Featured Who has the authority to Baptise?

The framers of the 1689 Second London Baptist Confession of Faith wrote about Baptism and the Lord's Supper:

28.2 These holy appointments are to be administered by those only who are qualified and thereunto called, according to the commission of Christ. (Mat. 28:19; 1 Cor. 4:1).

Our Presbyterian brethren concur:

Savoy 28.4 There be only two sacraments ordained by Christ our Lord in the gospel, that is to say, Baptism and the Lord's Supper; neither of which may be dispensed by any but a minister of the Word lawfully called.

WCF 27.4 There are only two sacraments ordained by Christ our Lord in the Gospel; that is to say, Baptism, and the Supper of the Lord: neither of which may be dispensed by any, but by a minister of the Word lawfully ordained.

Christ's command to baptize disciples was given to the Apostles.

Matthew 28:16-20 16 But the eleven disciples proceeded to Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had designated. 17 When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some were doubtful. 18 And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

The authority to baptize was also conveyed to those commissioned by Christ.

Acts 9:10-19 10 Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias; and the Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.” 11 And the Lord said to him, “Get up and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying, 12 and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him, so that he might regain his sight.” 13 But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he did to Your saints at Jerusalem; 14 and here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on Your name.” 15 But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel; 16 for I will show him how much he must suffer for My name’s sake.” 17 So Ananias departed and entered the house, and after laying his hands on him said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road by which you were coming, has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” 18 And immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he regained his sight, and he got up and was baptized; 19 and he took food and was strengthened.

Ananias was commissioned by Christ to minister to Saul of Tarsus and most likely was a church elder in Damascus. The 2nd and 3rd-century theologian, Hippolytus of Rome, believed Ananias was one of the 70 commissioned by Christ to go out in advance to heal and to peach the gospel of the kingdom.

Roman Catholicism teaches that lay people are able to baptize in emergency situations, but Rome's reason for allowing such irregular baptisms is that it believes that once the water is applied to a person in the name of the Trinity, that person becomes a child of God. So, administering baptism to a dying newborn secures that child's salvation. There is no warrant in scripture for this view.

Lastly, baptism, as an act of worship, is public in nature.

Acts 2:37-41 37 Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brethren, what shall we do?” 38 Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.” 40 And with many other words he solemnly testified and kept on exhorting them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation!” 41 So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls. (emphasis mine)

I believe the evidence points to the conclusion that only those who are "qualified and thereunto called" should administer the ordinances of baptism and the Lord's Supper.

 

Historically it has been the Apostles and church prophets (Ephesians 2:20). Now that apostolic authority is none other than our Christian New Testament books which has been handed down by the churches.

The Apostle John tells us Jesus baptized more disciples than John the baptist. But it was the disciples which baptized (John 4:2). The commission to baptize was given to all believers (Matthew 28:19-20).

 

We will just have to agree to disagree on our conclusions.

Peace.

 

COLOSSIANS 2:8
"Beware lest any man spoil
you through philosophy and vain deceit,
after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world,
and not after Christ.

9 Because in Him
Dwells all the Fullness of the Godhead bodily."

THE AUTHORITY of GOD to Baptise
was Given to
"a man Sent from God whose name was John,
...saying, I baptize with water."
John 1:6; 26

Luke 20:1b ff; "the chief priests and the scribes came upon Him with the elders, 2 And spoke {spake} unto Him, saying, Tell us, by what authority doest Thou these things? Or who is He that gave Thee this authority? 3And He answered, and said unto them, I will also ask you one thing; and answer Me: 4The baptism of John, was it from heaven, or of men? 5And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; He will say, Why then believed ye him not? 6But and if we say, Of men; all the people will stone us; for they are persuaded that John was a prophet. 7And they answered that they could not tell from where {whence} it was. 8And Jesus said unto them, Neither tell I you by what authority I do these things."

Jesus Equated The Questioning of HIS AUTHORITY to The AUTHORITY of John to Baptise.

There is a reason Jesus Walked 40 miles to be Baptized of John when plenty of other believers were around.

And, for that matter, Jesus was Baptised by John and NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND.

The Great Commission and Authority to Baptise was Given to The Organised, Assembled Apostles and believers Assembled as a church Jesus Founded, in CORPORATE CAPACITY.

The Promise of Jesus; "I am with you always, even unto the end of the age {world}. Amen" was not Given exclusively to those in attendance, but The Great Commission and Authority to Baptise was Given to The Organised, Assembled Apostles and believers Assembled as a church Jesus Founded, in CORPORATE CAPACITY.

