[29-1] The Church That Lost the Gospel of Water and the Spirit (Galatians 1:6–9 )

Paul said there is no other gospel besides the gospel he believed

         In Galatians chapter 1, Paul resolutely declared, ‘There is no other gospel.’ 
The ‘different gospel’ that the Galatian believers had fallen into was a teaching that salvation was incomplete with just Jesus’ baptism, the cross, and the resurrection, and that the works of the Law and circumcision must be added for salvation to be completed. 
However, Paul firmly rejected such a teaching. This is because the Gospel of Jesus Christ is already perfect.

         Historically, the Church of God also experienced losing the true Gospel of Water and the Spirit through the half-gospel presented in the Nicene Creed. 
The early church saints clearly held onto the ‘Gospel of Water and the Spirit’ in their hearts. That is, they believed that Jesus received the transference of the world’s sins by being baptized by John, took the judgment for sin by being crucified, and by resurrecting from the dead, He saved those who believe in Him from their sins. 
However, as time passed, some of the Church Fathers began to interpret salvation from a philosophical and ethical perspective, and the truth of the Gospel of Water and the Spirit was gradually becoming obscured.

         Especially after the Council of Nicaea in AD 325, the Gospel of Water and the Spirit of the early church was locked within the dogma of the Nicene Creed as the Gospel came under the political power of the Emperor.
Because the doctrine of the Nicene Creed was a creed that removed Jesus’ ministry of taking away the world’s sins through the baptism He received from John, for 1,700 years, from that time until now, it has become a creed that obscured the Word of the Gospel of Water and the Spirit given by Jesus. 
From that time until now, the Word of the Gospel of Water and the Spirit has become a creed that has vanished from the heads and thoughts of people.

         As a result, the church in the 21st century has become believers who only believe in the crucified Jesus and the resurrection. Throughout history, the Word of the Gospel of Water and the Spirit was buried under the doctrine of the Nicene Creed.
Consequently, the Catholic Church became solidified into a religious system dependent on sacraments and tradition. 
From that time on, the Word of the Gospel of Water and the Spirit was treated as a gospel that originally did not exist on this earth.

         Beloved saints, what is the state of the 21st-century church today? Haven’t many churches become groups that still believe they wash away their own sins through ‘repentance prayer’ or confession? 
However, the Word of the Bible says that Jesus saved sinners from their sins once and for all by receiving baptism from John, having the sins of the world transferred to Him, and by being crucified and resurrecting from the dead.

         Today, we must look back at the gospel we ourselves believe. Is what you believe and rely on the Gospel of Water and the Spirit? Or is it your repentance and zeal? 
We must have the faith that believes in the Word of the baptism Jesus received from John and the cross.

         You should know that the churches of today have lost the Word of the Gospel of Water and the Spirit spoken in the Bible for 1,700 years. This means that 1,700 years have passed since the faith that the early church Christians possessed was lost. 
The point at which that faith was lost was from the time when the Nicene Creed was made in this world.
At that time, the Roman Emperor Constantine created the Nicene Creed and caused the early church Christians to lose the Word of the Gospel that they believed—that is, the faith that our Savior Jesus is the Savior who eliminated all the sins of mankind by receiving baptism from John to have the sins of the world transferred to Him, and by being crucified and resurrecting from the dead. 
A long period of 1,700 years has passed since then until now. Since it is now the year 2025, exactly 1,700 years have passed since the Nicene Creed was created.

         Before the Nicene Creed was made in the world, the gospel that the apostles believed in was the gospel of the water and the Spirit. (Acts 2:38, 1 Peter 3:21, 1 John 5:5-8)
However, after some time had passed, when the Roman emperor Constantine proclaimed the Nicene Creed, the gospel of the water and the Spirit that the apostles of the early church had held onto disappeared from this earth for 1,700 years.
From that time on, the faith of believing in Jesus who was baptized by John, received the sins of the world, washed them away, and who, by His resurrection from the death of the Cross, became the Savior, disappeared.

When did the early Christians begin to lose the gospel of the water and the Spirit?

