on Spirit Baptism

I called Karen last night and confessed some frustration. Last night’s Bible Study on Romans 10 went pretty well, but a handful of people tried to advocate Spirit Baptism vs. Water Baptism. How can you logically reveal the flaw of an illogical position? How can you use logic to point someone towards the truth if they’re illogical in the first place? They advocated that Spirit Baptism and Water Baptism are two completely separate entities, quoting the gospels and the New Testament, applying every mention of baptism to that of Spirit Baptism. I couldn’t turn to scripture to defend the view of Water Baptism and “Spirit Baptism” being one in the same, because they simply interpreted it through a different lens! So I turned to the origin of the doctrine of Spirit Baptism & Water Baptism being separate; the Swiss Reformer Ulrich Zwingli came up this dichotomy, stating that one is saved by “Spirit Baptism” when he or she places his or her faith in Christ, and water baptism then becomes a symbolic representation of that Spirit Baptism. But they said that Zwingli rescued Spirit Baptism from the Catholic Church. So I turned to the teachings of some of the earliest Christian writers, who would no doubt be showing the same vein of thought found in the Christianity of the New Testament world (and they promote baptism as that of water; and water and Spirit baptism as united). 

Tertullian (A.D. 155-222): "Happy is our sacrament of water, in that, by washing away the sins of our early blindness, we are set free and admitted into eternal life. . . . [But] a viper of the [Gnostic] Cainite heresy, lately conversant in this quarter, has carried away a great number with her most venomous doctrine, making it her first aim to destroy baptism—which is quite in accordance with nature, for vipers and asps . . . themselves generally do live in arid and waterless places. But we, little fishes after the example of our [Great] Fish, Jesus Christ, are born in water, nor have we safety in any other way than by permanently abiding in water. So that most monstrous creature, who had no right to teach even sound doctrine, knew full well how to kill the little fishes—by taking them away from the water!" (Baptism 1 [A.D. 203]). "Without baptism, salvation is attainable by none" (ibid., 12). 

Hermas (ca A.D. 140): "‘I have heard, sir,’ said I [to the Shepherd], ‘from some teacher, that there is no other repentance except that which took place when we went down into the water and obtained the remission of our former sins.’ He said to me, ‘You have heard rightly, for so it is’" (The Shepherd 4:3:1–2 [A.D. 80]). 

Justin Martyr (A.D. 100-165): "As many as are persuaded and believe that what we [Christians] teach and say is true, and undertake to be able to live accordingly . . . are brought by us where there is water, and are regenerated in the same manner in which we were ourselves regenerated. For, in the name of God, the Father and Lord of the universe, and of our Savior Jesus Christ, and of the Holy Spirit, they then receive the washing with water. For Christ also said, ‘Except you be born again, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven’ [John 3:3]" (First Apology 61 [A.D. 151]). 

Hippolytus (A.D. 170-236): "[P]erhaps someone will ask, ‘What does it conduce unto piety to be baptized?’ In the first place, that you may do what has seemed good to God; in the next place, being born again by water unto God so that you change your first birth, which was from concupiscence, and are able to attain salvation, which would otherwise be impossible. For thus the [prophet] has sworn to us: ‘Amen, I say to you, unless you are born again with living water, into the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.’ Therefore, fly to the water, for this alone can extinguish the fire. He who will not come to the water still carries around with him the spirit of insanity for the sake of which he will not come to the living water for his own salvation" (Homilies 11:26 [A.D. 217]). 

Origen (A.D. 185-254): "It is not possible to receive forgiveness of sins without baptism" (Exhortation to the Martyrs 30 [A.D. 235]). 

Augustine (A.D. 354-430): "There are three ways in which sins are forgiven: in baptism, in prayer, and in the greater humility of penance; yet God does not forgive sins except to the baptized" (Sermons to Catechumens on the Creed 7:15 [A.D. 395]).