Baptism

Dr. Cassidy,

What is your take on the men in Acts who needed to be baptized because they were baptized into John's baptism?

UNP
Adam

 

"Adam, I think that you misunderstand God some when you say that he thinks it is a big deal. Actually, I think we should both be careful that we don't speak for God."

I think this is a touchy area so I will word this carefully: From my 3+ years of research into baptism, I believe God finds it to be a big deal. Though I am not inerrant.

"My feeling from scripture...Keep searching the subject as will I."

As I said earlier I looked into this subject very deeply and constantly over a three year period which resulted in my becoming baptized as a believer and leaving a faith I was very serious about and deeply involved in. In the following verse alone we hear the very creator of each of us telling us that we are to be baptized. And I don't see how anything out of the mouth of God himself is to be taken lightly:

Mark 16:15
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.

Do you see where I am coming from?

God Bless.

UNP,
Adam

 

Why do some go to great lengths to make somethng simple so confusing?

Paul tells us in Romans what baptism is:

What happened after Jesus baptism? He pictured his death burial & ressurection, not futhre but what he was about to do. He died as the member of of a carpenter's family, buried his old life and rose to walk only for the Father. So we are to die to our old life....completelyherein lies our problem we lie when we are baptised, we do not die to the old life we still cling to old desires, lusts i.e movies, booze, smoking, sports, anything to satisfy the flesh, while putting God's service second. Admit it we are all guilty.. If we could just grasp what we are saying in baptism and practice this: dead to our old life, buried, raised again in Christ to live for him thenceforth..

Romans 6:1What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? 2God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? 3Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? 4Therefore 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, even so we also should walk in newness of life. 5For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: 6Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. 7For he that is dead is freed from sin. 8Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: 9Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. 10For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. 11Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. 12Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. 13Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.