The Historical Baptist Position on Baptism. Chapter 2; WATER BAPTISM: PROPER SUBJECT.

The Historical Baptist Position on Baptism.
By Berlin Hisel

CHAPTER 2
WATER BAPTISM: PROPER SUBJECT

"To have a Scriptural baptism, a proper candidate is required. By this we mean one who meets all requirements as set down in the Word of God prior or preceding the ordinance of baptism.

"Many in our land today feel that the only thing necessary for baptism is merely the desire to have the ordinance performed. Others believe that birth in the physical world is all that is necessary. These perform the ordinance of baptism upon their infant children within eight days after their birth.

"This idea comes from the mistaken thought that baptism replaces the act of circumcision. The Jews had the act of circumcision performed upon their male children eight days after their birth.

"Circumcision was for Israel as a nation, believers, and unbelievers. It was performed only upon the males. If baptism merely replaces circumcision it should only be administered upon the males and that at eight days. Thus we see circumcision and baptism as separate things.

FINAL AUTHORITY

"In this matter as in all others, let us not see what man thinks or feels to be right, but let us turn to the pages of the sacred history (The Bible) and see what the Almighty Authority has to say... "let God be true, but every man a liar..." (Romans 3:4).

"The Bible declares without any doubt that a proper candidate for baptism is one who has already been saved.

EXAMPLE OF PENTECOST

"Let us consider the account of those baptized into the first church on the day of Pentecost. "Then they that gladly received His Word were baptized and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls." (Acts 2:41).

"Preceding this verse Peter had preached a sermon with such power that the people, under conviction for sin, asked the question "What shall we do?" Peter told them they must repent and because of this repentance be baptized. This is seen in verse 41. They that gladly received His Word were baptized.

"Here as everywhere else in the Scripture, these folks were already saved when they were baptized into the church. The receiving of His Word is what saves one from sin (John 1:12).

THE EUNUCH

"Now we turn to the account of Philip again and his experience with the eunuch.

"And 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" (Acts 8:37).

This verse was given in answer to the question, "See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?" Before the servant of God would perform this ordinance he made sure that the candidate was already saved. After Philip was convinced of the eunuch's salvation he baptized him (verse 38)."

LYDIA

"The case of Lydia's baptism affords evidence that salvation precedes baptism. In the book of Acts 16:14, we are told that the Lord opened the heart of Lydia and she attended unto the Word of God spoken by the Apostle Paul.

"Could we have better assurance of her salvation than to know that God Himself opened her heart so that she received and understood what Paul had said?

"Countless multitudes would be saved today if the lost world attend unto the words of God's called preachers!

"We see after this took place in verse 14 that she was baptized in verse 15.

"We are forced once again, to conclude with the Word of God, that one must be saved before he or she can be a candidate for baptism.

 

It usually takes some digging from you to figure out what you are actually getting at.

I have seen similar statements like this online and on the BB, as if all Baptist-like-faith and order assemblies prior to a certain time 'poured' or 'sprinkled', if that is what you are saying.

That may make for slander against Baptist-like-faith and order assemblies, but it is not effective in the least. The question of immersion or not came late and isn't even reflected in the overall history of baptism, by anyone, the The English History of Baptism.

Bible believers immersed in the NEW TESTAMENT and Baptist-like-faith and order assemblies can be shown throughout history to have immersed in every age, although I appreciate critics saying they were 'Baptists' during those early years that 'poured' and 'sprinkled'. They messed up, right there.

from the article:
"Baptism Is Only by Immersion

"Although some early Baptists baptized by pouring or sprinkling water over a person, Baptists concluded that immersion of a person’s entire body in water was the only biblical way to baptize. Therefore, in spite of persecution, inconvenience and ridicule, they began to practice baptism only by immersion. Today, that is the Baptist way throughout most of the world."

Is it possible to find accounts of alleged 'Baptists' or Baptist-like-faith and order assemblies that 'poured' or 'sprinkled' for 'baptism', even if they are true?

Probably and they would no longer qualify as holding to this Baptist distinctive.

