BAPTISM

You know, it's frightening to think that MOST people don't seem to be too concerned, or at the very least, display a careless attitude when it comes to the proper biblical understanding of the necessity of baptism, for themselves firstly, and anyone else that might be looking to become a Christian that they come in contact with. Religious people take more than their fair share for granted nowadays, that it rarely ever becomes an issue of how important baptism is, and how it brings us to repentance, and the forgiveness of ALL past sins (up to the point of baptism), and ultimately, to Jesus Christ (the only name given among men whereby they must be saved) - 1Acts 4:12. In other words, baptism initiates the first principals of salvation - -1 Peter 3:21. It gets the ball rolling so to speak, and that's not to undermine the seriousness of the concept, but rather, to show how much it's relevant to the process of salvation. You know, it's one thing to be religious, but another thing entirely to be a Christian. What's more, no one is a Christian just because they say they are a Christian. Becoming a Christian employs an exact process that falls within the strictest guidance of New Testament discipline.

The whole concept of baptism rests on the notion of what it means to become a Christian. One cannot become a Christian without first being baptized, nor indeed, is one a Christian because they were baptized as an infant (that's what the Roman Catholics do). More over, no one can be a Christian before baptism, let alone, having been baptized for the wrong reason; take John's baptism, after the fact that is - -Acts 19:2-5. Certainly no one is a Christian who is baptized into the wrong church, and that for the greater part, is a true representation of the idiomatic wide-road of - -Matthew 7:13. The interpretation of the idiom, is that, more people are on the path to hell, than to heaven, and that is referring ONLY to those who claim to be a Christian falsely, and those that have NOT obeyed the gospel. They will remain in that lost state until they repent and are baptized. Now of course, the reasonable service of a Christian is to persuade men to become Christians. That takes effort and dedication (not some cheap gimmick of music, or entertainment, to lure people by trickery; often employed by Pentecostals and Catholics and so on), but rather, to teach people why they need to repent and be baptized, and the consequences of not doing so. The average Christian should at least have a basic working knowledge on how to share the gospel, and always be ready to give an answer for what he believes in, and that according to knowledge - -2 Timothy 4:2. Now for the sake of arguement, to be ready in or out of season requires EFFORT, but just remember, without an effort there's no reward. It reminds me of a quote from Socrates: "True knowledge exists in knowing that you know nothing." Well I disagree with that. Socrates got that wrong as far as I'm concerned! My take is that true knowledge exists in the understanding of the thing you know - -Proverbs 4:7. As for the effort of the average Christian, well, as the saying goes, "You don't have to know everything to know something." So a little something is better than nothing at all. No doubt, ignorance and arrogance, and religious mendacity has a lot to answer for, but a lazy Christian has more to lose than using a sledgehammer to crack a nut. Man is without excuse - -Romans 1:18-21.

Either way, when we fail to meet the conditions of salvation, the very real and potential second state can be worse than the first. We need to be careful about that, and especially so, with regards to spiritual-self-preservation. So unless one is baptized according to how the New Testament teaches one to be baptized; his past sins up to the point of baptism will NOT be washed away (or forgiven) - -Romans 3:25. Did you know, that unforgiven sin is a high risk state to be in as a Christian, and can lead to the sin unto death, and that God's grace is not limitless, and that death can happen at any time - -1 John 5:16-17? It's a realistic synopsis of the Christian journey, and no small feat to put it into context so as to sound the warning bells. That is one of the main reasons why baptism is so important. I've no doubt some arrogant man will brand this warning as spiritual alarmism, but think on this: There'll be a lot of time for regret if one finds himself in hell because he was too lazy to study God's word properly, and see for himself what the scriptures teach. Moreover, the forgiveness of past sins is only part of the concept of the plan of salvation. Keeping oneself in that state of forgiveness is a Christian's reasonable service thereon to. There's another reason, and even more importantly, is that God has given the command for us to be baptized. When we refuse God, we commit more sin, and therefore, add additional sin to our account. That account needs to be drawn down by means of forgiveness. Now unless we allow the Lord to pay the debt for our sin, then someone has to pay it, and we all know what that means, don't we? So just remember, for the sake of knowledge: That it's appointed unto men once to die, but after that the judgement - -Hebrews 9:27.

