True, firm belief in Jesus Christ is an essential condition for receiving Christian baptism, he argues, and those who are reborn in Christ commit themselves to maintaining and deepening their faith in a world where they will be confronted with many arguments seeking to undermine it.
We know there was the baptism of John the Baptist, and here I am referring to water baptism. His baptism was the baptism of repentance, heralding a new covenant through the appearance of Jesus Christ our Lord:
And he [John the Baptist] went into all the region around the Jordan,
preaching the baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins,
as it is written in the book of the words of Isiah the prophet, saying:
"The voice of one crying out in the wilderness,
'Prepare the way of the Lord,
Make His paths straight.
Every valley shall be exalted,
and every mountain and hill shall be made low:
and the crooked shall be made straight,
and the rough places plain:
And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed,
and all flesh shall see it together (the salvation of God).
(Luke 3:3-6)
And take the great commission ending the Gospel of Mark:
And He [the resurrected Jesus Christ] said to them, 'Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved, but he who does not believe will be condemned'.
(Mark 16:15-16)
The criterion for being baptized is BELIEF. Are there any other criteria? It's ridiculously simple. If you do not believe, do not get baptized. If you believe, then get baptized.
There is no tough interrogating, no drawn out security checks, just simple, spontaneous faith, perhaps in a moment of enlightenment.
As faith and belief came to the apostle Peter, you also perceive that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
The Confession of Peter:
Depending on which gospel one reads, Peter either says: 'You are the Messiah' or 'the Christ' (Mark 8:29); or 'You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God', (Matthew 16:16), or 'God's Messiah' or 'The Christ of God' (Luke 9:20).
The proclamation of Jesus as Christ is fundamental to Christology.
Let me further illustrate. In my modest opinion, The Acts of the Apostles is a very informative place to go in order to see the impact of Jesus Christ on the first people who were his closest companions, and those immediately around the apostles at that time who believed because of their testimony.
When Saul (the apostle Paul) met the risen Christ on the Damascus Road, he believed that Jesus Christ was in fact, the Son of God. He was confronted in his disbelief by the person he was persecuting: the resurrected Jesus Christ.
Now he knew those of 'The Way' were for real about the resurrected Jesus Christ.
He had been in error holding a false belief that had deluded him. He confessed that he was wrong, he turned around (repented) and set out to pursue life in this new reality.
Actually, only a few days later, he was baptized:
And immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he received his sight at once; and he arose and was baptized.
Again, there were no tough interrogations and no drawn out security checks.
Once again, we understand that there were no tough interrogations and no drawn out security checks. And we see that believing with all your heart is the only criteria to qualify you for baptism.
If you do, get baptized!
After baptism: new life
'...nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.'
And when they had brought them [Peter and other apostles], they set them before the council.
And the high priest asked them, saying, "Did we not strictly command you that you should not teach in this name? .....
Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, "We ought to obey God rather than men".
And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name.
And daily in the temple, and in every house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.
The point I am making is, do politicians have the final word above the church and God? To close down church worship is to close down believers together praying for deliverance from every foul fiend and spirit.
'For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.'
When I am reading texts that interest me, mostly the four gospels, the book of Acts and select works of contemporary positive psychology, I often enjoy particularly affirming moments when brief verses or phrases 'speak to me'. This was my experience when I read an article about 'Water Baptism' at the Church Junction website:
Water baptism is a foundational practice in Christianity, representing the believer’s identification with the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. When we are baptized, we publicly declare our faith in Christ and our commitment to follow Him. Just as Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist in the Jordan River, we too participate in this symbolic act as a sign of our spiritual rebirth and cleansing from sin.
Scripture provides clear guidance on the significance of baptism. In Matthew 28:19-20, Jesus commands His disciples to baptize new believers in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, emphasizing the importance of this act in the life of a disciple. This commandment underscores baptism as not only an outward expression of an inward change but also as a step of obedience and a mark of belonging to the body of Christ.John's baptism and Jesus' Great Commission
preaching the baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins,
as it is written in the book of the words of Isiah the prophet, saying:
"The voice of one crying out in the wilderness,
'Prepare the way of the Lord,
Make His paths straight.
Every valley shall be exalted,
and every mountain and hill shall be made low:
and the crooked shall be made straight,
and the rough places plain:
And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed,
and all flesh shall see it together (the salvation of God).
(Luke 3:3-6)
And He [the resurrected Jesus Christ] said to them, 'Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved, but he who does not believe will be condemned'.
