All about Water Baptism
By Herbert W. Armstrong
IS WATER baptism essential to salvation? What about the
"thief on the cross"? Was he saved without it?
What is the proper form, or mode -- sprinkling, pouring or
immersion?
Should babies and children be baptized? Suppose you were
baptized by a minister you have since lost confidence in. Should you be
baptized over again?
Suppose you were baptized "in the name of the Father,
and the Son, and the Holy Ghost [Spirit]." Should you be baptized again
"in the name of Jesus" only?
Should one be baptized IMMEDIATELY, or only "after a
six months' probation"? Must the ordinance be performed by an ordained
minister?
WE ARE saved by GRACE, and through FAITH
-- make no mistake about that; but -- there are conditions!
And millions are being deceived, misled
into thinking they are saved, when they are not!
People have been taught, falsely, that
"Christ completed the Plan of Salvation on the Cross" -- when
actually it was only begun there. The popular denominations have taught,
"Just BELIEVE -- that's all there is to it; believe on the Lord Jesus
Christ, and you are that instant saved!"
That teaching is false! And because of
deception -- because the TRUE GOSPEL of Jesus Christ has been all but blotted
out, lo these 1900 years by the preaching of a false gospel about the Person of
Christ -- and often a false Christ at that -- millions today WORSHIP CHRIST --
and all in vain! "In vain do they worship me," said Jesus,
"teaching for doctrines the commandments of men" (Mark 7: 6-9).
Man is mortal. Man has no immortality
inherent within himself. Christ Jesus, only, of all men who have lived, has
immortality (I Tim.
The BLOOD of Christ does not finally save
any man. The death of Christ merely paid the penalty of sin in our stead -- it
wipes the slate clean of past sins -- it saves us merely from the DEATH PENALTY
-- it removes that which separated us from God and reconciles us to God.
But we are SAVED -- that is, given
immortal life -- by Christ's LIFE, not by His death (Rom.
We are mortal, without immortal life
inherent in us, under penalty of eternal DEATH from sin -- unless saved. To be
saved, we must be born of God, who is a Spirit. We were born of human parents,
and therefore we are human -- flesh -- dust -- of the earth, earthy (John 3:3,
6; Gen. 2:7;
Becoming converted means being CHANGED.
When one receives the Holy Spirit of God, his whole viewpoint, his outlook, his
purposes, goals, ways of thought -- everything -- becomes CHANGED! It is a
renewing of the MIND -- the Spirit of a sound mind. But he is as yet merely
begotten. And, as the unborn babe must be fed, through the mother, and must
develop and grow physically before it can be born, so the converted human, now
spiritually begotten, must be fed on the spiritual food of GOD'S WORD, and must
GROW SPIRITUALLY -- must grow in grace and the knowledge of Christ as He
reveals His knowledge through His Word (II Peter 3:18). He must OVERCOME the
down-pull of his human nature and achieve self-discipline. He must learn
PATIENCE, must grow in LOVE, FAITH, and UNDERSTANDING. He must do the WORKS of
Christ; and, in this spiritual growth -- this life of active service -- he must
ENDURE persecutions and afflictions and trials UNTO THE END.
It is only those who, during this
Christian Spirit-begotten life, have grown in knowledge and grace, have
overcome, have developed spiritually, done the works of Christ, and endured
unto the end, who shall finally be given IMMORTALITY -- finally changed from
mortal to IMMORTAL at the time of the second coming of Christ (I Cor.
15:53-54).
So, being, as we say, converted --
receiving the Holy Spirit of God -- is merely the beginning! Then begins a
lifetime of LIVING under the GOVERNMENT OF GOD -- by God's laws which express
His will, instead of by self-will and desire.
A PERSON IS NOT EVEN BEGOTTEN OF GOD
UNLESS HE IS CHRIST'S (I John
"What Shall We Do?"
Notice the very beginning of the Gospel of
Jesus Christ (Mark
After Jesus had completed His earthly
ministry, had paid the penalty of your sins, had risen from the dead and
ascended to heaven, the Holy Spirit was sent on the day of Pentecost.
