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A Bible
Study Web Site for Children, Teens and College Students |
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Bible Question #6 |
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Why is there CONFUSION &
DIVISIONS ABOUT THE SUBJECT
OF BAPTISM?
(let's take a Doctrinal approach to this controversial subject by
taking a careful look at it throughout God's Word)
Are you confused about the subject of
baptism? One of the causes of problems among believers in the Lord
Jesus Christ is a lack of understanding of the true meaning of the
word baptism. Most people think of 'water' whenever they hear the
word; however, the word baptism was transliterated ... not
translated into English ... from the original Koine Greek
language, and it always refers to identification. |
The idea of sprinkling goes back to Old
Testament rituals of animal sacrifices to indicate identification of
the believer's sins with an innocent substitute. They were teaching
aids used to help people understand what a coming Savior would do for
mankind..
Water baptism of an individual by immersing the
candidate in water is first seen in the scriptures when Jesus was
baptized by John the baptizer. (Matthew 3:13-17; Luke 3:27; and John
1:31-34) At that time, Jesus was being identified with His Father's
plan ... it signified the beginning of His 3-year ministry on earth.
His baptism was unique, because Jesus was not a sinner.
During Jesus' ministry on earth, believers. were
baptized in water, and by doing so, they were being identified with
the future Millennial Kingdom when Jesus will rule as absolute monarch
over the world for 1,000 years. Note that John's message was: "Repent,
for the kingdom of God is at hand" (Matthew 3:2) To repent does not
mean to feel sorry, but to change your mind or attitude about
something. The apostle Paul tells us in Acts 19:4 what John was saying
to the Jews. "John truly baptized with the baptism of repentance,
saying to the people that they should believe in Him who would come
after him, that is in Jesus Christ." He announced to the Jews that
their Messiah had come. Those who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ
during that period of time will live in their resurrection bodies
during the 1,000 year Millennial reign of the Lord Jesus Christ.
After Jesus' death, burial, resurrection and ascension
into heaven, believers were baptized in water to identify them with a
brand new period of time ... THE CHURCH AGE, in which we are now
living. These incidents took place in the book of Acts, which is a
transitional book between the Jewish Age and the Church Age.
All of the previous incidents involving water are
actually ritual baptisms. Real or actual identification is shown by
four DRY baptisms, which are:
(1) the baptism of Moses,
that took place when the Children of Israel were identified with Moses
in the Red Sea and in the cloud that led them through the wilderness
for forty years, as explained by Paul in 1 Corinthians 10:1,2)
(2) the baptism of the
CROSS or CUP, when our Lord Jesus Christ was identified with the sins
of the world. (Matthew 20:22)
(3) the baptism of God
the Holy Spirit entering believers into union with Christ, as we see
in Acts 1:5; Romans 6:3, 1 Corinthians 12:13; Galatians 3:27;
Ephesians 4:5; and Colossians 2:12. The term 'in Christ' seen
throughout the New Testament epistles.
(4) there is one more dry
baptism to note and it is the baptism of fire. That identification
will take place at the Great White Throne judgment when all
unbelievers of all the ages of human history will stand before the
perfect judge ... the Lord Jesus Christ ... and be judged according to
their good works... not their sins! On the basis of them preferring
their human good works rather than the only acceptable work of Jesus
Christ on the cross, they will be cast into the Lake of Fire with
Satan and his angels and be tormented day and night throughout
eternity. (Rev. 20: 11-15)
Neither ritual or water baptism can save anyone.
Baptism cannot add anything to the work of Jesus Christ on the cross,
and those who say it does are adding to God's plan of salvation for
man.
A person is saved in one way only, and that is: BY
FAITH ALONE IN CHRIST ALONE."NEITHER IS THERE
SALVATION IN ANY OTHER: FOR THERE IS NO OTHER NAME UNDER HEAVEN GIVEN
AMONG MEN WHEREBY WE MUST BE SAVED." (Acts 4:12)
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