According to the genius of the eternal God water baptism is another commandment that was designed to reflect great and eternal realities when faithfully and properly fulfilled by the Christian Believer. Unlike what is common in regards to others of the Lord's commandments, obedience to the command to be water baptized fulfills no immediate natural need. Water baptism's whole purpose of existence is in the truths it reflects.
What is reflected by Biblical Water Baptism?
The act of water baptism is to illustrate that the Christian Believer has experienced a death and a resurrection. That the person has entered a death of self; as been, according to the definition given by the Apostle Paul, crucified with Christ, “I have been crucified with Christ; ...”(Galatians 2:20a NKJV) and that he has then in association with Christ risen to newness of life. “it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life that I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20b NKJV) Or it could be put this way also and be no less accurate. Whereas sinners were before coming to Christ dead in their sins, “....dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit that is now at work in those that are disobedient.” (Ephesians 2:1 NIV) , but in that the sinner has come to Christ it can now be said that he has been made alive in Christ....”because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive, with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions-it is by grace that you have been saved.” (Ephesians 2:4-5 NIV) You will notice that self and sin are equated as equal, or the same. For the truth is that to follow the way of self is to sin, and one can not sin unless they follow the way of self. The very truths that the act of baptism is to represent are the reason for the need for careful and understanding obedience to how the act of baptism is performed.
For an infant to be water baptized is completely without validation. For the whole purpose for the act of water baptism is for the individual being baptized to give forth the public testimony that he or she has turned to a life of faith in Jesus Christ. That by faith the individual has been “baptized into His death” (Romans 6:3b) and then just like Christ was risen from the grave we should “...walk in newness of life. (Romans 6:5b) Water baptism is meant by God to be a token, firstly to the individual being baptized and then to every witness of the baptism, that the Believer being baptized as passed from death to life by the faith of Jesus Christ. That the believing individual should from that point forward by faith reckon himself dead to sin and alive to Christ, (righteousness) so that the person no longer will give himself to the pursuance of wickedness and foolishness, but the pursuance of all things that pertain to Christ Jesus. These things are obviously impossible for a child to understand. Therefore making the practice of water baptism for a child an act that is completely without validation.
The act of water baptism of need must be done by the immersion of the participant below the surface of the water. It can not be done by sprinkling as some do and fulfill the illustrations of the truths that water baptism is meant by the Scripture to fulfill. The Believer is lowered below the surface of the water in baptism, giving the representation of a dead person being lowered into the grave. For the first part of water baptism is a representation of death. When a person is buried do we sprinkle dirt on the body, or do we bury the body beneath the surface of the ground, completely covering them up? The second part of water baptism is that the Believer is lifted up from being below the surface of the water back into the air. This is a picture of the Believer rising from the deadness of a selfish-sinful life to newness of life found in Christ.
Firstly I would say this: for water baptism to assist the faith of the Believer being baptized a proper understanding of what God has commanded to be done, and why He has commanded it to be done is needed. Other wise, what does his or her faith rest on? The word of God is alive and powerful. It can and does work in the heart and life of the Believer who trusts in it, and walks in obedience to it. However, the traditions of men are not so. The man made traditions of infant baptism and baptism by means of sprinkling are not in accordance with Biblical truth, therefore they can never have the power of the Holy Spirit's conviction behind them. For they are of man's creation. Yes, they are religious in appearance, but they are not of the truth. Secondly I would say that it is a dangerous thing for any Bible teacher or minister to lead any person into a improper form of water baptism. For in so doing they bring forth a practice that is un-Biblical in nature, and in fact is slanderous to the truth, in that it tells a lie and not the truth. Thus, there will be many on that last day who stand in judgment because they preferred the practice of men's traditions to the practice of the commandments of God, and the spiritual realities behind them.
Therefore the cry is made to all who have ears to hear, and hearts to understand and obey, do God's word, petitioning Him for more complete and perfect understanding. That every affair of your life's conduct and doctrine might be in line with His truth, and bring forth a full and accurate testimony of heavenly realities. This pleases God and will keep your faith sure.
A Watchman
Consider: Romans 6:1-23, Colossians 2:12, 1 Peter 3:21, Galatians 3:27
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