Introduction
It is amazing how fragile man is. It is wonderful that the all powerful God of heaven and earth takes such special and tender note of us. “For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust” (Psa. 103:14). God has assured us, “I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end” (Jer. 29:11). Because we are dust, like little children that are so vulnerable because they lack knowledge, understanding, wisdom, and strength, God wants us to understand that we need Him and the place of safety is in our abiding loving obedience to God’s Word.
“Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” (Mat. 4:4).
“Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like: He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock. But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great.” (Lk. 6:47-49).
“Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life” (Jhn. 6:68).
Churches are fragile too. They are made up of fragile men, redeemed men, but fragile nonetheless. Paul wisely reminds us, “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not” (Rom. 7:18). Oh, that precious Spirit of God—“This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh” (Gal. 5:16). In North America, many, remembering a day of greater light, lament the growing darkness and seem shocked at how quickly once Christ-professing homes, and once Bible believing churches, and once Bible-faithful preachers have crumbled and fallen. We are fragile.
God’s answer is not to start political reform or a political revolution. The moral majority did not work. Neither is it God’s answer to despair over this and hide. Neither has God’s answer ever been to go with the flow. God’s answer for His people in His churches has always been to separate and propagate. “In your patience possess ye your souls” (Lk. 21:19). Patience is constancy in the Word of God through all that we encounter on our pilgrimage.
In Acts 19 we have the Scriptural record of the start of the church at Ephesus via the ministry of the Apostle Paul. This entire account emphasizes our need to propagate via obedience to the Great Commission and to practice a full separation to God, from our hearts, and active separation from the all that is contrary to God. The enemies to the truth in Thessalonica described Paul and his co-labourers as, “These that have turned the world upside down” (Ac. 17:6). The great commission is aggressive. If the first churches and their members had been like the world they would never have disturbed the world in such a way as to draw the description above by the unbelieving in Thessalonica. “If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you” (Jhn. 15:19). Separation is part of the nature of God—“Be ye holy; for I am holy” (1Pet. 1:16). Separation is the norm for God’s children and Christ’s churches—“Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing” (2Cor. 6:17). As Paul is doing the work of the Great Commission the reality of separation runs through all that he does.
The Separation of Baptism—Acts 19:1-7
Paul arrived in Ephesus. When he arrived he found some men which are termed “certain disciples.” These certain disciples had a certain profession of faith which they related to be after John the Baptist (vs. 3). The first thing that Paul does is test the profession of faith of these certain disciples (vs. 2). These men failed the doctrinal/professional test; with whatever else they did believe, they did not believe the truth about Christ Jesus and His meritorious work. They, therefore, did not know Christ savingly. They were religious, but lost.
The Apostle links the profession of these certain disciples with their baptism in verse three, asking, “Unto what then were ye baptized?” The Scriptures are very clear that baptism is the ordinance that pictures the death, burial, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus as well as the spiritual death, burial, and resurrection of the believer when he is justified by Christ’s blood and regenerated by the Spirit of God. Baptism is a public act whereby the convert both identifies with Christ’s justifying work on Calvary and declares himself to be dead to sin and alive unto God through Christ Jesus his Lord. (Rom. 6:1-11; Col. 2:11-12; 1Pet. 3:21—baptism is a figure of a reality, not the reality; baptism does not save.) Therefore, you cannot have a valid baptism with an invalid profession of salvation. The doctrine of the Gospel is inseparably linked to the pictorial ordinance of salvation. One’s “gospel” doctrine and one’s baptism stand or fall together.
There are three elements that make a baptism acceptable with God, or, Scriptural. The first of these has been identified above. The candidate for baptism must have a Scriptural profession of faith and evidence a changed life—“fruits meet for repentance” (Mat. 3:8). The second element of Scriptural baptism is dipping; or, full body burial in water followed by bodily emerging from the water. The third element is Scriptural authority. The administrator of the baptism must have authority from God to baptize. John the Baptist had that authority (Jhn. 1:33). The only other assigning of the authority to baptize by God recorded in the Scriptures is when the Lord Jesus, God the Son, gives the Great Commission to the institution of the church which He built during His earthly ministry. That holy assembly alone has been perpetuated by Christ to this very day (Mat. 16:18; Eph. 3:20-21), and alone is the only authorized administrator of the ordinance of baptism.
Baptism is an essential part of the Great Commission. “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.” (Matt. 28:18-20.) It is impossible to fulfill the Great Commission if we have the wrong Gospel message or method, if we have the wrong baptism, if we have the wrong discipleship doctrine, or if we have the wrong church pattern. It is impossible within the scope of this essay to deal with all these points; such would require a full theology work. The intension in this essay is to use Acts 19:1-7 as the outline. The first major point that our text brings up is baptism and the separation it demands.