         Emperor Constantine (reign 306–337) was a figure who made a great turning point in the history of Christianity, but his influence was twofold. He issued the Edict of Milan in 313, legalizing Christianity, and as a result, believers were no longer persecuted within the Roman Empire and were able to practice their faith freely.
However, at the same time, this freedom became the occasion for the church to lose the pure faith of the gospel of the water and the Spirit that it had preserved for a long time. The faith of believing in the gospel Word of the water and the Spirit, which had been strengthened through the martyrdom and suffering of the early church, disappeared into the back alleys of history due to the institutionalized Catholic doctrines.

         In particular, the Council of Nicaea (AD 325), led by Constantine, achieved doctrinal unity by formalizing the doctrine of the Trinity, but at the same time, it was also the event in which the church came under the power of the emperor. The church was no longer a simple community of faith but was transforming into a Catholic religion under the influence of state power.
At that time, the Nicene Creed had the purpose of resolving the Arian controversy, but it became the occasion in which the essential message of the gospel of the water and the Spirit—that through the baptism Jesus received from John the sins of the world were transferred to Jesus, and through believing this the work of the Holy Spirit that cleanses people’s hearts was accomplished—disappeared.
In the end, the Nicene Creed became the occasion that fundamentally deleted the ministry of the baptism of Jesus, which the early church had believed and preached, and as a result, the gospel of the water and the Spirit disappeared into the back alleys of history.

         The Roman emperor wanted a religion that belonged to the Roman nation. What he desired was not the gospel Word of the truth of salvation, but rather a single religion through which the citizens of Rome could be united, not fight one another, and live together as one community.
Therefore, he did not need the gospel that Jesus was baptized by John and took upon Himself and washed away the sins of the world; he only needed one religion that merely set forth the Cross.
As a result, Catholicism was born. In this way, the Roman emperor came to accept a religious system that prioritized political compromise and the needs of power over the essence of being born again.

         Above all, the greatest change was that the gospel Word of the water and the Spirit, which the Christians of the early church had believed, disappeared.
Until then, the early Christians had risked their lives to keep the gospel of the water and the Spirit and firmly held to their faith, but when Christianity was institutionalized into the Catholic religion of the Roman Empire, that faith was buried under worldly power and a sense of privilege.

When did the early church lose the gospel Word of the water and the Spirit?

         The question, “When did the early church lose the gospel of the water and the Spirit?” goes beyond simply asking about chronology; it becomes an important turning point that asks how the gospel of the water and the Spirit was corrupted.
In the Apostolic Age, that is, in the first century, the gospel Word of the water and the Spirit was preserved in purity. The apostles and the early Christians believed that Jesus had been baptized by John, had the sins of the world transferred onto Him, was crucified and shed His blood, and by rising from the dead became the Savior.
When we look at the Acts of the Apostles, Paul’s epistles, and Peter’s epistles, we can see how clearly this gospel of the water and the Spirit was proclaimed. (1 Peter 3:21, 1 John 5:5–7, Acts 2:38–39)

         However, as the Apostolic Age passed and the Patristic Age (2nd–3rd century) came, the gospel Word of the water and the Spirit gradually began to be corrupted. Some of the church fathers tried to interpret the gospel of the water and the Spirit in philosophical and ethical terms. 
In the process, the true gospel—that the sins of the world were transferred when Jesus was baptized by John—was no longer conveyed as the powerful Word that governs faith, but was instead changed into a mere religious doctrine of believing only in the Cross. As a result, it eventually degenerated into one among the many religions of the world.

         In AD 325, the Council of Nicaea convened under Emperor Constantine became the decisive turning point in this trend. From that time on, the truth of the gospel of the water and the Spirit that Christianity believed and followed was deleted and doctrinalized under the emperor’s political purposes.
In the process, the core of the gospel Word—that Jesus received baptism from John and thereby had the sins of the world transferred onto Him—was officially omitted from the Nicene Creed. 
In the end, Christianity was transformed into a religion that emphasized only the Cross, and within the Catholic doctrinal system only a simple ritual remained.

