Baptism

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.