As has already been mentioned above baptism carries the Gospel pictorially and declaratively. (Romans 6:1-6.) Pictorially it demonstrates both the redeeming work of Christ by His death, burial, and resurrection, as well as picturing the believer’s death to sin and rising in new life in Christ Jesus. Baptism is also a public declaration of that faith. God has given us baptism as the initial and commanded means for a repentant believer to identify himself with the crucified and resurrected Christ and declare his separation from sin to God. Separation is inherent in baptism as taught in the New Testament.
Not only is baptism an ordinance to be administered, but baptism, and its meaning, is a doctrine to be preached as part of gospel preaching. “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned” (Mark 16:16). It is unbelief that damns a soul, not being unbaptized. The ordinance of baptism does not save. Nevertheless, for a person to profess Christ savingly and not be immediately baptized is foreign to the New Testament. Obviously, the New Testament preachers included baptism and its meaning in their Gospel preaching (Ac. 2:37-40). Why, because the converts needed no subsequent instruction on baptism after receiving Christ by faith out of a repentant heart.
The Protestant denominations and all their offspring denominations, organizations, schools, and movements, have debased and perverted the doctrine of baptism (including fundamentalism, evangelicalism, and new-evangelicalism). The fact is they are the daughters of Roman Catholicism and have no Scriptural baptism. To acknowledge the Scriptural teaching on baptism would expose their illegitimacy as churches and human origin.
When we turn our Bibles to the last section of Acts chapter eight we find the account of Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch. At the climax of their meeting the Ethiopian asks, “See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?” (Ac. 8:36). We know that the Ethiopian was previously reading from the prophet Isaiah, chapter 53. Note, it is without question that Isaiah 53 says nothing about baptism. So where did this Ethiopian man get to know about baptism? The answer is found in verse 35, “Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus.” Obviously, as Philip preached Christ to this Ethiopian he preached Christ’s crucifixion for our justification, Christ’s atoning blood, Christ’s victorious resurrection, and God’s demand for repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as the pre-condition of the soul to receive the gift of eternal life in Christ Jesus. But, Philip also had to have preached the changed life and the public identification with Christ and the public declaration for Christ in baptism. Baptism and its meaning was part of Gospel preaching in the New Testament. The Ethiopian, already believing on Christ from his repentant heart, jumped at the opportunity to declare and identify with His Lord and Saviour, “See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?” (Ac. 8:36). Philip asked the Ethiopian of his faith (Ac. 8:37), and upon receiving the proper profession baptized the man (Ac. 8:37-38).
When Paul examined these certain disciples he found in Ephesus regarding their salvation profession (what they believed) and they had never heard of the Holy Ghost he asked, “Unto what then were ye baptized?” (Acts 19:3) This lets us know that Paul understood baptism to contain a conscious profession of faith. It is for this reason that New Testament churches for the last eighteen centuries have stood against infant baptism. There can be no conscious knowledgeable faith in an infant.
Separation is inherent in the Gospel and in Baptism. John the Baptist preached “the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins” (Mark 1:4). John’s preaching, so briefly stated in Mark 1:4, is given to us in detail in Matthew chapter three and John chapter one. In Matthew three we find John’s demand for repentance (vs. 2), that the kingdom of heaven is at hand—grasp-able, close (vs.2), that he was the forerunner to the Messiah (vs. 3), the judgment was coming (vs. 7), that true repentance was evidenced by a changed life (vs. 8), that their natural birth and descent from Abraham did not make them right with God (vss. 9-10), and the Messiah would baptize some with the Holy Ghost and some with fire (judgment) (vss. 11-12; compare with Mk. 1:5-8). In John chapter one we find John the Baptist preaching the deity of Jesus Christ (vss. 15, 18, 33-34), that God’s fullness (salvation) is in and by Christ Jesus by the grace of God (vs. 16), that Jesus Christ is alone the means of grace and the truth (revelation of God the Father) (vs. 17-18), [vss. 19-28 repeat truths listed above], that Jesus Christ is the substitutionary atonement for men’s sins (vs. 29), and, again, the man Jesus of Nazareth is the Son of God (vss. 30-34). Additionally, in John chapter three we hear John the Baptist preaching that Jesus was to have the preeminence (vss. 27-30), that Jesus is from above (vs. 31), that Jesus is the truth (vss. 32-33), that Jesus is the Son of God to Whom the Father has committed all things (vs. 35), and that “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him” (vs. 36). Remember, the Apostle Paul stood firmly on the Gospel that John the Baptist preached in dealing with our certain disciples in Ephesus.