Thousands were in
"What shall we do?" they cried
out to Peter and the disciples. "HOW SHALL WE BE SAVED?"
Peter was now inspired. The answer came
straight and direct! "REPENT"! shouted the inspired Peter in great
power, "AND BE BAPTIZED, EVERY ONE OF YOU IN THE NAME OF JESUS CHRIST FOR
THE REMISSION OF SINS, AND YE SHALL RECEIVE THE GIFT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT"!
(Acts
There are the conditions -- JUST TWO --
the same as Jesus gave them at the very beginning of His Gospel -- REPENT, and
BELIEVE! For one cannot be rightly baptized except he believe (Acts
Once these conditions are complied with,
God stands bound by a PROMISE to put within the repentant believer HIS SPIRIT
-- which means His LOVE, faith, understanding, gentleness and goodness, power,
etc. -- His attitude of mind -- the Spirit of a sound mind -- His very LIFE --
the impregnation and begettal of eternal life, and the very character of God!
The HOLY SPIRIT in one CHANGES one!
"For the PROMISE is unto you, and to
your children ... even as many as the Lord our God shall call" (Acts
WATER BAPTISM, THEN, IS A REQUIRED PART OF
THE WAY OF SALVATION!
Jesus' Example!
Jesus in all things set us an example,
that we should follow His steps. He was the example for Christian living for
the individual, and also the living example for His called ministers (I Peter
Jesus, though He had committed no sins to
be remitted, was baptized, setting the example for us. You'll read of it in
Matthew 3:13-17. In being baptized, Jesus was immersed in water (not sprinkled
or poured upon) because "Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway
out of the water." Immediately the Spirit of God descended upon Him, in
this case visibly, and a voice from heaven said: "This is my beloved Son,
in whom I am well pleased." God help us, that by His help, power, and
grace, we may be enabled to live such overcoming lives that He may finally say
the same of us!
Meaning of "In the Name of
Jesus Christ"
Jesus also set the example for ministers.
Did you know that Jesus baptized more disciples than John the Baptist?
Listen: "After these things came
Jesus and his disciples into the
There is an important meaning here.
Actually Jesus did not do the physical work of baptizing these people Himself
-- He had His disciples do it for Him! And what they did, by His authority and
command, is attributed to Him! So it was considered as if Jesus Himself had
baptized them.
Here is a most important truth. His
disciples did the baptizing IN HIS NAME -- that is, in His stead -- they did it
for Him, by His authority -- and that was considered just the same as if Jesus
had actually done it Himself! In fact, the Holy Spirit actually inspired the
direct statement that Jesus baptized more disciples than John. When, at His
direction, and by His authority, His chosen disciples, chosen by Him, did it
for Him, it is considered that JESUS did the baptizing. He did it, in other
words, by and through His disciples!
To ask for anything in prayer, or to do or
perform anything, IN THE NAME OF JESUS CHRIST, is to ask or do it BY HIS
AUTHORITY. It is to act for Him. To do it for Him, in His stead. It is acting
as if by power of attorney to act FOR Him. It implies He has delegated that
authority to us. And indeed He has! For we are commanded to do all things IN
THE NAME OF CHRIST!
Jesus Commanded Baptism
Keep in mind the clear picture of the true
GOSPEL. The true Gospel of Jesus Christ is the Message which GOD SENT to the
world, and Christ was the divine Messenger who brought and proclaimed it. It
was not primarily a Message about Himself, but about the Kingdom -- the
GOVERNMENT -- of God. Jesus devoted three-and-a-half years to teaching this
Message to His twelve apostles.
After His resurrection, Jesus gave them the
final GOSPEL COMMISSION for this age, and in it He commanded baptism as an
obligatory ordinance for this Gospel dispensation:
"And he said unto them, Go ye into
all the world, and preach THE GOSPEL" (the Message God sent and Christ
proclaimed) "TO EVERY CREATURE. He that believeth, and is baptized, shall
be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned" (Mark
Notice Matthew's version of the Great
Commission: "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations ... " surely the
disciples were to teach these nations that which Jesus had taught them -- the
Message God had sent Him to deliver and proclaim to the world -- the Good News
of the government of God -- a Message that has not been preached for 1800 years
or more!”... Baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of
the Holy Spirit: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have
commanded you" (Matt. 28:19-20).
