Baptism. HELP!!

[Brian Mc]

The best procedure for anyone who has come to the Lord recently but not been baptized yet--or if baptized some time ago but not raised in the faith--would be to speak about baptism with the pastor of the church you'll attend.

By the way, there is no scriptural evidence that Jesus "went under the water." Any means of applying water in baptism is sufficient.

 

[Brian Mc]

Matt 3:16 And when Jesus was baptized, He went up at once out of the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he [John] saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on Him.

If John the Baptist "sprinkled" or even poured an amount of water over Jesus' head there would have been no need for Jesus to go into the River Jordan & "went up at once out of the water".

Also, Jesus was sent to do Father's will (as all born again believers also are equipped to do when they receive the Holy Spirit ... symbolically "Father's armour" (See Eph 6:10-17 ... & verse 18 tells you to pray "in the Spirit". So, Jesus needed to "leave the old man behind" (his previous role as carpenter) .... washing it away (not just bit a bit of water on his head) .... then He was covered (as Father's armour covers) Him, equip to do what He was sent to earth for.

Any born again (actually ... not just thought to be) is a new creation (completely) .. 2 Cor 5:17 ... & can say as Paul said, "It is NO LONGER I (my old flesh/the old man) that lives BUT CHRIST JESUS (His Spirit) that lives in me!"
or as said in
1 John 4:17 In this [union and communion with Him ....which takes time] love is brought to completion {and} attains perfection with us, that we may have confidence for the day of judgment [with assurance and boldness to face Him], because as He is, so are we in this world. ......Father wants to continue His work on earth through us (Jesus & Spirit filled earth suits) ... as He did with Jesus.

The success of your life as (Christ Jesus' representative) a child of God (conceived by Father) is in direct proportion to the consciousness of the Christ & power of God that is in your heart!

"Sprinkling" or pouring an amount of water on the head is more or "man made rules" (led by Satan to deny Father's will being done) ..... all of which have deceived millions of people & taken them away from the Word of God & what He said needed to be done .... following Jesus' example.

Please read item 6 above.

 

[GirdYourLoins]

I call what children have a "Christening" rather than "baptism" to distinguish between the two. A Christening is a service where the parents declare their desire to bring up a child in the Christian faith. A baptism is a believer taking a step to outwardly declare the work that God has done internally.

Whatever name you give these two you need to understand the difference in being baptised as an action taken in free will in obedience to God. Go ahead and do it as you clearly feel called to and it has a different meaning.

 

[Albion]

Matt 3:16 And when Jesus was baptized, He went up at once out of the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he [John] saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on Him.

As I was saying, there's nothing in that verse which tells us that he was immersed, but only that he then walked from the riven, which we all would describe as coming "out of the river."

As early paintings of Jesus being baptized show him, he most likely was standing in shallow water.

If John the Baptist "sprinkled" or even poured an amount of water over Jesus' head there would have been no need for Jesus to go into the River Jordan...

Certainly there would be. Even today that procedure would be considered by many people to be more convenient and symbolic than--what?--having John baptize a number of people in turn with a glass of water that needs to be refilled and do it while everyone is standing in the mud???? That just wasn't the method used, but neither way requires immersion and the Bible doesn't indicate that Jesus was immersed.

 

[GandalfTheWise]

Is this wrong because I may be implying that my acceptance into the church as a child wasn't enough?

Please help. All advice is greatly appreciated.

I feel bad that you are getting caught up in a theological debate that has been going on for centuries with no resolution, and that there will be people not agreeing (and some quite forcefully) whatever you decide to do.

I know many people who have struggled with this question. Many have decided that it is a spiritual step forward they should take regardless of what others might think. I've known a few people who chose not to because they thought it would be an unnecessary stumbling block to their family that would be interpreted by the family as rejection and repudiation. They felt that it might become a long standing theological fight that would burn bridges or distract from more important spiritual things they wanted to communicate.

There are really 2 questions Christians are split over with regard to baptism.
1. Is it rooted in what the corporate church does (parents and clergy and the church decide to baptize an infant) or is it rooted in an individual's choice to follow God (baptism is only for those who have consciously made the choice to be Christians) ?
2. Is baptism essential for salvation (and good standing with God and the church) or not?

My observation is that the most emotional and forceful arguments seem to come from those who believe baptism (of the type they advocate) is required for salvation. For people who believe that, what you do (or don't do) is a matter of life and death and right standing with God and the church; and they treat it quite seriously and tend to treat those who disagree as heretics that need to be converted to the truth. Between those Christians that believe baptism is more symbolic and is not essential for salvation, the disagreement tends to be more minor and there is room allowed for difference of opinion.

The reality is that some individuals will be deeply offended and angry if you are baptized as an adult after having been baptized as an infant. Other people will rejoice and be there to encourage you seeing it as a major spiritual milestone in your life.