Furthermore, we have the New Testament to teach us how to perform the act of baptism, so we have no excuse. The one baptism that is mentioned in 4Ephesians 4:5, means, ONE baptism. We'll say it again, for the sake of saying it again: There is only ONE BAPTISM, and that is a fact which is exclusive to us, in this dispensation of the Gentiles (the last days) - -Luke 21:24. As the saying goes, there's always trouble in paradise, and that is certainly the case when it comes to the many false teachings about baptism. When people cross that line it's generally very hard, if not impossible, to get back from the delusion of false baptisms and religious hearsay. There's certainly no such thing as baptism in the Spirit for example. That was exclusive to the first century church, when they had no written record to guide them, like what we have today. In those days the Spirit of God inspired men to compile a record of the sacred oracles which we now call the Bible! Now it's worth nothing, that we come in contact with the saving blood of Christ, that is, metaphorically, during the act of baptism. As the record itself declares, there is NO remission (of sin) without shedding of blood - -Hebrews 9:22. In other words, no forgiveness of sin. So to understand this in the clearest terms, we need to understand, that when Jesus shed his blood, he was bearing our sins on the cross - 61 Peter 2:24 cf. 7Romans 6:10 and 8Hebrews 10:12-18. He took upon himself the penalty of our sins. So in a similar way, we imitate dying with Christ (our old self is put to death methphorically); a new man is born, in other words, we start again with a clean slate before God (like an infant so to speak) - 9Romans 6:3-4. Ultimately, the symbolism that is acted out in water baptism has very real and eternal consequences.

More over, the act of baptism is an act of obedience. Samuel said it was better to obey God than to offer sacrifice - 111 Samuel 15:22. Mind you, it's not only baptism that we need to be concerned about; but also the church that we are baptized into. Many churches claim to be Christian, but the evidence suggests otherwise. The churches of Christ - 12Romans 16:16, is the only designation given to describe or name the church that the Lord adds those that should be saved, to. There are no other fancy names given, such as, Catholic, Protestant, Pentecostal, and whatever the rest of the 45,000 denominations that make-up so-called mainstream Christianity call themselves! The fact that the plural churches is used to describe the church warrants a simple answer. Romans 16:16 refers to the autonomous congregations or groups of Christians that come together to worship God in a local setting, and in the strict sense of autonomous! That means, self-governing and accountable to God directly. So, suppose one church was to go foul, the proper term is apostatise (or apostatize) for American readers; then the rest of the church is not held to account.

CHURCH ORGANIZATION

an ensample of the BODY

The format of the make-up of the church comes in all forms: from HOUSE churches (that's the church in someone's house, which is still a VERY relevant functional format), to large meeting halls and dedicated buildings. There's no such thing as a church of Christ having a unique name separate to that of just being called the church (a part representing the whole), or a church of Christ (same as before); except for the location being added, such as, the church of God at Corinth for example (and for obvious good reason) - -1 Corinthians 1:2. Now before someone has a spasm of ignorant anger like some old choleric schoolmaster; we MUST understand, that both God and Christ are interchangeable terms that are used when referring to the origin and ownership of the church. The common sentiment when addressing the church in the New Testament is found in Romans 16:16. So let's call it what it is, the church of Christ! Mind you, the whole concept of the church in the first place had its origins with the Father and the Son in heaven (the first and second persons of the Godhead), hence the references to God and Christ when addressing the church in the New Testament. It's also worth mentioning, that Jesus said he and the Father are one - -John 10:30. Now of course that doesn't mean they're the same person (that's just bad grammar). It means, they (Father and Son), share the same nature and judgement, in other words, are united, and of course, they occupy the first and second place of the Godhead. So, when we consider words such as UNITED and INTERNATIONAL being added as some sort of prefix or supplement to the inspiration, churches of Christ, it suggests that the church is not united, and implies that some form of correction or remedy is necessary (as if God made a mistake with regards to the design and functionality of the church in the first place). It's not only HIGHLY presumptuous and dangerously ignorant to say the least, it kind of conjures the notion of a power grab of some sort. It appears as a foolish and hypothetical challenge the authority of Christ. It reminds me of the sons of Aaron who offered strange fire to the Lord - -Leviticus 10:1-2. Such concepts are alien to the format of the church we read about in the New Testament, and therefore become a cultish and evil castoff by nature. If anything, such terms go beyond the rubicon of church and churches (being equal to the same thing), and is a sure indicator of potential apostasy and spiritual funny business.

