BAPTISMAL ISSUE

BAPTISMAL ISSUE

The concept of baptism is another area to question in the body of Christ today. There are several questions that have risen to that effect. Baptism has become some religious activities rather than spiritual representations. The essence of baptism has been lost and men do baptism as they like. The structure for baptism is not also followed and so churches are just doing what they feel like doing.

What is baptism? It is derived from a Greek word “baptizo” which means to dip under, sink, immerse or submerge. It is not the same with the Greek word “antexomai” which means sprinkle. It is an act of ceremonially washing or cleansing from dirt or iniquity. It the process of using water to bath and clean oneself from the dirt and gems on the body. Baptism is not sprinkling of water on somebody but the dipping of someone to bath in substance.

Who should we baptise? We do not baptise unbelievers, saints but believers that just gave their lives to Jesus. We do not baptise herbalist because he is a member of the church. Let see the scripture where baptism was first done.

“Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judea, and all the region about the Jordan, and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins”. – Matt. 3:5-6.

This was the story of a prophet called John the Baptist who had the revelations of the messiah and the purpose of his coming as messiah. He went to the wilderness of Judea and was preaching the gospel of the kingdom saying “repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand”. John immediately baptized as many who are willing to accept salvation and they confessed their sins as the baptism is on. John never organised a baptismal class of 3 weeks or 4 month to teach the people the scripture and doctrines. The purpose of baptism is not for that. Baptism is a sign of salvation which signifies dying to self and sin together with Christ and rising to him unto eternal life.

Jesus also gave us commission to go into the world and preach the gospel making them disciples and baptizing them. Once a man has taken the decision to follow Christ, there isn’t need for a long process of classes before the person can be baptized. This is the reason why baptism is not valued. Many unbelievers because they attended the classes were baptised and became worst than what they were before been baptized. When a man is not genuinely born again, such men are not worth been baptized.

The encounters of Philip with the Ethiopians eunuch buttress this point. The eunuch was baptized by the sight of a water not a river, if not the scripture could have cited it. Therefore, baptism must not necessary be done in a river. Situation can permit the use of stagnant or stored water. There wasn’t a river and as such the baptism cannot be exercised but the eunuch at the sight of the water said “see, here is water! What is to prevent my being baptized?” The instructions of our lord Jesus do not include where the baptism must be done, therefore Philip never restrains. The word baptism is from the Greek word “baptizo” which means to dip an individual into something. It must not necessarily be river.

Who is expected to carry out the baptism? Many scholars in the field of theology believe that it must be a pastor. Some put some kind of strict rule around it that it is only the founders of the church that can do that. They have believes that are unscriptural, and highly religious. God gave the mandate to all believers in the same manner as evangelism. In as much you can go out to get the lost, you have the right to baptize the person whom you won his soul.

Matthew 28:16-20 has the same scene with Acts 1:6-14, the number of the believers there were 120. They were not all apostles neither are they all male when Jesus gave them the mandate. That means every believer has the mandate to preach the gospel and baptized their convert. Baptism is the signed that a baby has been born into the family of Christ. It is the washing off the blood of sin from the convert just as the baby is been wash off from the mother’s blood. This is the biblical concept of baptism.