 

[Geralt]

baptism should be a matter of the heart, not of policy.
get baptized all over again no worries, should be a cause for celebration!

even husbands and wives celebrate their long years together by getting married all over again, recommitting themselves and saying their vows. as long as Christ is testified and glorified, then do it! do it all for the glory of God.

I really want to get baptised but I'm not sure if I should. I was christened as a child but this was not a choice. I never gave my life to Jesus and didn't practice my faith. Now that I am older I have given my life to God and want to be baptised. Is this wrong because I may be implying that my acceptance into the church as a child wasn't enough?

Please help. All advice is greatly appreciated.

 

[Albion]

...2. Is baptism essential for salvation (and good standing with God and the church) or not?

My observation is that the most emotional and forceful arguments seem to come from those who believe baptism (of the type they advocate) is required for salvation. .

But it should be noted that hardly any churches take the view described as #2. And most of the relatively few individuals who agree with the proposition that baptism is essential for salvation do not understand their own churches' teachings on the subject (or do not belong to one).

 

[mark kennedy]

I really want to get baptised but I'm not sure if I should. I was christened as a child but this was not a choice. I never gave my life to Jesus and didn't practice my faith. Now that I am older I have given my life to God and want to be baptised. Is this wrong because I may be implying that my acceptance into the church as a child wasn't enough?

Please help. All advice is greatly appreciated.

My eight year old grand daughter decided she wanted to be baptized. The Pastor simply said first she has to learn the Romans road to salvation and he will baptize her, it comes to four verses. When I was baptized it came down to a simple profession, I was asked, Do you believe Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God. I said yes and that's all there was to it.

If you believe the gospel then of course you should be baptized. If you don't your just getting wet.

Grace and peace,
Mark

 

[RaymondG]

From my experience a christening was a formal dedication to God....not a baptism; and didnt involve any water......so a baptism would be done at a latter age. Does the RCC call infant baptism christenings?

Anyway......it is not mentioned in the bible that taking four or five dips in the pool was a sin.....so why not just do it, if your church allows? This doesnt seem like something to make a huge deal about. If your heart desires it.....I see no fault in doing it.

 

[Albion]

My eight year old grand daughter decided she wanted to be baptized. The Pastor simply said first she has to learn the Romans road to salvation and he will baptize her, it comes to four verses. When I was baptized it came down to a simple profession, I was asked, Do you believe Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God. I said yes and that's all there was to it.

...and THIS ^ sort of routine is supposed to show that only those old enough to understand and make a personal profession of faith in Christ as Lord and Savior (called, usually, "believer's baptism") should be baptized...but not infants or younger children!?

If we could remove the event from our overheated denominational arguments, it would appear ridiculous, simply ludicrous, to think that an 8 year old who is told to memorize a few verses is demonstrating an adult knowledge and commitment to some complicated subject matter.

If this is what "believer's baptism" is IN PRACTICE--and it is--then no objection to infant baptism on the grounds of understanding the sacrament or the commitment makes any sense at all.

 

[mark kennedy]

...and THIS ^ sort of routine is supposed to show that only those old enough to understand and make a personal profession of faith in Christ as Lord and Savior (called, usually, "believer's baptism") should be baptized...but not infants or younger children!?

If we could remove the event from our overheated denominational arguments, it would appear ridiculous, simply ludicrous, to think that an 8 year old who is told to memorize a few verses is demonstrating an adult knowledge and commitment to some complicated subject matter.

If this is what "believer's baptism" is IN PRACTICE--and it is--then no objection to infant baptism on the grounds of understanding the sacrament or the commitment makes any sense at all.

That's your opinion, the gospel is simple, a child can definitely understand. I was baptized as an infant, in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. I was also baptized in Jesus name, some friends thought I got the formula wrong. I was even circumcised, as a child for medical reasons, but I think I'm pretty much covered with regards to rites and rituals.

The only requirement for salvation is believing the gospel. You don't really know what an adult believes and understands, let alone a child. I'm turning the Romans road thing into an art project. The 'all have sinned and come short of the righteousness of God', I'm thinking a Roman hump backed bridge. It will at least be a teachable moment.

 

[Albion]

That's your opinion

That's correct. It is, but I laid out the reasons for it.

The very notion that a so-called believer's baptism has any meaning if an eight-year old can be baptized after memorizing a few verses that are not even her own words (!), but a younger child cannot...is absurd on its face.

 

[woobadooba]

If I were you, I would get baptized. And I would only get baptized by immersion. That's the way Jesus did it (Matthew 3:13-17), and we should all want to follow His example (1 John 2:6; Romans 6:1-14). God bless you, sister.

 

[Tolworth John]

I really want to get baptised but I'm not sure if I should. I was christened as a child but this was not a choice. I never gave my life to Jesus and didn't practice my faith. Now that I am older I have given my life to God and want to be baptised. Is this wrong because I may be implying that my acceptance into the church as a child wasn't enough?

Please help. All advice is greatly appreciated.