Here again, in the final Great Commission
for preaching the Gospel in this age, Christ commanded BAPTISM. And here He
specifically stated "in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the
Holy Ghost [Spirit]."
In Name of Jesus Only
Since some today are being baptized over
again "in the name of Jesus ONLY" in order to eliminate the Father,
and the Holy Spirit, this should be considered here. The contention of these
people is that this passage in Matthew 28:19 is the only place in the Bible
where the names of the Father and the Holy Spirit are commanded. They argue
that a thing must be established "in the mouth of two or more
witnesses," and since they claim there is but this one witness to this
command, it must be rejected. All other passages mention only the name of
Jesus.
The explanation is that two or more
witnesses are required only in the case of HUMAN testimony -- where one accuses
another. That instruction does not apply to the divine Witness, as inspired by
the Holy Spirit, and to assume it does is surely close to blasphemy against the
Holy Spirit! On the contrary, "ALL scripture is given by inspiration of
God, and is profitable ...." And, THE SCRIPTURE CANNOT BE BROKEN! If you
can break, disprove, reject, or throw out this one scripture, you can reject
all the rest!
In this passage, the word translated
"in" should properly be translated "into." The meaning,
then, is that repentant believers are baptized INTO God the Father, and into
Christ the Son, and into the Holy Spirit. But the one who plunges the new
believer under the water performs the act IN THE NAME OF -- that is, by
authority of, JESUS CHRIST. Why? Because Jesus said "ALL POWER" --
and that includes all authority -- "is given unto me in heaven and in earth."
He has ALL authority! Either we do it by His authority, or else we are doing it
without any authority.
New Testament Ordinance
The apostles understood this as a divine
Commission and Command. They carried it out. They always baptized repentant believers.
The first inspired sermon after the Holy
Spirit came to convert Peter and the apostles was mentioned above. Peter
commanded all to repent, and to be baptized.
And "they that gladly received his
word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three
thousand souls" (Acts
"Then Philip went down to the city of
Samaria, and preached Christ unto them ... 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" (Acts 8:5, 12).
Some, who do not believe in water baptism,
may say this baptism was not with water, but with the Holy Spirit. But later,
when the apostles sent Peter and John down to these people at Samaria, they,
"when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the
Holy Spirit: For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were
baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus" (verses 15-16).
None of them had been as yet baptized with
the Holy Spirit -- yet they already were baptized. Since they had not been
baptized with the Holy Spirit, obviously they had been baptized in water.
Baptism Definitely Commanded
As Peter preached the first inspired
sermon after the coming of the Holy Spirit, and commanded baptism -- to the
Jews in
Peter preached to Cornelius' family,
"The word which God sent" -- the Message God sent by Jesus Christ as
Messenger. And "while Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Spirit fell on
all them which heard the word" (Acts
"Then answered Peter, Can any man
forbid WATER, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy
Spirit as well as we? And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the
Lord" (Acts
Here is a definite inspired COMMAND to be
baptized in WATER.
Immersion, Sprinkling, or Pouring?
As in all other points of doctrine, the
churches today are in utmost confusion -- some practicing pouring, some
sprinkling, some immersing. Some say it makes no difference. Those who sprinkle
usually apply it to children.
The word "baptize" is not an
English word. It is a Greek word. The New Testament was written in the Greek
language. In translating it into English, the translators left this Greek word
untranslated. Literally, in the Greek, the word is "baptizo". The
definition of this word is "IMMERSE." It means to plunge into, put
into, dip. It does not mean "to sprinkle" or "to pour." The
Greek word for "sprinkle" is "rantidzo", and "to
pour" is "cheo" in Greek. The Holy Spirit did not inspire the
use of these words, but baptizo, meaning IMMERSE, PUT INTO.