         Subsequently, at the end of the 4th century, as Emperor Theodosius proclaimed the Catholic Church the state religion of the Roman Empire, the word of the Gospel of the Water and the Spirit that the early church Christians believed in disappeared, and the Catholic Church took its place, leaving only rituals.
The Word of baptism—that Jesus was baptized by John and received the sins of the world transferred onto Him—was changed into the Catholic ritual of the sacrament of baptism, and institutional rites such as confession and the sacraments took the place of the ministry of Jesus’ baptism. 
From that time on, the Catholic Church was established not upon the gospel of the water and the Spirit but upon a ritual system centered on the seven sacraments.

In the 2nd–3rd century, as the Patristic Age began, the gospel of the water and the Spirit gradually began to fade

         As some of the church fathers attempted to explain the gospel by drawing in concepts from Greek philosophy—especially Platonism and Stoic philosophy—the truth of the transfer of sins through the baptism of Jesus was gradually pushed to the background. 
While the meaning of the Cross continued to be emphasized, the truth of the transfer of sins through baptism appeared to be driven out and lost under the influence of the world’s religions.

         In AD 325, the Council of Nicaea, convened under the leadership of Emperor Constantine, became a turning point in the corruption of the gospel of the water and the Spirit. From that time on, Christian doctrine, sacrificed to political compromise and state power, officially excluded the event of Jesus’ baptism from the Nicene Creed. 
As a result, the complete link of the Gospel of the Water and the Spirit—“Baptism–Cross–Resurrection”—was broken, and a doctrinal system was completed with only the cross and the resurrection remaining.

         After AD 380, with the national establishment of Christianity as the state religion under Emperor Theodosius, Christianity was no longer the gospel based on personal faith but was transformed into a system of the state Catholic religion. 
Baptism was institutionalized not as the truth of the transfer of sins, but as the sacramental rite of baptism for entering the church, and salvation was changed into something completed within the sacraments and the authority of the church.

Is the gospel of the water and the Spirit, which the early Christians believed, being proclaimed within 21st-century Christianity?

         In the case of the Catholic Church, within its official doctrine, salvation through the Cross and resurrection of Jesus is strongly emphasized. 
However, the fact testified by the Scriptures—that Jesus was baptized by John and thereby the sins of the world were transferred onto Him—is scarcely mentioned within their doctrine. 
The Catholic sacrament of baptism developed into a sacrament for the washing away of original sin, but the truth that Jesus was baptized by John and received the sins of the world transferred onto Him is no longer spoken of. 
Therefore, the original true gospel Word of the water and the Spirit has been hidden under the Catholic seven sacraments and has remained dormant even within Christianity for 1,700 years.

         After the Reformation (16th century), reformers such as Luther and Calvin began to emphasize only the death on the Cross and the resurrection, as proclaimed by Catholicism. 
The gospel Word of truth—that Jesus’ baptism by John transferred the sins of the world—was still left out from the doctrinal system of Protestantism as well. 
Most Protestant traditions have failed to understand the baptism Jesus received from John as the truth of the Word that transferred the sins of the world onto Him and caused people to be born again through the water and the Spirit. 
They ended up becoming those who ignored the ministry of Jesus receiving baptism from John to take upon Himself the sins of the world, while valuing only the blood of the Cross. 

         Christian theologians began to convey the righteous work of Jesus—who was baptized by John and washed away the sins of the world—only as the beginning point of His public ministry. 
As a result, although the Cross and the resurrection were certainly emphasized, the work of Jesus’ baptism by John, through which He received and washed away the sins of the world, was ignored and neglected, while they were obsessed only with satisfying their own desires.

         Even when we look at Christianity worldwide today, the situation is not much different. In both Catholicism and Protestantism, the officially proclaimed gospel is nothing more than the message that “Jesus died on the Cross and rose again.” 
However, another important truth testified by the Scriptures is that Jesus was baptized by John, thereby receiving the sins of the world transferred onto Him, was crucified, died, and rose again to become the Savior.
In other words, today’s Christian churches proclaim half of the gospel (the Cross and the resurrection), but the other half—that Jesus was baptized by John and bore the sins of the world in His body for salvation—is ignored and cast aside, making them into worldly religionists.