The word church, means, a group or number of people assembled together for a cause. In this case, the cause is to worship Christ. So then, when we refer to the church, as in, the church of Christ; we refer to the Lord's people - -2 Timothy 2:19. All members have been baptized and added to the church (personally), by the Lord - 13Acts 2:47. Therefore, the sum-total, is the number of autonomous groups and congregations round about, that come together to worship God, are equal to "the churches" (plural), which make-up the "church" as a whole (singular). The CHURCH of Christ.

That should tell us a good deal of what we need to know concerning the nature and composition of the church that the New Testament teaches. However, because of the amount of false churches that garnish themselves with the cross of Christ, and teaching things they ought not to teach, is a certain divorce from the reality of what the New Testament teaches, and has ultimately culminated in a deadly state of spiritual amorphousness. The OBFUSCATION of the once delivered faith into something else. The whole substitute church is a fake! It's based on the premise of a lie. Moreover, it's one of the main reasons the gospel is hid from those who continue to remain in that lost state; despite the full counsel of the revelaton on display before the whole world - 142 Corinthians 4:3. Man is without excuse according to - 15Romans 1:20. Mind you, the whole quagmire of mainstream religion has an uncanny semblance to the veil that is set before the Jews because of unbelief, to this day - 162 Corinthians 3:14-16. I know it only too well, having been a member of the Pentecostal church for over five years. The result of which, is untethered religious zombiism, and the born-into religions, such as, Roman Catholicism and so on. In fact, Roman Catholicism was the first church to apostatise from the church of Christ in the third century A.D. In so doing, they created a crucible that beckoned the onset of denominationalism, and the divisive concepts of Christ that we have to deal with today. All it does is stymie the effort of the gospel, but it doesn't stop it. It just makes it harder for people to become Christians (in the biblical sense), but NOT IMPOSSIBLE!

Now it's worth noting, that it's not possible to become a Christian without full submergence IN WATER baptism. This is indeed the baptism in question. The one that takes place at the beginning. When a man becomes a Christian. Take for example, Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch of 17Acts 8:38. Mind you, it's after baptism has taken place, that the Lord adds the faithful to HIS church 18Acts 2:47. The faithful are those that hear and do what the Lord says to do - 19James 1:22. Now please notice "such as should be saved" in Acts 2:47. That means, those that have done what the Lord has said to do. It's called obedience. Obeying him, and not some ridiculous, obscure, and demented teaching, that has compassed about with the stealth of ignorance.

MIND THAT CHILD

Dont baptize a child! It's NOT authorized by the Lord to do such a thing! The Lord is the one who saves, so if the Lord didn't say to do it, then don't do it! The whole thing of infant baptism smells of false doctrine. The act of baptism is for those that have been taught and understand what they must do to be saved. Take a good look at the picture. You know what they say (the idiom): A picture paints a thousand words? No one is baptized in ignorance (such as a child), let alone, saved in ignorance. Baptism is either done right, or it's wrong. It's really just a day out for most people, but that's where it ends. The child is neither the worse nor the better for it, only it's not a very nice thing to put a child through. You see, what we know for the most part, we learn from someone else. It's why God instructed 40 men over a period of 1500 years, to write the Bible. A written record for our learning. NOT INTERPRETATION! If you have the Bible in your language; then the odds are you don't need to interpret it, you just need to understand it - 20Proverbs 4:7. As for personal interpretation, well, this is absolutely forbidden - 212 Peter 1:20. In any case, God will not leave a man without. Like the prophet that thought he was the only one left - 22Romans 11:4; God had reserved 7000 men to himself unbeknownst to the prophet. So I say, don't worry about that. God has many teachers out there (and I hope also that I am one); but Satan the Devil has many teachers too, masquerading as preachers and teachers of the inspiration, notwithstanding, the same are known by their fruits - -Matthew 7:16. The obvious difference is that God's men preach scripture, and scripture only! My advice is to search out a reputable church of Christ, or get in touch. As for the Bible versions in English, which have been the target of a long-term and systematic attack (because the most widely spoken language in the world is English); is absolute madness, and those involved in the evil deed will surely be held to account. They have caused more confusion over God's word than all the attacks against the truth in history combined. We have the King James Bible, and that's all we need to get us to heaven despite the noise of certain preachers.

