Does it matter who baptized you?

If a "deceived Christian" baptized you, a Christian still baptized you. If a Christian baptized you, you are baptized.

When Jesus Christ commanded that Christians be baptized, He never commanded that we examine who baptizes us before we obey that command. He simply commanded that it be done just like following His other precepts. Per Matthew 28:19-20, the order He intended was make disciples, baptize them, and teach them. You would have to be taught before you could obey the command to be baptized. A new Christian does not have the tools to examine suitability of a `candidate baptizer.' A new Christian has the responsibility to get baptized. You did that.

Factious Christians and church people often like to claim that the baptisms done by `those other disdain-worthy people' are `tainted' and not valid. Please do not let sectarian strifes dampen this experience to you. You did something Christ specifically ordained to be done in His Name by new Christians. Congratulations. You have cause to celebrate.

Being baptized should not have changed anything about you. Water does not have magic powers. If an unbeliever comes under water, s/he comes up an unbeliever; if you went under a faithful Christian, you should come up a faithful Christian.

 

You're baptized in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Your good.

Unless the said Holy Ghost :laugh:

 

I never forget a group that I encountered that when I visited their services my heart was strangely warmed. A few days later I was visited by two of their pastors in my home. They informed me that I need to be baptized in their group to become part of them. I informed them that I had been baptized already. They told me that that was well and good, but it would not suffice for entrance into their group for one had to be baptized by an elder or pastor of that group for it to be accepted as a baptism they could recognize.

I looked at them for a moment And then asked them if they knew each other. They looked at each other in almost disbelief, and proclaimed, Certainly we do. We are both ministers in this group. I responded by asking them if they knew for certain who baptized each other. They got a puzzled look on their faces as they said, Well not exactly for we were not present at each others baptism for we came from different areas. I then said something like this. What? You do not know ‘absolutely’ who baptized each other? Do you mean you have to accept by faith the baptism each other received was really sufficient? Even if one told you who it was that baptized the other, yet the life lived by the other would not line up with Scripture as to that which is lived by one born again and walking daily with the Lord in obedience, would you or would you not accept the others baptism as valid?

Mainly silence pervaded the short remaining time of their visit as I told them I desired for them to accept my baptism by faith just as they accepted the baptism of each other by faith, and to examine my life just as they examine the lives of each other to see if I be of the faith. Needless to say, they left and I never heard one word from them ever again.

Hope that helps you understand the import of baptism in some small way.

 

XdiscipleX,

It makes no difference whatsoever regarding those who baptized you. Those were christians who baptized you, so....it "took" just fine.

Rememeber...its only a symbol of the change that had already occurred in your life.


:godisgood:

 

If the baptizer is not important, why did Jesus walk several miles to find John the Baptist and ask him for baptism?

Jesus gave the ordinances to the congregation he established during his earthly ministry. He gave the Great Commission to an assembled group of disciples--the first church. Paul urged the congregation at Corinth to guard the ordinances. The authority to baptize rests in a New Testament congregation, and to those the congregation selects.

Otherwise, we might as well invite the local Mormon and Jehovah Witness preachers to do our baptizing for us.

The Scriptures know nothing of Lone Ranger baptizers. All who baptized did so under authority from God (John the Baptist) Jesus (his disciples), or a local church (Philip and the Eunuch).

 

Tom Butler,

Who said anything about water baptizer not being important? He or she has to be a born again christian.

Because it was Gods plan for John to baptize Christ.

Right. That "congregation" were all the christians alive at that time. Today, that "congregation" has spread to include all the christians world wide.

There is only one "church", friend .

All the christians in the world.

That "1st" church still exists. It now has millions of members, of many different persuasions.

When he wrote to the members of Gods one church that lived in the area of Corinth, he sent them some divinely ordained instructions. When he wrote to the members of Gods one church who lived in the area of Ephesus, he gave them some different divinely ordained instructions. The same with other members of Gods one church who lived in other areas. Eventually all of Gods epistles were circulated and we had the whole council of God available for His one church.

And that applies to any group of Gods one church. And any christian has the authority to water baptize. John the Baptist was not appointed by any congregation, but by God. And Phillip water baptized the Ethiopian with no "permission" given by any "authority" other than God.

He simply saw a new christian who desired to be baptized...so he baptized him.

Who said anything about LDS or JW's?

Those were christians who baptized the original poster.

