Antinomian Denial of Baptism (No. 164E)

God is unchanging. So also Christ is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow (Heb. 13:8) because he has the fullness of the divine nature (Col. 1:19; 2:9). The Law has the essential qualities of God, proceeding from His very nature, and is written on the hearts of the elect. The Law is right, true and good (Neh. 9:13). The elect are circumcised in the heart because they partake of the divine nature (2Pet. 1:4), and strive to have all the fullness (pleroma) of God (Eph. 3:19), as did Christ. All others are required to keep God’s Laws. They are punished for not changing (KJV); in other words, because they keep no law (RSV, Ps. 55:19). Blessed are they who walk in the Law of the Lord (Ps. 119:1). The Law is fulfilled in we who walk according to the spirit (Rom. 8:4). It is not the hearers of the Law that are righteous, but those who obey (Rom. 2:13).

The keeping of the Commandments of God is essential to the love and knowledge of God (1Jn. 2:3,4; 3:22; 5:3) and Christ (Jn. 14:15,21), and the receipt and retention of the Holy Spirit (Jn. 14:21; 1Jn. 3:24; Acts 5:32), and the blessings of God (Rev. 22:14). The breaking or relaxing or the teaching of the relaxing or breach of the Commandments was prohibited by Christ (Mat. 5:19).

Matthew 5:19 Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. (KJV)

The law that was fulfilled by Christ at Calvary, therefore, had to be one of type that was not changed but fulfilled.

The usual distinction is that of the Moral Law and the Ceremonial Law. The Moral Law is spoken of as the Ten Commandments. The so-called Ceremonial Law is referred to as the Law of Moses.

The distinction will be shown to be inadequate. The text on the Works of the Law shows one major area of misunderstanding that destroys the antinomian position of modern Christianity.

The fact of the matter is that Paul was speaking in the texts of not only two bodies of law, but also another third work that was lost for some centuries. That work was the Miqsat Maaseh ha Torah translated into the Greek as the ergon nomou, translated in English as the Works of the Law, which was in fact another body of text that became lost for almost two thousand years. It was found among the Dead Sea Scrolls and is examined in the text The Works of the Law Text - or MMT (No. 104) at: http://www.ccg.org/english/s/p104.html.

Paul taught that neither circumcision nor uncircumcision count for anything but keeping the Commandments of God [do] (1Cor. 7:19). He is hardly likely then to contradict himself in Colossians or Galatians (e.g. Gal. 3:10). He thus speaks of two bodies of law.

The Acts 15 Conference and the text of Acts 21:20-25 states clearly that Paul kept the Law of God and there is nothing in what the Antinomians claimed of Paul teaching against the Laws of God (see also the paper PAUL Part 1: Paul and the Law (No. 271) at: http://www.ccg.org/english/s/p271.html.

The law of God is constant. Moses was made an elohim to Pharaoh (Ex. 4:16; 7:1) because Egypt had breached the Commandments. The world is judged now and in the Second Resurrection against the Law of God. Those in the Millennium are judged against it. One strange Antinomian said to me that Paul kept the law until he was converted and thus in answer to James’ statements and judgment in Acts, Paul was unconverted. Thus Christ appeared to Paul and he was baptised and sent to the Gentiles and wrote these epistles and yet he was still unconverted when he went to Jerusalem. The poor soul did not realise that many of Paul’s works with the Gentiles were hence unconverted activities by such definition. Antinomians are without the Holy Spirit and make no logical sense. They are apart from the law and the Holy Spirit and are judged against the law.

Those who sinned apart from the Law were those who had not the general body of Law. Sin existed before Sinai, yet apart from the Law sin lies dead (Rom. 7:8). Paul implies ignorance gives freedom from the statement that he was once alive apart from the Law but the commandment came, sin revived, and he died (Rom. 7:9). Clearly, the entire body of Law was in effect when he wrote this text. Indeed nothing had been abolished at this time. The New Covenant had not yet taken over from the Old when most of the New Testament was written.

The distinction is made more obvious from the following comparison from the paper Distinction in the Law (No. 096) at: http://www.ccg.org/english/s/p096.html.