8. THE GODHEAD in HIS CHURCHES.

"And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart" (Acts 2:46);

"Now Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour" (Acts 3:1),

being supplemented by the teaching of the apostles, and by fellowship in prayer and the breaking of bread

"And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers" (Acts 2:42).

The Organization was of gradual development according to emerging needs as when deacons were selected to serve tables so that the spiritual leaders might give themselves to the ministry of prayer and the word.

"Then the twelve called the multitude of the disciples unto them, and said, It is not reason that we should leave the word of God, and serve tables. Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business. But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word" (Acts 6:2-4).

Baptist churches come into being today somewhat after this manner.

A group of believers in a community wish to become a church.

The members in the conference will make this wish known to other churches, and these churches send messengers to counsel them in accomplishing their desire.

For the sake of order and recognition these messengers will inquire into their belief, and if it is thought wise, the visitors endorse their articles of faith and recommend their constitution as an independent church.

These visiting brethren do not organize the church. Since the church is to be self-governing it must of necessity and logically be self-constituted.

And so those wishing to become a church enter into a covenant to that effect, and another church is born.

The help from the outside is for the sake of order and fellowship and is not absolutely essential. (Note. See Introduction to this volume as to the belief of the Publisher and the organization of a new church.)

From the Book of Acts and church epistles and also from the pastoral epistles we learn all that we need to know about the organized church.

8. 2 The ORGANIZATION of The Churches Jesus Built. - 8. THE GODHEAD in HIS CHURCHES.


This wonderful book asks some questions and gives the answers. It may be downloaded in .pdf or EPUB and populated in plain text to copy/ paste... ""The tri-lemma: or, Death by three horns"" ... "Is baptism in the Romish Church Valid?" ( Remebering that Protestant 'churches' came OUT of Romish ones)...
By James Robinson Graves

The tri-lemma

 

DEFINITIONS OF DOCTRINE VOLUME III THE NEW TESTAMENT CHURCH C. D. Cole

Download reference: http://www.grace-ebooks.com/library/C. D. Cole/CDC_Vol 3 Definitions of Doctrine.pdf

THE FIRST BAPTIST
S.E. ANDERSON

THE FIRST BAPTIST

DID JESUS CALL JOHN THE FIRST BAPTIST?

 

The First London Confession:

XXXIIIb:
"which Church is a company of visible saints, called and separated from the world by the word and Spirit of God, to the visible profession of faith of the gospel, being baptized into that faith, and joined to the Lord, and each other, by mutual agreement in the practical enjoyment of the ordinances commanded by Christ their head and king.

Matt. 11:11; 2 Thess. 1:1; 1 Cor. 1:2; Eph. 1:1; Rom. 1:7; Acts 19:8,9, 26:18; 2 Cor. 6:17; Rev. 18:4; Acts 2:37, 10:37; Rom. 10:10; Matt. 18:19,20; Acts 2:42, 9:26; 1 Pet. 2:5.



XXXIV
To this Church He hath made His promises, and giveth the signs of His covenant, presence, acceptation, love, blessing and protection. Here are the fountains and springs of His heavenly graces flowing forth to refresh and strengthen them.
Matt. 28:18, etc.; 1 Cor. 11:24, 3:21; 2 Cor. 6:18; Rom. 9:4,5; Ps. 133:3; Rom. 3:7,10; Ezek. 47:2.

XXXV
And all His servants of all estates (are to acknowledge Him to be their prophet, priest and king and called thither to be enrolled among His household servants, to present their bodies and souls, and to bring their gifts God hath given them, to be under His heavenly conduct and government, to lead their lives in this walled sheepfold, and watered garden, to have communion here with His saints, that they may be assured that they are made meet to be partakers of their inheritance in the kingdom of God; and to supply each others wants, inward and outward; (and although each person hath a propriety in his own estate, yet they are to supply each others wants, according as their necessities shall require, that the name of Jesus Christ may not be blasphemed through the necessity of any in the Church) and also being come, they are here by Himself to be bestowed in their several order, due place, peculiar use, being fitly compact and knit together according to the effectual working of every part, to the edifying of itself in love.



Acts. 2:41,47; Isa. 4:3, 1 Cor. 12:6,7, etc.; Ezek. 20:37,40; Song of Sol. 4:12; Eph. 2:19; Rom. 12:4,5,6; Col. 1:12, 2:5,6,19; Acts 20:32, 5:4, 2:44,45, 4:34,35; Luke 14:26; 1 Tim. 6:1; Eph. 4:16.



