Douglas Jacoby & Thomas Ross Baptism & Salvation Debate part 2: "We are born again in baptism."

Part 2 of 2 of the 2020 baptism and salvation debate between Douglas Jacoby (Campbellite / to Dr. Jacoby, the true Church of Christ) and Thomas Ross (independent Baptist, to Dr. Ross, the true Church of Christ).

Learn more at: faithsaves.net/baptismal-regeneration/

In part 2, Douglas Jacoby affirmed and Thomas Ross denied the proposition:

"We Are Born Again In Baptism" (part 1 of the debate is "We are Born Again Before Baptism").

In this second debate, Douglas Jacoby argued baptism is essential, and that the following verses teach that baptism is the moment of the new birth:

"He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned." (Mark 16:16)

"Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." (Acts 2:38)

"And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord." (Acts 22:16)

"[E]ight souls were saved by water. The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ." (1 Peter 3:20-21)

Dr. Jacoby said salvation is for those "in Christ" (en Christo) while baptism is "into Christ" (eis Christon, Romans 6:3; Galatians 3:27); one is "in Christ" through baptism "into Christ." He also referenced John 3:5; Colossians 2:12 & Titus 3:5. He said Jesus Christ only taught a little bit about baptism, while the book of Acts explains the way of salvation for the church age. He claimed that the Epistle of Barnabas, the Shepherd of Hermas, Commodianus, Archelaus, the creed of the Council of Nicaea, and other patristics / church fathers taught salvation through baptism.

Thomas Ross responded with evidence in his book Heaven Only for the Baptized? The Gospel of Christ vs. Pardon through Baptism. Ross agreed that baptism is essential because everything in the Bible is essential, but denied it is a prerequisite to the new birth. He thought the claim the Savior only taught a little about salvation was strange.

Ross said that while Scripture says those who do not repent (Luke 13:3) and believe (John 3:18) are lost, neither Mark 16:16 nor any other text of the Bible states that the unbaptized are lost. Baptism is evidence of justification in Mark 16:16.

In Acts 2:38, "for" (eis) means "on account of" because the audience of Acts 2 would have had the message of John the Baptist, "I indeed baptize you with water unto [eis] repentance" (Matthew 3:11) in their minds, and other texts in the NT and outside the Bible show eis can mean "on account of." Josephus and Eusebius likewise show that John's baptism did not forgive sin. The KJV translates eis forty-eight different ways but never renders the preposition as “in order to” in any of its 1,767 appearances. Baptism is not "in order to" the remission of sin.

In Acts 22:16, the Greek middle voice of "wash" indicates that baptism figuratively or representatively washes away sin (cf. Job 9:30), while Christ's blood actually washes away sin (Revelation 1:5).

1 Peter 3:21 specifically says baptism is a good conscience's "answer" and does not put away spiritual filthiness, so one is forgiven before baptism. The Greek word for "saved" (diasodzo) in 1 Peter 3:20 is never used for spiritual salvation from hell in the New Testament, nor are the words for "saved" in 1 Peter 3:20-21 used together of spiritual salvation in the LXX. None of these verses meet the burden of proof for baptism as the moment of the new birth.

Dr. Ross pointed out that 279 NT verses have "in Christ" and related phrases, and none of them say that baptism is how one is "in Christ." He asked why if baptism + eis / "into" proves one is “in Christ” only after baptism, why speak + eis (Ephesians 5:32) or sin + eis (1 Corinthians 8:12) do not prove that one actually is "in Christ" by speaking or by sinning.

Titus 3:5 actually refutes, not supports, baptism in order to obtain the new birth.

Thomas Ross pointed out that huge numbers of verses (examined in part 1 of this debate) teach eternal life is received at the moment of faith, while only a tiny number of texts, c. 0.019% of the Bible, even give the appearance of supporting baptism as the moment of forgiveness--core teachings of the Word of God from monotheism to the Deity and resurrection of Jesus Christ do not rest on such slender evidence.

Ross cited Clement of Rome, Polycarp, Marius Victorinus, Tertullian, the Novatians, Basil of Caesarea, and Augustine of Hippo to prove that baptism was not universally considered necessary for salvation in early church history. Alexander Campbell, founder of Dr. Jacoby's "Church of Christ" denomination, knew that “Baptism as viewed and practised by the Baptists, had its advocates in every century up to the Christian era ... from the apostolic age, to the present time.”

See part one for more!