Baptism
Matthew 28:18-19
And Jesus came and spoke unto
them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye
therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and
of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost;
Baptism is to be administered in
the name of God the Father, and of God the Son, and of God the Holy Ghost, the
reason of this is that each of the divine Persons has His part in the
accomplishment of the salvation of the elect according to the united love of
each of the, Three in One. God the Father chose or elected His people to
salvation “out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;” and “from
among men.” God the Son redeemed every person who the Father chose or elected,
with His precious blood and it is very clear that the Holy Ghost has called or
will call every one whom the Father has chosen, and the Son has redeemed, for,
in the eternal state, they are all present, for, it is the chosen, redeemed and
called who sing the new song, (Revelation
5:9; 14:4; John 17:12: Jude 1:1; II Thessalonians 2:13; Ephesians 1:4). As our Lord Jesus said: “All that the Father
giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast
out.” (John 6:37) And again our Lord Jesus said: “As thou hast given him power
over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given
him.” (John 17:2). Everyone that the Father has elected and given to the Son:
the Son has redeemed by His precious blood, and in the end, the Holy Ghost will
have called each and every one of these elected and redeemed sinners in the
birth from above.
The ordinary means for separating
the elect from the world is by the preaching of the gospel. The carnal mind is
enmity against God (Romans 8:7) and therefore is enmity against His gospel, which
is the good news of the Father’s election unto salvation, the Son’s Redemption
from the curse, and the Holy Ghost’s effectual life giving call. The natural man as he is born in this world
cannot receive these things, for they are foolishness unto him (I Corinthians
1:23-24; 2:14), but to the children of God, who are taught by the Spirit of
God, these things are the power of God; and by the birth from above the
covenant children are made to rejoice in the very things they once hated along
with the rest of the world. What miracle of grace is this? That despisers
should be made friends; and that haters of God should be made His suppliants: but
that is according to the word of truth, for: “The LORD said to my Lord, Sit
thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy foot stool.” (Psalm 110:1).
Because of these things the
preachers of the true gospel are encouraged to preach the gospel of God, which
no man who void of the grace of the Spirit is able to hear (John 6:44, 65). God
sends His preachers to preach a message that none, but the spiritually living
can hear; and it is the message of grace, made effectual by God the Holy Ghost,
that is the power of God unto salvation (Romans 1:16-17). As in the creation of
Adam, and the case of Ezekiel’s valley of dry bones, there was no life until the
breath of God entered the lifeless clay and gave life to the dead. “The wind
bloweth where it listeth,” (John 3:8, In this verse, the words breath, and
Spirit, are both translated from the same Greek word, pnuema: which means a
current of air, breath, wind, figuratively a spirit, see Strong’s exhaustive
concordance #G4151) the breath of God, the Holy Ghost moves over the new
creation as He will, imparting new life to “Jerusalem which is above - the holy
Jerusalem” (Galatians 4:26; Revelation 21:10). Here is the fellowship of the
mystery of the gospel: to the chosen, redeemed, and called of God the gospel is
a savor of life unto life, but to the unregenerate, the natural man, it is a
savor of death unto death (II Corinthians 2:16).
Men cannot hear that which they
will not hear (John 5:40: Jeremiah 6:16-17): a spirit of rebellion, human
self-sufficiency, self-righteousness, and human pride keep the heart from
submission to “the gospel of God” (Romans 1:1). Because of the total depravity
of natural heart the Lord gives many over to a reprobate mind (Romans 1:18-32;
Proverbs 1:24-33; II Thessalonians 2:5-12) to walk in the their own evil way, but
some, He has resolved to save; and these He will not let die in their rebellion
(Psalm 68:18). The way of life and peace is in Christ Jesus, it should be the
goal of every son and daughter of Adam to find whether God has or has not given
him or her a part in that way. Our Lord Jesus Christ said “I am the way, the
truth, and the life; no man cometh to the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6). The
Son of God, our Lord Jesus Christ came to “save sinners” (I Timothy 1:15): to
seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10): to set captives free, for
He said: “The Spirit of the Lord is
upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath
sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and
the recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,
To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.” (Luke 4:18-19). And in the prophesy
of Ezekiel it is written: “For thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I, even I, will both search my sheep, and
seek them out. As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among
his sheep that are scattered; so will
I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out of all places where they have
been scattered in the cloudy and dark day. And I will bring them out from the
people, and gather them out from the countries, and will bring them to their
own land, and feed them upon the mountains of Israel by the rivers, and in all
the inhabited places of the country. I will feed them in good pasture and upon
the high mountains of Israel shall their fold be: there shall they lie down in
good fold, and in fat pasture shall
they feed upon the mountains of Israel. I will feed my flock, and I will cause
them to lie down, saith the Lord God. I will seek that which was lost, and
bring again that which was driven away, and will bind that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick; but
I will destroy the fat and the strong; I will feed them with judgment.”
(Ezekiel 34:11-16). Our Lord Jesus Christ is the good Shepherd, as He said: “I
am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.” (John
10:11). Our Lord Jesus said to the
Pharisees of His day “ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said
unto you. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:” (John
10:26-27). Reader are you one of the Lord’s sheep, one of His people, one of
His little ones? If you are: His word will bare witness that it is the word of
truth.