Talk to your parents, what do they think about it.
If they aren't offended by your wanting to be baptised, talk to your minister and arrange it.

If your parents are not Christian or view intfant baptism as being all that is needed they may view your wanting to be baptised as a slap in the face.

Talk to them, so they understand you are not rejecting what they did for ypu but are making your own public decalartion of faith.

 

[Olivia C]

Talk to your parents, what do they think about it.
If they aren't offended by your wanting to be baptised, talk to your minister and arrange it.

If your parents are not Christian or view intfant baptism as being all that is needed they may view your wanting to be baptised as a slap in the face.

Talk to them, so they understand you are not rejecting what they did for ypu but are making your own public decalartion of faith.

My family are not religious at all. Actually my mum shouted at me when I told her that I was going to church as an adult. I feel like she wouldn't approve of me being baptised. I also don't know how I would feel about my family being there if I were to get baptised as none of them read the bible, believe in our father or go to church and worship him. In all honesty I don't understand why I was christened as an infant.

 

[Albion]

The first question to answer, Olivia, is this--

Were you baptized as an infant...or not?

As you see in the earlier posts, your comment about being "christened" -- which you used in both the OP and this post #35 -- can be understood two different ways. Some people and churches use it as meaning a baptism, but others use it to mean only some sort of baby dedication, not a baptism. What you should do from this point forward depends a lot on what the answer to that question is.

 

[GandalfTheWise]

My family are not religious at all. Actually my mum shouted at me when I told her that I was going to church as an adult. I feel like she wouldn't approve of me being baptised. I also don't know how I would feel about my family being there if I were to get baptised as none of them read the bible, believe in our father or go to church and worship him. In all honesty I don't understand why I was christened as an infant.

Hang in there. Being the first (or one of the first) in a family to have a spiritual transformation is a unique challenge. Rest assured that though some things may be difficult now, God will be with you.

It's a challenge to choose what to do when family is not supportive of something. There can be different reasons why they are not supportive. Are your parents concerned you are getting involved with a cult or something way outside the mainstream of things? If so, perhaps sharing a few more details (e.g. my parents are from XYZ denomination and I'm now attending an ABC denomination church) might allow some people here to share their similar experiences about reassuring family about things such as this. If they are concerned what other people might think ("my daughter is becoming a religious fanatic"), that's another issue. If they want nothing to do with God, that's another issue entirely. It might be possible that some of these things might be addressed with some tact and respect so they could be part of things in a supportive manner.

 

[Tolworth John]

My family are not religious at all. Actually my mum shouted at me when I told her that I was going to church as an adult. I feel like she wouldn't approve of me being baptised. I also don't know how I would feel about my family being there if I were to get baptised as none of them read the bible, believe in our father or go to church and worship him. In all honesty I don't understand why I was christened as an infant.

Then go for it.
I would still strongly recommend that you talk to your parents, to expl;ain that Christianity is important to you, that you would like them to attend with as many of your family who can make it.

Bapism is a public nailing of your colours to the mast, an act of witness to an unbelieving world, family and friends.
At my church it is rarely just one person being baptised so any nonchristians here testimonies from 3 or 4 people as well as a gospel sermon.

Talk to your pastor about baptism as well as your parents and when that day comes enjoy it. It is both scary and exciting.

 

[mark kennedy]

My family are not religious at all. Actually my mum shouted at me when I told her that I was going to church as an adult. I feel like she wouldn't approve of me being baptised. I also don't know how I would feel about my family being there if I were to get baptised as none of them read the bible, believe in our father or go to church and worship him. In all honesty I don't understand why I was christened as an infant.

My family wasn't religious when I became a Christian, conversations were weird, what about the crusades, inquisition, witch hunts and so forth. They didn't know what it's like when God draws near and you respond in faith. When I became a Christian I was in the Navy, it was years before I finally found a church and was baptised. When you hear the gospel, believe and receive the Holy Spirit that's salvation. Baptism reflects the death, burial and resurrection of Christ (Rom 6). Brides in the first century were baptised, it's the idea of starting a new life. Faith makes you a new crearure in Christ, baptism is a public proclamation that you are a disciple of the risen Savior. Its quite literally the Christian rite of passage

 

[Blade]

I really want to get baptized but I'm not sure if I should. I was christened as a child but this was not a choice. I never gave my life to Jesus and didn't practice my faith. Now that I am older I have given my life to God and want to be baptised. Is this wrong because I may be implying that my acceptance into the church as a child wasn't enough?

Please help. All advice is greatly appreciated.

Sis.. JESUS IS REAL! Ask Him. No.. JESUS IS REAL! He is in you. The Church.. there are MANY tents.. just one camp. So .. HE does not see CHURCHES.. its ONE Body... Christ at the head. So.. if YOU want to be baptized...whom does it please? HIM! Your Father.. HELLO? HAHA>.

SO.. go for it.. . where to you think this desire come from? Follow HIM..not me not any man