XXXVI
Being thus joined, every church hath power given them from Christ, for their wellbeing, to choose among themselves meet persons for elders and deacons, being qualified according to the word, as those which Christ hath appointed in His testament, for the feeding, governing, serving, and building up of His Church; and that none have any power to impose on them either these or any other.


Acts 1:23,26, 6:3, 15:22,25; Rom. 12:7,8; 1 Tim. 3:2,6,7; 1 Cor. 12:8,28; Heb. 13:7,17; 1 Pet. 5:1,2,3,4:15.

WHEREAS:
XLII
Christ hath likewise given power to His Church to receive in, and cast out, any member that deserves it; and this power is given to every congregation, and not to one particular person, either member or officer, but in relation to the whole body, in reference to their faith and fellowship.

This SAME CHURCH AUTHORITY and power is given to every congregation, to select the individual who they feel led is:
XLI
The person designed by Christ to dispense baptism, the Scripture holds forth to be a disciple; it being no where tied to a particular church officer, or person extraordinarily sent the commission enjoining the administration, being given to them as considered disciples, being men able to preach the gospel.

Isa. 8:16; Eph. 2:7; Matt 28:19; John 4:2; Acts 20:7, 11:10; 1 Cor. 11:2, 10:16,17; Rom. 16:2; Matt. 18:17.

The copy of First London Baptist Confession of Faith (1646) I pulled up adds, "being men able to preach the gospel", on the end of what you have quoted. First London Baptist Confession of Faith (1646)

I believe MANY of US CERTAINLY are AWARE that God would have us to understand "The person designed by Christ to dispense baptism, the Scripture holds forth to be a disciple; it being no where tied to a particular church officer, or person extraordinarily sent the commission enjoining the administration, being given to them as considered disciples, being men able to preach the gospel" recording in First London Baptist Confession of Faith would include the XXXIIIb: thru XXXVI subheadings, to be an individual 'Disciple' from among the congregation and by their Authority.

( Just to be clear that; Not 'any' 'Disciple', or follower of God, or 'believer' apart from The Authority of God Given to The kind of churches Jesus Built, defined by their various Distinctive Characteristics, BY THE NEW TESTAMENT.

There is a distinction to be made regarding the question,

"WHO HAS THE AUTHORITY to BAPTISE?"

which is 'what individual' has the position of Baptising another

and 'by what Authority', which lies within the particular New Testament church congregation. )

 

Wouldn't this therefore also limit who can make disciples?
The Great Commission was given to those who followed Jesus.
In our local body anyone approved by the leadership of the church is given the authority to baptize.

Rob

 

Wouldn't this therefore also limit who can make disciples?
Absolutely. A disciple is one who has heard The Gospel and been Saved. Every Saved soul is Commanded to be Baptised, by The Authority of God Given to Jesus' churches.
..." teaching them to observe all that I commanded you";

I Peter 4:11; "If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen."

Acts 7:38
He was in the assembly in the wilderness with the angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai, and with our fathers. And he received living words to pass on to us.
and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Acts 13:47: "For so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation unto the ends of the earth."

The Bible definition used here, of 'a Disciple' includes 1.) Being Saved, 2.) Being Baptised by Scriptural Baptism, 3.) Being Taught under The Ministry of The Lord's Divinely Instituted Organizations, Spoken of by the word meaning, "Called Out Assemblies".

To 'Be Saved' a lost soul must be Preached Jesus.

Preached 'Left Behind'?, water?, works?, 'sacraments? intended to be efficacious?, counting beads?, selling flowers?

There are modern 'usages' of the word 'Disciple', however, God wants The Gospel Preached to that end.

We have 'Baptists' Preaching all over that 'Jesus is NOT THE SAVIOR', in so many different ways, much less ever other various perversions of 'Jesus is The Savior'.

The Lord God Jesus 'turned to the Gentiles', because of the Perversions of Old Testament Christianity, by The Jews. The Jews had been committed The Oracles of God.

Jesus' Instituted HIS KIND of CHURCHES to whom The Oracles of God have now been committed.

Jesus Gave The Great Commission to His Divinely Founded and Instituted 'called out assemblies' and Promised to be with 'them' and He has.

There is no Biblical message regarding,

"The Great Commission was given to those who followed Jesus."