Therefore sprinkling or pouring IS NOT
BAPTIZING! When one understands the meaning of the words inspired, it is silly
to talk about "which form or mode of baptizing shall we use -- sprinkling,
pouring, or immersing?" It is as ridiculous as to ask which form of
IMMERSING shall we use -- sprinkling, pouring, or immersing? Or as to ask
"which form or mode of skiing shall we use -- swimming, ice-skating, or
skiing?" Swimming and ice-skating are not skiing. Sprinkling and pouring
are not baptizing.
John baptized around about Aenon near
Jesus set us an example -- there was no
other purpose in His baptism -- and He was put down into the water, for He went
up OUT OF the water. Both Philip and the eunuch went down INTO the water (Acts
The Meaning of Baptism
Baptism is a BURIAL, and a RISING from a
grave. Notice Colossians 2:12. "Buried with him in baptism, wherein also
ye are RISEN with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath
raised him from the dead." Neither sprinkling nor pouring is a burial, and
one rises up out of neither. They do not picture the symbolic meaning of
baptism, and therefore are meaningless.
When one is plunged INTO the water, he is
in a watery grave. He would not live ten minutes unless brought up out of the
water -- unless RISEN from this watery grave. Therefore a person immersed in
water is in a literal grave.
Notice further: "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" (
There is the beautiful symbolism -- the
real meaning of baptism. It pictures, in symbol, the death, burial, and
resurrection of Christ.
But it is a DUAL picture, as all things in
God's Plan are DUAL in operation. It also pictures the crucifixion of the old
self (verses 6-7), or of the sinning life, the burial of this sinning self, and
the coming up out of this watery grave, symbolic of a CHANGED person
resurrected to a new, righteous, spiritual life in Christ Jesus.
Going down into the water pictures the
DEATH of Christ, and of the old self.
Burial in the water pictures the BURIAL of
Christ, and of the old self.
Coming up out of the water pictures
Christ's RESURRECTION, and a spiritually resurrected person walking henceforth
"in newness of life."
Water baptism is the ordinance ordained of
Christ by which we express our FAITH in Christ as Saviour -- our ACCEPTANCE of
His death, burial, and resurrection for us, and our repentance of the old life
and burial of it, rising to new and higher life henceforth. It is a beautiful
ordinance, full of meaning!
Not Baptized Into a Denomination
Notice carefully, too -- we are
"BAPTIZED INTO JESUS CHRIST" (verse 3, above), or, as Jesus expressed
it in Matthew 28:19, into the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit -- NOT INTO SOME
CHURCH ORGANIZATION OR DENOMINATION.
In many sectarian churches today the
minister will refuse to baptize one except into his church -- his group or
organization of human beings. That is not proper baptism. We are to be baptized
into the DIVINE FAMILY -- the family of God. And it is to be done "in the
name" -- by the authority -- of Jesus Christ.
Baptism has degenerated in many churches
into a rite or ceremony of entrance into the fellowship of that sectarian
organization -- nothing more than a rite by which one joins a lodge or social
club!
Note well these facts: One may
"join" a lodge, social club, or organized group of MEN (and most
churches today have degenerated into social societies). But ONE CANNOT JOIN THE
How does one gain entrance into the true
CHURCH? "By ONE SPIRIT are we all baptized into [PUT INTO] one body"
-- the Body of Christ, the true
Now water baptism is a required CONDITION
to receiving the Holy Spirit. At
BUT THERE IS NO PROMISE THAT ANYONE WILL
RECEIVE THE HOLY SPIRIT UNTIL BAPTIZED IN WATER -- even though God in His
wisdom and love may on rare occasions make an exception. The command is,
"Repent, and be baptized" -- and THEN "ye shall receive the gift
of the Holy Spirit."
The Thief on the Cross
Is baptism essential? How about the
"thief on the cross"?
The answer is, GOD COMMANDS WATER BAPTISM.
The water baptism is not the thing that saves us. While it is commanded
"for the remission of sins," yet it is merely symbolic of that which
remits our sins -- the DEATH OF CHRIST. While also it pictures His
resurrection, by which we are finally SAVED, it is merely the symbol, not the
reality.
