Post by James Blankenship on Apr 9, 2012 8:52:27 GMT -5
Baptism is strictly a New Testament ordinance.
Simply put, it is ones affirmation of ones commitment to the leadership of Christ Jesus in their life, & their acceptance of His free gift of forgiveness.
Contrary to popular belief, it does NOT do ANYTHING in regard to a person's destiny, as to whether of not they get into heaven.
One of the most common mistakes about Baptism, is the UNBIBLICAL belief in in infant Baptism, thanks to the catholic church.
Catholics use many verses from Scripture, to try to convince people that it is alright to baptize infants. I talk a little about this in my Biblical definitions forum "BORN AGAIN" here:
solascripturaalone.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=answers&action=display&thread=10
They will also use verses to support their belief in infant Baptism like:
Matthew 19:13-15 (New International Version)
The Little Children and Jesus
13 Then people brought little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked them.
14 Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” 15 When he had placed his hands on them, he went on from there.
Jesus laid hand on the children-not baptized them!
How does ANYONE get that Jesus "baptized" them from this?
There is NO SCRIPTURAL BASIS that Jesus EVER baptized ANYONE-adults OR children!
Than they will use this verse:
Acts 16:14-15 (New International Version)
14 One of those listening was a woman from the city of Thyatira named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth. She was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message. 15 When she and the members of her household were baptized, she invited us to her home. “If you consider me a believer in the Lord,” she said, “come and stay at my house.” And she persuaded us.
Where does it say that there were any infants/young children in this household? Can anyone PROVE that there were any children in this household?
Then catholics will use these verses:
classic.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts%2016:16-34&version=NIV
What do we see in these verses?
Look at verses 31-32:
Acts 16:31-32 (New International Version)
31 They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.” 32 Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house.
1. Believe in the Lord Jesus
Now I have a question:
How can a baby, or small child "believe" in what they are incapable of understanding?
2. They spoke the word of the Lord to Him & to all the others in the household
Yes, they did this, but WERE there any infants/small children in this household?
There is not a single catholic that can prove that there were. Unless they CAN prove that there were, they have no basis for saying that any infants/small children were baptized!
Finally, we have this:
Acts 18:7-8 (New International Version)
7 Then Paul left the synagogue and went next door to the house of Titius Justus, a worshiper of God. 8 Crispus, the synagogue leader, and his entire household believed in the Lord; and many of the Corinthians who heard Paul believed and were baptized.
Were does Scripture SAY that Crispus had any children in in his household?
But even MORE important-look at the last half of verse 8:
"....... Corinthians who heard Paul believed and were baptized.
Does it say ANYWHERE that these people were baptized & believed?
NO!
They Believed & were baptized!
And that is what the New Testament teaching about baptism is; Believe and be baptized!
How is an infant/young child, supposed to believe anything, if they don't understand it?
The answer is-they can't.
Belief comes BEFORE baptism-NOT after.
What was the message of John the Baptist?
5 People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan. 6 Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.
What comes before baptism? Confession.
How can an infant/young child confess anything when they don't even know what the word means?
Mark 1:5 (New International Version)
5 The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.
What comes first here?
Confession, THAN baptism! NOT baptism then confession!
Look at what Jesus says here:
Mark 16:15-17 (New International Version)
15 He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. 16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. 17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues....."
Verse 16
"Whoever believes and is baptized......"
Believe first THAN baptism!
Look at what Peter says here:
Acts 2:38 (New International Version)
38 Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
"Repent & be baptized.........
NOT be baptized & repent!
How can a infant/small child repent of ANYTHING, when they don't even understand what the word repent means, let alone the concept of repentance even is?
Acts 8:12-13 (New International Version)
12 But when they believed Philip as he proclaimed the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. 13 Simon himself believed and was baptized. And he followed Philip everywhere, astonished by the great signs and miracles he saw.
Look at this:
The people BELIEVED Phillip & were baptized.
Simon BELIEVED and was baptized.
What was the message of John the Baptist.
Repent & be baptized.
What was the message of Jesus?
Repent.
What was the message of the Paul & the other apostles?
Repent (or believe) & be baptized.
How can an infant/small child repent of anything, if they don't understand what the word repent/believe even means?
And here is something else to think about.
The message of the Apostles was Repent, (Believe), in the Lord Jesus Christ.
What would have happened "IF" the Apostles HAD baptized any infants/small children, who DIDN'T understand what to "believe" or "repent" meant?
The Apostles would have been HYPOCRITES!
Why?
Because they would have been going against their very own teachings of "Repent, (Believe) in the Lord Jesus Christ.
There are millions of people who have come to the intimate knowledge of Christ Jesus as Lord & Savior over the thousands of years since Christ returned to heaven after His resurrection.
Does anyone think that the Gospels would have spread as successfully as it has, if it's own leaders were HYPOCRITES?
That they were going against the very thing that they preached?
Jesus was the truth:
John 14:6 (New International Version)
6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
The Apostles preached the truth of Jesus.
There is not ONE SINGLE shred of evidence in the UNBIBLICAL teaching of infant baptism!
Not one.
Repentance MUST come before baptism.
An infant/small child is incapable of understanding what this means!
It is Repentance that comes BEFORE baptism.
It iis repentance that brings a person into that 1-1 relationship with Christ Jesus-NOT baptism.