Mark 16 uses the word 'them' a lot and so it refers to The Apotles, "14 Afterward He appeared unto the eleven as they sat eating {at food {meat}}, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them who had seen Him after He was risen.15 And He said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned."

When the Gospel is Preached, in vs 16; "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned."

However, after we see here that Jesus "upbraided them with their unbelief", the 'them' is again The Apostles.

IN THE VERY NEXT VERSE after vs 16; "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned",

we see 'them' again.

17 "And these signs shall follow them that believe: In My name shall they cast out demons {devils}; they shall speak with new tongues; 18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.

19 "So then, after the Lord had spoken unto them, He was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God."

The eleven were the 'them' in both these verses, as Jesus "upbraided them with their unbelief"
and then Jesus Said, "signs shall follow them that believe":

Question: are all believer in vs 16;
"He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved",

Given the Promise IN THE VERY NEXT VERSE that "these signs shall follow them that believe: In My name shall they cast out demons {devils}; they shall speak with new tongues; 18 "They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover."

No. Go to St. Jude Hospital, NOW, if so. But, no.

The eleven were His Apostles gathered that were Given those Special Instantaneous, Miraculous Gifts.

Our flesh will 'reason' that 'Disciple' means 'a follower of Jesus' and is therefore inclusive of all believers and that The Great Commission has something to do with someone or something besides The churches that Jesus built, however, it won't fly with the Book, or when standing before Jesus, which is important to us, as individuals.

These are called, 'Church Truths' and the Bible is brimming with myriad Scripturs regarding The churches Jesus Built, in The Old and New Testament.

I endeaver to share these highly detailed and GLORIOUS TEACHINGS with God's people.

In the common venacular, the religious societies throughout History, since the time of Jesus may be said to be 'fishing without a licence', the kind of 'licence' Jesus Walked 40 miles to Obtain from John the Baptist.

Jesus Promised to be with His churches and He has; SPECIFICALLY IN THE BIBLE.

Hang tight. As with other Truths of the Word of God, they can meet with our resistence and yet, if God Allows you to be Blessed by His Eternal Words, YOU WILL SEE HER.

Let Him that have an ear to Hear (Spiritually) hear what The Spirit Says to the churches".

 

Christ in us is what gives us the authority to baptize. We are Kings and Priests unto God.

Revelation 1:5-6 And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,
And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

 

I agree with the above, but it should be recognized that when the Confession was written, baptist churches were exceedingly rare and those that existed were under the threat of persecution. In such a time one might find oneself in a similar situation to Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch, where there is no extant church within reach. In the 40 years or so before the 2nd Baptist confession was published, hundreds of new baptist churches were planted and the situation had changed.

Baptism today would normally take place under the auspices of a church and it is the duty of the leadership of the church to ensure that it is done in a proper and God-honoring fashion. That might mean the Pastor or elder doing the baptism, or it might mean someone appointed by the leadership doing it.

About five years ago, a tiny Brethren Gospel Hall wanted to baptize two ladies who had come to faith, but the only elder in the church was quite elderly (pardon the pun!) and felt he was too frail to administer the baptisms. He therefore asked me to do it, although I was nothing to do with his church. Having satisfied myself that the ladies appeared to be saved, I was happy to do the job on the basis of the 1644 Confession.

 

Actually, the Great Commission was given, specifically, to the eleven remaining disciples:

Matthew 28:16-20 16 But the eleven disciples proceeded to Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had designated. 17 When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some were doubtful. 18 And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (emphasis mine)

There was a greater apostolic commission to go into all the world and make disciples. However, the church is built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets (Eph. 2:20), so they have passed the mandate of the Great Commission on to the church-at-large. There are also numerous New Testament proofs that the work of discipleship is a dual responsibility between ministers of the Gospel and rank-and-file Christians. Consider Eph. 4:1-2, 17-2; Heb. 10:24; 1 Cor 8; Gal. 6:2; Phil. 2:1-18 et. al. So, no, the call to disciple is not solely for those who are qualified and thereunto called, as is baptism.

That is fine. Those administering baptism in your local church are approved by leadership and given the authority to baptize. Ergo, they are qualified and thereunto called.

 

To emphasise the Authority of the corporate church assembly, I edited Reformed's quote down to 'the eleven' as an Authorised church body made up of Scripturally Baptized believers ( The Apostles) and Ananias, as a Scripturally Baptized believer, under the Authority of the Lord's church at Damascus and while under Peter's Preaching there were added about three thousand souls.