(Mark 16:15-16)
No interrogation, no security checks; only belief
Stained glass window in Saint Seine church, Corbigny, France,
depicting the baptism of an adult
The criterion for being baptized is BELIEF. Are there any other criteria? It's ridiculously simple. If you do not believe, do not get baptized. If you believe, then get baptized.
There is no tough interrogating, no drawn out security checks, just simple, spontaneous faith, perhaps in a moment of enlightenment.
As faith and belief came to the apostle Peter, you also perceive that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
The Confession of Peter:
Depending on which gospel one reads, Peter either says: 'You are the Messiah' or 'the Christ' (Mark 8:29); or 'You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God', (Matthew 16:16), or 'God's Messiah' or 'The Christ of God' (Luke 9:20).
The proclamation of Jesus as Christ is fundamental to Christology.
|
Matthew 16:15–16 ·
'But what about you?' he asked. 'Who do you say I
am?' ·
Simon Peter answered: 'You are the Messiah, the
Son of the living God.' |
Mark 8:29 ·
'But what about you?' he asked. 'Who do you say I
am?' ·
Peter answered: 'You are the Messiah.' |
Luke 9:20 ·
'But what about you?' he asked. 'Who do you say I
am?' ·
Peter answered: 'God's Messiah.' |
|
Jesus selects
Peter |
Matthew 16:17–19 ·
Jesus replied: 'Blessed are you, Simon son of
Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father
in heaven. |
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confession_of_Peter
Let me further illustrate. In my modest opinion, The Acts of the Apostles is a very informative place to go in order to see the impact of Jesus Christ on the first people who were his closest companions, and those immediately around the apostles at that time who believed because of their testimony.
When Saul (the apostle Paul) met the risen Christ on the Damascus Road, he believed that Jesus Christ was in fact, the Son of God. He was confronted in his disbelief by the person he was persecuting: the resurrected Jesus Christ.
Now he knew those of 'The Way' were for real about the resurrected Jesus Christ.
He had been in error holding a false belief that had deluded him. He confessed that he was wrong, he turned around (repented) and set out to pursue life in this new reality.
Actually, only a few days later, he was baptized:
(Acts 9:18)
And in Acts 8:35-37 we read:
Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning at the Scripture, preached Jesus to him. And as they went down the road, they came to some water. And the eunuch said,
'See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?'
And Philip said, 'If you believe with all your heart, you may.'
And he answered and said, 'I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.'...and the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptized him.
Once again, we understand that there were no tough interrogations and no drawn out security checks. And we see that believing with all your heart is the only criteria to qualify you for baptism.
If you do, get baptized!
After baptism: new life
Christ Instructing Nicodemus attributed to Crijn Hendricksz Volmarijn (ca 1604-1645)
If you believe, you will naturally repent without effort, and live within your new enlightenment. You will naturally have new values, and pursue a new lifestyle. Because believing that Jesus Christ is the Son of God will change your reality.
Of course, repentance may mean restitution in some instances, and probably forgiveness from the heart for some persons you have known, and also willingness with commitment not to judge other persons.
These have to be understood and carried out to demonstrate your seriousness regarding your belief with all your heart. that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
Finally, the words that spoke to me were 'with all your heart'.
It is 45 years since I was baptized as an adult believer in Gold Hill Baptist Church, Chalfont St. Peter, Buckinghamshire.
And I still remember the Bible verse I was given at my baptism:
Of course, repentance may mean restitution in some instances, and probably forgiveness from the heart for some persons you have known, and also willingness with commitment not to judge other persons.
These have to be understood and carried out to demonstrate your seriousness regarding your belief with all your heart. that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
Finally, the words that spoke to me were 'with all your heart'.
It is 45 years since I was baptized as an adult believer in Gold Hill Baptist Church, Chalfont St. Peter, Buckinghamshire.
And I still remember the Bible verse I was given at my baptism:
(2 Timothy 1:12-14, King James Version)
Since then, we've had the computer, mobile phone and now smartphone introduced into the human race.
I've worked out that a choice has to be made, because there are arguments for and against unbelief as well as belief. But the more I expose the facts of reality, the more I believe.
Faith and the Covid Pandemic
However, I've also committed doubts and wanderings since then, and have chosen to read positive psychology to help encourage me on the spiritual path; that is, life with an eternal future. In these days of eroding confidence in the church, and consequently in its Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, I've had to get back to basics. Did I believe WITH ALL MY HEART? Do I still believe it?
Since then, we've had the computer, mobile phone and now smartphone introduced into the human race.
