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--Ex 19:10 is not water baptism in the name of the Lord for the remission of sins.

--I never said anything about water purifying, the water does nothing. It is the obedience in submitting to God's will in being baptized, that obedience is why God removes sin. Just as the water had nothing to do with Namaan being cleansed, it was his obedience to the prophet of God in going and dipping that cleansed him.

--in Rev 1:5 John says Christ washed us from our sins with His own blood. The question is, how does this happen. Not a single verse say "belief only" or saying a "sinner's prayer" causes Christ's blood to wash away our sins. Facts we know from the bible: Christ shed His blood that washes away sins in His death, Jn 19:34. Baptism is what puts one in Christ's death where that blood was shed, Rom 6:3,4. THerefore baptism into His death is how one contacts that blood that washes away sin, and nothing but baptism puts one in Christ's death where His blood is found.

--faith itself is a work, Mk 2:1-5.
Water Baptism is for the remission of sins. Holy Spirit baptism is where we get our cirucmcised heart. This is why John said I baptize with water but there is one that comes after me whos sandals I am not worhthy of that will baptized you in the Holy Spirit and fire. So if you do not have the Holy Spirits baptism then you have not the Spirit of Christ in you.. If one does not have the Holy Spirit baptism then no amount of water baptism will save you.
 
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Melethiel

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No actually they are not the same.
Christ said we would be baptized by water and the Spirit. Scripture also says "one Lord, one faith, one baptism." The onus is on you to justify multiple baptisms, or to justify that God somehow changed his modus operandi after all those millenia, stopped working through material means, and started working in this vague "spiritual" manner reminiscent of Gnosticism.
 
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vanshan

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The baptism in water is not what circumcizes the heart.

I'm having a hard time understanding why you think the God Who created the Heavens and the earth can't choose to use water as part of His work to save mankind. The scriptures affirm that baptism is a moment of spiritual rebirth. We ask the Holy Spirit to descend and sanctify the water to be used, so that it will be used for God's purpose. His power is present in that water, just as it is in the bread and wine sanctified by the Holy Spirit in communion.

Basil
 
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vanshan

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But understanding where it comes from is important, at least to me. Observing it as an "obligation" (which is what I was always taught) diminishes from its meaning IMO. When at it as moving to a higher plane of holiness it becomes something more than a stupid man made ritual.

In churches that do not believe the power of God is manifested in baptism, and who are separated from the ancient Body of Christ, then it may be an empty ritual. They redefine it to be a public confession of faith before God and man, but that was not it's purpose. We maintain that the Holy Spirit fills the water with God's cleansing power. It is a gift to man from God, for man's rebirth.

Basil
 
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vanshan

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However, when we chose to be baptised we are chosing to make a declaration before God, men, Satan and the angels, that we are chosing God and giving ourselves to Him. It is stepping out of the world and stepping into Christ. It is a joyful occasion and is the most important and wonderful day of our life! Kind of like a wedding. Getting married should not be an obligation, but a wonderful occasion. Being baptised is just as wonderful and joyful.

In our faith, it's still held to be a joyful and powerful occasion. We just celebrated the feast of Penecost last Sunday and three people were baptized into Christ at the beginning of the service. The whole community celebrates this as an important occassion, not just for the individuals, but for the whole Church. Each baptism is a historic moment in the life of Christ's Body.

Basil
 
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The baptism of water does not save. It is having complete faith in Christ and What he has accomplished on the cross that saves. When one believes solely on Christ for salvation a beautiful new birth happens inside the believer. Christ comes to reside in this persons heart. This is the saving power of Jesus. The water baptism is from the OT also. It was a cleansing ritual. So when John was baptizing it was not uncommon. What was uncommon was that He was telling Jewish people they needed to repent and be baptized.
 
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Meshavrischika

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Ahh, this must be more of that loving Christian talk.


He may be mistaken, I doubt if he "nuts".



pax
I never said I didn't love anyone, just that someone was nuts. :) Love doesn't mean I have to agree, and I wasn't unkind. It was a flippant remark and I'm sure it was taken that way as he had no commentary on what I said.
 
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Meshavrischika

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Christ said we would be baptized by water and the Spirit. Scripture also says "one Lord, one faith, one baptism." The onus is on you to justify multiple baptisms, or to justify that God somehow changed his modus operandi after all those millenia, stopped working through material means, and started working in this vague "spiritual" manner reminiscent of Gnosticism.
did you ever consider this could have just been a reference to birth? we are all born of the water initially, then of the spirit.
not to mention, Christ keeping mikvah is not something that should be considered anything out of the ordinary as he told others to do it when he healed them as well.
I don't think God changed, I think people corrupt God's intention. It's nothing new. Why do you think there are denoms in Judaism? There were at Jesus' time. To think this is a "protestant" thing is to think in error.
 
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Meshavrischika

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In our faith, it's still held to be a joyful and powerful occasion. We just celebrated the feast of Penecost last Sunday and three people were baptized into Christ at the beginning of the service. The whole community celebrates this as an important occassion, not just for the individuals, but for the whole Church. Each baptism is a historic moment in the life of Christ's Body.

Basil
that wasn't my statement. I was quoting someone- sorry. problem happens when I don't do it "by the book"
 
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UncleDave

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How can a baby confess Christ?

Baptism is an outward sign of faith. In the case of infant baptism, it is really the parents who are confessing Christ, dedicating the life and upbringing of their child to Him, and asking God to send His Spirit upon the child. (My brother's church actually calls this "dedication" rather than baptism.)

To delve deeper into the Word to illustrate the importance of baptism as an outward sign of faith:

“He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned” (Mark 16:16). This verse makes it clear that belief in Christ is the determining factor. Baptism is important as a sign of submission to the will of God. But what is most important is the state of one's heart.

I'm a Catholic, but not a very good one (being brought up Lutheran)... I know that infant baptism and other sacraments appear as though they are man-made "works" that we say are necessary for salvation. But what I was taught in becoming Catholic was that the validity of any sacrament is fully dependent upon the state of the recipient's heart; if I really do not believe in Christ then it matters not what actions I perform, as I will not receive grace regardless of whether I go through the motions. Now this brings up a tough question, as when we baptize an infant, the point is for the infant to be the recipient of grace through the sacrament; but how can we know the state of a infant's heart? Does it all depend upon a person reaching the age of reason? And who therefore is responsible for the child's state of grace prior to that age?

So then, what about infants? Who knows the state of their heart but God? Does baptism actually save an infant? Is an infant capable of believing? What if children die before reaching the age of reason, whether baptized or not, if they cannot confess Christ while alive on this Earth, will they go to Heaven or Hell?

I look to the following verse as offering hope that any child who dies before the age of reason is welcomed into Heaven by our Lord with open arms:

“Truly, I say to you, unless you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 18:3-4)
 
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