There is only one gospel. “If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed” (Gal. 1:9). The same Gospel that God preached to Abraham was preached by John the Baptist, the Lord Jesus, Peter, Paul, and all true churches and preachers since (Gal. 3:6-29). The preaching of the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins and the preaching of the kingdom of God are different facets of the one and the same gospel of Christ. [Compare Mat. 3:2-12 with 4:17; 9:35; 24:14; Lk. 4:43; Mk. 1:4, and 14-15; and, Lk. 16:16.] In Luke 24:47 we are commanded to preach “repentance and remission of sins…among all nations.” When a person is brought to a place of repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ by the preaching of the truth, the reproving work of the Holy Spirit, and the drawing of the Father a separation decision must be made by that man. (See also, Ac. 2:38; 3:19; and, 8:12.) Paul preached “repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ” and Paul said that he had “gone preaching the kingdom of God” (Ac. 20:21, 25; see also Ac. 28:31).
Repentance is a decision to separate one’s affections away from sin and to God—1Cor. 6:9-10. The repentant sinner’s change of mind and affections from sin to God, and their change of faith from works to Christ Jesus leads to God the Spirit graciously making them a new creature. This entire salvation transaction is declared in baptism and the born-again soul identifies with Christ in that same ordinance.
Baptism also includes that separation of a good conscience toward God. Peter, by the Spirit, speaks of this in 1Peter 3:13-22. Peter tells us that we need to live righteously in all respects in this world. And, if we suffer persecution because of righteousness we ought to be happy that we have a good conscience toward God. In verses 21-22 Peter tells us that our baptism signifies our commitment to live righteously for Christ always and the promise and power of the resurrection of Jesus Christ to motivate and enable us to live with a good conscience before God. Baptism is a declaration and identification of separation to new life in Christ.
The Separation of Truth Preached—Acts 19:8-9
The Apostle Paul was on a mission, a mission to preach the Word of God to the Gentiles, and all that would hear. Paul sought out people to whom he could preach. “And he went into the synagogue, and spake boldly for the space of three months, disputing and persuading the things concerning the kingdom of God. But when divers were hardened, and believed not, but spake evil of that way before the multitude, he departed from them…” (Ac. 19:8-9) The preaching of the truth caused separation between the believers and the unbelievers, it led to Paul separating himself from scorners, and it moved Paul to separate the believers away from the scorning unbelievers. Separation is inherent in truth and the fulfilling of the Great Commission.
The nature of Paul’s preaching is revealed in verse eight, “spake boldly,” and “disputing and persuading.” We know that Paul preached the truth, but this reveals how he went about it and what his goal was in preaching the truth. The quality of Paul’s preaching was bold, or fearless. Paul was preaching the truth, under the call of the God of truth, and by the enabling of the Spirit of truth. He had every reason to be fearless. “God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind” (2Tim. 1:7; context, vss. 6-11).
Paul’s preaching also involved disputing and persuading. Disputing and persuading lets us in on Paul’s manner of preaching, but, persuading also let us know Paul’s goal in preaching. It is important that these two words go together in this description. If Paul was just disputing we might get the idea that it was his goal to win arguments. But, Paul is disputing and persuading; therefore, Paul’s goal is to win men to the truth. This description, disputing and persuading, further tells us that Paul’s preaching was personally engaging. The word dispute, means: to engage in argument; debate; oppose; to contend over. Persuade, means: to move by argument, entreaty, or exposition of belief, position, or course of action. Not only did Paul preach the truth positively; Paul brought up, confronted, and refuted the lies, errors, and sins of his hearers. Paul desired that his hearers be engaged and moved from error to truth; from darkness to light and from unbelief to faith. The truth demands a decision, and this is where separation will occur in a group of hearers.
Preaching the truth causes division, “when diverse were hardened and believed not, but spake evil of that way before the multitude…” (Ac. 19:9). In 1Corinthains 1:23-24 Paul tells us that the preaching of Christ crucified is to “the Jews a stumbling block, and unto the Greeks foolishness.” In another place Paul tells us that when God makes know the knowledge of Christ through His servants to some “we are the savour of death unto death; and to the other we are the savour of life unto life” (2Cor. 2:14-16).
