Not All Baptisms Are Acknowledged by God

7/26/2019 , 11 Comments

Types of Baptism and The Authentic One

As a preacher of God, people from all walks of life come to me to ask questions which are vital to their salvation. Although sometimes they ask similar questions, I never tired of giving them answers based on the Bible especially when I see that they are really seeking for the truth. I feel that I have the moral obligation to answer them with the hope that, through the intervention of the Holy Spirit, they will be enlightened.

As written in 1 PETER 3:15 (KJV),

But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:

One of the most frequently asked questions concerns baptism. Specifically, they want to find out if it is still necessary for them to be baptized again if they want to be members of the Church of God International considering they had already received baptism in their former religions.

To this question, my straightforward answer is, if you were baptized in a manner that is not in consonance with what the Bible teaches, then, that baptism means nothing.

MARK 7:7 (KJV) says,

Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.

If what you received in the past were merely teachings and commandments of men, everything that you do in the name of religion, including your worship to God, is considered vain.

Let me reiterate, if you became a victim of false preachers and you became a follower of the teachings, commandments, and doctrines of men, even the highest work of salvation, which is to worship our Creator, is going to be in vain.

TITUS 1:14 (KJV) says,

Not giving heed to Jewish fables, and commandments of men, that turn from the truth.

The term “be baptized again” is only legal if you were really baptized. If the first baptism that you received is the kind of baptism that is acknowledged by God, then we can say that this will be a re-baptism, or to be baptized again.

But, if what you have received is something which is vain or without worth, it is not even logical and grammatical to use “to be baptized again” because you have never really undergone baptism yet. If you were baptized in a church that teaches doctrines and commandments of men, your baptism is not acknowledged by God.

Furthermore, EPHESIANS 4:4-5 (KJV) says,

4 There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;
5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism, . . .

You have to notice the way the Apostle Paul emphasized things. He repeatedly used “one”. There is one body, and one Spirit. The body which is one is the church.

COLOSSIANS 1:18 (KJV) says,

And he is the head of the body, the church: . . .

We are certain that the body being mentioned in Ephesians 4:4 refers to the church. There is one body and one spirit. What one spirit? One spirit that gives life to the body because according to JAMES, “A body without the spirit is dead.” (James 2:26) It is nothing. In the same way that faith without work is also dead.  

“Even as ye are called in one hope, of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism.” (Eph. 4:4) There is only one baptism, there is only one true body, or church, and there is only one true baptism.

The word “true” is not found in the verse but all the things enumerated by the Apostle Paul are the true things that concern salvation. One body, one spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism – they are all in that body, or church. So, baptism is in the body.

1 CORINTHIANS 12:13 (KJV) says,

For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.

That was the Apostle Paul’s declaration to the first century Christians. Everything is in the body. Everything that pertains to salvation and worship is in that body, which is the true church of the Bible. Now, if you received baptism outside of that body, I frankly tell you, your baptism is nothing.

We cannot use the word re-baptized because, in truth, you haven’t been baptized yet. It is inappropriate to say that you will be baptized again since you really haven’t received yet the true baptism.

Biblically speaking, if you received a baptism in a wrong jurisdiction, or from a wrong church, your baptism is null and void. Practically, you did not receive anything.

We always have to be disciplined by the Bible. Let us not think outside the perimeters of the Scriptures, instead we should always be within its perimeters. And based on the Scriptures, true baptism is one, and it is in the body, which is the Church of God.

Actually, even the name of the church spells the truth. How can you receive true baptism if the name of your church is Seventh Day Adventist Church for instance? The true church of the Bible is named after its owner. The true church of the Bible is of God that is why it is called the Church of God. Calling it by another name is wrong because there is a doctrine in the Bible that the true church must be called after the name of the owner, who is none other than God.

I repeat, true baptism is in the Church of God, not in anywhere else. Therefore, baptism outside the Church of God is nothing; it is vain; it is invalid; it is not acknowledged by God.

11 Comments:

When is Baptism Invalid and Inauthentic?

7/20/2019 , 15 Comments

Valid and Authentic Christian Baptism

Does somebody who had been baptized in water in his former religion need to undergo water baptism again if he wants to be a member of the Church of God International?

First of all, let us consider the declaration of the Lord Jesus Christ in MARK 7:7 (KJV) which says,

Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.

It is very evident, especially in this dispensation, that there are religions that do not teach the commandments of God purely. Instead, they teach the commandments of men. This is despite the stern warning given by the Scriptures that we should not add nor deduct anything from what God has said and what He wants to fulfill.

PROVERBS 30:5-6 (KJV) says,

5 Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him.
6 Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.

Anybody who adds anything to the word of God is considered a liar.

The practice of many deceitful pastors today is that, they take something from the Bible, a verse perhaps which is often taken out of context, and then incorporate in it the commandments of men. And these are now what they teach and what they want their followers to believe in.

More than anybody and anything else, it is the Bible that tells us the true teachings of the gospel. And according to the Bible, the teachings of the Lord should be administered free of charge.

2 CORINTHIANS 11:7 (KJV) says,

Have I committed an offence in abasing myself that ye might be exalted, because I have preached to you the gospel of God freely?

