Understanding Baptisms
Romans chapter 6 uses the word baptized and baptism in teaching us the importance of victory over sin. This word and its meaning has a lot of controversy in religious circles. But by comparing scripture with scripture, and not taking the word out of its context, a true and clear understanding of the word and its application can be understood. Knowing the word of God is the highest point of understanding, and is our greatest weapon against error.
Again, I say: By comparing scripture with scripture, and not taking the word out of its context, a true and clear understanding of any word in the bible, and its application, can be understood!
How sad that most people don’t study their bibles, or even take the time to read it! And yet their eternal destiny is determined by every page and every verse! Every person will face the judgment of God. At that time, the word of God, will be used to judge them and the life they lived!
Rev 20:12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
This powerful word of God, gives us victory over sin, death, and hell! It opens to us, the gates of heaven, or the gates of hell. And yet, people reject it message! That’s incredible!
By comparing scripture with scripture, and not taking the word out of its context, a true and clear understanding of any word in the bible, and its application, can be understood! This is very helpful when there are opposing religious views on the subject. Understanding the truth exposes the error of many.
Let us take a clear scriptural look at Baptism.
Rom 6:3 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?
Rom 6:4 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.
In its simplest form, baptism or baptized, means to enter into something, or to be a part of. To accept something and be a part of it. The scripture in rom 6:3,4 is telling us when we accept Jesus as our savior, then our sins as an act is removed from us, by the blood and death of Jesus on the cross. Thus, we became a part of his salvation.
Because we accept it and become a part of it! This, the word “baptized” is used. baptism or baptized, means to enter into something, or to be a part of.
As a result of our accepting the salvation of Jesus, we are freed from our natural obedience to sin.
Rom 6:1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?
Rom 6:2 God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?
Here again we see how the death of Christ, caused us to be dead to sin, and we are freed from its power over us.
All sin demands punishment. That punishment is spiritual death. What we call hell.
Jesus provided his death, as our substitute. By doing so, he paid the price of our sin. When that price of justice has been satisfied, we are given an entrance into the kingdom of God! We call that eternal life.
Rom 6:22 But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.
Rom 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
In todays world, baptism has come to mean “being submersed in water,” or some other ritual that represents being submerged in water. How sad that the glorious word of HOPE, has been substituted and misrepresented, until it has lost its scriptural meaning of victory over sin, death, and hell!
Those who promote such watering down of the scripture , are fighting the devils warfare against God and his word!
Praise God for those who study their bibles and understand it! and proclaim the truth of the gospel, against the religious fanatics who are deceiving those who would seek to enter the kingdom of God!
The bible does teach us the rite of baptism. There is a purpose and cause for it. But the spiritual application has nothing to do with water! Its accepting Jesus by faith, and being a part of his salvation!
This is important to know, because there are those who teach you MUST be baptized in water to be saved. That is not the case!
The physical act of being submerged in water, as being baptized, saves nobody. It is an outward testimony, that you have already been saved by faith through the merits of Christ! Some churches require the water baptism, before you can be a member of that church. This is a man-made application of being baptized. While there Is nothing wrong in baptism its self, there is a danger of false teaching, when we make it a requirement of salvation! Saying we must be baptized to be saved. That’s backwards! It should be the other way around. We should be saved (entered into the merits of Christ death or “spiritual baptism”) before we can be physically baptized in water. Remember, the water baptism is a testimony to our salvation. And our membership is into the invisible church of God, whose name are written in the lambs book of life! To say water baptism brings us into salvation, is putting the cart before the horse.
All this may sound very trifle, until we see how the “water baptism” is REPLACING the meaning of spiritual baptism, of entering into the merits of Christ! People are getting baptized by water, and thinking they are saved! but there is no salvation or forgiveness, or deliverance or freedom in Christ, by getting wet . All they got was misled and wet! Then they discover nothing really happened, and conclude the bible and the church is a bunch of nonsense! We see then, how the deception, is being used to undermine the word of God, and his power to deliver! Now we see the danger of deception, and the importance of understanding the word of God.
If we understand the scriptural meaning of baptism, then the following verse will make sense.
1Co 10:1 Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea;
1Co 10:2 And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea;
1Co 10:3 And did all eat the same spiritual meat;
1Co 10:4 And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.
Did Moses have to physically baptize by water, several million people in the desert, for them to be a part of what God was doing? No!
How then were they baptized? They accepted what God was doing, and became of a part of it!
Here again we understand the meaning of baptism.
In its simplest form, baptism or baptized, means to enter into something, or to be a part of. To accept something and be a part of it.
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