You mean like Phillip, who baptised the eithiopian eunich way out far from any gathered assembly?

And all believers have that same authority.

All believers are His disciples.

They were not in a local church. They were far away from one.

And Phillip didnt rush back, speak to the pastor, and get the pastor to come and do it, or get the pastors "permission" to baptize the Ethiopian.

He simply, immediatly, water baptized the man.

 

This whole topic in predicated on the notion that water baptism is necessary. If we are to take the proper understanding that the only baptism that is needed is being baptized into Christ, we can end this debate. Until then we will have multitudes of believers being treated the way HP was with the resulting confusion seen in xdisciplex.

 

xdisciplex,

The important thing is not if anything changed after you were water baptized, but rather did anything change after you recieved Christ and were born of the Spirit.

Did a change happen in your life after that event?

 

Well keep the Acts of the Apostles in mind. There were Jews preaching in the rest of the Roman Empire the teaching of John the baptist. It was incomplete. I believe Paul pulled the preachers of Johns teaching and explained Jesus Christ. He corrected them and did not rebaptise them. You became baptised as a testiment to your belief in the Lord Jesus Christ not the Pastor. Even if you want to go to the extreme (Orthodox Christianity or Catholicism). They believe only priest and dispence the sacrements which includes baptism. However, as a protestant if you were to convert they would not re baptise you because they accpet your baptism as an authentic statement of faith.

 

If I got the NT statement wrong forgive me. I'm going off of memory which is not what it use to be.

 

Didn't seem to to Paul!

In fact, he was glad that he did not baptize most of one onery bunch, so that they could not be identifed with him baptizing them. INcidentally, I agree with one poster who used the example of Philip and the Ethopian eunuch. Philip had no 'authority' other than that from God.

Ed

 

There are distinct differences in the Sacramental Theology between Roman Catholic and the Eastern Orthodox.

Correct…My family and I were Chrismated last week in the Orthodox Church and they accepted our Protestant Baptism, but only if water was used and in the Trinitarian formula.

In XC
-

 

Thanks. I didn't want to get into it too much and kept it simple. Yes the sacramental Theology is different in both. But I think we're speaking with people not too familiar. I sided more with the Catholic side of things since I'm more familiar with it.

 

baptism is a reflection of a change that has already happened with the believer. "believe and be baptised."

 

As Christians we struggle with sin. And salvation is a little different for everyone. I've heard of people saying the "sinners prayer" and they immediately felt peace or joy or cried. But that is not everyone. I felt nothing when I prayed. When I was baptised I felt nothing. Has my life changed? Yes tremendously but it didn't happen overnight. I still struggle with sin. You have to imagine that there are also Catholics who talk about Eucharistic miricles too. God interacts differently with everyone. However, he gives us his word and it is unchanging. If you're struggling with sin it is a good thing because you haven't given in. Your still fighting. Paul said that he had not yet attained perfection. I am sure no christian has.
Think of it like this. I met my wife and had the whole euphoric puppy love feeling a lot. I decided to marry her and it was a choice. Not because I thought everything would be honky dory afterwards. There are days she gets on my nerves and I on hers. We have arguments. I don't have that feeling any more. But I love her and it is a decision I made. Not because I feel a certain way or that marriage has become easier. None of those things are true. I decided to love her and am committed to my covenant I made with her.
Paul equates the christian faith with running. Why? Because it is hard, tiring, you want to give up and relax, but you don't. You keep going forward. People are different and God meets us where we need him. You don't need to feel perfect to be positionally right with God. You just need to be humble.
Baptism is like marriage. You've drawn a line in the sand and you've decided to follow Jesus. Not easy or you may not feel like it but you did. God will keep what you have commited to him against that day (the final day).
I hope this helps. Your belief makes you a christian. Your struggles are a wonderful example of you being a sinful man trusting in Gods grace.

 

Because Jesus needed to be baptized with 'John's Baptism' (John was the only one practicing John's baptism).

Let's reason this one out:

Was Jesus baptized with the apostles' baptism (the one of Acts, like we are [supposedly])?

Was Jesus baptized after he was saved?

Was Jesus baptized to signify the beginning fo his ministry? Is there any significance in that?

Was Jesus baptized for the person baptizing or for the symbolism of it?

Another question (by some force within my computer and beyond my control...):
Can you show me that Jesus' 12 disciples were baptized after they were saved?