I've worked out that a choice has to be made, because there are arguments for and against unbelief as well as belief. But the more I expose the facts of reality, the more I believe.
Faith and the Covid Pandemic
Westminster Cathedral towards the end of the pandemic (photo from Vatican News website)
A final point I'd like to make concerns the so-called 'pandemic', the closing of churches during the pandemic and the ringing of church bells for the National Health Service.
What I say will be controversial, but I believe it has to be said.
The early Christians in the Book of Acts were acting in defiance of the authority of their land. They were commanded not to preach or speak in Jesus' name.
They defied all the attempts from the authority of Jerusalem to stop the early disciples preaching or meeting together as 'The Way' to worship together and pray to Jesus Christ our Lord.
The apostle Peter is the one whom Jesus selected to lead the twelve apostles as in:
Saint Luke also reports in Acts (I will fill in the scenario):
What I say will be controversial, but I believe it has to be said.
The early Christians in the Book of Acts were acting in defiance of the authority of their land. They were commanded not to preach or speak in Jesus' name.
They defied all the attempts from the authority of Jerusalem to stop the early disciples preaching or meeting together as 'The Way' to worship together and pray to Jesus Christ our Lord.
The apostle Peter is the one whom Jesus selected to lead the twelve apostles as in:
And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.'
(Matthew 16:18-19)Saint Luke also reports in Acts (I will fill in the scenario):
And the high priest asked them, saying, "Did we not strictly command you that you should not teach in this name? .....
Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, "We ought to obey God rather than men".
And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name.
And daily in the temple, and in every house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.
(Acts 5:27-30; 41).
The point I am making is, do politicians have the final word above the church and God? To close down church worship is to close down believers together praying for deliverance from every foul fiend and spirit.
(Matthew 18:20)
And:
'...these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.
(Mark 16:17-18)
In my modest opinion there was a clear open disbelief in God by the government that the church had any power to influence the foul virus or deliver the people from it. Perhaps an indication that the kingdom of Great Britain, once Christianised, was no longer.
The only body who could help, apparently, was the National Health Service.
I know it's very controversial, but true believers have been promised persecution: real nasty persecution.
We make up our own minds, of course.
The ongoing challenge for us who have been baptized, is to continue, or to ramp up, the belief with all our heart that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, that belief that qualified us for our baptism. With all your heart is just that: with ALL your heart.
Do I believe with all my heart that Jesus Christ is the Son of God? With all my heart?
Do you?
In my modest opinion there was a clear open disbelief in God by the government that the church had any power to influence the foul virus or deliver the people from it. Perhaps an indication that the kingdom of Great Britain, once Christianised, was no longer.
The only body who could help, apparently, was the National Health Service.
I know it's very controversial, but true believers have been promised persecution: real nasty persecution.
We make up our own minds, of course.
The ongoing challenge for us who have been baptized, is to continue, or to ramp up, the belief with all our heart that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, that belief that qualified us for our baptism. With all your heart is just that: with ALL your heart.
Do I believe with all my heart that Jesus Christ is the Son of God? With all my heart?
Do you?
5 comments:
Thank you for another interesting article. My impression was that it was written with adults baptism very much in mind. It would be interesting to contrast this with infant baptism and the role of the god parents. Tied to this is Original sin and how baptism relates to this.
Thank you, Ray, for your article. I support the first comment above. What I do appreciate about your article is that it does clarify and support that Jesus is the Son of God and that Jesus is not God. Best wishes, Richard.
Well guys, I wasn't expecting anyone to read it, let alone comment. I apologize for a rather tedious, theological start and such a long text. Interesting points for discussion raised. I was baptized at 6 months. Christianity "haunted" or hunted me throughout my diabolical childhood and teenage years. I was always interested in God. But the Christians, I only saw as complete hypocrites. In fact I resented them, loathed them! More fascinating for me was the Hindu and Buddhist concepts of God. These 2 religions certainly helped my approach to God and finally Christianity. Baptized at 6 months, I was unreachable. But did that baptism influence my later conversion at 22 years? I believe so. God was there in my infant baptism and they say God never forgets prayers made by others, perhaps prayers at that baptism for me. What is the theological definition of Jesus Christ? It little interests me. What fascinates me is that Jesus Christ being the Messiah, is against all the odds, then and now. It's almost unbelievable! One individual out of the whole human race, one point in time, the one sent by God. And that being so, He's described as The Stone Which the Builders Rejected, actually being the Chief Corner-stone. It's all hardly credible and against all the odds, to believe in this, but that somehow RINGS TRUE for me. The whole bloody human race is off course, drifted from nature and reinventing itself in a counterfeit reality "virtual or cyber". We are all being enmeshed in a web of finite control, a man-made system.