Even now, we must recover the faith of believing in Jesus Christ, who became our Savior through His baptism, the Cross, and the resurrection

         Even now, we must recover the faith of believing in the true gospel—that Jesus was baptized by John, took upon Himself the sins of the world, and thereby washed away our sins. Is this not so? 
We must be those who are saved by believing in the Lord, who was baptized by John, received the sins of the world transferred onto Him, was crucified, died, and rose again, as our Savior.
At present, on this earth, there still remain many who have this faith. Even now, many people all over the world believe in and proclaim the gospel Word of the water and the Spirit given by the Lord.

         Jesus was baptized by John, and the sins of the world were transferred onto His body; He bore the sins of the world, was crucified, shed His blood, and died; and by rising from the dead, He now lives as our Savior. 
This amazing gospel Word of the water and the Spirit has only been hidden by worldly church doctrines and systems, but within the Word of the Scriptures, the ministry of Jesus’ baptism is still preserved exactly as it is.
Therefore, the gospel of the water and the Spirit has by no means disappeared, but has become the Word of salvation of Jesus Christ, who even now waits for us within the Word of the Scriptures.

         Therefore, the reformation of faith is not the invention of a new doctrine. It is simply recovering the primitive gospel Word of the water and the Spirit, testified by the Scriptures, and believing it in our hearts. 
Just as the Reformer Luther cried out, “Scripture alone,” so also the reformation of our faith today must be grounded upon the Old and New Testament Scriptures, and it must again be testified and proclaimed by faith upon the foundation of Jesus’ baptism received from John, the Cross, and the resurrection. 
True reformation of faith must be rebuilt not upon human thought or religious tradition, but upon faith in the gospel Word of the water and the Spirit recorded in the Scriptures.
And such a reformation of faith is absolutely necessary today. 

         Salvation from sin does not come from religious institutions or sacraments, but only within the faith of believing in the gospel Word of the water and the Spirit recorded by God. 
If people today receive into their hearts Jesus Christ—who was baptized by John, thereby receiving the sins of the world transferred onto Him, was crucified, died, and rose again from the dead—as their Savior, then through them the true reformation of faith can begin anew. 
God has, in every age, raised up a remnant to begin the proclamation of the gospel of the water and the Spirit (Romans 11:5). Even today, God is beginning the reformation of faith in the same way, through His Word.

Then who must be the very first to participate in the reformation of faith?

         It must be the presidents of denominations or the pastors of the Catholic order or Christian churches today who first repent and turn back. 
They must return to the faith of believing in Jesus Christ, who was baptized by John, received the sins of the world transferred onto Himself, was crucified, died, and rose again, and who has now become our Savior. And they must do their utmost to labor together.

         The Bible always says that the religious leaders of Christianity must be the first to repent and turn back. 
In the Old Testament, when the prophets and priests did not stand upright before God, all the people were led astray. 
In the New Testament, when the Pharisees and scribes were bound to the Law and blocked the Word of God that Jesus preached, Jesus rebuked them, saying, “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in” (Matthew 23:13).

         It is the same today. Denominational leaders, presidents of general assemblies, and pastors must become those who believe in the gospel Word of Jesus’ baptism by John and the transfer of sins, and who are born again. 
The gospel we must cry out today is the gospel of the water and the Spirit. This gospel is the factual truth that Jesus was baptized by John and received the sins of the world transferred onto Him, that He bore those sins and was crucified, shed His blood, and died, and that by rising from the dead, He has now become our Savior.
Pastors must be the very first to realize this gospel Word of the water and the Spirit, and with faith, proclaim it boldly from their pulpits.

         The Bible says, “For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God” (1 Peter 4:17). 
The Lord demands repentance first within the church. Therefore, denominations and pastors must turn away from their traditions, institutions, and human doctrines, and return to the gospel of the water and the Spirit testified in the Scriptures. 
When this happens, true reformation and revival will arise within the church, and countless souls will gain new life.

         In conclusion, even now pastors must first repent and return to the Lord. And from their pulpits they must not hesitate to proclaim the baptism, the Cross, and the resurrection of Jesus as one gospel. 
This is the true reformation of faith that saves the church and saves the world.

