All scripture references, unless otherwise noted, are from the King James Version of the Holy Bible.
An interesting question. The United Pentecostal Church (otherwise known as the UPCI) has been accused over the years of believing in baptismal regeneration. I suppose it is because of the Apostle Peter's statement to his Jewish hearers on the Day of Pentecost. He said in Acts 2:38, "... 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." Some translations seem to indicate that baptism was to recognize the forgiveness of sins that had already happened at Calvary. Because the UPCI has, as a general rule, clung to the King James version of the Bible, quoted above, we have been charged with the concept of baptismal regeneration.
What did the Lord Jesus say? In giving the Great Commission in Mark 16:15-18 He told His disciples, "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover." Look at verse 16! The Lord said, "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned." It sounds to me like the Lord Jesus was saying that baptism was necessary to be saved. I think if all one was told by a UPCI preacher was to be baptized in Jesus name, the charge would have some merit.
But in Luke's account of the Great Commission (Luke 24:46-49) the Lord, "said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And ye are witnesses of these things. And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high." And in Matthew 28:18-20 Matthew wrote, "And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen." It seems to me that the Lord endorsed baptism for salvation in the giving of what has become known as the Great Commission.
Having said this, lets go back and re-examine what the Apostle Peter said recorded in Acts 2:37-39. To the Jewish hearers in response to their guilty question to, "...Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? Then Peter said unto them, 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. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call." I am reminded early in my walk with God of telling a co-worker of the Acts 2:38 message. He said to me that he had spoken to his pastor who had told him he ought to believe what Jesus said in Matthew 28:19 rather than what Peter said in Acts 2:38. Really?
It was, after all, Matthew who wrote Matthew 28:19 and Matthew was standing there with Peter when he told those Jews of their need to be baptized in Jesus name for the remission (or the forgiveness as some translations have it) of sins. No, I don't believe that water regenerates anyone. But I agree with the Apostle Peter's statement in 1st Peter 3:21-22, "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: Who is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him." Just getting wet won't do the job.
Friend, if you have been confused about whether or not you need to be baptized to be saved, listen to the words of Jesus as recorded in Mark 16:16a, "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved..." No, just getting wet won't save you without faith and repentance. Put your faith in the Lord Jesus today, "... Repent, and be baptized... in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." It is God's promise to you.
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