WHY THE BAPTISM OF GALATIANS 3:27 CANNOT BE WATER BAPTISM

The book of Galatians is addressed to a group of local churches.

 

• Gal. 1:2

  "And all the brethren which are with me, unto the churches of Galatia:"

If you are a true "Church of Christ" you believe that local church members are people who have already been baptized in water. If they are not baptized, they are not saved, or members of the church, right?

Churches of Christ teach that water baptism is required for salvation and that it puts a person into the church (or body) of Christ as a local church member.

One problem with Galatians 3:27 being water baptism is, that since Paul is addressing "churches of Galatia", (who presumably have already been baptized, otherwise, they would not be groups called "churches"), why would he say "for as many of you as have been baptized"? Although these people, to whom he writes, already qualify to be scripturally called "churches", (Gal. 1:3), there is a possibility that some of them have not been baptized! If the baptism of Galatians 3 is water, then a church may exist without water baptism.

WATER BAPTISM IS NOT A PROBLEM IN GALATIA

Among all the problems the churches of Galatia had, they had no difficulty with water baptism. If they were admitting members into their churches without proper water baptism, Paul would have certainly mentioned this error. Those people would have been unbaptized members, as well as being lost, if water baptism is necessary for salvation. However, there is no rebuke for their mode of baptism, or their practice of it, or the admitting of lost people into their membership. Yet there is the distinct possibility that some of the members of the churches of Galatia had not been baptized with the baptism of Gal.3:27. Instead of "all of you have been baptized", which would be the case if the churches practiced water baptism to complete salvation and for church admittance, we read:

 

• "For as many of you as have been baptized."

Paul rebuked the churches for being "removed" unto another gospel: 1:6. He called them "FOOLISH Galatians": 3:1, for attempting perfection by the flesh. He corrected them for observing "days, and months, and times and years": 4:10. He showed the ridiculous end of mixing law and grace: 5:4. He warned them that liberty was not an occasion of the flesh: 5:13. But, he did not correct their practice of water baptism!!

If Galatians 3:27 is a reference to WATER baptism, the churches of Galatia DID NOT require church members to be baptized in water. And if that was the case, Paul agreed with the practice by correcting other errors and leaving that one alone! According to Galatians 3:28, the identification of the believer after that baptism is "...neither Jew nor Greek, neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female..." Water baptism has never eliminated the differentiation between those pairs or eradicated anyone's gender. Saving baptism is baptism of the Holy Spirit (that does NOT mean "tongues"). See Acts 1:5, I Cor. 12:13, and Rom. 8:9.