That doesn't mean there wasn't one other or 50 million others that immersed during that same period of time.

from my article, showing immersion was a standard mode and should, therefore, be expected to understandably be the standard mode by those who thought it important enough to die for it, even though this article is not specifying 'Baptist' practices.

However, you can bet 'Baptists' or Baptist-like-faith and order assemblies WERE ALL IN AND AROUND THEM during each of these time periods, even though this is just speaking of those 'immersers' that were in England.

"Baptism" In King James Version
By Paul Kirkpatrick

History of Immersion for Baptism in England

"The history of Christianity in England is divided into various time periods. Most historians subdivide the history of Christianity prior to the Norman Invasion of 1066 into two major periods.

"The first period is the Era of Briton Christianity
(c. A.D. 100‑c. 600) (32), and

"the second period is the Era of Anglo-Saxon Christianity
(C. 600 - C. 1100),(33)

"Briton Christianity (c. 100 - c. 600). Today it is impossible for anyone to know either who it was that first brought the Christian Gospel to the shores of Great Britain or when that event occurred. Almost a dozen legends exist about who that person was or when it was that he first brought the Gospel to England. All of these legends claim to be authoritative, all of them are in conflict with each other, and none of them can be conclusively verified. However, it can be safely asserted that Christianity was known in Britain by the early second century. The baptismal mode used by the Christians of that era was immersion.

"Christianity flourished on that island for about 300 years, so long as its society was afforded both internal and external protection by the Roman military that was garrisoned there. However, when the Western Roman Empire withdrew its soldiers from England in the early 400's, the bulk of the remaining native Britons (most of which lived on that island's eastern coastal region) were quickly subjected to a series of invasions by various barbaric Anglo-Saxon tribes. Those Britons who wished to escape the ravages of these barbarians were forced to flee to that island's remote, mountainous regions along its western coastal areas.: (think of some of these as being 'Baptists' or Baptist-like-faith and order 'heretic' assemblies like mine, for example.)

"During the latter part of this era lived a man whose name is still remembered today, Saint Patrick (c. 390 - C. 460)*. His ministry included not only the Irish natives, but it extended to what is now known as Scotland and even to those Briton refugees. The mode he used to baptize his converts was immersion. (37)

"Not only did the Anglo-Saxons raid the eastern and southern parts of the island, but also many of them actually began to move to the island to live since it apparently afforded them a better way of life than what they had experienced in their native areas along the shores of northern continental Europe.

"AngIo Saxon Era (c. 600 - c. 1100). The year 597 marks the beginning of the Era of Anglo-Saxon Christianity, an era that was ushered in by Augustine, the so-called "Apostle to the English" and personal envoy of Pope Gregory I ("the Great," c. 590-604).(38) Augustine's labors among the Anglo-Saxon residents became very successful. When he baptized his Anglo-Saxon converts, he sought the use of rivers in order to perform total immersion. (39)

"All throughout the Anglo-Saxon Era there are references that point to the fact that immersion was the only mode for baptism. Venerable Bede (c. 700), the "father of English theology and church history," held to a dipping in water as necessary for baptism. (40 41) The Council of Calichyth (816), held under the auspices of King Kenwold of Mercia, strictly forbade any other baptismal mode than immersion. (42) The Constitutions of the Synod of Amesbury in 977 recounted the widespread use of immersion in the island.

"Norman through Tudor England (C. 1100 - 1603). A series of six church councils held in various English cities from 1200-1296 all recommended baptism to be performed by immersion. William Tyndale (1484-1586), the famous Bible translator, considered baptism as being a plunging in water.

