What is Scriptural Baptism?

At my church only persons who have come to repentance and faith in Christ are the proper candidates of scriptural immersion.

Yes, my church would accept alien immersions.

We would reject what is termed infant baptism.

 

The mode and the subject are important. What do you mean by "design"? The way in which the service is planned, or the intent of the service? "Design" could mean either.

 

We will only recieve a baptism from one of our own churches that make us the several Associations that we correspond with. Other than that, we do not receive "alien" baptisms at all.

BBob,

 

This is pretty much what the church we attend practices. We have accepted an elderly gentleman who was supposedly too ill to be immersed at the time, and still hasn't been immersed, to my knowledge, although I'm not entirely comfortable with that decision.

 

Yes, we will only baptize by immersion

Yes, only those who have given testimony that they have been saved can be baptized.

Not really, but they baptize under the authority of the church. We have had dads baptize their children. But we ask the church to authorize a dad to baptize. I wouldn't argue about this at all.

Several circumstances:
1. If a person was not saved when they were baptized.
2. If any other mode other than immersion.
3. If the church doing the baptism believed that baptism had some saving efficacy. This would include Roman Catholic
4. If the church was not a Bible believing congregation or denomination. This would include cults.

In terms of "alien" baptism, we accept other churches baptism if they meet the above criteria.

 

Those are tricky ones when a person is too ill to be immersed.

I guess a measure of grace is needed at that point. But if he can, the gentleman should be immersed.

 

I hope Tom doesn't mind me adding this question to his thread... If so I can gladly start my own.

Who is the baptism for? Is it for the Church to fulfill it's ordinance or so the believer can be in a right relation?

I ask this question not as a trick but I have seen fellowships fall apart over the acceptance of what's termed "alien" baptism. Unlike circumcision we can't say proove it so we take apart the believers testimony and past belief's.

So I wonder, who has the obligation of being baptized?

Edited to add...

What if one was circumcised but not Jewish, could they later be circumcised again?

 

I say its for both. It for the one being baptized to answer a good conscious towards God, and its a doorway to the church. (here)

They can't get membership without the baptism and we just do not accept anyone else's work for membership to our church. We do not question their salvation, just we require our own baptism for membership to our church.

BBob,:wavey:

 

Glad it was you who responded Tom so I don't feel like I'm thread jacking but you hit right on my point. If I believe in eternal security, despite the Church where I was baptized, if I believe then why would you reject my baptism. Is it the Churches belief or the believers belief?

I know this passage deals with Jews vs Gentiles but I don't see why it doesn't apply here;

Gal 3:22 But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.
23 But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.
24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
25 But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.
26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.
27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.

So I guess my questions is really if there is one Jesus Christ how can there be other baptism's?

 

Tom,

You have raised some important issues, which should not be slighted.

1. Personally, I think pastors, elders and deacons should be baptizing, but if there's a case where none is present then anyone can do the baptizing (grace allows for this--we need to get away from legalism).

2. Yes, they teach error on baptism and are not fully NT churches, in the concept of that term.

3. If adult immersion is what we see in the NT, then, yes, Baptists are on the right track. I believe adult immersion is what we see in the NT.

4. Baptism is a major doctrine: Christ commanded it to his apostles, its throughout the book of Acts, throughout the Pauline writings and Peter even comes back to it in 1 Pet 3:21.

5. Paul list baptism among the several Ones that believers should be diligent to maintain (Eph 4:4-6). I really do not think water-baptism should be slighted.

6. From a church history standpoint, we have shed blood for what the Scriptures teach, and we should not relent for one minute.

7. More than anything else, it is Scripture.

Tom Butler, your post is brilliant. :thumbs:

 

I know am probably nit-picking here, but don't we see baptism of believers rather than adults, in the New Testament? After all, what age is adult? In Uzbekistan, it is 14, Scotland 16, Tajikistan 17, England 18, Korea 19, Tunisia 20, Argentina 21, and in some American States, as I understand it, it depends on whether or not you are still at school. But I must not get pernickety! :tonofbricks:

 

David Lamb,

Thanks for the clarification. Yes, believers would be a better term to use.

Thanks again. :thumbs:

 

Eph 4:
3: Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
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.

We hold this to be the Holy Ghost baptism to the inward man.

Act 1:5For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.

The water baptism is to the outward man and does not save you. If you do not already have the Holy Ghost baptism when you go to the water, we preach and believe, you go in a dry sinner and come out a wet one.

We believe if we accept another's baptism, then we are accepting their doctrine and in most cases, do not know exactly what is their faith and belief entirely, so we hold to our own baptism. As I said, we do not question anyone's Holy Ghost baptism if they are a professing Christian, therefore we are not questioning their "one baptism", but we demand they be baptized by our brethren, to become a member of our churh.

We receive several United Baptist all the time, and their belief is very close to ours, but their practice is not, so we do not accept their baptism either. Some United are very close to us in belief and practice, but we make no exceptions.

Yes, we believe in total immersion. I have baptized in bathtubs, swimming pools, hospital tubs, in cases of sickness, where they were not able to go to the creek. We have had to have nurses hold their finger over holes in their throats while we baptize. We have had some extremely hard cases to take care of, but God seems to always make a way.

We as a church, do not question anyone's salvation, but if they want membership with us, then its by baptism only, with full immersion. We do not believe this baptism to be the salvation baptism.



BBob,

 

Then, it's up to the local church. I can live with that. :thumbs:

 

ARTICLE 10. We believe that no Minister has the right to administer the ordinances and commands of the Gospel except such as are regularly ordained and baptized, and that by immersion by a legal administrator of the Gospel comes under the hands of a regularly chosen presbytery of the Church Association Order to all our churches.

We do allow a "Lay person" to help with the baptism, in most of our churches.

BBob,