I wrote on baptism a while ago, but I want to readdress it. See, the thing is, people keep throwing around the verse wherein Christ tells His apostles to go and make disciples of all the nations and to baptize them, and all the accounts of the Apostles baptizing their converts. But I have to wonder... is it possible that they got the idea wrong?
Matt 3:11 clearly says that Christ would baptize those who believe in Him with the Holy Spirit and with fire. To me, this is the nature of conversion; this is the baptism that happens first. The baptism in water is merely a public sign of the baptism wherein the Holy Spirit comes to reside in the believer. I really can't find anything that says that water baptism is more necessary than this Holy Spirit and fire baptism, or that the terms aren't used interchangeably in much of Pauline literature.
So what's the deal? Are both necessary? Is one more important than the other? Is water baptism a sign of Holy Spirit baptism, or was John wrong in saying that Christ's baptism would be of a new kind? Is water baptism merely a hold-over of the mikveh, or a necessary tool of salvation?
Comments (10)
In studying the book of Matthew, my understanding is that Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist so that He could 1) identify and connect with man, 2) publicly acknowledge who He was - the Son of God and 3) as a foreshadowing of His death, burial and resurrection.
While I do not believe it is a tool of salvation or even necessary in the life of a Christian (meaning that if we come to an acknowledgment of our sin and need for Jesus as Savior and then put our faith in Christ, we would still be considered saved if we didn't ever carry through with a baptism by water), I do believe that as an act of obedience to God and in order to identify publicly with who we are now in Christ, we will want to be baptized as a Christian.
Once we are saved by grace through faith in Christ, we are given a "baptism" of the Holy Spirit - the Holy Spirit now dwells in us as a helper, counselor, guide. We don't have to do anything in order to receive that baptism, where as a water baptism requires our initiation, our seeking out, to identify with Christ, allowing our salvation to become more 'real' to us.
Blessings,
Lori
You do it to obey, if you believe it is what He desires. But the water doesn't save, nor is it necessary for salvation.
My feelings fall in with the two people who commented before me. Immersion is an act of obedience, but not necessary for salvation. My belief comes from personal experience and the experiences of friends. I accepted Christ in October 2003, and I know that the Holy Spirit came upon me in that moment. The Spirit didn't wait 5 months until I was baptized in March. He began working in my life immediately. I've seen the same thing happen in the lives of a couple of my friends.
The subject of baptism is actually kind of a touchy one for me, as I come from a Catholic family. I was sprinkled as a baby of course, and my mom was offended by my immersion baptism 18 years later. She felt like I was saying that what she did for me when I was three months old was not good enough. The sad thing is that she was right...it wasn't. But my immersion was not what made me realize that. I realized that when I accepted Christ as my personal Savior. It was MY choice and MY heart that was changed. A parent can't make that decision for a child. Salvation comes from the choice, not from the water.
Sorry...that was kind of a random tangent about sprinkling :) Needless to say, I'm worried about how that is going to work when I have kids. My children will not be sprinkled, but do I really want to be the first person in my family whose kids don't wear the baptismal gown that my great great grandmother made almost a hundred years ago? Maybe we'll just have a really nice dedication...sheesh.
:)
@girlxonaxstring - Dedicating is still a protestant thing. They could wear the gown at that. It would be just as sweet, I think. I haven't done a ceremonial thing with my guys, even though we feel we've dedicated them. Or at least dedicated ourselves to training them in the things of the Lord. We're reasoning with them early, so they have a good foundation later in life, when hopefully the Lord calls them to Himself.
@girlxonaxstring -
Oh, don't worry, I so know where you're coming from. I too was "baptized" as an infant (never mind that the Bible specifies full immersion, as a continuation of the Jewish tradition of the mikveh!), which is probably why I'm having such a hard time trying to figure out how I feel about baptism. I've never felt personally led to be baptized, but intellectually it seems like something I "should" do to "make up" for the infant baptism. As though, if I was to be baptized now, it would wash away the remnants of Catholicism. (Anyone who's Catholic, don't take offense to that; it's simply a personal feeling in my own life.)
@FastingFrogs -
@LoriBMom03 -
@tx_christian -
@girlxonaxstring -
This post and thread moved me to write and share. I'd like to hear feedback from you all. I was stimulated by <a href="http://weblog.xanga.com/iamlovedbygod/644767131/2008-02-29-baptism-and-physical-traditions.html">the "Jesus did it" stance.
Sorry about that... here is the link (hopefully)... <a href="http://weblog.xanga.com/iamlovedbygod/644767131/2008-02-29-baptism-and-physical-traditions.html">Baptism and Physical Traditions
To GermanWrench - these things came to mind regarding the struggle between baptism or not and "making up" for infant baptism...
What is baptism and do we do it correctly? To be baptized with water only once is not the “correct” way, but dipping three times once in each name would be the correct way, since there are three names. Does this mean that all those people not baptized correctly with water are now no longer saved? I heard this brought to a minister in the Church of Christ and the response was to just blow it off, saying God understands the heart. I agree God understands the heart of man better than man.To be baptized with one dip, three or never is not what matters. What matters is the faith of the person and whether that faith has fruit. True faith always has fruit. If the fruit is bad, then the heart of the person is bad. If the fruit is sweet and full, then the heart is sweet and full. Look to the fruit.One question, how does one ritual negate another? If your heart desires God (who is Love and Light), then you will follow Him by having Love and Light in your life. A ritual does not change that, though it might be a stance you mentally take to change your life (which is what I think the sinner’s prayer and the baptism thing are useful for). If it is a mental trick to place a moment in time as the turning point, then fine, do it. If you believe that is what saves you and don’t change your life to follow Love and Light, then it is useless. Keep seeking the kingdom of Perfect Love and the door will be opened to each and every area of life in which you seek.blessings@girlxonaxstring - I think dedicating your children in the family christening gown would be wonderful! My husband and I got to dedicate both of our children (only a year apart) on Father's Day in 2003 and again in 2004. It was really special to us!
Blessings!