"The era of Tudor England (1485-1603) saw many changes in the nation's religious life. During Henry VIII's reign (1509-1547) the Church of England was founded (1534). That baptism by immersion was still practiced is evident in that what records of the Tudor royal family that mention the mode, all of them refer to immersion. Henry VIII, his older brother Arthur, his sister Margaret, his son Edward VI (r. 15471553), and his daughter Queen Elizabeth I (r. 1558-1603) were all immersed. (47) The turbulent era of Catholic Queen Mary (1553-1558) was one in which only immersion was permitted. John T. Christian states that "immersion was almost the universal rule in Elizabeth's reign" (49). He refers to an important book written in Latin by high Anglican officials entitled Reformation Legum Ecclesiasticarum (1571) which required immersion for the Church of England's baptism. (50)

"Stuart England (1603 - 1714). Although other modes for baptism did start to make their way into England about the time of the beginning of the Stuart family's reign, King James I (r. 1603-1625), the one for whom the KJV was named, was not an advocate of these other modes. (51) Anglican officials consistently fought attempts to introduce sprinkling and pouring as baptismal modes during the reign of Charles I (1625-1649). (52) It was not until at least 1644, some thirty years after the KJV was first published, that the British Parliament, then under the control of Scottish Presbyterians, decreed immersion as illegal in English churches. 53)

"It is evident, therefore, that the history of the mode of baptism used in England confirms the fact that immersion had always been the predominant baptismal mode throughout all the years prior to and during the period that produced the KJV."


*Who Really was Saint Patrick?

 

32 John Henry Kurtz, Text-book of Church History (Philadelphia: Smith, English & Co., 1880), I, 297.

33 Baugh, p. 133. The Norman Conquest had little doctrinal effect on the English Church, but a majority of church offices changed hands as native English leaders were replaced by men from the Continent,

34 John F. Hurst, History of the Christian Church, (New York: Eaton & Mains, 1900), I, 575ff.

35 Ibid., p. 583.

36 Kurtz.

37 John T. Christian, A History of the Baptists, (Texarkana, Tex.-Ark.: Sunday School Committee of the American Baptist Assn., 1922), p. 178.

38 Ibid., p. 179. This Augustine (also called Austin) should not be confused with the better known St. Augustine, Bishop of Hippo in North Africa, who lived some 200 years earlier. Schaff, II, 399-403, 14-16.

39 John Godfrey, The Church in Anglo-Saxon England (London: Cambridge University Press, 1962), p. 372.

40 Schaff, II, 19.

41 Thomas Armitage, A History of the Baptists, (New York: Bryan, Taylor & Co., 1887), p.426.

42 Ibid. Mercia was a region in central England. During the Anglo-Saxon era, England was at various times sub-divided into 4-7 smaller 'kingdoms."

43 Thomas Collier, Ecclesiastical History of Great Britain, I, 471, cited in Christian, p. 182.

44 Armitage, p. 427.

45 Christian, p. 188.

46 Roy Mason, The Church that Jesus Built (Tampa: Central Avenue Baptist Church, n. d.), p. 53.

47 Christian, p. 194; and Armitage, pp. 427-428.

48 Christian, p. 204.

49 Ibid., p. 213.

50 Ibid., pp. 296-297.

51 Pendleton, p. 69.

52 Christian, pp. 287-288.

53 Ibid., 297-297, The Scottish Presbyterians were temporarily able to wrest political control of the English Parliament from the Anglicans as a result of the series of English Civil Wars that began in 1642.

 

"touché", 37!

 

The word baptism is used in a figurative sense in several places.

"I indeed have baptized you with water:
but he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost."

In Mark 1:8 John the Baptist is talking about Jesus baptizing or immersing His church at Jerusalem with the Holy Spirit, Shikinah Glory, to Anoint the Most Holy Once and For all on the Day of Pentecost, as the public inauguration of His first church, as a Habitation through the Spirits (Daniel 9:24g; "Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.")

Since we have been over what a 'body' is that is the opposite of something 'universal' several times and you would need to know what a local body is to appreciate that baptism there in Ephesians 4:5 is talking about that there is one kind of water baptism with The Authority of God, then we'll go over it again, using your knowledge of Greek, from my Greek and Hebrew teacher, Br. Ed Overby.

Those that think 'baptism' means something else there would have to have scripture for it, which they do, misinterpreted as all get out, too.

(Hint: The Spirit has never baptized anything; Jesus baptized with The Holy Spirit is taught, however, as above.)

The context in Ephesians 3:6 and everywhere else in Ephesians and the new Testament is a local church body assembly tabernacle temple house, etc.

"This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are fellow heirs, fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus.

Ephesians 4:15; "Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into Christ Himself, who is the head.

