Those of us who have spent any time in the evangelical “church” know the typical drill. Someone “gets saved,” and then gets baptized in water in front of the rest of the “church.” Yes, I’m aware that some flavors of christianity baptize children with water, but that is actually an absurdity that has no scriptural foundation—especially the fallacy of “sprinkling,” as if there is something magical about the water itself.
Both of those modes of christian baptism are based on false teachings.
Water baptism was an ordinance under the law, and like everything in the written law, it was a physical foreshadow of a spiritual real substance that would later be revealed. It symbolized cleansing, which is what the Holy Spirit does when one is justified (saved). The real substance of baptism IS salvation, it is not something that is done AFTER salvation.
The Passover journey pictured the path to the salvation of Messiah’s bride: the sacrifice of the lamb (the bride’s redemption price), followed by going through the Red Sea (baptism), then being led by the Spirit to the mountain (pillar of fire and cloud), being fed by the Spirit (manna), and then reaching the mountain and awaiting the giving of the covenant (Ten Commandments).
That same progression is shown in the way of the tabernacle: in the outer courtyard are the brazen altar (Passover sacrifice) and the laver (baptism). Identifying with the Lamb’s sacrifice and being cleansed of unbelief (repenting of one’s unbelief) are what man does to make himself ABLE to be saved. These represent man’s belief.
But, after repenting of unbelief (believing), one must be led by the Spirit (the Holy Place—the altar of incense and menorah), and fed by Him (bread of the presence), until one arrives at the mountain and receives the covenant (the Holy of Holies—the Ark of the Covenant), which represents the Holy Spirit’s seal on Messiah’s bride.
According to the baptism of evangelical christianity, it is something that is done AFTER one has purportedly gotten “saved,” and it is used as some sort of “public profession” that occurs after one has been born again, which again, is a perversion of salvation. The public confession of one’s belief is a prerequisite of salvation, and occurs BEFORE one receives the covenant.
Looking at both the Passover and the progression in the tabernacle from the outer courtyard to the Holy of Holies, where is baptism located? It is before, not after, receiving the covenant. It is a symbolic physical invitation to be cleansed spiritually. It does not occur after one has received the real substance of baptism, which is the Holy Spirit. The public profession does not occur after one has received the Holy Spirit, but must occur before the Holy Spirit will be given to someone (Matthew 10:32-33).
The christianese teachings on water baptism merely show how perverted the teachings of the counterfeit are. According to its false teachings, then, there would need to be another room added onto the sanctuary AFTER the Holy of Holies in which one is baptized with water yet again, and it would have to have room for an audience, if that were the public profession that is supposed to occur.
Not only did christianity bastardize the Father’s ordained days by rejecting the true ones and adopting pagan counterfeits of them, it teaches an entirely different salvation that does not actually save anybody, but merely allows them to become members of Club Christian. It is what is responsible for those we see in Matthew 7:21-23, and is the “falling away” Paul spoke of in 2 Thessalonians 2:3.
For more information: Christianity’s Holy Spirit – Some Water and a Book