The gospel should be preached for free. And since baptism is a part of the gospel, it should be rendered for free also.

If a person had been baptized after paying a certain amount, then, what he received is not a true baptism. It is not valid because it is against the biblical admonition.

That being the case, are we still to ask if there is a need for a person to be baptized again with the true baptism officiated in the true church of the Bible? Of course, there is! Actually, you do not count anything that is null and without credit.

There are so many baptisms in our time. Practically, each religion has its own manner of baptism. There is a religious group that calls themselves Oneness because they believe that the Father is also the Son and the Son is also the Father and the Father is also the Holy Spirit and vice versa. They do not believe that the Father has a person that is different from that of the Son and the Holy Spirit. Because of that belief, this religion baptizes only in the name of Jesus Christ.

On the other hand, there is another group, the Trinitarians, which baptizes in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. However, although they baptize in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, they have their own man-made doctrines, just like the Baptists and the other evangelical groups. Hence, their baptism, likewise, is null and void.

Remember if you incorporate the teachings and commandments of men with the gospel, your worship to God becomes vain; it is nullified.

Actually, the highest act of sanctity that you can do in religion is worshipping God. But if your worship is in vain, then all the other things you do in religion, like your baptism, your songs, your contributions, etc., would altogether be in vain. And sadly, you end up a victim of false religion that teaches doctrines and commandments of men.

Let me reiterate, not all baptisms are valid. Your adherence to man-made commandments makes your worship in vain, and your baptism invalid.

I hope I was able to enlighten some confused minds. May God bless you all!

15 Comments:

True Religion Does Not Breed Discrimination

7/12/2019 22 Comments

True Christianity Does Not Discriminate

The world today is teeming with so many religious organizations that boldly call themselves as Christians. Practically anywhere one goes he will surely encounter people who call themselves Christians, and religious organizations that regard their respective groups as a Christian organization.

Because of this, an ordinary person needs to be very prudent to realize that not all religions claiming to be Christians are truly Christians in the strictest sense of the word.

Using the Bible as our basis, these groups do not manifest the hallmarks of a real Christian organization. First of all, real Christians are people who embrace and abide by the teachings only of the Lord Jesus Christ.

These people and these religious groups that unabashedly call themselves Christians are actually anti-Christ primarily because they are not governed and they do not abide by the doctrines of the Lord Jesus Christ. Instead of cleaving to the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ, each of these pseudo-Christian denominations formulated its own set of beliefs and teachings which are not in harmony with actual teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ.

A real Christian organization is united, not divided. Real Christians agree to one another; real Christians have the same spirit, the same mind, the same manner of thinking, and they speak only of the same thing.

1 CORINTHIANS 1:10 (KJV) says,

Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.

Contrary to this biblical admonition, the so-called Christian groups that proliferate today vary in their beliefs. One group believes in the oneness of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, that is, the Father is also the Son, and the Son is also the Father, and the Son is also the Holy Spirit. On the other hand, there is also another Christian group which subscribes to the doctrine of the Trinity. Hence, they call themselves as Trinitarians.

Furthermore, there is another so-called Christian group, the Mormons, that believes that black people are cursed. This belief is contained in the Book of Mormons, chapter 3, verse 6 of Alma, which says, “And the skins of the Lamanites were dark, according to the mark which was set upon their fathers, which was a curse upon them because of their transgression and their rebellion against their brethren, who consisted of Nephi, Jacob, and Joseph, and Sam, who were just and holy men.”

If you will study the history of the Mormon church you will discover the prejudice and the discrimination of this group towards the blacks. In fact, the blacks were not even made officers in their organization, but only the whites.

In The Brigham Young Journal of Discourses, Volume 5, page 332, there was one leader of the Mormon religion who said, “But let them apostatize and they will be grey-haired, wrinkled and black just like the devil.”


They believe that the devil is black but I believe otherwise.

2 CORINTHIANS 11:13-14 says,

13 For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.
14 And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.

Satan is a pretender transforming himself as an angel of light. When you say “angel of light” that means he is not dark, or black, but white.

Religions or pastors who teach that the black-skinned people are cursed by God are the ones that should be cursed. I really abhor people who insult the black simply because they are black-skinned.

Nobody must be considered a superior race, or an inferior race. Regardless of the color of our skin, regardless of our physical appearance, in the eyes of God we are all equal. And according to science, “Biologically we are all brothers and sisters under the skin.” It is not true that black people are cursed. Be you dark skinned or fair-skinned, you deserve to be treated honorably.


Actually, there were many black people in the Bible who were blessed by God. One of them was the eunuch from Ethiopia that was baptized by Philip, the evangelist. This eunuch was the caretaker of the wealth of the king of Ethiopia who went to Jerusalem to worship God.

Another was the Ethiopian woman who became one of the wives of Moses. She was also black that was why both Aaron and Miriam objected to Moses’ decision to take her as his wife. But God got angry with Miriam and Aaron, and He cursed them. That could be read in NUMBERS 12:1-9.

Apparently, God does not practice discrimination. Discrimination is against the will of God. What do I mean to say? Mormons pretend to be Christians but their doctrines are against Christianity.