The true explanation is that the
"thief on the cross" was unable to be baptized. And since baptism is
not the thing which saves us from the death penalty, makes us righteous, or
imparts eternal life, he did not lose salvation because of circumstances out of
his control. God makes allowance for such cases.
But God commands water baptism; and for
one WHO IS ABLE to either defy the command and refuse, or neglect, or even put
off obedience to this command until too late, certainly would be an act of
disobedience which would impose the PENALTY of sin, and cause loss of
salvation.
You need not worry about the thief on the
cross -- or one utterly UNABLE to be baptized. You need be MUCH concerned,
however -- you who are able -- about obedience to the command. It is essential to
salvation inasmuch as God commands it, and non-compliance is disobedience which
would mean loss of salvation.
How Long Should We Wait?
This brings us to the question -- how soon
must we be baptized?
One or two denominations insist it be put
off until the candidate has PROVED HIMSELF -- has proved he has the Holy Spirit
and is living a righteous spiritual life -- or has come to certain spiritual
KNOWLEDGE. One denomination will not baptize people until they come to
"see" and accept God's LAW, and many of this denomination's
doctrines, and usually there is a six-months' probation period.
Paul says God's Law "IS
SPIRITUAL," and that the carnal (unconverted) mind is not subject to the
Law and CANNOT be (Rom.
Therefore, how long should baptism be put
off? The answer is, just as soon as one has been convicted in his heart of his
past sins and sinful life -- just as soon as one realizes his own way of life
has been WRONG, and becomes sick and tired of it, and turns from his own ways
and wants to find GOD'S WAYS and live them, truly REPENTS of his past life of
sins, and BELIEVES in and ACCEPTS Jesus Christ as personal Saviour, and the One
whom he must obey henceforth, and WANTS TO TURN TO THE CHANGED, DIFFERENT, NEW
AND HAPPY LIFE OF FAITH IN CHRIST JESUS, and to become a child of God -- then
that person should be baptized IMMEDIATELY if possible -- and if this is not
possible, then AS SOON as a true servant of God is available to perform the
baptism.
Baptism Should Never Be Delayed
It might be neglected until too late! In
every case recounted in the New Testament, repentant believers were baptized
IMMEDIATELY.
On the day of Pentecost, 3,000 were
baptized THAT SAME DAY. Philip baptized the eunuch AT ONCE. God sent Ananias to
baptize Saul, whose name was changed to Paul, the apostle. Immediately on
meeting him, Ananias said: "And now WHY TARRIEST THOU? arise, and be
baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord" (Acts
Should Children Be Baptized?
One cannot be baptized until after he has
fully REPENTED. Only those who BELIEVE, both the true GOSPEL (the Message Jesus
preached, which is the Kingdom, or Government of God) and on JESUS CHRIST as
personal Saviour, can be baptized (see Acts
Children have not reached that maturity
where they have the self-discipline to truly repent, and believe. I am thinking
of instances in which children, 8 to 12 years old, were baptized by others
against my objections and protests, and without exception, those children soon
became more unruly, more disobedient, more sinful, than before.
When some Samaritans repented at Philip's
preaching, "they were baptized, both men and women" (Acts
The average mind does not mature until
about age 25 -- though there are often exceptions. Some few mature and become
sober and serious in life outlook by 16, or on rare occasions, even younger.
An immature mind may experience an
emotional feeling of temporary remorse, and this may be falsely construed as
REPENTANCE when it is only momentary, soon forgotten. It is like
"puppy-love." How many teenagers, 13 to 17, have a number of temporary
emotional experiences of feeling sure they are "in love." Of course
they themselves feel sure of it, and cannot be talked out of it. Usually they
grow out of it, but in rare cases, of course, they may really "know their
minds" -- though this is the rare exception, not the rule. So with
repentance and belief.
The child who is baptized may be ever so
serious about it at the time. But when that child grows older, he or she
undergoes an entirely new experience in life -- comes under
"teen-age" influences which are quite different today than one or two
generations ago -- must meet many temptations peculiar to energetic, dynamic,
restless, excitement-craving youth in the blooming flower of sex- appeal.
