as these passages teach, but not faith alone; it’s also through baptism, the Eucharist, etc. I provide the whole biblical teaching, not merely one part of it.

Acts 13:38-39 Let it be known to you therefore, brethren, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, [39] and by him every one that believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses.

Absolutely. We’re saved by Jesus. This doesn’t logically or exegetically rule out things like baptism and the Eucharist, that He Himself said were required for salvation, and are part of our appropriation of the salvation that he won for us on the cross.

Why do so many passages exclude all human works from the salvation process (Romans 4:4-6, Romans 9:30-10:4, Romans 11:6, Ephesians 2:8-9, etc.)?

Because they are emphasizing faith. It’s not true that they exclude works, as Jason claims. They all have to be harmonized with, for example, 80 Bible passages having to do with actions / works as contributing causes of s alvation. Jason cites only Paul above. The same Paul made actions a requirement, too, in twenty-two of the passages I cited in my preceding linked article.

Why is the man in Mark 2:5 saved without being baptized?

Jesus didn’t say he was saved in the first place; He said, “your sins are forgiven”: which is a different concept. Jesus was talking about transactional forgiveness of sins by an appointed person on earth, as seen in Matthew 16:19; 18:18; John 20:23, and as indicated by His words, “the Son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins” (Mk 2:10). John the Baptist did the same thing a chapter earlier (Mk 1:4-5). And again, in the same Gospel, Jesus said, “He who believes and is baptized will be saved”: so obviously, He is not excluding baptism from the equation. One must choose between Jason’s opinion, and Jesus’ opinion, that contradicts Jason’s. As Joshua said, “choose this day whom you will serve, . . . as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD” (Josh 24:15).

Why is the woman in Luke 7:50 saved without being baptized?

Jesus said, “Your faith has saved you” but this doesn’t exclude everything else, because Jesus also said in context, “her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much” (Lk 7:47). We know that one of these acts of love (which is a good work, not merely faith), was done to Jesus Himself: “she began to wet his feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment” (Lk 7:38). Therefore, if this work wasn;t excluded from her salvation, it follows that baptism can’t be excluded, either.

Why is the man in Luke 23:39-43 saved without being baptized?

Because he couldn’t possibly get baptized: being the thief on the cross next to Jesus, who repented. It’s an exception to the rule or the norm. Exceptions don’t disprove or eliminate the rules that they go against.

Why do the believers in Acts 10:44-48 receive the Holy Spirit, the seal of salvation (Ephesians 1:13-14), before being baptized?

It’s not the chronological order that is the essence, but the requirement of baptism. This doesn’t logically rule out baptism. The first thing Paul himself did was get baptized, after he converted (Acts 9:18). Acts 22:16 provides more detail. Ananias tells Paul, **“**And now why do you wait? Rise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on his name.”

Why, among the many salvation passages in scripture, is there no passage that states that those who are not baptized will not be saved?

Two passages actually do assert that:

Mark 16:16 “He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.”

**John 3:5 “**Jesus answered, ‘I tell you the truth, unless a man is born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.’” (cf. 3:3: “unless a man is born again …”)

Moreover the other passages (at least twelve) that make a close connection between baptism and regeneration and salvation, in effect teach the same thing. If, for example, I say, “if I drink a glass of water I’ll quench my thirst” it’s logically the same idea to express it in the opposite sense: “if I don’t drink a glass of water I won’t quench my thirst.” So John 3:5 expresses it in the second, negative sense, and Mark 16:16 in the first positive sense. If we “reversed” Mark 16:16 it would read, “He who doesn’t believe and is not baptized will not be saved; . . .” It’s the same thought, simply expressed in different ways. Likewise, if we reverse John 3:5 it reads, “if a man is born of water and of the Spirit, he will enter the kingdom of God.” Conclusion? Jason’s argument is special pleading, desperate, and fundamentally unscriptural.

The message of the Bible from Genesis (15:6) to Revelation (21:6) is that salvation is a free gift of God’s grace, accepted through faith alone. “The just shall live by faith” (Habakkuk 2:4, Romans 1:17). The Mosaic law of the Old Testament had faith in God as part of its first and greatest commandment (Mark 12:28-30). Adherence to all other aspects of the law, from circumcision to animal sacrifice, was rejected by God if the person’s relationship with Him was not right. This concept is expressed in Amos 5:21-24, Micah 6:6-8, and many other passages of scripture. Jesus and the apostles also emphasized the futility of empty ritualism (Matthew 15:1-14, Galatians 4:8-10, etc.). . . .

Paul emphasizes over and over again, elsewhere in the book of Romans and in his other epistles, that God justifies people through faith alone. Paul explains that although Abraham was circumcised, and obeyed God in other ways, it was his faith that resulted in his salvation (Romans 4:9-13). Abraham’s works were evidence of his faith, and justified him before the rest of the world, as explained in James 2, but it was his faith alone that justified him before God (Genesis 15:6). In the Old Testament era, God saved those who trusted in Him on the basis of what Christ would later do to atone for their sins. In this New Testament era, God saves those who trust in Him on the basis of what Christ has already done. Salvation has always been granted on the basis of Christ fulfilling the just requirements of God’s laws, and bearing on the cross the penalty for man’s sins. God was born as a Man, lived the perfect life that all of us have failed to live, and then bore the penalty for our sins. God not only showed His mercy and His love for lost sinners, but also His holiness and justness. The cross represents both God’s hatred of sin and His love for mankind. Any attempt to be reconciled with God on the basis of anything but what Christ has already accomplished is a denial of the sufficiency of Christ’s work. The Bible repeatedly refers to salvation as a free gift of God’s grace (Romans 3:24, Romans 6:23, Revelation 21:6, etc.), and it must either be accepted as such, or rejected as such. We are either clothed in Christ’s righteousness, given to us through faith alone (Romans 3:21-22, Romans 4:5, Philippians 3:9, 2 Corinthians 5:21, etc.), or we’re clothed in the filthy rags of our own righteousness (Isaiah 64:6, Luke 18:10-14, Galatians 5:4, etc.). Jesus must be our righteousness (Jeremiah 23:6). We have to trust wholly in Him and His finished work for our salvation, not in any of our own works.

It’s by grace alone but not by faith alone. How do I know that? I do because 100 Bible passages expressly refute faith alone, and assert that works are also required alongside faith. Another fifty passages show that works are crucial in the final judgment in determining salvation, and a further fifty teach that good works done by God’s grace are meritorious.

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Photo credit: Photograph by Kai Stachowiak [PublicDomainPictures.Net]

Summary: I dismantle anti-Catholic evangelical Protestant apologist Jason Engwer’s attack on baptismal regeneration by showing that his “prooftexts” are actually not relevant at all.

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