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WATER BAPTISM
Baptism in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ is the ORIGINAL BAPTISM that was practised by the Apostles. It is not something new but if you will look carefully at the Scripture, you will find that there was not one person in the whole Bible who was ever baptized in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost. For about 330 years after Christ, everybody was baptized in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Roman Catholics then organized and became a denomination, and started to baptize in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost. Reference to any Church History Book will prove this. But there are a few particular which may be found in the public library. Dictionary of the Bible - Scribners - Vol.1, Page 241. Canney Encyclopedia - Page 53. New International Encyclopedia - Vol.22, Page 476. Dictionary of the Bible - James Hastings. There are other references that you may be able to check up on. These works, and the others that I am not taking space to list here, prove that Water Baptism in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost is a TRADITION OF MAN, started by the Roman Catholic Church, and carried on by almost all other denominations. THIS IS AN ERROR AND A FALSE BAPTISM. As we know, after the Roman Catholic Church had gone on some hundred of years, Luther saw many errors in their ways, but continued to baptize in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost. Around 1525, the Anabaptists saw that it was wrong to baptize infants, and began to immerse grownups. (“The Growth of the Christian Church”, by Nichols, page 231). In the 1700's Wesley received more light on the Scripture, but continued the R. C. baptism formula, which was the name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost. Then “Pentecost” came (in the early 20th Century) and people were filled with the Holy Ghost, but the majority hung on to the same thing, and it has been going on like that. So for more than 1600 years we have had a baptism which was not the one used at the beginning — it started right, but the Roman Catholic Church changed it. R. C. Church changed the formula that was originally used, and they changed the method or mode of baptizing. After Paul, Peter, Jesus Christ and other early Church fathers were gone, the R. C. Church began to baptize people by sprinkling the little children on their foreheads and using the title-name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost. In Acts 2:38 we read, “Repent, and be baptized everyone of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins”, but how can an infant repent when he doesn't know what sins are or that he is a sinner? What part of the R. C. baptism is wrong? It is all wrong! Every part of it is wrong. There is no such thing in the Bible. Does it say to baptize infants when they don't know they are sinners and can't repent? The water part of that baptism is wrong also for we don't sprinkle infants or grownups but rather immerse the people and you couldn't immerse infants; you could drown them. The wording is also wrong. Then the whole baptism is wrong. In fact, the people that have been baptized in this way are not baptized at all for it is not Scriptural. So every part of that baptism is totally wrong. But since we have got the revelation of the true Christian baptism which is Scriptural, we know that it is true. So then, we are to baptize people that are old enough to know that they are sinners and to be able to repent of their sins. Whether it is a child or a grownup, we are to baptize them in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ which is the ONLY SCRIPTURAL BAPTISMAL FORMULA. Scriptures regarding immersion, which means to be totally IMMERSED in water, are as follows: Matthew 3:16: “And Jesus when He was baptized went up straightway out of the water.” Acts 8:38: “And they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch and he baptized him.” Romans 6:4: “Therefore we are buried with Him by baptism into death.” Baptism is a type of the burial of our sins. Every person who was ever baptized in the Bible, and there are at least 8,012 of them mentioned, were ALL BAPTIZED IN THE NAME OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST. Acts 8:16 Acts 10:48 Acts 2:38 Acts 4:10-12 Acts 19:3-6 If you check Peter's teaching, and also Paul's teaching (Paul was a messenger as well as an Apostle), you will see that both taught and practised baptism in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ. If anybody can cast these two men's teachings out of the Bible, then they might as well cast the whole Bible away. It is essential that we be very careful to go by the Scripture, rather than traditions of man. Note Galatians 1:11-12, “But I certify you, brethren that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man. For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.” (Read also verse 16. And also note Galatians 1:8,9.) “But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received let him be accursed.” Therefore all ministers who baptize people in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost are cursed according to Paul's teaching, but they don't know that they are cursed. Some people who are doubtful feel they would rather obey Jesus than Peter, but Acts 1:1-2, says that Jesus through the Holy Ghost gave commandments unto the Apostles; also having given the keys of the kingdom to Peter. (See Matthew 16:19.) Peter commanded the people to be baptized in the NAME OF THE LORD (Jesus Christ) over in Acts 2:38, and 10:48. John 16:12-13, reads like this: “I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now, Howbeit when He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth: for He shall not speak of himself, but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak: and He will shew you things to come.” In this passage, we see that while there were things the Apostles would not understand at the time Jesus was with them on earth, the Holy Spirit would show them these things after Jesus was gone. In other words, NEW and PROGRESSIVE truths would be revealed by the Spirit. See also John 14:26, in which Jesus promised that the Holy Ghost would teach them all things. The Spirit revealed and made very clear to the Apostles that the Name (not titles) of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost was the Lord Jesus Christ. In addition to the 8,012 people who were mentioned previously, we see in Acts 18:8, that after hearing Paul's teaching, Crispus, the chief ruler of the Synagogue believed on the Lord with all his house, and many of the Corinthians hearing, believed and were baptized. We know Paul taught baptism in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ as in Acts 19:1-7, where the Ephesus believers who had been baptized unto the baptism of John the Baptist were re-baptized in the Name of the Lord Jesus after hearing Paul's teaching on the matter. Again, in addition to the 8,012 mentioned, we see Philip, when in Samaria, baptized a number of people in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 8:5,12,16) and even Simon the sorcerer was baptized (verse 13). With regard to the words which Jesus spoke as recorded in Matthew 28:19 “baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.” Father, Son and Holy Ghost are all titles, not names. There are countless numbers of “Dads” who are called “Father” every morning, but this is a title and each one of these “Fathers” have their own individual name. The NAME of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost is the LORD JESUS CHRIST. Note that in Isaiah 9:6, the Son shall be called “The mighty God, the Everlasting Father.” In John 5:43, Jesus said, “I am come in my FATHER'S NAME.” I would also like to draw your attention to Phil.2: 9-11. “Wherefore God also hath highly exalted Him, and given Him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth.” Note especially verse 11, which says every tongue should confess to that NAME. Every tongue and every knee should confess that Jesus is Lord and His Name which is Jesus Christ, is the NAME above every name. Over in Col. 3:17, Paul taught that “whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the Name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by Him.” And if we thank God for our daily bread in the Name of Jesus; pray for the sick in the Name of our Lord Jesus; cast out demons in the Name of Jesus Christ; greet the saints in the precious Name of Jesus Christ; etc., how much more ought we to take the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ in Water Baptism. In the “deed” of water baptism, the believer does so in “word” as well, confessing and accepting the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ. We know that we are now living in a day of preparation for those who will be in the rapture. The living Bride of Christ will accept all truths that are in the Bible, but those who don't care whether they are in the Bride or not, will believe fables and tradition. All denominational people will be against such BAPTISM for in order to accept it, they will have to admit that their denominational teaching is wrong, and this they will not do. However, those who will make up the Bride will be open to receive all instruction in righteousness of God and open for corrections as well. We must be corrected if we are children of God. As those of us who are a family must correct and instruct our children, which is a sign that we love our children, so we must allow ourselves to also be corrected by the Word of God. If we take time to look up the above verses of Scriptures and pray about them, certainly the Lord will reveal His word to us. It is essential that we make sure our lives are lived in full obedience to the Word.
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