Baptism is the outward expression OF ones commitment to Christ Jesus, but it does nothing to assure a persons place in heaven.
James
Simply put, it is ones affirmation of ones commitment to the leadership of Christ Jesus in their life, & their acceptance of His free gift of forgiveness.
Contrary to popular belief, it does NOT do ANYTHING in regard to a person's destiny, as to whether of not they get into heaven.
One of the most common mistakes about Baptism, is the UNBIBLICAL belief in in infant Baptism, thanks to the catholic church.
Catholics use many verses from Scripture, to try to convince people that it is alright to baptize infants. I talk a little about this in my Biblical definitions forum "BORN AGAIN" here:
solascripturaalone.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=answers&action=display&thread=10
They will also use verses to support their belief in infant Baptism like:
Matthew 19:13-15 (New International Version)
The Little Children and Jesus
13 Then people brought little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked them.
14 Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” 15 When he had placed his hands on them, he went on from there.
Jesus laid hand on the children-not baptized them!
How does ANYONE get that Jesus "baptized" them from this?
There is NO SCRIPTURAL BASIS that Jesus EVER baptized ANYONE-adults OR children!
Than they will use this verse:
Acts 16:14-15 (New International Version)
14 One of those listening was a woman from the city of Thyatira named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth. She was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message. 15 When she and the members of her household were baptized, she invited us to her home. “If you consider me a believer in the Lord,” she said, “come and stay at my house.” And she persuaded us.
Where does it say that there were any infants/young children in this household? Can anyone PROVE that there were any children in this household?
Then catholics will use these verses:
classic.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts%2016:16-34&version=NIV
What do we see in these verses?
Look at verses 31-32:
Acts 16:31-32 (New International Version)
31 They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.” 32 Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house.
1. Believe in the Lord Jesus
Now I have a question:
How can a baby, or small child "believe" in what they are incapable of understanding?
2. They spoke the word of the Lord to Him & to all the others in the household
Yes, they did this, but WERE there any infants/small children in this household?
There is not a single catholic that can prove that there were. Unless they CAN prove that there were, they have no basis for saying that any infants/small children were baptized!
Finally, we have this:
Acts 18:7-8 (New International Version)
7 Then Paul left the synagogue and went next door to the house of Titius Justus, a worshiper of God. 8 Crispus, the synagogue leader, and his entire household believed in the Lord; and many of the Corinthians who heard Paul believed and were baptized.
Were does Scripture SAY that Crispus had any children in in his household?
But even MORE important-look at the last half of verse 8:
"....... Corinthians who heard Paul believed and were baptized.
Does it say ANYWHERE that these people were baptized & believed?
NO!
They Believed & were baptized!
And that is what the New Testament teaching about baptism is; Believe and be baptized!
How is an infant/young child, supposed to believe anything, if they don't understand it?
The answer is-they can't.
Belief comes BEFORE baptism-NOT after.
What was the message of John the Baptist?
5 People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan. 6 Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.
What comes before baptism? Confession.
How can an infant/young child confess anything when they don't even know what the word means?
Mark 1:5 (New International Version)
5 The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.
What comes first here?
Confession, THAN baptism! NOT baptism then confession!
Look at what Jesus says here:
Mark 16:15-17 (New International Version)
15 He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. 16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. 17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues....."
Verse 16
"Whoever believes and is baptized......"
Believe first THAN baptism!
Look at what Peter says here:
Acts 2:38 (New International Version)
38 Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
"Repent & be baptized.........
NOT be baptized & repent!
How can a infant/small child repent of ANYTHING, when they don't even understand what the word repent means, let alone the concept of repentance even is?
Acts 8:12-13 (New International Version)
12 But when they believed Philip as he proclaimed the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. 13 Simon himself believed and was baptized. And he followed Philip everywhere, astonished by the great signs and miracles he saw.
Look at this:
The people BELIEVED Phillip & were baptized.
Simon BELIEVED and was baptized.
What was the message of John the Baptist.
Repent & be baptized.
What was the message of Jesus?
Repent.
What was the message of the Paul & the other apostles?
Repent (or believe) & be baptized.
How can an infant/small child repent of anything, if they don't understand what the word repent/believe even means?
And here is something else to think about.
The message of the Apostles was Repent, (Believe), in the Lord Jesus Christ.
What would have happened "IF" the Apostles HAD baptized any infants/small children, who DIDN'T understand what to "believe" or "repent" meant?
The Apostles would have been HYPOCRITES!
Why?
Because they would have been going against their very own teachings of "Repent, (Believe) in the Lord Jesus Christ.
There are millions of people who have come to the intimate knowledge of Christ Jesus as Lord & Savior over the thousands of years since Christ returned to heaven after His resurrection.
Does anyone think that the Gospels would have spread as successfully as it has, if it's own leaders were HYPOCRITES?
That they were going against the very thing that they preached?
Jesus was the truth:
John 14:6 (New International Version)
6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
The Apostles preached the truth of Jesus.
There is not ONE SINGLE shred of evidence in the UNBIBLICAL teaching of infant baptism!
Not one.
Repentance MUST come before baptism.
An infant/small child is incapable of understanding what this means!
It is Repentance that comes BEFORE baptism.
It iis repentance that brings a person into that 1-1 relationship with Christ Jesus-NOT baptism.
Baptism is the outward expression OF ones commitment to Christ Jesus, but it does nothing to assure a persons place in heaven.
James