That's what a preacher is supposed to do. Tell the truth! Tell it without personal interpretation or according to some obscure or divisive religious doctrine. The Bible is not open for interpretation, it's for teaching. The language is open for interpretation if needs be, that is, into another language; but not the doctrine. The doctrine already exists within the framework of the inspiration. The author is not open to changing his word, so neither should we - -Matthew 5:18, -James 1:17 and -Hebrews 13:8. So if you speak English, then preach it in English. As for the 450 known versions of the Bible in English, I believe are obsolete due to the fact of overkill, save for the King James Bible (and its few, non-salvation-threatening errors); take the use of the word Easter (instead of Pentecost) for example.

The problem, however, is that Satan has taken advantage of, and is exploiting cowardly preachers as the harvest is ripe for the picking, and that includes some within our own ranks - -2 Peter 2:1. The yes-men that no one can trust. The people pleasing preacher, for lack of a better word, will tell you what you want to hear. You can be sure he'll keep you prisoner in your comfort zone. That's what the Devil wants him to do. On the other hand, the God pleasing preacher will tell you what you NEED to hear. He will take you out of your comfort zone. The foolhardy and people pleasing preacher, will NEVER tell you how to be saved, much less, how to keep yourself saved. On the contrary, he will keep you happy all the way to hell with him. On the other hand, the God pleasing preacher, will not only show you how to be saved, he will prove it by the word itself - 231 Thessalonians 5:21. Satan's preachers appear as those who preach the word of God, but they change the meaning of certain words and phrases to give a different impression. Take for example, those who say that by just calling on the name of the Lord, will save you. The verse they quote is partly out of context, in that, it does not convey the whole counsel of God in the matter that pertains to the calling. If calling was all one had to do, then scripture would contradict itself. Just calling on the name of the Lord to be saved would negate water baptism. Yet the scripture says that baptism is necessary to wash away past sins, not to mention, obeying what the Lord said to do.

If just calling on the name of the Lord was enough, then why were all those who were baptized in the New Testament added to the church as well? How can two instructions produce the same result if the sentiments have two different meanings? Both claim to save, but one is to do this and another is to do that. Is that respect of persons with God? Absolutely not. Obviously that would be a conflict of interest. Baptism is a condition of salvation. Calling on the name of the Lord is also a condition of salvation. However, if we examine the text a little closer, we soon learn why the scriptures also say that we must call on the name of the Lord to be saved. When one is baptized, he not only seeks forgiveness for his past sins up to the point of baptism - 24Romans 3:25, but must also call on the name of the Lord to SAVE him, which, by the way, is both a divine precedent, and a commandment, concerning the act of baptism. Why? Well obviously, the Lord alone is the one who does the saving! The sum total in this instance, is that, the one (verse) cannot be whole without the other, a synecdoche (where a part represents the whole, or conversely, the whole represents a part). Either way, one cannot be done without the other, as the combined effort in this sense represents the whole. A false teacher, in other words, an unlearned or unskilful man - 25Hebrews 5:13 and 262 Peter 3:16, will only use scripture as he sees fit, because he is limited by his own ignorance. In that case, the part does not represent the whole because of ignorance. The godly preacher will use scripture because that is the authorized expedient for him. Now of course, the only sure way to know if a preacher is teaching the truth according to the book, is to look it up in the Bible for yourself. Do your own research. Don't put your trust in men - 27Psalm 118:8. In the English language, I highly recommend using ONLY the King James Bible, and for very good reason.