The human condition is my condition. The human condition is destructive and murderous. This condition can only be broken through the cross. When the hell are we going to begin to love our enemies? And why shouldn't we? They are the same as ourselves! An eye for an eye fights against a tooth for a tooth? What hope? Only Christ can get us outside that. And perhaps the Buddhists who also have a religion based on compassion with the injunction not to kill. I'll get off my soapbox now. My thanks for reading to you: anonymous and to you Richard.
Greetings from Europe!
Another interesting article from Ray. I've got two main comments or questions.
One is Ray talks a lot, and so do some of his sources, about the commitment involved on our part when we're baptised (in the case of infant baptism, parents and Godparents assume responsibility for fostering faith and commitment in their child, which the child is expected to confirm when old enough to do so).
But what about the aspect of God's grace involved in this sacrament as in all the others?
The Catholic faith sees baptism as something God does, first and foremost, not something we do: he confers or imparts capacities and gifts to the person baptised; he removes the stain of original sin and opens up the channel of supernatural, sanctifying grace. As in the whole of Christian life, there's a pattern of gift and task. Gift of grace from God which transforms us in a way that we cannot achieve by our own natural human abilities, and task on our part in that we have to accept and co operate with grace to make progress in our spiritual and moral life. It's this 'task' element that Ray and his source seems to be emphasising by saying that baptism 'symbolises' and 'represents' the acceptance of faith in Christ. But it does more than just symbolise; it imparts the reality symbolised - liberation from the bonds of original sin, strengthening by grace in faith, love and Christian virtues, etc.
My second point is that Ray underlines his conviction that in the earliest period of the Church's history there were 'no tough interrogations or security checks' before an individual was baptised and received into membership of the Christian community. I think in reality there was a very lengthy process of teaching and indeed testing of faith before anyone was baptised and a process of further teaching and faith formation after baptism.
The Church never just received all and sundry into the Church on a personal whim or whatever. There were very stringent conditions of membership which all candidates for baptism had to accept, and accept by public declaration (that's part of the baptism ceremony).
The Church would be very foolish today to baptise everyone who comes along saying they want to become a Christian because, today especially, people have very fickle, short-lived and confused enthusiasms about all sorts of things, including religious belief, and many people who are baptised, even after lengthy formation, abandon their faith as they blunder on into their next fad and the next phase of their 'journey'. Every pastor in every church community has experienced this.
There needs to be interrogation and security checking, to use Ray's language, and I would say that historically there always have been such checks.
Responding to Fr. Ian... First, honoured to be carefully edited and encouraged by the Priest in Blaenau to contribute. I knew what I wrote would go against the grain, so to speak.
I think the reason that in the Book of Acts the converts were immediately baptized (which they were (test me on it and I will provide the references) is because they ABSOLUTELY BELIEVED. That was a time of SIGNS and WONDERS. It was soon after the followers of Christ has witnessed the Risen Jesus Christ. The fire of Christianity was literally contagious. And the baptism into The Father, Son and Holy Spirit was following on the baptism of John for repentance. If Blaenau Ffestiniog was like Jerusalem in the Book of Acts, there would not be time or resources available to counsel and demand completion of courses on the subject of baptism. The church was growing by the thousands. Conviction does not necessarily have to be a drawn out experience. It can come like a bolt of lightning. Perhaps accompanied by anxiety of the soul for salvation. The command of the apostles was to be obedient to the conviction and repentance granted by God, by submitting to baptism. They did not hang about. There was a sense of urgency.
Now, I know this contradicts the present time belief that candidates for baptism should be tested, educated, watched etc. but then there is not so much EVIDENCE now, is there? (Signs and wonders being performed, outpourings of the Holy Spirit, angels opening prison doors, individuals being risen from the dead). So what do people base their faith on? Jesus said if you don't simply believe that I am the Messiah, then at least believe because of the miracles. So now, we are in the category of those who believe though having never seen and touched the actual risen Jesus Christ (Jesus speaking to Thomas after His resurrection). But we have no (or few?) miracles.
Who am I to say what the Catholic Church should or shouldn't do? I am only saying that in the early church, according to the baptisms described, they came immediately after the people mentioned believed (i.e. The jailer's family in Macedonia to mention but one.)
You want to be baptized? Jesus said "and now people are forcing their way into the kingdom of God" (paraphrase).
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