The Decalogue was	The Sacrificial or Ceremonial Law was
1. Given by God through the Angel at Sinai (Ex. 20: 1,22; Deut. 4:12,13; 5:22);	1. Spoken by YHVH; written by Moses (Ex. 24:3,4,12); given in addition to the Commandments (Ex. 24:12);
2. Written by Yahovah (Ex. 31:18; 32:16);	2. Written by Moses (Ex. 24:4; Deut. 31:9);
3. On stones (Ex. 24:12; 31:18);	3. In a book (Ex. 24:4,7; Deut. 31:24);
4. Handed by Yahovah to Moses (Ex. 31:18)	4. Handed by Moses to the Levites (Deut. 31:25,26);
5. Deposited by Moses in the Ark (Deut. 10:5);	5. Deposited by the Levites by the side of the ark (Deut 31:26) where it was a witness against Israel.
The Decalogue	The Sacrificial or Ceremonial Law
6. Deals with moral precepts (Ex. 20:3-17);	6. Deals with ceremonial ritual matters (from its use in Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy);
7. Reveals sin (Rom. 7:7);	7. Prescribes offerings for sins (see Leviticus);
8. Shows the breaking of the law is sin (1Jn. 3:4) and the wages of sin is death (Rom. 6:23).	8. Has no sin in breaking because it is abolished (Eph. 2:15); hence where no law is there is no transgression (Rom. 4:15).
9. We should keep the whole law (Jas. 2:10); we must not break the least of the Law (Mat. 5:19)	9. The Apostles gave no such commandment (instruction or commission; diesteilametha) to keep the law (Acts 15:24);
10. Because we shall be judged by this law (Jas. 2:12);	10. We are not to be judged in keeping it (Col. 2:16);
11. The Christian who keeps this law is blessed in his doing (Jas. 1:25);	11. We are not justified by the law but by faith (Gal. 5:1-6);
12. It is the perfect law of liberty (Jas. 1:25; cf. Jas. 2:12) because the law is perfect (Ps. 19:7);	12. Liberty comes from faith not justification by law (Gal. 5:1,3).
13. This law was established by faith in Christ (Rom. 3:31); it was not destroyed (Mat. 5:17);	13. Christ abolished the division of the law (Eph. 2:15); the debt (Col. 2:14); and structure (Gal. 3:19).
14. Christ was to magnify the law and make it honourable (Isa. 42:21);	14. Christ blotted out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us (Col. 2:14).
15. We know that the law is spiritual (Rom. 7:14 cf. v. 7).	15. This law is of a carnal commandment (Heb. 7:16). God suffered Israel to be given laws by which they might not live because of their pollution (Ezek. 20:25). This law made nothing perfect.

The carnal structure of the sacrificial law and physical symbols had to be repeated annually until Christ paid once and for all for our sins.

The way could only be made available with the destruction of the Temple in 70 CE, and the dispersion of Judah.

This is the fuller meaning of the Sign of Jonah and of the prophecy of the “seventy weeks of years” in Daniel 9:25 (see the paper The Sign of Jonah and the History of the Reconstruction of the Temple (No. 13)) at: http://www.ccg.org/english/s/p013.html which was concerned with the cessation of the Old and the beginning of the New Covenant.

The New Covenant was thus concerned with the sacrificial law, which could only be eliminated with the Temple.

The New Covenant was the abolition of the sacrificial ordinances, not the elimination of the Law.

Peter said of these Antinomians, these lawless men, in 2Peter 3:14-17:

[14] Therefore, beloved, since you wait for these, be zealous to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace. [15] And count the forbearance of our Lord as salvation. So also our beloved brother Paul wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, [16] speaking of this as he does in all his letters. There are some things in them hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other scriptures. [17] You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, beware lest you be carried away with the error of lawless men and lose your own stability. [18] But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.

This "losing your own stability" to which Peter is referring is to lose the understanding of the faith and even what you had shall be taken away from you.

That is what you have seen happen among these poor souls in Trinitarian Christianity. It is for this reason that the Trinitarian academics are obliged to claim that Peter did not write 2Peter and that it was a later writing of someone else in the church. That was done so that the Antinomian heresy could be maintained against what was written by Peter as the Roman Catholics especially are shattered in their doctrines by this text.

Antinomian attacks on Baptism and The Lord’s Supper

Matthew 3:13-17 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. [14] John would have prevented him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?" [15] But Jesus answered him, "Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness." Then he consented. [16] And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; [17] and behold, a voice from heaven said, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased." (ESV)

Note the difference between the texts where the KJV has additional text regarding the baptism of Christ and the other two. It refers seemingly to the facts of the persecution rather than the actual baptism.

