WATER BAPTISM
My first encounter of
water baptism in the Bible was Matthew 3 v l3-l7. This was John’s
baptism where Jesus came to John at the River Jordan to be baptized
by him and in verse 15 Jesus said unto John:
“Suffer it to be so
now for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness.”
In Matthew 28 v 16 – 19:
“Then the eleven
disciples went away into Galilee into a mountain where
Jesus had appointed to meet them.”
This is where he gave them
what is commonly known as the great commission.
“Go ye therefore and
teach all nations baptizing them in the name of the
Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost.”
“Then Peter said unto
them, repent and be baptized everyone of you in the name of
Jesus Christ for the remission of sins and ye shall receive
the gift of the Holy Ghost...”
At this stage I began to wonder if the Bible was going to give me a variety of teaching also. Jesus had told his disciples including Peter to go and baptize in the name of the Father the Son and the Holy Ghost. Then Peter a short time later at Pentecost told the people to repent and be baptised in the name of Jesus Christ which was quite different from what he was told to do.
Acts chapter 8 v 12-17:
“But when they
believed Philip preaching the things concerning the
kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ they were baptized both
men and women.
Now when the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had
received the word of God they sent unto them Peter and John, who,
when they came down prayed for them that they might receive the Holy
Ghost, for as yet he was fallen upon none of them, only they were
baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
In the same chapter v 36 – 38
- Where Philip preached to the Ethiopian eunoch about Jesus, and as
they travelled along they came to some water and the eunoch
said –
“… here is
water what doth hinder me to be
baptized?”
and Philip told him what he had to do to qualify for baptism, which
was to believe on Jesus Christ.
“ …and they went down both
into the water both Philip and the eunoch
and he baptized him”.
Acts ch 9 v 17 & 18, is a
record of Ananias baptizing the apostle Paul.
In Acts ch 10 where Peter
was sent to speak to the household of Cornelius v 44-48:
“While Peter
yet spake these words the Holy Ghost fell on all them which
heard the word, and they of the circumcision which believed were
astonished, as many as came with Peter
because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of
the Holy Ghost for they heard them speak with tongues and magnify
God. Then answered
Peter, can any man forbid water that these should not be baptized
which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we, and he commanded
them to be baptized in the name of the Lord,
The next scripture is Acts
16 v 13-15:
“On the Sabbath (Paul)
went out of the city by a riverside where prayer was wont to be
made and he sat down and spake to the women which were there,
one of them being Lydia whose heart the Lord opened that she
attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul, and then she was
baptized and her household…”
Again in Acts 16 verses
30-33:
“The Philippian
jailor said to Paul and company, what must I do to be
saved? and they said,
Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be
saved and thy household. And they spake unto him the word of the
Lord, and to all that were in his house.
And he took them the same hour of the night and washed
their stripes and was baptized, he and all his straightaway”.
Acts 18 v 8:
“And Crispus the
chief ruler of the synagogue believed on the Lord with all his house
and many of the Corinthians hearing, believed and were
baptized”.
Acts 19 v 1-6:
“And it came to pass
that while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the
upper coasts came to Ephesus and finding certain disciples he said
unto them – have ye received the Holy Ghost since you believed? And
they said unto him, we have not so much as heard whether there be
any Holy Ghost and he said unto them, unto what then were ye
baptized, and they said unto John’s baptism.
Then Paul said, John verily baptized with the
baptism of repentance saying unto the people that they should
believe on him which should come after him, that is on Christ Jesus.
When they heard this they were baptized in the name
of the Lord Jesus”.
Romans 6 v 3:
“Know ye not that so
many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into
His death , therefore we are buried with Him by baptism
into
His death”.
Galatians 3 v 27:
“For as many of you
as have been baptized into Christ have put on
Christ”.
Colossians 2 v 12:
“Buried
with him - in baptism”
All the records of baptism in
the New Testament where they were baptized in a specific name it is
always the name of Jesus Christ or the Lord Jesus that was used, and
the baptisms where there is no record of whose name they were
baptized into, these baptisms were carried out by Paul and Phillip
who always used the name of Jesus Christ or the Lord Jesus..
Also Romans ch 6 v 3-5:
“Know ye not that so
many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his
death. Therefore we are
buried with Him by baptism into death that like as Christ was
raised up from the dead
by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in
newness of life. For if
we have been planted together in the likeness of his death we shall
be also in the likeness of his resurrection”.
It is
very obvious that Jesus Christ is the only one of the Godhead
that could be associated with this verse.
The Father or the Holy Spirit couldn’t have been raised from
the dead because they didn’t die. The three names mentioned
in Matthew ch 28 v 19 wouldn’t fit into Romans ch 6 at all, and
wouldn’t fit into Galatians 3 v 27:
“For as many of you
as have been baptized into Christ have put on
Christ”
and also Colossians ch 2 v
12:
“Buried with Him,
(not them) by baptism…”
John said in Matthew ch 3 v
11:
“I indeed baptize
you with water unto repentance but He (Jesus) that
cometh after me is mightier than I whose shoes I am not
worthy to bear, he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with
fire.”
At Pentecost the baptism
of the Holy Ghost was by fire and not water. Acts ch 2 v 1-4.
Acts ch 8 v 14-17:
“Now when the
apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the
word of God they sent unto them Peter and John, who when they were
come down prayed for them that they might receive the
Holy Ghost, for
as yet he was fallen upon none of them, only they were
baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus,
then they laid their hands on them and
they received the Holy Ghost”.
These believers were baptized in the Holy Ghost some time after they were baptized in water.
In Acts ch 10 v 44:
“While Peter yet
spake these words the Holy Ghost fell on all them that heard
the word v 46 for they heard them speak with tongues
…”
Also verse 48 “and
he (Peter) commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord.”
These people were baptized in the Holy Ghost before they were
baptized in water.
Acts ch 19 v 5:
“When they heard
these things they were baptized in the name of the
Lord Jesus”
Verse 6:
“And when Paul had
laid his hands upon them the Holy Ghost came upon them
and they spake with tongues and prophesied ...”
These people were baptized
in the Holy Ghost after they were baptized in water, therefore
baptism of the Holy Ghost can either take place before or after
water baptism, and one is not part of the other.
This study should be
overwhelming evidence that all water baptisms in the New Testament
were carried out exclusively in the name of Jesus Christ or the Lord
Jesus.
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