The next act of separation that the text reveals to us is that of Paul separating from the unbelieving multitude, “…he departed from them…” (Ac. 19:9). This unbelieving multitude was not unbelieving due to ignorance of the truth, they were unbelieving of known truth. The fact that this group of people had made a decision against the truth is revealed by their speaking “evil of that way before the multitude.” A scorner is one that is not only personally opposed to the truth and settled for sin, but is not happy unless they persuade others to follow their lead. The Bible is clear; as we go forth in obedience to the Great Commission we are to separate from those that have heard and made a decision to reject the truth. The Lord has commanded us, “…into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you not, go your ways out into the streets of the same, and say, even the very dust of your city, which cleaveth on us, we do wipe off against you: notwithstanding be ye sure of this, that the kingdom of God is come nigh unto you” (Lk. 10:10-11). This command is also recorded by Matthew, “And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet” (Mt. 10:14). And such was the practice of the Apostles, “But they shook off the dust of their feet against them, and came unto Iconium” (Ac. 13:51). When Paul separated from the unbelievers, he led the believers to do the same.
The Separation into the New Testament Church—Acts 19:9
The first major movement in the work of the Great Commission is making disciples and baptizing them. We have already seen how this was effected by God through the ministry of His servant, Paul. The truth has drawn that proverbial line in the sand and the initial hearers in Ephesus range themselves on either side—for or against. As Paul separates from the scorners he also leads the disciples to separate from the unbelievers. But separation always has two sides, from and to. These disciples were led into a New Testament assembly (church)—“and separated the disciples” (Ac. 19:9). The fact of this separation into a New Testament church is proved in the existence of the church at Ephesus.
This separation happened everywhere Paul went: in Antioch of Pisidea—Ac. 13:14, 43-45, 50-52; in Iconium—Ac. 14:1-4; in Lystra—Ac. 14:8, 19-20; in Derbe—Ac. 14:20-21; in Philippi—Ac. 16:22, 40; in Thessalonica—Ac. 17:1-9; in Berea—Ac. 17:10-14; and, in Corinth—Ac. 18:5-11. The fact that fulfilling the Great Commission requires separating the disciples into a New Testament church is testified to in Acts 14:22-23.
Being separated into a New Testament church is no small thing. It is essential to Christian growth, testimony, service, victory, and to the very glory of God. “Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; and are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; in whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: in whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit” (Eph. 2:19-22).
In Acts 2:41-42 those that were added to the church of Jerusalem had to meet two qualifications; first, regeneration, and second, baptism. These are the two essential prerequisites to membership in Christ’s body, a church (1Cor. 12:27; Eph. 1:22-23; Col. 1:24). 1Corinthians 12:13 contains truths that are very pertinent at this point. This verse is a battle ground between those who hold its historic Baptist grammatical exposition and those who impose upon it the heretical and allegorical universal invisible church teaching of Martin Luther and other Protestants. Despite the clamour, the exposition of this verse is straight forward. The subject matter is spiritual gifts. In the first fourteen verses the word “Spirit” appears 10 times (Holy Ghost, once). The phrase “by the Spirit,” and equivalents like, “by the Holy Ghost,” appears seven times.
A survey of these incidents of the phrase, “by the Sprit,” shows the following. Before we start, please note verse two; the Corinthian church members were, prior to salvation, carried away and led unto dumb idols. The word “led” conveys an idea that we must remember. Why remember it, because verse thirteen begins with “wherefore,” meaning, for this cause. Paul is saying, because you were that (led unto dumb idols), I want you to understand this… Verse three: By the Spirit’s influence and operation (leading) a man speaks in harmony with Jesus and by that same Spirit’s leading calls Jesus Lord. Verses four through seven: God purposes the diversity of abilities, stewardships, and practical workings. But every man, in these gifts, manifests the influence of the Spirit of God. Verse eight and nine: By the influence and operation of the Spirit of God men are given spiritual gifts. Spiritual gifts are given by the Spirit and their use is by the influence of the Spirit. Verse eleven: all of the above is by the working of the Spirit of God. [For like usage of the “by the Spirit” meaning, led, see Lk. 2:27; 4:1; Rom. 8:14.]