Now, those who are ready to be baptized have been taught the meaning of baptism, or at least should be, and why it is an essential part in the process of salvation. In fact, it's second to repentance. Baptism is a command, and not an option. The book of Acts is a good place to start learning about the first century church. I highly recommend using ONLY the King James Bible, and for very good reason. What's more, by the very fact that baptism is for the remission of sins rules out infant baptism. Infants are also unlikely to be able to call on the name of the Lord whilst being baptized. Lord save me! That's what the scriptures say to do. Needless to say, the Roman Catholic church baptize infants knowing well that the scriptures teach no such thing. The authority of scripture has no impact on the Roman Catholic church, let alone, any of the other churches that pretend to be Christian, since the book condemns what they do. The Catholic church claim that a man inherits original sin. The Bible says WE commit sin, but we DON'T inherit sin - read 28Ezekiel 18:20. Now let's consider for a moment, the lower carnal arguement, in that, the Bible has been around a lot longer than the Catholic church, much less, the religion of Islam. So it's very reasonable to say, that the Bible holds more sway than what the Catholic church could ever wish for, or any other religion that claims to be somehow related to Christianity, even Islam (in the sense of another prophet); and I say that with authority, I mean, with the only book that concerns the things that pertain to God and salvation. Therefore, as the arguement goes: What need then is there for any further revelation, let alone another prophet, as the Muslims sneakily claim? Given the fact that Christ himself said, he alone is the saviour - 29Acts 4:12; the one who decended is the same also that acended back to heaven - 30Ephesians 4:10, and is now seated at the right hand of the Father - 31Luke 22:69. Jesus Christ is the second person of the Godhead, and the Bible does declare a Godhead - 32Acts 17:29, 33Romans 1:20, 34Colossians 2:9 cf. 351 John 5:7. You see then, the absolute authority the Bible has in the things that pertain to God? The Muslims Mohammad doesn't even claim that authority, because he has nothing to do with anything that pertains to God. The Catholic church and Islam appeared as though, by magic, making big claims, but without any tangible proof whatsoever. The Bible is the authority of God concerning Christ and salvation, for indeed, there is no other name given among men than that of Jesus Christ - !

Now what the Catholic church call baptism is more like a sprinkling or pouring rather than the full submergence we observe in the New Testament. The strange thing is that they continue to baptize infants despite the condemnation of church of Christ preachers, not to mention, that there's not one example of such a thing anywhere in the Bible. In fact, no child should be put through that sort of thing. It's paramount to child abuse! So DON'T baptize your child. Have at least a little respect for God, and what his word teaches if you claim to be a Christian. The image alone of infant baptism should serve as a warning to get thee, and thy child, out of that place!

Moreover, we read in 361 Corinthians 5:20, "...be ye reconciled with God." Reconcile means to restore. Take for example, a marriage that is broken. If the man and woman reconcile, the marriage can be restored. Children are innocent according 37Romans 9:11. A child is innocent until such time as he or she commits their first sin. That is when spiritual separation occurs, in other words, the relationship they had with God in their innocence, is severed. You cannot reconcile a relationship that did not exist prior to the reconciliation. So to reconcile, is to restore. It happens to all of us, for all have sinned according to 38Romans 3:23. The Bible teaches that man is born under the influence of sin; but not as a sinner - 39Romans 5:12. A baby is born innocent in the sight of God. It has commit no sin, nor indeed can commit sin, therefore, no need to be baptized for the remission of sins that do not exist. The parents may have sinned (including bringing a child into the world out of wedlock); but that has nothing to do with the child. Finally, the onus rests on each of us to first learn the reason for baptism; and why it is an integral part of God's plan to save man.

Proper Bible study helps us to gain what we need to understand. Without understanding, how can we learn anything - 40Acts 8:30-31? The act of baptism is the start of the process of salvation. It's what God said to do, and that's the only endorsement we need. After all, it's God who does the saving, not the church. If you want to learn more, or feel you are ready to commit to Christ, then get in touch. Baptism is free!