Tuesday, June 17, 2014

A Word on Baptism: Dispelling The Confusion

 
 
 
“In dispelling the confusion of the mind concerning particulars and even the whole of the Son of God, we must renew our minds in the only manner that guarantees us revelation into who is Christ the Lord. The holy scriptures recorded in the Bible, in which is the revelation of The Word of God.” —F. Lugo
 


When we read, ‘baptizing them in name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit’ or ‘let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins’ we must come to know that this is no mere formula or contradiction, and steer clear of petty arguments and stumbling over sound doctrine and the holy scriptures.

What is this controversy and seeming contradiction among the scriptures and baptismal doctrine? Are they at odds within themselves or in harmony? Did Jesus give a clear command that the apostle Peter shortly after did not adhere to? The truth, is that, both are equally true as both are equally in harmony. Let us see how this is so. With that said, I now invite you into my HEART...



Jesus made bold claims that He backed up when He emerged triumphantly, having the victory over death and the grave by the power of God on the third day, from the tomb He was buried in after dying on the Cross just before the Sabbath. Now I will not go into the Crucifixion or the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus, but I will list many references to Him, concerning Him and what He declared of Himself. This will show that when the apostle Peter spoke such words before a big crowd gathered in Jerusalem he in no way contradicted His Risen Lord: Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. (Acts 2:38 NKJV). Why instruct his audience to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, and not follow verbatim his Lord’s command: And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20 NKJV emphasis added)


John the Baptist [the immersor], is synonymous with water baptism, as he baptized where there was much water signifying the element of lowering down or to immerse those he baptized. For further clarity, the word baptism comes from the Greek root word baptizo in which means to immerse or submerge, signifying a complete lowering of a body into water not a sprinkling, in which is made known through John’s choice of a place where there was a lot of water.
 
 
Now the weight that the name of Jesus carries is quite significant. The below all lead to references defining the sheer magnitude that the name of Jesus comes with:


  • Jesus Christ = when you see Him, you see the Father (John 14:7-11)




  • Jesus Christ = has the full measure of the Holy Spirit (John 3:34)

  • Jesus Christ = baptizes us with Holy Spirit and fire (Matthew 3:11)

  • Jesus Christ = was filled with the Holy Spirit (Luke 4:1)

 
Now in taking in the full scope of who Jesus is, and that the Father and Him are One, and that the Holy Spirit was upon Him, in Him and filled Him, it is not to much to declare this: If one gets baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, they have indeed gotten baptized into the fullness of God, in which is fully made known in Jesus Christ, who embodies the Father and the Holy Spirit simultaneously. To know the Son is to know the Father and the Holy Spirit.

Below, I have included even more testimonial accounts of Jesus and the surrounding scriptural examples of baptism in which dispels the confusion of the words of Jesus and the words of Peter and whether they are at odds or in harmony with one another.


Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him. And John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?” But Jesus answered and said to him, “Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he allowed Him. When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:13-17 NKJV)

Now an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying, “Arise and go toward the south along the road which goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is desert. So he arose and went. And behold, a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace the queen of the Ethiopians, who had charge of all her treasury, and had come to Jerusalem to worship, was returning. And sitting in his chariot, he was reading Isaiah the prophet. Then the Spirit said to Philip, “Go near and overtake this chariot.” So Philip ran to him, and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said, “Do you understand what you are reading?” And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he asked Philip to come up and sit with him. The place in the Scripture which he read was this: “He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; And as a lamb before its shearer is silent, So He opened not His mouth. In His humiliation His justice was taken away, And who will declare His generation? For His life is taken from the earth.” So the eunuch answered Philip and said, “I ask you, of whom does the prophet say this, of himself or of some other man?” Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning at this Scripture, preached Jesus to him. Now as they went down the road, they came to some water. And the eunuch said, “See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?” Then Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.” And he answered and said, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.” So he commanded the chariot to stand still. And both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptized him. (Acts 8:26-38 NKJV)

 
God’s Word is never at odds, never in contradiction and no parts of it have been null and void, but all is in harmony, in order and is fulfilled in Christ the Lord, as it is written:
 

And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people. Great multitudes followed Him—from Galilee, and from Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan. 

And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him. Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying: “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. 
(Matthew 4:23, 25; Matthew 5:1-2, 17-20 NKJV)



In closing. To be baptized whether into three names as it were, or one name, as some may see it to be, you are actually not being baptized into mere names or titles, but rather, you’re being baptized into love, you’re being baptized into a calling, you’re being baptized into promise! Halleluyah and Amen.



  • Baptized into calling: Jesus came to serve, to be a servant and to be the atoning sacrifice for all sin (Mark 10:45); Jesus preached the Gospel of the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 9:35); Jesus invited others to boldly come after Him (Luke 9:23); and His calling becomes our calling (Ephesians 6:18-20). Click here to view all verses referenced concerning calling

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