Beware Of The False Gospel Of Matthew Henry

Galatians 1:6-7, “I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.”

I am saddened as I read online about preachers, both past and present, who are wrong on the Gospel. It is tragic that so many professed Christians today, particularly my own independent fundamental Baptist denomination, are indifferent toward heresy. I have met countless Baptist pastors who have a lackadaisical attitude toward heretics. Matthew Henry (1662-1714) is one of them! He was a non-conformist minister, who died at age 51. Matthew Henry is famous for writing the “Matthew Henry's Commentary On The Whole Bible” (completed in 1706).

In his commentary, Matthew Henry heretically teaches that water baptism is necessary for salvation (aka, Baptismal Regeneration), and he also endorses the sinful practice of baptizing babies (aka, Infant Baptism)...

The baptismal covenant, made and kept, will certainly save us. Washing is the visible sign; this is the thing signified.II. The apostle shows that the efficacy of baptism to salvation depends not upon the work done, but upon the resurrection of Christ, which supposes his death, and is the foundation of our faith and hope, to which we are rendered conformable by dying to sin, and rising again to holiness and newness of life. Learn, 1. the sacrament of baptism, rightly received, is a means and a pledge of salvation. Baptism now saveth us. God is pleased to convey his blessings to us in and by his ordinances, Acts. 2:38 Acts. 22:16 . 2. The external participation of baptism will save no man without an answerable good conscience and conversation. There must be the answer of a good conscience towards God.—Obj. Infants cannot make such an answer, and therefore ought not to be baptized.—Answer, the true circumcision was that of the heart and of the spirit (Rom. 2:29 ), which children were no more capable of then than our infants are capable of making this answer now; yet they were allowed circumcision at eight days old. The infants of the Christian church therefore may be admitted to the ordinance with as much reason as the infants of the Jewish, unless they are barred from it by some express prohibition of Christ. [emphasis added]

https://www.biblestudytools.com/commentaries/matthew-henry-complete/1-peter/3.html

Pastor Henry also gets John chapter three wrong, teaching that water baptism is alluded to by Jesus for salvation. Matthew Henry was an unsaved reprobate, a religious man that was never born-again. No one who thinks water baptism is necessary to get to Heaven is saved, because they clearly don't understand THE GOSPEL...

The regenerating work of the Spirit is compared to water, v. 5. To be born again is to be born of water and of the Spirit, that is, of the Spirit working like water, as (Mt. 3:11 ) with the Holy Ghost and with fire means with the Holy Ghost as with fire. 1. That which is primarily intended here is to show that the Spirit, in sanctifying a soul, (1.) Cleanses and purifies it as water, takes away its filth, by which it was unfit for the kingdom of God. It is the washing of regeneration, Tit. 3:5 . You are washed, 1 Co. 6:11 . See Eze. 36:25 . (2.) Cools and refreshes it, as water does the hunted hart and the weary traveller. The Spirit is compared to water, ch. 7:38, ch. 7:39 ; Isa. 44:3 . In the first creation, the fruits of heaven were born of water (Gen. 1:20 ), in allusion to which, perhaps, they that are born from above are said to be born of water. It is probable that Christ had an eye to the ordinance of baptism, which John had used and he himself had begun to use, "You must be born again of the Spirit,’’ which regeneration by the Spirit should be signified by washing with water, as the visible sign of that spiritual grace: not that all they, and they only, that are baptized, are saved; but without that new birth which is wrought by the Spirit, and signified by baptism, none shall be looked upon as the protected privileged subjects of the kingdom of heaven. [emphasis added]

https://www.biblestudytools.com/commentaries/matthew-henry-complete/john/3.html

That is junk theology! Water baptism is one's public profession of faith, not the signifying validation of one's saving-faith in Christ! Jesus was NOT alluding to the ordinance of baptism, which is made very clear in the next couple verses:

John 3:5-6, “Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.”

Jesus is comparing the physical birth by water, with the spiritual birth in the Holy Spirit. A child develops and is carried for 9 months in its mother's Water Bag. Until a child is born, it lives in water. Jesus plainly refers to this physical birth in water as “THE FLESH.” That which is born of THE FLESH is FLESH! This is what the Lord meant by “WATER” in this Scripture passage, and not water baptism. There is not even the slightest indication that “Christ had an eye to the ordinance of baptism, as Matthew Henry falsely claims! The Lord is simply contrasting the first birth by the FLESH, to the second birth by the SPIRIT. I don's see how anyone could conclude any other interpretation, unless they held ideas that were influenced by religious predispositions. 

Dear reader, I challenge you to be objective when reading the opinions of any human being. Only the inspired incorruptible Word of God is without error! You can completely trust your inspired King James Bible!!! I am not saying that Matthew Henry wasn't a brilliant man. Clearly, he was a highly educated man, and a highly respected theologian among his ecclesiastical peers of the day. Unfortunately, Henry wasn't very learned in THE TRUTH! Bible commentaries often do a more harm than good, corrupting men's minds from the simplicity that is in Christ!

A demon's favorite activity is making unsaved religious people feel comfortable. Satan's greatest weapon is to con people into living the Christian life without ever getting born again. Religion cannot save you. You cannot save yourself. Baptism cannot save you. Good deeds cannot save you. Church membership cannot save you. Only faith in the finished redemptive work of Jesus Christ, apart from all human effort, can save someone! Christ died on the cross for our sins. He was buried. Three days later He resurrected physically from the dead, and was seen by over 500 believers at one time (1st Corinthians 15:1-6). 

Nowhere are we commanded in the Scripture to get water baptized to complete, validate, facilitate, nor accommodate our faith unto salvation. Adding anything to faith alone is another gospel. Our text passage from Galatians 1:7-8 warns that God's curse is upon anyone who preaches “ANOTHER GOSPEL.” Getting baptized feels religious! Turning from one's sinful ways feels religious! Following Jesus as your Lord feels religious! Yet, none of these things is what God requires of a person to be saved. Eternal life is the free gift of almighty God (Romans 5:15-18; 6:23), freely given in response to one's childlike faith in the blessed Savior. Believe dear friend, and you will immediately become a a child of God. Galatians 3:26, “For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.”