The Most Revealing Religious Irony Of  Our Age!
By Allan E. McNabb

Perhaps you’ve seen the fish symbol on Bibles, signs, cars and other places, usually put there to identify the owner as a Christian. Maybe you are like me and wondered how the fish symbol got its start, and what it really means.

The Greek word ichthys (Greek word IXOYE meaning "fish") is an acrostic for "Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Savior." The fish symbol represents the acrostic, and symbolizes salvation in Christ through water baptism — fish are saved in water, and we are saved in water through Jesus (1 Pet. 3:21).

Tertullian (145-220 A.D.) wrote a treatise on baptism contradicting the Cainites (a Gnostic sect) who taught against water baptism. Speaking of Christians he wrote, "we little fishes are born in water, after the example of our Ichthys Jesus Christ. And we have safety in no other way than by permanently abiding in water."

Later in the treatise, Tertullian says that the Cainite doctrine against baptism is a "false doctrine" that "shakes the faith" which can "entirely block a person from receiving the faith. In fact, it opposes the faith on the very principles of which the faith consists!"

Then describing the simplicity of baptism Tertullian says, "With the utterance of a few words, he is dipped, and then rises again not much the [physically] cleaner."

The ichthys (Christian fish) contradicted the Gnostic doctrines brethren fought against in the early centuries (that men could be saved without baptism). It symbolizes the necessity of baptism for the remission of sins (Acts 2:38), that our sins are washed away in baptism (Acts 22:16), and that baptism saves us (1 Pet. 3:21).

Tertullian’s writings are valuable for a number of reasons.

We see that second and third century Christians were baptized in the same manner as believers in the Bible, as well as members of Christ’s church today.

We see that second and third century brethren were teaching the truth on salvation and baptism, although powerful and influential Gnostic sects opposed them. Their struggle was similar to our’s today, as we struggle to teach the truth among powerful and influential religious sects.

We learn the answer to our question: What is the meaning behind the Christian fish symbol?

It symbolizes salvation in Christ through water baptism.

Today, many people have adopted the Christian fish symbol, believing men are saved without being baptized. Ironically, though, the fish symbol contradicts their doctrine of salvation and baptism, meaning the exact opposite.

This could be the most revealing religious irony of our age.