the churches of Christ

THE ACT OF BAPTISM

It seems that some people do not appreciate, or at least fully understand, the necessity of baptism in bringing them to Christ and salvation. This can be due to ignorance, arrogance, or just plain old stiff-necked indolence. Either way, they fail to meet the conditions of salvation, and therefore will remain unsaved. So first and foremost, unless one is baptized according to how the New Testament teaches; his sins will not be washed away (be forgiven). One of the reasons that baptism is so important is because God said to do it. It's a command. When we refuse God, we commit additional sin, and therefore, add to the multitude of sin that will testify against us at the judgement. It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgement - Hebrews 9:27. Well that settles the matter as far as we are concerned. 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 Ephesians 4:5, means, ONE baptism. There's only one way to perform the one baptism and the New Testament teaches that clearly as well. There's no need to be confused about how many baptisms there are, because there is only ONE, relative to us and our salvation! Now despite the many flawed arguments about baptism that skulk around, not one of them provide any clear proof of what they claim. There is no such thing as baptism in the Spirit. That is a false claim, far removed from anything that is necessary, or required today. We also need to understand that baptism is for the remission of past sins, not future ones - Romans 3:25. We come in contact with the saving blood of Christ, metaphorically, that is, in water baptism. More over, baptism is an act of obedience. Samuel said it was better to obey God than to offer sacrifice - 1 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 church of Christ - Romans 16:16, is the only church that is mentioned by name (or term), which ever way you want to look at it, in the Bible. No other church is mentioned! The facts are the facts. The mere thought of the Catholic church wasn't conceived for at least three hundered years after the church of Christ had its origins. That was at the last Pentecost, after the resurrection and ascension of Christ into heaven. That should tell us all we need to know! It's also worth noting, that it's not possible to become a Christian without baptism, that is, full submergence IN WATER baptism. That is the baptism in question. Take for example, Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch of Acts 8:38. After baptism has taken place, it is then that the Lord adds that person to the church - Acts 2:47. Note: Such as should be saved v.47. That means, those that have done what the Lord said to do. It's called obedience.

DON'T BAPTIZE YOUR CHILD

Now of course, the act of baptism is for those that have been taught and understand what they must do to be saved. No one is baptized in ignorance, let alone, saved in ignorance. Nor was the baptism of Acts done in a corner. What we know for the most part, we learn from someone else. That is why God instructed 40 men over a period of 1500 years, to write the Bible. A written record for our learning. 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. They call their form of baptism, "Christening." As far as the Bible is concerned, they can call it what they want; but it has nothing to do with salvation. The Catholic church claim that men inherit original sin, therefore, an infant must be baptized in order to become a member of their church. The Bible says WE commit sin, but we don't inherit it - read Ezekiel 18:20. Now what the Catholic church call baptism is more like a sprinkling or pouring rather than the full submergence we read of in the New Testament. The strange thing is that they continue to baptize infants despite not one example of it anywhere in the Bible. In fact, no child should be put through that sort of discourse. That's 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 1 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 Romans 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 Romans 3:23. The Bible teaches that man is born under the influence of sin; but not as a sinner - Romans 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 - Acts 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!