Experience shows not one in perhaps a hundred can be truly "converted"
prior to this age and REMAIN converted, and constantly GROWING SPIRITUALLY,
closer and closer to Christ and His Kingdom, through these trying years.
There can be no set rule about the proper
age for baptism. It is almost impossible to be ABSOLUTELY SURE about young
people under 21 or 25 -- and especially under 18 -- and unless POSITIVELY SURE
that such a one has really repented of self-will, self-desire, and the ways of
this world, such a one should be encouraged to live according to God's Word, but
refrain from baptism until SURE. John the Baptist insisted on candidates
bringing forth "fruits meet for repentance" -- or PROVING their
repentance by THE FRUITS in their lives.
Youngsters should let a few years of such
fruits PROVE their repentance and permanent sincerity and earnestness. Adults
should be baptized IMMEDIATELY, or as soon as possible, on real repentance and
faith.
In the case of some awaiting baptism among
our radio listeners and readers, unable to find a man of God qualified to
baptize them, this very necessity forces them to wait until we can send them a
minister. Where NECESSITY prevents immediate baptism, in such cases, or like
the thief on the cross, God understands and makes allowance. But avoid all
unnecessary delay.
[The Worldwide Church of God has many
ministers throughout the
Must Baptism Be Administered Only by
Ordained Ministers?
Finally, who is authorized to administer
baptism? Must the repentant believer be baptized ONLY by an ordained minister?
How much depends upon the goodness, or belief, or spirituality of the man who
performs the ordinance?
First, let us look to the example of
Jesus; next, to the instructions of Christ; and then, to the teaching and
practice in the early New Testament Church.
Was Jesus Himself an "ordained
minister" -- that is, ordained and approved by one of the popular
denominations around Him? No, He was despised and rejected of them -- opposed,
persecuted, belittled as a non-conformist. And He baptized more disciples than
John. Even John was not recognized, ordained, or sponsored in any way by any
popular group or church. He was in their sight a rank outsider.
Actually, as pointed out earlier, Jesus
Himself immersed no one with His own physical hands -- His disciples did it for
Him, by His authority. And right there is the point which answers the whole
question. The one qualified to do the immersing must always perform it IN THE
NAME OF JESUS CHRIST -- which means by His authority, acting for Christ as His
disciple.
The principle is that IT IS CHRIST WHO IS
BAPTIZING YOU. The man who puts you under the water is merely performing this
physical act for Christ, in His stead. You are not to look to the human man,
further than to conscientiously try to go to one you honestly feel is a man of
God, called of Christ, and used of Him in the work of His true Church. And if
later he turns the wrong way, your salvation does not depend on that man or any
other mortal man, BUT SOLELY UPON CHRIST! There is no cause to be baptized
again by another man.
Always there is the chance that you may be
deceived in the man you believe qualified to act for Christ in the act of
baptism. If it depended upon this man, you would have to have divine powers of
reading minds and hearts to be sure. You might have to be immersed fifty times
before you could be absolutely sure of the man who did it -- and even then you
could be mistaken. Just be as careful as you can, as God gives you to see, in
the man who acts for Christ in baptizing you -- and then DO NOT LOOK AT THE MAN
-- LOOK AT CHRIST -- consider that it is CHRIST who is baptizing you, by and
through a human instrument. And even if the instrument turns out to be
imperfect, remember all humans are imperfect, and it was done for, and in the
name of the only One who ever was perfect. And since it was in reality done BY
CHRIST, it should never be done over by another.
Who Should Baptize?
Now back to the example of Christ. In His
own earthly ministry, He had this immersing performed for Him by His disciples.
At that time they were not even converted -- had not yet received the Holy
Spirit- -for the Holy Spirit was not yet given (John 7:39) because Jesus had
not yet ascended to heaven to send the Holy Spirit (John 16:7), which first
came to enter within and convert these disciples on the day of Pentecost.
Peter was their leader, and even after
this baptizing, Peter denied Jesus three times. If you had been baptized by
Peter in Christ's name, would you, on learning of his denial of Jesus, be
baptized over again?