Matthew 20:18-23 "Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man will be delivered to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death, [19] and deliver him to the Gentiles to be mocked and scourged and crucified, and he will be raised on the third day." [20] Then the mother of the sons of Zeb'edee came up to him, with her sons, and kneeling before him she asked him for something. [21] And he said to her, "What do you want?" She said to him, "Command that these two sons of mine may sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom." [22] But Jesus answered, "You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am to drink?" They said to him, "We are able." [23] He said to them, "You will drink my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father." (RSV)

Matthew 20:18-24 Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be betrayed unto the chief priests and unto the scribes, and they shall condemn him to death, [19] And shall deliver him to the Gentiles to mock, and to scourge, and to crucify him: and the third day he shall rise again. [20] Then came to him the mother of Zebedees children with her sons, worshipping him, and desiring a certain thing of him. [21] And he said unto her, What wilt thou? She saith unto him, Grant that these my two sons may sit, the one on thy right hand, and the other on the left, in thy kingdom. [22] But Jesus answered and said, Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? They say unto him, We are able. [23] And he saith unto them, Ye shall drink indeed of my cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with: but to sit on my right hand, and on my left, is not mine to give, but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of my Father. [24] And when the ten heard it, they were moved with indignation against the two brethren. (KJV)

See also Mark 10:37-39.

The texts of Acts are often quoted by Antinomians to assert that baptism is not required by ignoring Acts 2 and only partially quoting Acts 16. This is deliberate deception by these sons of Satan.

Acts 2:37-40 Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Brethren, what shall we do?" [38] And Peter said to them, "Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. [39] For the promise is to you and to your children and to all that are far off, every one whom the Lord our God calls to him." [40] And he testified with many other words and exhorted them, saying, "Save yourselves from this crooked generation."

Acts 16:29-34 And he called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear 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." [32] And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all that were in his house. [33] And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their wounds, and he was baptized at once, with all his family. [34] Then he brought them up into his house, and set food before them; and he rejoiced with all his household that he had believed in God.

Note these sons of Belial deliberately ignore verse 33 regarding his subsequent baptism and verse 34 which states that he had turned to believe in God. May the Lord rebuke them.

Similarly Paul also restates the requirement for baptism.

Romans 6:1-5 What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? [2] By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? [3] Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? [4] We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. [5] For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. (RSV)

Ephesians 4:1-5 I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, [2] with all lowliness and meekness, with patience, forbearing one another in love, [3] eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. [4] There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call, [5] one Lord, one faith, one baptism, [6] one God and Father of us all, who is above all and through all and in all. (RSV)

Thus there is One Lord, One Faith, and One Baptism and one God and Father of us all.

Colossians 2:12-14 and you were buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead. [13] And you, who were dead in trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, [14] having canceled the bond which stood against us with its legal demands; this he set aside, nailing it to the cross.

Thus what was nailed to the stauros or stake was the Bill of Indebtedness under the law, which was achieved through our baptism.

Again in Hebrews we see that Hebrews requires baptism, the laying on of hands of the resurrection of the dead and of eternal judgment.

Hebrews 6:1-3 Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, ²Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. ³And this will we do, if God permit. (KJV)

So also Peter says that baptism is an appeal to God for a clear Conscience through the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. If you are not baptised you are not saved. So also the baptism has to be of the church of God and even Appollos and those with him had to be re-baptised because their baptism was the baptism of John.

1Peter 3:20-21 who formerly did not obey, when God's patience waited in the days of Noah, during the building of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were saved through water. [21] Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a clear conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, (RSV)

Acts19:1-5 While Apol'los was at Corinth, Paul passed through the upper country and came to Ephesus. There he found some disciples. [2] And he said to them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" And they said, "No, we have never even heard that there is a Holy Spirit." [3] And he said, "Into what then were you baptized?" They said, "Into John's baptism." [4] And Paul said, "John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, Jesus." [5] On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.

Christ’s comments are critical regarding the sacraments. He said:

John 6:44-69 No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day. [45] It is written in the prophets, `And they shall all be taught by God.' Every one who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me. [46] Not that any one has seen the Father except him who is from God; he has seen the Father. [47] Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes has eternal life. [48] I am the bread of life. [49] Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. [50] 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." [59] This he said in the synagogue, as he taught at Caper'na-um. [60] Many of his disciples, when they heard it, said, "This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?" [61] But Jesus, knowing in himself that his disciples murmured at it, said to them, "Do you take offense at this? [62] Then what if you were to see the Son of man ascending where he was before? [63] It is the spirit that gives life, the flesh is of no avail; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. [64] But there are some of you that do not believe." For Jesus knew from the first who those were that did not believe, and who it was that would betray him. [65] And he said, "This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father." [66] After this many of his disciples drew back and no longer went about with him. [67] Jesus said to the twelve, "Do you also wish to go away?" [68] Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life; [69] and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God."

Christ said unless you eat my body and drink my blood you have no part in me. That was the establishment of the Lord’s Supper on 14 Abib and given to the Apostles. It was set up at Sinai. Yet Christ himself needed to be baptised and then the Holy Spirit came upon him. This was done to establish the ordinance in sequence (cf. Mat. 3:13-17).

Receipt of the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit does not come by baptism alone but is conferred by the laying on of hands.