16 "From Him the whole body, fitted and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love through the work of each individual part.

There is one kind of body with the Authority of God to conduct God's business and as a part of those bodies is one faith with God's Authority and water baptism with the Authority of God. One Hope with the Authority to save and One Spirit, One Lord, One God and Father, Who have and are All Authority to Commission His kind of bodies, with one faith and one water baptism with The Authority of God.

One; "Father of all, who is above all,
and through all, and in you all."


4 "There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;

5 "One Lord, one faith, one baptism,

6 "One God and Father of all, who is above all,
and through all, and in you all."

"The Church of the Lord" By Edward H. Overbey.

"It is very common to find the singular used with the article in a representative sense for the whole class.

"So in ho huies tou anthropou (Mt. 8:20, and often) Jesus calls himself the son of mankind. Of Luke 10:7, ho ergates where the labourer represents all labourers." A.T. Robertson, A Grammar of the Greek New Testament in the Light of Historical Research, p. 757.

"Since the generic article with the singular is often but not always equivalent to the plural without the definite article, I am going to apply this principle to some of the passages where we have the generic article with the word "church" to show that these passages make good sense according to their ordinary meaning.

"An example of what we will do is seen in this passage with the word "labourer." Luke 10:7b,
Generic article: "for the labourer is worthy of his hire."

Equivalent: "for labourers are worthy of their hire."

1Corinthians 10:32
Generic article: "Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles nor to the church of God."

Equivalent: "Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles nor to churches of God."

1Timothy 3:15
Generic article: "but if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth."

Equivalent: "but if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in houses of God, which are churches of the living God, pillars and grounds of the truth."

1 Corinthians 12:28
Generic article: "and God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues."

Equivalent: "and God hath set some in churches, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues."

Ephesians 1:22-23
Generic article: "and hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all."

Equivalent: "and hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to churches, which are his bodies, the fulness of him that filleth all in all."

Ephesians 3:10
Generic article: "To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God."

Equivalent: "To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by churches the manifold wisdom of God."

Ephesians 3:21
Generic article: "Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen"

Equivalent: "Unto him be glory in the churches by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen"

con't

 

Ephesians 5:23-32
Generic article: "For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing. Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church: For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church. Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband."

Equivalent: "For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of churches: and he is the saviour of the bodies. Therefore as churches are subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved churches and gave himself for them; That he might sanctify and cleanse them with the washing of the water by the Word, That he might present them to himself glorious churches, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that they should be holy and without blemish. So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord churches: For we are members of his bodies, of his flesh, and of his bones. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and churches. Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband."

Colossians 1:18
Generic article: "And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence."

Equivalent: "And he is the head of bodies, churches: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence."

Colossians 1:24
Generic article: "who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body's sake, which is the church:"

Equivalent: "who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his bodies' sake, which are the churches:"

There can be more than one way to express the same thoughts. This has been demonstrated in the preceding Scriptures. An idea can be stated using a common noun and an article generically. The same idea can be expressed not using the the words generically. Sometimes the generic use is smoother and the non-generic is awkward. Sometimes the smoother way is the non-generic. Generally, it is best to use the smoother language but both ways still can express the same idea.

"When these passages in which the generic article was used were written there were several churches of our Lord in existence. Therefore they are good examples to show that the plural of a word without the definite article is the equivalent of the generic definite article with a word in the singular. Perhaps the generic article with the singular was used in other passages which were written when there was only one of the Lord's churches in existence. The only church in existence could be referred to as a particular church or as a kind of church which would have many examples in the future.

"Matthew 16:18; 18:17; 1 Corinthians15:9; Philippians 3:6; Galatians 1:13 could be examples of this. In the passages where the generic article is used, some believe there is a new meaning for ekklesia because of statements in the context.

"These statements are considered too great for the ordinary meaning of the word in their opinion. We have seen that there is no grammatical justification for giving ekklesia a new meaning in these passages. But, are the statements in the context a justification for giving ekklesia a new meaning in the New Testament? If these statements make good sense with the ordinary meaning of ekklesia then there will be no justification for a new meaning."