© 14 Colin Melbourne
Truth or Tradition?
Q: I’ve read your pages on Christian baptism where you insist on dunking the person. My church prefers sprinkling or pouring water on people. Are you saying that is not proper baptism?
A: Sprinkling, pouring, dabbing, and splashing are not biblical baptism in water.
They are the traditions of men: Apostasy.
Christians follow Christ: Almighty God in the Flesh.
Man’s opinion has no authority: God’s word, the Holy Bible, is both absolute truth and unequivocal on water baptism of believers. (Christening is also unbiblical human tradition.)
If a believer has not been baptised in water, as directed by the Lord, they are rebelling against Him.
Those who claim that head-wetting is sufficient, nullify God’s plain word.
If your church, denomination, or group, does not insist on baptism of new believers by total-immersion in water, get out and ask the Lord to lead you to a fellowship of real believers.
Those who encourage you to compromise on the bible-basic of water baptism will quickly lead you into further error and sin.
Bible Water Baptism
God manifested in the Flesh, Mk. 16:15-16 KJV;
And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.
The command is for all believers everywhere, Mtt. 28:18:20 KJV;
And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
Believers do not cut corners, they obey God’s command and get baptised.
Immersed
The Greek words used for baptized; baptizo, bapto, mean immersed, submerged: Nothing to do with; pouring, sprinkling or splashing.
Check and see; the Greek words used for pouring; ballo Jn. 13:5, katacheo Mk. 14:3, epicheo Lk. 10:34; and sprinkling rhantizo Heb. 9:13, rhantismos Heb. 12:24; 1 Pet. 1:2, proschusis Heb. 11:28, are totally different, in sound, spelling, and meaning.
Buried with Him
The instant a sinner truly repents and believes on Christ they are spiritually baptised into Him by the Holy Ghost, Ro. 6:3-5 KJV;
Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection.
Subsequent water baptism symbolises this burial and resurrection: The reality must have occurred prior to water baptism.
No Believer Exempt
Christ over-ruled John the Baptist’s objection and Himself submitted to baptism in water, Mtt. 3:13-17 KJV;
Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him. But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me? And Jesus answering said unto him,
Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him.
And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
Jesus never sinned, had no need to repent of anything, yet He submitted to John’s baptism of repentance because Father wanted Him to do so.
Christ refused to compromise God’s word, in order to offer us perfect redemption from sin, and its consequences.
He cut no corners.
It was crucial that He obeyed Father’s word, no matter what He felt.
Why?
To set us an example, the Word made Flesh was immersed (baptised) in water to fulfil God’s command. Not splashed, poured on, or sprinkled: He was baptised God’s way.
He kept His word, Jn. 15:10 KJV;
If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.
Now what about you?
Will you void God’s word for the traditions of men by being; sprinkled, poured-on, and dabbed, or will you be baptised as Christ commands?
Treat yourself to a Cambridge Holy Bible. It will last longer than you.
Handmade, genuine leather, bound by craftsmen under Royal Charter.
© 14 Colin Melbourne