John thank you for your thread series.
I am often perceived as being contentious...I do not mean to be so, it just kinds of happens. My criticisms are meant to be constructive not contentious. Thanks for recognizing that.
In my previous post as you noted I said there were 12 baptism for Israel. I should have said 12 baptisms in the bible, one of those baptisms is for us today and not at all applicable to Israel (Baptism by the Holy Spirit).
I have no notes on those baptisms, however I am aware of at least five or six baptisms from my own studies and can present them here in fairly short order, the other six or seven may take some time to research. I can formulate them into a type of study format that would be useful to everyone on this thread.
I came across this study of the 12 baptisms while engaged in an entirely different study, realizing I was distracted from my study, I abandoned the article without bookmarking it for future reference, now I could kick myself. I have always been satisfied that we have one baptism today and was never interested in serious study of the subject. However I always knew I would have to deal with the subject one day. The subject of baptism seems to be very important to so many people, I guess its time to dive into the water...pun intended.
I am interest to know since I’m venturing into baptism, do you believe water baptism should be practised today? I have been water baptized three times.
Grace and Peace.
I’ve been able to find this out of print book for several friends, my late Dad told me it was the best book he ever read on the subject. I highly recommend it, “Baptism in relation to the Atonement”, by Clarence B. Hayden.
I am a Baptist church pastor. I do baptize by immersion on the condition that believers understand that the only thing it does TO them is get them wet. What it does for others is to testify that they believe that they have already been co-crucified with Christ, co-buried with Christ, and co-risen with Christ.
Water baptism makes no person a MEMBER of ANYTHING, and is NOT a standard for fellowship or for service.
I have wrangled with Landmark Baptists and Briders and quasi-Baptist Briders over this for literally decades. They tend to make water baptism a Baptist SACRAMENT which I reject. And any person who feels that water does something for them as a means or channel of grace will not be baptized by me. I question folks hard on this issue.
I tend to avoid baptizing any children, unless they are unusually able to clearly testify how they have already been regenerated, and can clearly understand that being baptized in water can not enhance what they have in Christ one iota.
On that basis alone, I will baptize people in deep water.
I have served in a predominantly Roman Catholic country where, I believe, water baptism serves as a clear demarcation with regard to Christians' testimony to their own RC family members. It tends to testify to the RCs that the new Christian has made a clean break from Romanism.
I am also sensitive to the potentiality that Romanists will perceive our water baptism as just another sacrament performed apart from Rome. So I am willing to take criticism in that regard. But having served directly in that atmosphere, and where the new Christian is also able and willing to deal with this matter before their own RC family members, explaining to the them the difference, we have felt led to proceed. We trust that others will allow us this in grace as we feel led of the Lord.