"For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the LORD our God shall call." -- Acts 2:39
Here's a nice explanation I find to be Scriptural...
They are not SO connected as that the Spirit may not baptize where men do not; nor that wherever men baptize, the Spirit does invariably baptize, either in close temporal proximity or farther away. So, there may be people who are outwardly baptized who never have true faith, and vice versa. Obviously the Nicene Creed is thinking of baptism in its ideal consideration. One baptism, which is a Spiritual work, and which is spiritually connected to the activity of the church in the world. Water does not wash away sins, but the church is making a statement about what God does for those who have faith in Christ. Now, we happen to think that we have replicated the apostle's teaching actually better than perhaps even the Fathers who were formulating the Creed, if we suppose they were already taking the sacraments too far. They were following the Apostles doctrine, to be sure, but already were running ahead of them, in our opinion, attributing far more independent efficacy to the physical washing than would be appropriate. IOW, there was the essential statement of the doctrine, which surely was derived from the Bible, and good traditional teaching; however, they were taking the basic language and reading new content into it. The additions later came to have the force of doctrine (in commandments of men) and it took the Reformation to clear away much of that error, to get back to Apostolic doctrine that predated the era that formulated the Creed. Now, for example, I would say that the Anglicans and Lutherans did no more than get back to the doctrine of the actual Nicene and post Nicene Fathers (if that). For that reason, we can understand a bit better how they can believe in a "baptismal regeneration" effected by the sacramental act. They may not assume (perhaps to the same degree) the opinions perpetuated by Rome and EO, but we do think that the Reformed went back to a more pristine and biblical and truly apostolic doctrine of baptism." -- Rev. Bruce G. Buchanan, ChainOLakes Presbyterian Church, CentralLake, MI "We generally do not approach each text mentioning baptism and ask "what sort is this?" Now, the context in some places may be clear whether there is a particular emphasis (Spirit or water) but basically, the Reformed camp follows the historic church attitude, and sees one thing: baptism, and understands it to have two aspects, an inward and an outward.
I see from your homepage you're from Illinois. Me, too. What happened to the Bears? And in Soldiers' Field, no less.
**The baptism for the remission of sins is the baptism by the Holy Spirit who cleanses us by washing away the stain of sin..**
“..God is light..and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.” John 1:5-7
**Water does not wash away sins**
“..Except a man be born of the water and the Spirit..” John 3:5
Matthew 28:19 is a command to the disciples to teach and baptise every creature (obviously people). That is obviously water basptism, since only Jesus Christ baptises with the Holy Ghost. Luke 3:16
“He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not”(obviously isn’t going to be baptized)”shall be damned”. Mark 16:16
Compare that to the Samaritans, in Acts 8:12-17
“..believed..and were baptized..”; then, after Peter and John came: “..they received the Holy Ghost”. Later in chap. 8, the eunoch, after hearing the word from Philip, requested to be baptized. To which Philip said, “If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest”.. and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him. (remember, the Lord baptises with the Holy Ghost)
In Acts 9, Paul was converted, and recounted it in chap. 22:16; “And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.”
Now...think about that; “why tarriest thou”, “arise, and be baptized”. He’s being told to not delay, get up and be baptized. So that is obviously the water baptism in the name of the Lord
In Acts 10:48, Peter commanded Cornelius and his household to be baptised in the name of the Lord, after they had already been filled with the Holy Ghost. This same Peter testified in his first epistle: “..in the days of Noah..eight souls were saved by water. The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not from the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God.)by the resurrection of Jesus Christ”. 1Peter 3:20,21. Why a good conscience? because baptism in the name of Jesus Christ is for the remission of sins.
Types and shadows of water baptism:
Creation:
Gen. 1:2. “And the earth was without form and void” (no life and nothing to support it, DOA, “buried at sea” so to speak); “and darkness was upon the face of the deep” (burial is darkness, for sure). “And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.” (if God isn’t involved, water baptism is useless).
In verse 9, God brought dry land into existance and began to bring life from where there was none. Romans 6:4 says “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 (notice Christ didn’t raise himself up, the Father that was in him “doing the works” and left him to die on the cross, raised him from the dead) even so we also should walk in newness of life.” And Col. 2:12 says basically the same thing.
The Flood:
Gen 6:5-8. God repented that he had made man, decides to destroy all mankind, and chooses Noah (who could have said “Lord, thanks for asking me to build the Ark, but ask someone else please. I still believe in you though, and will continue to live in a way pleasing to you”. Well, Noah wouldn’t have survived the flood.)
2 Peter 3:6 “Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished.” What perished? Sin in the form of man. God washed the planet of sin and began again.
Baby Moses’ deliverance:
He was condemned to death as an infant, put in a enclosed ark, and placed in the water. Pharoah’s daughter saves his life, naming him Moses, “Because I drew him out of the water”.
The Red Sea:
Facing certain death, “...our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; and were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea”. 1Cor. 10:1,2
Namaan:
Doomed to die of leprocy, a witness told him ‘how to be saved’. He went, heard, and dunked himself in the Jordan River, and emerged more than healed, but with skin like a baby’s. (talk about a rebirth)
Jonah:
He was disobedient, was cursed to die and knew it, asked to be cast into the sea, and emerged a new and powerful preacher.
Jesus Christ:
As our perfect example, was baptized in water, “to fulfill all righteousness”.
I could present more, and just might if time allows, but must stop for now.
The Bears? They seem plagued with selecting inconsistant QBs, and have been that way for a long time.I’m somewhat biased against them, because I regard Chicago as ‘a giant sucking sound’; gulping in tax dollars from us downstaters. My wife wants out of ‘ILLannoyed’. She’s tired of the communist government, the no right to carry concealed, AND the WINTERS!