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Water Baptism? |
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Acts 2:38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. Rom 10:10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. Never has there ever been a subject matter with more controversy and confusion as the subject matter about water baptism. How did something that was to be either/or a witness and/or testimony of ones conversion to Jesus. If water baptism is of itself an end in itself, then lets my another religion for ‘holy water’ or what position our body should be in in order to pray/talk to God. There are many who presuppose that ‘water baptism’ will separate those who really have the power of God and those that have the power of the devil. ‘But we have done might miracles in your name’, ‘depart from me your workers of iniquity’/(or they didn’t have a water baptism)? Where did Jesus go and the cross? It can best be said that in the case of Acts 2:38 that the outward sign for the Jews was a major cross to bare in their testimony to other Jewish collegues of their new found faith. In Romans 10:10, which is written Paul who was the apostle to the Gentiles, didn’t emphasize the ‘water baptism’. Then there are those who say that you must baptize in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and others say in the name of the Father, and the son and the Holy Spirit. Lord = messiah or annointed, Jesus = Jehovah Salvation or Savior, Christ = messiah or annointed or put it all together and you really only have the name Jesus. Father and Son and Holy Spirit is to say that the Father is a beg. walk with God and to ID the ‘Son’ is a reduntancy, and the Holy Spirit reference is to point to the Messiah or annointing, and all this doesn’t mean anything unless you mention the name of Jesus. But, here again what is saving action? Is it the Cross or the Water Baptism? Does the water take on some magical powers because we use the name Jesus in conjunction with submersion? We of course must pray on our knees cause God is either 3 feet high or wants head? But, there are those who will follow the scripture with blind faith and say ‘but the scriptures say…” I don’t have to ask God, its just common sense, water baptism is just an outward sign. If it’s a matter to do it in order to show others that you are a new convert, then all fine and good. Ultimately the outward sign will benefit the onlooker and not the reciepient of the water baptism. |
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