         Beloved ones, if the church is to be revived today, above all pastors must first repent. 
All pastors must be the very first to kneel down and turn back. When Jesus was baptized by John, all our sins were transferred onto Him, and bearing those sins, Jesus was crucified, shed His blood, and died. And by rising again after three days, He has now become our Savior.
Therefore, we must no longer hesitate but boldly proclaim this gospel of the water and the Spirit from the pulpit. 
Testifying to the baptism, the Cross, and the resurrection of Jesus as one gospel is the only way to save the church, to save the souls of the saints, and to save this age.

Do those who accomplish the reformation of faith receive the blessing of God’s salvation?

What is true reformation of faith?

The gospel of blessing promised in both the Old and New Testaments is the gospel of the water and the Spirit

What is the task we must challenge ourselves with today?

         Today, many people live holding on only to religious forms. But those who raise up the reformation of faith in their hearts—namely, those who believe the fact that “Jesus was baptized and took upon Himself my sins, and by dying on the Cross and rising again, saved me”—surely receive the blessing of becoming children of God (John 1:12).
Even in this present age, those who accomplish the reformation of faith in their hearts receive the blessing of salvation that God has promised. Even today, God gives the remission of sins, eternal life, and the grace of the Holy Spirit to those who believe in this gospel of the water and the Spirit.

         Beloved saints, what we need today is not new institutions or traditions. 
What we must hold fast to is only the gospel Word of the water and the Spirit testified in the Scriptures. 
Jesus was baptized by John and received all our sins transferred onto Him; He bore those sins, was crucified, shed His blood, and died. And after three days, He rose again and has now become our Savior. 

         Therefore, those who raise up the reformation of faith in their hearts in this age—those who hold fast to this gospel by faith—receive the blessing of salvation that God has promised. To them is given the remission of sins, there is no condemnation, and the authority to become children of God is granted. Moreover, eternal life and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit are promised to them.

Is not the true reformation of faith today to abandon traditional doctrines and return to the gospel of the water and the Spirit?

         The Catholic sacrament of confession reveals the same problem. Catholicism teaches that the priest removes sins, but the Bible says that the authority to remove sins does not belong to human institutions or priests, but to the baptism of Jesus and the blood of the Cross (Hebrews 9:12, 1 Peter 3:21). 
Confession ultimately causes people to depend on man and prevents them from holding firmly to Christ’s redemption.

Three Turnings for the Reformation of Faith

         First, we must turn away from the doctrine of repentance and move toward the faith of believing in the gospel Word of the water and the Spirit. 
Today many churches hold on to the doctrine that “one must pray the prayer of repentance every time they sin in order to be forgiven.” 
But the Bible does not say this. The Bible testifies that Jesus bore our sins through His baptism and removed all sins once for all by shedding His blood on the Cross (Hebrews 10:10). 
Therefore, we must turn away from repeated acts of repentance and hold fast by faith to the gospel of the water and the Spirit that has already been accomplished.

         Second, we must turn away from the doctrine of the sacraments and move toward the gospel of the water and the Spirit. 
Catholicism has taught that forgiveness of sins and grace are received through confession and the Mass. But the Bible clearly says that redemption was accomplished not through human institutions but through the baptism of Jesus and the blood of the Cross (Hebrews 9:12). 
True reformation of faith is turning away from a faith that depends on sacramental rituals and moving toward a faith that believes in the salvation work directly accomplished by Jesus.

         Third, we must turn away from human doctrines and move toward the gospel of the water and the Spirit. 
The doctrines and creeds established by denominations, assemblies, and theological traditions have obscured the gospel of truth in the Scriptures. In fact, after the Council of Nicaea, the gospel of the transfer of sins through Jesus’ baptism disappeared from the doctrines. 
Therefore, we must go beyond man’s doctrines and return to the one gospel of Jesus’ baptism, the Cross, and the resurrection.

         Beloved saints, the reformation of faith is not merely about changing outward institutions, but about renewing the faith of the heart with the gospel of the water and the Spirit. 
We must turn away from the doctrine of repentance, the doctrine of the sacraments, and human doctrines, and hold fast only to the gospel Word of the water and the Spirit testified in the Scriptures. This is the gospel of salvation accomplished when Jesus was baptized and bore our sins, was crucified, died, and rose again. 
When we firmly hold on to this gospel of the water and the Spirit, the true assurance of salvation will be established within us, and the blessing of God will come upon us. Amen.

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