Added to what? The First Baptist Church of Jerusalem.

How? By Scriptural Baptism Authorised and Administered by The First Baptist Church of Jerusalem.

By who? Whoever was in the position of John the Baptist.
An individual church member of The First Baptist Church of Jerusalem Authorised by that church body to Administer their church Ordinance of Baptism.

T. Cassidy says, "It is the church that has been given authority to baptize. Anyone authorized by the church baptizes for the church in the Name of the Lord."

Was John the Baptist an elder?, an Ordained Minister?, an Apostle?, a Disciple?

Is there any reason that it shouldn't be, "Baptism and the Lord's Supper; neither of which may be dispensed by any but a minister of the Word lawfully called"? Maybe.

The Authority is in the churches who decide.

" a minister of the Word lawfully called" is one member, with equal standing to all the other members.

Is this the issue we have? "The Presbyterian form recognizes two classes of elders-preaching elders and ruling elders. The authority in this form of government is in the "Session" which is composed of the pastor and ruling elders of the local congregation. They transact the business of the church, receiving and dismissing members, etc.", were there is a change made to The New Testament form of church Government?

*The Congregational or Democratic form of church government is the Scriptural form. This means that each local congregation or assembly is a little democracy under the rule of Christ. "Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything" (Eph. 5:24). It is independent of every other congregation. From the divine side, the church of Christ is a monarchy with Christ as its Lord and Head (Eph. 5:24); from its human side it is a democracy, "But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren...Neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, even Christ" (Matt. 23:8,10). An absolute monarchy on its Divine side requires for its complement on the human side and absolute democracy.


"But as God hath distributed to every man, as the Lord
hath called every one, so let him walk. And so ordain I in all churches" (I Cor. 7:17); "For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints" (I Cor. 14:33); "But if any man seem to be contentious, we have no such custom, neither the churches of God" (I Cor. 11:16). These churches are to serve as patterns for the churches of all time. The faith or body of divinity has been once delivered, and whatever was ordained for the churches of the first century was likewise meant for the churches of the twentieth century. Otherwise, the churches of the twentieth century would either be without a Bible, as a rule of faith and practice or else would have a new Bible. Since God has not and will not give a new Bible the churches of this century must use the Bible long ago given.

*from here down quoted from: 8. 4 The GOVERNMENT of The Churches Jesus Built - 8. THE GODHEAD in HIS CHURCHES.

 

May I say that with regard to being in a "similar situation to Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch, where there is no extant church within reach", in Acts 8:1b "at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria, except the apostles."

In Acts 8;5 "Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them."

Philip 'went down to the city of Samaria" under the Authority of the church at Jerusalem.

Also, then in Acts 8:26 "And an {the} angel of the Lord spoke {spake} unto Philip, saying, Arise, and go toward the south unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is desert."

Acts 8:36And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water; and the eunuch said, See, here is water. What doth hinder me to be baptized? 37And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. 38And he commanded the chariot to stand still; and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him," with no building or Baptistry, but by Authority, as Jesus Constructed His churches.

The indication in these Words are that the Apostles Baptised by Authority vested in them by the Consent of their respective churches, in Acts 8:16b; "they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus."

So, this is good to know, from God's Eternal Word.

THE SCRIPTURAL ADMINISTRATOR OF BAPTISM

Who is to authorize the believer's baptism? This question reverts back to the question to whom or to what was the commission given? It was given to something, an institution that would be perpetuated until the end of the age. It was spoken to the apostles, not as individuals but as representatives of the church. And so the church is to make disciples, baptize disciples, and teach disciples what God has commanded to be observed or practiced. The believer must be received by the church; he unites with and his baptism must be authorized by the same church.

Only a church of Christ--a Scriptural church can execute the commission to baptize. And so every group of Christians must prove itself to be a Scripturally constituted church before it can Scripturally execute Christ's command. 8. 6 The SCRIPTURAL BAPTISM of The Churches Jesus Built - 8. THE GODHEAD in HIS CHURCHES.

 

Matthew 28:16-20, ". . . the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them. . . . Jesus came and spake unto them, . . . teach all . . . Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you . . . ."

And context.

 

Reformed said: ↑
"Actually, the Great Commission was given, specifically, to the eleven remaining disciples:"

37818 says, "This is context...":

"lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Do you hold to the context? and reconcile it?

 

What do you think needs to be reconciled?