Re: Baptism

Posted by Bible Probe on September 13, 2005 at 04:42:55:

In Reply to: Baptism posted by John the confused (but a little bit less for now) on September 13, 2005 at 04:41:56:

Baptised once is fine! Jesus said; you must be Baptised with Water, Reborn with the Spirit, and receive the Body and Blood of Christ (at least once).

As a Catholic, you were Baptised, and received the Body and Blood of Christ (Communion)--I assume.

Reborn with the Holy Spirit is a mature acknowledgement of what you already did in the Catholic Confirmation. You affirmed that Jesus is the Lord of your life, and that only because of your relationship with Jesus,and His sacrificial death for your sins --you are sinless in the eyes of the Father.

It is not necessary that you be a Catholic or Protestant for salvation!

All you need to do now is to say a sincere heartfelt prayer to Jesus, asking Jesus that Jesus becomes the central point of your life; and ask His forgiveness when you flounder. We all will; we all do flounder.

Most likely the early Christians were totally submerged. But there is no requirement to be submerged. However, just like renewing your marriage vows --you can be rebaptised if you like. Two Christians can even perform this solemnly on a child or adult in a bathtub. While submerging, or pouring water over the person, they recite: "I Baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit".

The background of baptism can be traced to Old Testament times. As far back as the first book of the Bible eight people were saved from the great flood of God’s judgment. Peter pointed out that the water of the flood 'symbolizes baptism that now saves you' (1 Peter 3:21). Old Testament prophets such as Isaiah, Ezekiel, and David likewise used water as an external symbol for internal cleansing (Isaiah 1:l6: Ezekial 36:25ff; Psalm 51:2).

John the Baptist was the final prophet of the Old Covenant. As John baptized Jesus in the Jordan, he was ushering in the messianic fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy. Behind the symbol of baptism is the substance of baptism, which is the blood of Jesus Christ removing our sinfulness. As water cleanses the outer man from soil and sweat, so the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses the inner man from the stain of sin.

The Book of Acts itself demonstrates that baptism is the sign of conversion, not the means of conversion. Acts 10:47, for example, describes believers who were indwelt by the Holy Spirit (and therefore saved — see Romans 8:9) prior to being baptized.

Furthermore, the Bible as a whole clearly communicates that we are saved by faith and not by works (Ephesians 2:8-9). As Paul pointed out in Romans, our righteous standing before God is “by faith from first to last” (Romans 1:17). When the jailer asked the apostle Paul, “What must I do to be saved?” Paul responded, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:30-31).

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