My brother in law and I were discussing baptism the other day and he posed a question I thought I would post here and see what opinions you have on it. Can a baptism be performed by any spirit filled christian who himself has already been baptised or should this be done strictly by the ordained?
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Performing a Baptism?
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I would *think* so but I don't know for sure. I've been doing some thinking about this myself.
One of my thoughts was the man as head of the household and spiritual leader of his house should at least be able to baptise his children. (?) But, call me whatever, I think I'd rather go to an ordained minister.
One of my thoughts was the man as head of the household and spiritual leader of his house should at least be able to baptise his children. (?) But, call me whatever, I think I'd rather go to an ordained minister.
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CITFH
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I say go for it. I see no scripture that contradicts the believer from baptising another believer. John the Baptist never went to seminary...granted his last name was, "the Baptist" 
...but the point is, Christianity is not voodoo hocus pocus. It is a faith made to be inacted in community, not hierarchy. Thats just my shoot from the hip...if this becomes a holy war thread i might do more research lol
...but the point is, Christianity is not voodoo hocus pocus. It is a faith made to be inacted in community, not hierarchy. Thats just my shoot from the hip...if this becomes a holy war thread i might do more research lol
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LOL @ CITFH -- "...holy war thread..." hahahaha... I love it!
Well, don't we have the same Holy Spirit that Peter, Paul, James, John, and every other believer has had? Isn't God (the Holy Spirit) the same and never changing? (Sorry, thinking out loud...)
Well, don't we have the same Holy Spirit that Peter, Paul, James, John, and every other believer has had? Isn't God (the Holy Spirit) the same and never changing? (Sorry, thinking out loud...)
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Yes, but..
Ther has to be the correct form and intent. By form, use the words "I baptise you in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit" and baptising using water. By intent is such that a baptism without intent doesn't count (e.g. a baptism in a threatre or onscreen where it isn't meant.)
I'd do it in church but whatever floats your boat.
Ther has to be the correct form and intent. By form, use the words "I baptise you in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit" and baptising using water. By intent is such that a baptism without intent doesn't count (e.g. a baptism in a threatre or onscreen where it isn't meant.)
I'd do it in church but whatever floats your boat.
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CITFH
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In the New Testament, in the second chapter of the book of Paul (from the "contra scrolls of Qumran"); The apostle writes,
"when baptising, search among you for one who is ordained by a counsel of mere men. If no such man can be summoned; one who has the Spirit may in the following way baptise in lieu of said ordained minister. Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, "B," "A," "B," "A," Select, Start' and said believer will be given infinite life"
That settles it for me...
"when baptising, search among you for one who is ordained by a counsel of mere men. If no such man can be summoned; one who has the Spirit may in the following way baptise in lieu of said ordained minister. Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, "B," "A," "B," "A," Select, Start' and said believer will be given infinite life"
That settles it for me...
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DaveKerwin
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Yeaaaa,
there is no magic forumula in my book. I baptized my little sister and my buddy from youth group. They asked me because of spiritual significance in their lives, so I glady agreed. You normally do not see average joe church goer doing baptisms, but I think we should see more of that.
there is no magic forumula in my book. I baptized my little sister and my buddy from youth group. They asked me because of spiritual significance in their lives, so I glady agreed. You normally do not see average joe church goer doing baptisms, but I think we should see more of that.
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CITFH said:In the New Testament, in the second chapter of the book of Paul (from the "contra scrolls of Qumran"); The apostle writes,
"when baptising, search among you for one who is ordained by a counsel of mere men. If no such man can be summoned; one who has the Spirit may in the following way baptise in lieu of said ordained minister. Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, "B," "A," "B," "A," Select, Start' and said believer will be given infinite life"
That settles it for me...
LOL...I used to use that EXACT 'formula' when I played Contra on Nintendo.
It's good for like 30 extra lives!
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silentpoet
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1 will do just fine.JWBZ SVT said:LOL...I used to use that EXACT 'formula' when I played Contra on Nintendo.
I don't think the ordaining matters. But I am not exactly orthodox or catholic either.
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Redguard
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Interesting.
I joined a Men's Prayer group in my church back in October. The guy who heads the group performed the baptism for one of the guys who accepted Christ by way of coming to the group and accepting Jesus.
Apparently, it caused a lot of humbugging in the church since he's not an ordained pastor or anything, but he argued (privately, not publically) that he sees no text or writing that suggests one must be an ordained pastor to perform a baptism.