Christians are taught to treat people fairly regardless of their social standing.

JAMES 2:1-4 says,

1 My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons.
2 For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment;
3 And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool:
4 Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts?

Real Christians adhere to the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ, and one of these teachings is not to discriminate people. Discrimination is evil; it is from Satan. The Mormonism and other religions denominated as Christians that practice discrimination are not real Christians!

JAMES 2:9-10 says,

9 But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors.
10 For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it.

22 Comments:

Christians Are Told: Beware of False Preachers

Why Christians Must Practice Discernment

Somebody asked me, “Should Christians, like the members of the Church of God International, still attend the gatherings of other religious denominations?”

To answer his question, let me first explain how a person becomes a Christian. A person does not become a Christian overnight. Before becoming a Christian, a person needs to conduct the necessary investigation first just like what the first century Christians did. The Apostle Paul, for instance, was originally an enemy of the Christian faith but, after some period of investigation, from being a member of the Jewish faith, he was converted to Christianity.

To investigate is a requisite to becoming a real Christian. As written in 1 JOHN 4:1,

Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.

Christians are not really prohibited from attending gatherings of other faiths, neither are they prohibited from communicating with people from different religions. But the thing is, they need to be cautious and they should always consider the word of God, “believe not every spirit.” 

God commanded us to believe in Him, to believe in His words, to believe in His Son, to believe in His prophets. But He also commanded us to “believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God.” To try is to prove, to investigate, to test. Why is there a need to do that? “. . . because many false prophets are gone out into the world.”

If, after investigating spirits, the prophets, the teachings, etc., you discovered that a particular religious group is being led by a false prophet, then, it is no longer wise, nor logical, nor biblical to continue mingling with those people. That is why you shouldn’t expect me to tell our brethren, “mingle with those people; listen to their false prophets; attend their religious gathering” when I know for a fact that their preacher is a false prophet. I would be absurd if I do that.

Let me prove further that the first century Christians became Christians only after a diligent investigation.

ACTS 11:26 says,

And when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass, that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught much people. And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch.

It was after a year of associating with each other and with the disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ, and after learning the teachings of the Church that the people from Antioch were called Christians. So, it took them awhile, one year to be specific, before they became Christians.

Aside from them, there was also another group which, before embracing the Christian faith, conducted first a meticulous investigation.

ACTS 17:10-11 says,

10 And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews.
11 These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.

The apostles considered the Bereans nobler than the Thessalonians because “. . . they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.” This proves that they really made an effort to investigate first.

Do we prohibit our brethren to listen to other preachers? No! But they are reminded to be cautious because there are preachers whom the Bible calls as false prophets.

2 THESSALONIANS 2:2 says,

That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.

During the time of the first century Christians, there were people who wrote letters and they made it appear that those letters came from the apostles. Obviously, their intention was to deceive and mislead the brethren. As the Apostle Paul was fully aware of the danger that such may pose, he warned the brethren, “nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.”

On our end, we are likewise taking a precautionary measure to safeguard our brethren by advising them to use their discernment before believing anything because there are lots of false prophets around. And inasmuch as the Scriptures has warned us of the dangers that false prophets may bring, I don’t think it would be wise for a religious leader like me to just allow my brothers and sisters in faith to attend any other religious gatherings.

If you are shepherding a flock of sheep, surely, you would not let them go where the wolves are. That is exactly what I am doing. I see to it that the “sheep” I oversee wouldn’t be victimized by “wolves.”

I repeat, our brethren in faith are not prohibited from listening to other preachers but they are advised to be keen and wise for them not to be deceived and misled. They have to be sure that the doctrines that those preachers are teaching are not contrary to the doctrines of the Lord Jesus Christ.

2 CORINTHIANS 11:3-4 tells us,

3 But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.
4 For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.

This is a warning of the Apostle because subtlety is common in many religions. They are preaching another Jesus and another gospel.

GALATIANS 1:8 says,

But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.

That being the case, I don’t see any reason why our brethren should be allowed to take part in the gatherings of other religions whose pastors teach another gospel. The Bible did not say, “Join them!” Instead, the word of God said, “Let him be accursed.”

It is not true, biblically and logically, that every religion is of God, and that every religion teaches the same God (as believed by others). We must not believe also that every religion, every pastor, or every preacher is telling the truth. If that were true, the Bible would not have warned us to be wary of false prophets that are gone out into the world preaching another Gospel.

2 CORINTHIANS 11:13-15 says,

13 For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.
14 And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.
15 Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.

Pastors can also pretend to be apostles of Christ. So, I have to teach our brethren the warnings given by the Bible about the pretense and deception of many preachers.

But although our brethren are not outrightly prohibited from attending other religions, they, themselves, opt not to do so because they are fully guided by God’s warning in PROVERBS 19:27 which says,

Cease, my son, to hear the instruction that causeth to err from the words of knowledge.

That is God’s admonition to His children, and it is to our benefit if we will abide by it, especially so today when many religions were established only to make money, and not to faithfully teach the word of God.

15 Comments: