Baptism Baptism is the initiating experience of being baptized. What is meant by baptize? Baptize is derived from the Greek word ‘ Baptizein,” which means to immerse. What does the Scripture say about baptism? It is to be done by John the baptist to prepare the way of the Lord. The testimony of John is thus, as written, ‘‘I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance; but He that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire.”(Matthew 3:11 Mark 1:8 John 1:26-27). The pronouncement of John marks the coming of the New Covenant: the salvation is by the law because under the law of Moses there is no Saviour but judgment by the law, as written, ‘‘ For there is no respect of persons with God. For as many have sinned without law, shall also perish without law: and as many have sinned in the law shall be judge by the law.”(Romans 2:11-12). What is the purpose of John’s baptism to Israel? It is written John said,‘‘And I knew Him not: but He that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, the same is He which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost. And I saw and bare record that this is Son of God.”(John 1:33-34 )And, ‘‘ This is He whom I said, After me cometh a man which is prefered before me: for he was before me. And I knew him not: but that he should be made manifest to Israel therefore am I come baptizing with water. And John bare record saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon Him.”(John 1:30-32) What is needed in baptism? There has got to be a baptizer and persons to be baptized. The baptizer wields power as the power in the original baptism which is to make manifest to Israel who the Messiah is, and it was given to John the Baptist. But what says John regarding Jesus, who is the word of God made flesh with power? It is written, John said, ‘‘He must increase but I must decrease.”(John3:30) Is water baptism decreasing when all Christians sects promote it? Does Spiritual baptism only mean subjection by water to a baptizer? To find out let us go into a passage where the term baptize is used whether truly it requires water. It is written, ‘‘Moreover brethren I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; and were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea.”(1 Corinthians 10:1-2) Did Moses baptized or is it God baptizing or subjecting them to follow Moses as he led them under the cloud and through the sea. In fact Paul, supposedly the model in preaching the gospel being the Apostle to the Gentiles was emphatic in declaring, as written, ‘‘For Christ sent me not to baptize but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ be make of none effect,”(1 Corinthians 1:17) Except for baptisms to bear with the weaker vessels who demand it, as Paul puts it, it is written, ‘‘And through my knowledge shall the weak brother perish, for whom Christ died? But when you sin against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, ye sin against Christ. Wherefore, if meat make my brother to offend, I will eat no flesh while the world standeth, lest I make my brother to offend.”(1 Corinthians 8:11-13) Some may say that Paul was talking about meat sacrificed to idols. Paul was not talking about just meat, he was talking about the weaker vessel judging who are weak and what they are bound to do. We know that judging another man is wrong, as written, and is sin. To accommodate the weaker vessel’s baptism with water, as demanded by the eunuch, and was done by Philip and is recorded in Acts 8:34-38. This also happened after Peter preached and the Holy Ghost fell on people, as written, ‘‘Can any men forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we? And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord:”(Acts 10:47-48)Peter was the Apostle to the Jews, who are observers of rituals of the Old Covenant. Besides water cannot do any harm or good to be immersed with. Nevertheless as with all cases where baptisms were made, almost always, it is after hearing the word of God and believing that people were said to be baptized afterwards. The baptizer then was not a person or a preacher but the word of God which people heard and subjected themselves to believe. If after John the baptist, it is Jesus Christ or the word of God who will baptize, why it is that religious organizations and sects are blatantly disregarding the instruction that water baptism should decrease? The question is, How will organizations increase their numbers and the loyalty of the members if they do not baptize with water for them to impose spiritual authority? Baptizing with water by a baptizer is similar to the initiation of members in a fraternity for the church to get die hard loyalty.
Posted on: Sun, 30 Jun 2013 13:50:59 +0000
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