I joined a Men's Prayer group in my church back in October. The guy who heads the group performed the baptism for one of the guys who accepted Christ by way of coming to the group and accepting Jesus.
Apparently, it caused a lot of humbugging in the church since he's not an ordained pastor or anything, but he argued (privately, not publically) that he sees no text or writing that suggests one must be an ordained pastor to perform a baptism.
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I believe that baptism (and communion for that matter) are given to the church to administer. While that is said, I don't believe that the church exists because of the ordinace, but rather the ordinace exists because of the church.
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One of the great tradegies of church history has been the professionalism of 'the ministry'.
John
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Well guys... I love the response this question has raised. I have thought about it and prayed about it for the past several days and I believe the answer, for me at least, was placed in my heart so I thought I'd share it with you.
If my brother in law wants to baptize me then that's fine with me and if he wants to be baptized with my by a minister that is also fine with me. It doesn't really matter - what matters is that it's done for the right reasons!
I saw a baptism as a wedding ring the other day and I truely believe this answer was given to me. If a couple get's married for the right reasons they are a couple before they ever perform the ceremony. The ring means nothing other than an outward sign of your devotion to your partner. Without my ring I am still just as married in my heart as I am with it on! A baptism I feel should represent the same thing. An outward sign of your love for Christ and your devotion to him and a promise to live the best you can in his way. Who does it is not important and it's your love for him unconditionally that truly matters.
Keep the responses coming though - I'd love to see more!
If my brother in law wants to baptize me then that's fine with me and if he wants to be baptized with my by a minister that is also fine with me. It doesn't really matter - what matters is that it's done for the right reasons!
I saw a baptism as a wedding ring the other day and I truely believe this answer was given to me. If a couple get's married for the right reasons they are a couple before they ever perform the ceremony. The ring means nothing other than an outward sign of your devotion to your partner. Without my ring I am still just as married in my heart as I am with it on! A baptism I feel should represent the same thing. An outward sign of your love for Christ and your devotion to him and a promise to live the best you can in his way. Who does it is not important and it's your love for him unconditionally that truly matters.
Keep the responses coming though - I'd love to see more!
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Telrunya
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PastorBH said:
But haven't we as the collective church been made into a nation of preists? We are all ordained by God to spread the Good News. Our church has many home groups and as leader of my home group I preform baptisms and administer communion. Yet I haven't been to seminary (Heck I'm a high school drop out).
To really answer this question we have to answer what is the purpose of a baptism. We are baptized as a declaration that we are taking part in Jesus' death and resurrection because baptism is symbolic of Jesus' death and resurrection. It is an interaction of obediance of the new believer to God. No where does scripture say there must be witnesses to this interaction so it is not for the church body but for the individual. If it is for the individual and it is an act of obediance and a declaration of submission to God then anyone else involved in the process is really kind of unimportant. The focus is on God and the new believer. It is an honor accorded to the person performing the baptism to be a part of that sacred interaction between the new believer and God. I would say that honor belongs to the one who was instrumental (God's instrument) in bringing the new believer to Christ.
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Telrunya said:
Christ gave baptism and communion to the church in Matt. 28. Paul the apostle rebukes the church at Corinth for not properly handeling the ordinance of Communion 1 Cor.11. Every body in the New Testament that was baptized (exercised saving faith first) were 'added to the church' in Acts 2:41. There is an relationship between the ordinances to the church. There is also a forgotten aspect to baptism that we have lost, and that is people that were baptized assoc. themselves publicly with Christ, back before there was such a thing as religious freedom. That is why the church was persecuted. Philip was sent by the Holy Spirit to witness to the Eunuch in Acts 8, later Philip baptized him (v.36), who was Philip? He was a deacon, and an evangelist from the church in Antioch.
I suggest reading 1 Cor. 11, there you will see that Communion, as an ordinance is given to the church to be performed by the church and that it actually is daming to perform it without the church. Read Acts, every one who got baptized joined themselves into the fellowship of the church.
I say, that if someone wants to get baptized BUT don't want to fellowship with other believers is truly a departure from the Biblical pattern.
It is the Bible that defines baptism, communion, and church. By this i just mean that I don't take it upon myself to baptize somebody because I think its apropo, or that I can just have church 'at home' and not worry about actually assembling with fellow believers.
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