“There is a way that seemeth
right unto a man, but the end thereof are
the ways of death.” (Proverbs 16:25). The way that seemeth right is the way of free-will-works
religion, that is, natural religion; and those who are of that way reason thus
within themselves, it is up to me to make it right with God, therefore I will
do my best and God will accept me, this is the way of death; and the way of
Cain. Hell will have many who have said Lord, Lord, have not we preached in thy
name, and in thy name cast out devils, and in thy name done many wonderful
works, (Matthew 7:21-23). The way of a man’s own free-will choice is always a
choice that resists the grace of God, for all men and women are by nature the
children of wrath: denying the effectual nature of the grace of God (Ephesians
2:3) and robbing God of His glory in the salvation of His own elect through
that denial. Those who deny the effectual grace of God, in election,
redemption, and regeneration: deny the God who elected, redeemed, and who regenerates,
His Own elect by Irresistible, Sovereign grace. These are they who love the way
of their natural understanding, the way of nominal religion, the way that is
not dependant upon the free grace of God as the only cause of salvation: this
is the way of death (Proverbs 14:12).
What should sinners, who are
unregenerate, do in the light of the truth of the Father’s election of grace,
the Son’s redemption of the elect, and the Holy Ghost’s regeneration of the
elect, redeemed? How is it possible to
“make your calling and election sure” (II Peter 1:10)? The evidence that God
gives in the scriptures is belief of the true gospel, that is the gospel of the
Father’s election of grace, the Son’s actual redemption of the elect, and the
effectual call of the elect redeemed by the Holy Ghost. Those who believe that
God chose based on prescience of the works and faith of men: do not believe the
gospel, for the gospel of God testifies that the elect are saved by grace, and
not of works, as it is written: “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and
that not of yourselves: it is the
gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9). “Not
by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he
saved us, by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost;”
(Titus 3:5). Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of
me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel
according to the power of God; Who hath saved us, and called us with a holy
calling, nor according to our works, but according to his own purpose and
grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, but is now
made manifest by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who hath abolished
death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel:” (II
Timothy 1:8-9).
“Moses truly said unto the
Fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren,
like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you.
And it shall come to pass, that every
soul, which will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the
people. Yea, and all the prophets from Samuel and those that follow after, as
many as have spoken, have likewise foretold of these days. Ye are the children
of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying
unto Abraham, And in thy seed shall all the kindred’s of the earth be blessed.
Unto you first God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in
turning away everyone of you from his iniquities.” (Acts 3:22-26). Therefore everyone
of the covenant children of God shall be turned away from his iniquities, none
of them shall be lost (John 17:12; 10:27-30): “Believest thou this?” (John
11:26). Those who are the spiritual seed of Abraham believe God (Galatians 3:7),
they believe the unadulterated word of God, they do not add to, nor do they
take from the word, they rest in the Father’s election of grace, the Son’s
redemption through grace, and the Holy Ghost’s effectual gracious life giving
call.
The elect and redeemed children
of God who have been regenerated, by the call of the Holy Spirit: acknowledge
their election of grace, redemption by the Son of God, and their effectual call
by the Spirit of God: in believers Baptism. Believers baptism is not the
washing away of sin, the “filth of the flesh” (I Peter 3:21): but it is the
“answer of a good conscience toward God,) baptism is the regenerated sinners
declaration of his salvation by the grace of God. It is his testimony that the Holy
Ghost has effectually taught him that he has union with other believers in
Jesus Christ, and union with Jesus Christ, that, the believer is part of the
body of Christ; and that the regenerated sinner was: “crucified with Christ” (Ephesians
2:20) buried and raised from the dead in Christ (Ephesians 2:4-7; Colossians
2:12: Revelation 3:21).
Does it matter by whom and in
what church we are baptized? Yes it does matter by whom we are baptized; and by
what religious organization a person is baptized. In baptism we give our hearty
A-men to the doctrine of the person and organization by whom we are being
baptized.
Baptism is a figurative burial,
and resurrection, it is a person’s testimony that in Jesus Christ he has been
crucified, buried, and resurrected: because of eternal covenant union with
Christ. The vital principle of spiritual life by which we know all things
pertaining to the souls salvation is given us by the unction (anointing of the
Holy Ghost) from the Holy One (I John 2:20). Baptism is by emersion, a burial,
being the believer’s confession of his baptism (of the Spirit I Corinthians
12:13) into death with Jesus Christ (Romans 6:3) therefore the conversion of
sinners is the result of their union with Christ in death.
Infant baptism is a mockery of
true baptism, for we burry the dead, not infants; and sprinkling is also a
mockery, when we bury someone we do not sprinkle a little dirt and then go our
way! No we burry them under several feet of dirt. For earth will return to
earth. Baptism does not bring salvation, baptism is for believers, who have
been taught of the Spirit of God that they are the children of God. Baptism and
the Lord’s Supper, the two ceremonies instituted by the Lord Christ Jesus for
His people: and both “do show the Lord’s death til He come.” (I Corinthians
11:26).
AJ Ison
See the writers blog at
www.hebrews915.blogspot.com hear the true gospel of God’s free and sovereign
grace preached at www.13thstbaptist.org
webcasting live at listed service times.
