by Guy LaMar
Baptism is commanded by God for salvation –
“’ Go therefore and make disciples [meaning, teach] of all the nations, BAPTIZING THEM in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. 20) teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I AM with you always, even to the end of the age.’ Amen” – Matthew 28:19-20; see also Acts 2:36-42.
The apostle Peter commanded the crowd gathered in Jerusalem when the Day of Pentecost had fully come –
“’ Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit’” – Acts 2:38.
The word “baptized” here is from the Greek word baptizō, which means “primarily a frequentative form of baptō, to dip” 1 - “to plunge into.” Now, the Greek word for “sprinkle” is rhantizō, a latter form of rhainō, as in Hebrews 9:13. 2 Therefore, sprinkling nor pouring are proper forms of baptism. Immersion – being placed completely underwater is.
John the Baptist was baptizing in the river Aenon “near Salim, because there was much water there” – John 3:23.
When Philip the evangelist baptized the Ethiopian, a eunuch of great authority, “both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptized him” – Acts 8:38.
Baptism is done by complete immersion in water, as was the method practiced by the Church of God founded by Jesus Christ.
Even though Jesus had no sins to repent of, He was baptized by John the Baptist, setting us an example to follow – Matthew 3:13-16; 1 Peter 2:21.
Baptism is purely symbolic. It is an outward sign of inward repentance. It demonstrates to God one’s willingness and desire to change one’s life of sin and begin living a new life of obedience to God the Father and Jesus Christ.
Baptism demonstrates our complete surrender unto God.
Baptism is symbolic of one’s death, burial, and resurrection from the grave – Romans 6:2-6; Colossians 2:12-13.
Being immersed into the water pictures the death of Christ and of our old self.
Coming up out of the water pictures Christ’s resurrection, and of our coming up out of the water to walk “in newness of life” – to live a life of obedience to God, free from the guilt of past sins and the ultimate death penalty that those sins had incurred – Romans 6:23.
We now consider ourselves “dead,” so far as sin is concerned, but “alive” through God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ – Romans 6:11.
Baptism should be done as the result of genuine repentance toward God and complete faith in the blood of Jesus Christ. Only a mature mind can truly “count the cost” – Luke 14:26-30.
One must be mentally mature – enough to understand the commitment they are making and be able to truly repent and believe.
Generally speaking – only mature adults should be baptized.
There is no record of our Lord Jesus ever having commanded the baptism of children, nor is there any biblical record of the early New Testament Church having performed children baptisms.
Baptism is an outward acknowledgment that our selfish, vain, and sinful old self must die so that we might rise to live a new life of obedience to God’s holy and relevant Commandments as made possible through His Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit is not given immediately at or by water baptism – yet, Acts 2:38 shows us that baptism must precede the gifting of the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit is given to a person through prayer and the laying on of hands of one of God’s true ministers.
The sequence of events is as follows:
- Repentance.
- Water Baptism.
- The laying on of hands.
- The receiving of the Holy Spirit as a result of the laying on of hands.
Counsel
The Independent Christian Church of God and our affiliated churches have ministers in the southeastern and far southeastern regions of the United States. They are ready to counsel with you personally – to answer any questions you may have – and to baptize any who are ready for it.
So, if you have deeply repented and sincerely want to be baptized, or if you are just desiring to discuss this vital subject with a qualified and dedicated servant of God, please contact us at https://www.facebook.com/gc.lamar.58/. Of course, these men will not contact you unless you request it.
You can also contact us at: pastorleonard1@yahoo.com, or write to us at The Church of Jesus Christ Online Ministries P.O. Box 6458 Spring Hill, Florida 34606.
Additional articles of related interest:
Just what does it mean to repent? Is real repentance just an emotional feeling? Is it just merely feeling sorry for having made some mistakes in life!? What is God's definition of true repentance? Minister Michael C. Garrett examines what true repentance is and is not, detailing what God's definition of real repentance truly is.
Is God a Trinity or a family? Is the Holy Spirit a being or the creative power of the Godhead?
To refresh my memory and in the preparation for this message today I studied up, briefly, an outline of U.S. history, along with many of the lives of our earliest presidents, as well as doing something I have never done before – the reading of the whole of the Declaration of Independence – [...]
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