Acts 8:12-17 But when they believed Philip as he preached good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. [13] Even Simon himself believed, and after being baptized he continued with Philip. And seeing signs and great miracles performed, he was amazed. [14] Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Sama'ria had received the word of God, they sent to them Peter and John, [15] who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit; [16] for it had not yet fallen on any of them, but they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. [17] Then they laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit. (RSV)

Simon Magus was baptised but the laying on of hands was withheld and reserved to the apostles in at least one instance as we know from here as it in fact involved Simon Magus and the Gnostic infested area in Samaria. Simon attempted to buy the Holy Spirit and it was refused to him. Thus it is not a matter of simply calling on the name of Christ otherwise Simon magus would have inherited the Holy Spirit and eternal life in the First Resurrection which we know he did not and which was refused to him. Thus the laying on of hands is by authorisation of the Church of God and we see that Phillip performed the entire baptism and laying on of hands with the Ethiopian but in this instance he was not permitted to do that by the church and its elders because the Holy Spirit was to be withheld from at least one of these Gnostics and perhaps many more.

These Antinomians must believe they are more righteous than the Apostles as they do not believe they require baptism and the laying on of hands.

Baptism is the necessary precondition to receipt of the Holy Spirit. This baptism superseded the baptism of John.

Acts 19:1-7 While Apol'los was at Corinth, Paul passed through the upper country and came to Ephesus. There he found some disciples. [2] And he said to them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" And they said, "No, we have never even heard that there is a Holy Spirit." [3] And he said, "Into what then were you baptized?" They said, "Into John's baptism." [4] And Paul said, "John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, Jesus." [5] On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. [6] And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came on them; and they spoke with tongues and prophesied. [7] There were about twelve of them in all. (RSV)

Peter also understood baptism to be an ordinance of the Church of God (cf. Acts 2:37-40).

God determines when and where the elect are to be chosen and called and what their tasks are to be. Those who call on Christ and do not obey the commands of God are not the elect and do not inherit the First Resurrection and Eternal life then. They go to the Second Resurrection.

It is beyond doubt that we are to keep the law and there is no separation between Law and Grace. We were baptised into Christ and by baptism into his death and the Resurrection to eternal life.

We have seen many members of the Churches of God abandon the faith and reject the necessity of their baptism and declared baptism unnecessary. Their baptism was thereby annulled and they are marked and consigned to the Second Resurrection as is every single one of those who were baptised in the Churches of God and who then became Antinomian Trinitarians. This problem extends also to the Antinomian Binitarians in the churches of God.

Remember that many such people come in to the church and try to destroy the faith of the elect and break up the discipline of the church. Let no such person be found among us and do not let such a one create problems in the faith. They are to be reported to the ministry immediately. Do not tolerate these Antinomians and those sowers of division among us. This Antinomianism is permeating the churches of God and especially from the US offshoots of both Sardis and Laodicea. Every officer and member of the CCG is to be alert to these people coming in from the US based offshoots. We had only recently had people from these churches try to influence our officers into Binitarian Antinomianism and preach the Antinomian “All you need is love” doctrines and we are seeing it emerge from the major churches of God based in the US. The people they have lost to the house churches in the US are rotten with it and it is spreading over the English speaking world like wildfire and we are seeing it in the people attempting to come to us from these organisations in Latin America and Europe. However, Africa fortunately is not so tainted with the heresy. Be diligent in detecting and rejecting these heretics. The British Commonwealth is following the US down the shute with the same Satanic doctrines, just not quite as fast.

We can now see that the doctrine has entered the church in the last days with force and has penetrated the Churches of God and is deceiving the baptised body of Christ and is reaching into the body of Christ and is deceiving if it were possible even the very elect. They attack us because they cannot deceive us. Hold fast the faith once delivered to the saints. Shun these pawns of Satan.

Pray for the continued blessing of God on the church and that we are able to continue in growth and the power of the Holy Spirit.

Pray for the repentance of the English speaking peoples as the Antinomianism among them from the Binitarian/Trinitarians may well see them sent into captivity in the very near future commencing with the US, as that is where the Antinomian Apostasy and its relative ethics of lawlessness are most entrenched. The US appears set to devour itself from within and the Commonwealth is not all that far behind it. However, in the US Antinomianism is by far the most entrenched, and lawlessness and disrespect for others most intense.

God is		His Law is
Righteous	(Ezra 9:15)	Righteous	(Ps.119:172)
Perfect	(Mat. 5:48)	Perfect	(Ps. 19:7)
Holy	(Lev. 19:2)	Holy	(Rom. 7:12)
Good	(Ps. 34:8)	Good	(Rom. 7:12)
Truth	(Deut. 32:4)	Truth	(Ps. 119:142)