Verse twelve begins a new paragraph, which continues on to the end of chapter twelve. The next three sentences (in this case corresponding to the next three verses) all begin with the conjunction, “for;” meaning, for the reason that, because. Verse twelve: Christ is singular, unified, just as the body is unified (singular) but diverse in its parts. These folks were having trouble with the reality of diversity within the greater unity of a NT. church (See verses 4-6, 15-31). Now we come to verse thirteen: We must identify two things in this verse before we proceed. First, what is the body here spoken of. If the rules of grammatical-historical interpretation mean anything we must define the word/term from the Scriptures with disciplined submission to the context. Paul identifies the body he is speaking of in verse 27 of this very chapter—“Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.” Paul was speaking to the church at Corinth and that church (local, visible, assembly) is the body of Christ. Consider verse 27 in comparison with verses 14, 18, and especially verse 20, “And God hath set some in the church…” The body, of verse thirteen, into which “we” are baptized is a local, visible, assembly—a church. That fact alone will identify the baptism referred to. Search the New Testament, the ordinance of water baptism is the admission rite to a New Testament church. Let us put this all together. Paul, by consistent usage in the context of this letter, has already told us the meaning of the phrase, “by one Spirit.” Therefore, a man by the leading/influence of the Spirit of God gets baptized (water) into a New Testament church.
Because a different view of this verse is so widely held it is only fitting that we confront the query of some reader’s minds regarding the Protestant doctrine called the ‘baptism of the Holy Spirit.’ I will attempt to make the central point on this matter as succinctly as possible. The Protestant ‘baptism of the Holy Spirit’ doctrine is commonly explained as the Holy Spirit immersing a believer into an ‘invisible mystical body of Christ’ at the moment of salvation. They hold this happens each time a soul is saved. And the proposed Scriptural record of the first instance of this event is said to be in Acts 2, the record of the Day of Pentecost. To make this visual, this doctrine has the Holy Spirit as the baptizer, the individual new convert as the candidate to be baptized, and a mystical invisible body of Christ as the substance into which immersion is effected. “To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them” (Isa. 8:20). Jesus describes what was going to happen on Pentecost in Acts 1:5, “For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.” The Lord describes the baptism to happen on the Day of Pentecost by paralleling it to John baptizing—water baptism. When you went to John’s baptism, John was the baptizer, the professor was the candidate, and the water was the medium in which baptism was effected. This is to be baptized with water. Jesus says that “ye” (plural, speaking to his church) shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost. The teaching here is completely different from the Protestant teaching. Here we have the Lord Jesus as the baptizer (See Mk. 1:8), His church at Jerusalem the candidate, and the Holy Spirit as the substance in which the baptism is effected. This baptism with the Holy Ghost happen on the Day of Pentecost (Ac. 2:2) and only once did this occur, with the resulting miraculous sign gifts lasting to the completion of the Scriptures and the filling of the Holy Spirit still, praise the Lord, abiding to this very day (Ac. 2:4). When Paul writes in Ephesians 4:4, “one Lord, one faith, one baptism,” he is speaking of the ordinance of water baptism, which is commanded in the Great Commission. More could be said, but we must move on.
It is in Christ’s body, a New Testament patterned church—historically, synonymous with ‘Baptist,’ that a saved person is to separated into. It is there we are separated (a) to sound Biblical doctrine, 1Tim. 3:15; Eph. 4:14; (b) to Biblical unity, Jhn. 17:11, 17; Rom. 15:5-6; Phil. 2:2; (c) to Biblical fellowship, 1Jhn. 1:3; Eph. 5:11; Heb. 10:19-25; (d) to Biblical society (social interaction, friendship), Rom. 12:10; and, (e) to Biblical focus on God and prayer, Ac. 4:23-31; Heb. 13:5-6.
Conclusion
Many times when people speak of building a church they speak of temporal things such as a building in which to meet, chairs, hymn books, and even programs and special days. In the book of Acts we see that although meeting places are mentioned—a temporal necessity—the emphasis is always on the spiritual ministry, its fruits, and the victory over or defeat by its opposition.
In the planting of a church the work of eternal value is in the spiritual ministry of the Word and prayer whereby the lost come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, evidenced by the fruits of repentance and regeneration in their lives, and the new disciples grow in grace and the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Regenerate people are the lively stones that make up the structure of a church, the house of God. These lively stones are fashioned into the image of Christ through the ministry of the Word and prayer as God’s Word and Spirit sanctifies them to God and changes them into the image of Christ Jesus, His precious Son. Pastors and Evangelists are servants of God in this work of building both new and existing churches. It is necessary that the pastors and evangelists build with pure doctrine, pure practice, and pure personal example. Paul warned, “according to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon.” (1Cor. 3:10).
There are many dangers that need to be avoided in the planting of a church, such as, loss of first love, worldliness, bad associations, lukewarmness, doctrinal corruption, and many others. Dangers arise both from within and from without a church. The practice of Biblical separation is God’s command and protection against internal and external dangers. In the planting of a church what is sown will one day be reaped. If a week separation is sown in the planting of a church, in the lives of new converts, the hope of significant growth and longevity of that new church cannot be strong.
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