These men, who baptized for Jesus when He
was with them in person, were not ordained ministers -- were not recognized by
any popular church -- were merely STUDENTS of Jesus at the time, being taught,
not yet prepared to be sent out as His apostles and His ministers. And the
indications are they were young men, perhaps not yet old enough to be made
preachers or evangelists. They were not perfect, not even converted (Luke
Consider now Christ's teaching. Those who
go forth teaching, or preaching, His Gospel (most popular denominations preach
a different gospel) are the ones He commanded and commissioned to do the
baptizing (Matt. 28:19-20).
Consider the example of the inspired early
Church. Philip was not an apostle, or a regular minister, but merely a deacon
commissioned by the Church only to perform physical acts, such as waiting on
tables (Acts 6:2-5). Yet he went down to
If you study the New Testament on the
point, you will see it does not appear to attach great importance as to which
man puts the believer under the water, since it is considered by the one
baptized that CHRIST does it. The Holy Spirit sent Philip later to baptize the
eunuch (Acts
However, notice that the one performing
the baptism ceremony was a representative (though not necessarily an ordained
minister) of the true
Paul Baptized Few
Consider, finally, Paul's example and
teaching.
The
"Is Christ divided?" asked Paul
of them (I Cor.
Notice, PAUL BAPTIZED VERY FEW. He had
others -- perhaps among them a few lay members who were not ordained ministers
at all -- do it for Christ. He was the called minister by whom Christ carried
the Gospel to the Gentiles -- through whom CHRIST as head of the Church ruled
the churches which had been raised up by the preaching of Paul and the young
men he taught and sent out under his direction. Paul did not consider it
important or essential that he, personally, baptize all those being converted
under the ministry God carried on through his supervision. "Christ sent me
not to baptize," he said. Paul had other ordained ministers and helpers do
the baptizing for him -- UNDER HIS DIRECTION.
Some, today, being converted under the
ministry God is carrying on through the supervision of Herbert W. Armstrong
seem to think it important that Herbert W. Armstrong baptize them. But, as in
the days of Paul, there is danger lest people get to looking too much to the
person or the human instrument God is using, INSTEAD OF LOOKING TO CHRIST, THE
HEAD OF THE TRUE CHURCH OF GOD.
And so, as Paul did, we today sometimes
have other consecrated and dedicated non-ordained men do the baptizing. It is
done IN THE NAME OF CHRIST -- it is really CHRIST doing it, through human
instrumentality. A man does it merely as a servant, or instrument of Christ --
just as performing a service, never to his own credit or glory or honour.
Baptizing Counsel
The Worldwide Church of God has dedicated,
consecrated, converted, ordained MINISTERS (and assistants) in all parts of the
world -- available to call on you, visit in your home, answer your questions
about repentance and baptism, explain the Bible to you -- IF YOU request it.
These men are all fully instructed and
trained in the ordinance of baptism. Of course, they will not urge you to be
baptized. God has made every human a free moral agent. God compels each to make
his own decisions, and the true God will never force you to be converted.
However, if you of your own volition
desire personal counsel about repentance and baptism, why not request a private
appointment with one of God's ministers? We may be able to have one call on you
quite soon. And let me suggest that you JOT DOWN on paper THE QUESTIONS you are
going to want to ask. I've learned, personally, by more than 46 years'
experience, that you'll forget them unless you do.
Hundreds and hundreds -- yes, thousands
upon thousands -- are being converted -- their lives changed -- by this Work of
God, through The WORLD TOMORROW broadcast, The PLAIN TRUTH magazine, the
Ambassador College Correspondence Course, and through the ministry of the
Worldwide Church of God.
Some, not realizing one of God's own
called and consecrated ministers could call and explain, answer questions, and
even baptize, have JOINED one of the churches of this world. You cannot JOIN
the true
But if you have questions about
fellowship, doctrines or practice, repentance and baptism -- or any questions
about the Bible, or the Christian life, write me. I cannot call and visit with
you personally any more (as I used to do and wish I still could), but God has
now given me many truly called and chosen men who CAN.
Weigh carefully the FACTS, according to
your own BIBLE. Then make your decision and take what steps GOD shows you.