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Do two baptisms prove the trinity?

Submitted: 12/9/2005
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Question: This is a question that somebody asked me. They said, 'Is there one baptism or two? and if there is one baptism, is it only in water? and if you say that there is one baptism but say that there are two parts (water and Spirit), then that is like saying that there are three persons in the Godhead because you are saying that these two are two in one.' I wanted to know how you would respond to this person. Thank you and God bless.

Answer: The Bible speaks of a baptism in water, a baptism of the Spirit, and a baptism of fire (Acts 1:5; Luke 12:49-50). Since the word 'baptism' means a full immersion, we understand that in each baptism the person is being immersed into something: water, Spirit, or fire (presumably spiritual fire or the fire of tribulation).

So are there three baptisms or only one? Obviously there are three. And the three are three, not one; although each is a baptism in its own right. If your friend's analogy is to be consistent, then the three persons of the Godhead are each a God in their own right; which means that there are three Gods. Yet most trinitarians do not believe in three Gods, only three persons. This demonstrates clearly the inconsistency and lack of logic in the doctrine of three-in-one.