____________________________________________________ THE GOSPEL OBSERVER "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations...teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:19,20). ____________________________________________________ November 22, 1998 ____________________________________________________ Bible Quiz "Water Baptism" (Part Two) by Tom Edwards The following is the conclusion of last week's bulletin: 10. How many baptisms does Ephesians 4:5 teach are for today? 11. About what hour of the night was the Philippian jailer baptized? (See Acts 16:25-34.) 12. Both the Ethiopian eunuch and the Philippian jailer rejoiced in Christ before they were baptized. True or false? (For help with this, consider the above passage along with Acts 8:38,39.) 13. Must one be baptized for the right reason or could just any type of baptism suffice? (See Acts 19:3-7.) 14. How many ``infant baptisms'' do we read of in the New Testament? 15. What does Jesus say of little children in Matthew 19:14? (Compare also Matt. 18:1-4). 16. As we examine these Scriptures, baptism is shown as being something one must do for which of the following reasons: a) to have sins washed away and become a Christian b) to join a particular denomination, or c) to show that sins have already been washed away, prior to being baptized? ANSWERS -- NUMBER 10 -- ANSWER: ONE Ephesians 4:5 shows that there is only ``one'' baptism. ``Which baptism is this?,'' one might wonder. ``Is it Holy Spirit baptism?'' ``How can we know it is pertaining to water baptism?'' These are good questions. Actually, there are only two cases of the Holy Spirit miraculously indwelling others without the laying on of an apostle's hands during the New Testament Age: the first would be that which the apostles themselves received in Acts 2. The only other incident is that which happened about 10 years later at the house of Cornelius (Acts 10,11) as a special sign to the Jews that ''...God has granted to the Gentiles also the repentance that leads to life'' (Acts 11:18). This outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Cornelius' household took place around A.D. 43. The writing of the Ephesian letter, in which we read of there being just ``one baptism,'' was written about A.D. 61. Now what is the ``one baptism'' we see occurring after A.D. 61? In 1 Peter 3:21, which was written about A.D. 63, Peter states, ``Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a clear conscience....'' Without question, the baptism that saves, which Peter is speaking of here, is water baptism. This is the one baptism that is to continue as long as time lasts. Incidentally, no one was ever commanded to be baptized in the Holy Spirit. It was a promise given to the apostles, and I doubt those at the house of Cornelius had any idea that the Lord would cause His Holy Spirit to fall upon them as He did. Water baptism, however, is commanded; and it is part of the plan of salvation for any penitent believer who wants to have sins washed away and become a Christian (cf, Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38; Rom. 6:3,4). -- NUMBER 11 -- ANSWER: ABOUT THE MIDNIGHT HOUR Acts 16:25-34 shows that it was around midnight when the Philippian jailer obeyed the command to be baptized. Have you ever wondered why he just didn't wait until the morning? or some more convenient time? Was not his immediate response to be baptized -- and at such an inconvenient hour -- simply because he understood that if he wanted to be saved, baptism was part of that plan? (and, therefore, a must!) Yes, Jesus had said that ``He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved....'' (Mk. 16:16); thus, coupling faith and baptism for salvation. As we read about baptism in the New Testament, never do we read of anyone--who truly wanted to be forgiven--postponing his baptism until some more convenient time. Have you ever wondered about this? I imagine many were probably baptized during the colder months, too. We don't read of any of these even taking the time to eat or sleep before his or her baptism. Doesn't that in itself tell us something about the importance of it? All these people understood that their sins would not be forgiven until they met the conditions God Himself had stipulated to become a Christian; and that is that one hears the word (Rom. 10:17), believes in the deity of Jesus (Jn. 8:24), repents of sin (Acts 2:38), confesses faith in Christ (Rom. 10:9,10; Acts 8:36-38), and is baptized in water for sins to be forgiven (Acts 22:16; Mk. 16:16; 1 Pet. 3:21). -- NUMBER 12 -- ANSWER: FALSE Neither the Philippian jailer nor the eunuch rejoiced in Christ until after his baptism. Why? Because it wasn't until he came up out of that watery grave of baptism that he was then able to ``walk in newness of life'' (Rom. 6:3,4), and be a ``new creature'' in Christ Jesus (2 Cor. 5:17). Yes, they rejoiced after their baptism because that is when their sins had been forgiven (Acts 2:38; 22:16) and they were, thus, saved from them (Mk. 16:16; 1 Pet 3:21). -- NUMBER 13 -- ANSWER: ONE MUST BE BAPTIZED FOR THE RIGHT REASON From what we learn in Acts 19:3-7, one must be baptized for the right reason. In this passage, there were some men who did not know about the baptism Jesus commanded. They knew only of John's. They, therefore, had to all be baptized in water by the apostle Paul, after he taught them of it. Though there are similarities between John's baptism and the one the Lord commanded, there are also differences. For example, the baptism of Romans 6:3,4 is to be a burial into Christ's death. John's baptism, therefore, could not have been for this purpose, since Jesus was still living at the time. This is also why the thief on the cross who was saved, did not have to be baptized with the baptism Jesus had introduced in John 3:3-5. The baptism that Jesus commanded so that the sinner can become a saint, a Christian, was not to go into effect until after the Lord had died at Calvary and, thus, put to an end the Old Law and established the New, which stipulates baptism for the remission of sins. As we think about the seriousness of doing things for the right purpose, try reading 1 Cor. 11:18-34 about the Lord's Supper. Paul shows that the one who would not take of the Lord's Supper in a proper manner would be ``guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord'' (v. 27). We have learned that baptism is a ``burial or an immersion in water''; but just because a person is dunked completely under water, doesn't necessarily mean that that person has received Bible baptism. What about young boys swimming in a pond and dunking one another? Obviously, baptism must be received for the right purpose: and that is so that one may be baptized into Christ and have sins washed away by the blood of Jesus. -- NUMBER 14 -- ANSWER: NOT A ONE! There is no passage in the New Testament that speaks of infants being baptized. Actually, there is no need for their being baptized, since they are in a ``safe'' or ``innocent'' state. (For baptism is for the salvation of the lost.) It is Jesus who shows infants to be in a ``safe state'' in Matt. 18:1-4, and refers to the kingdom of heaven as belonging to them in Matthew 19:14. Not only infants, but also anyone who never reaches an age of accountability, will go to heaven if he or she dies in that state. -- NUMBER 15 -- ANSWER: "THEIRS IS THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN'' Concerning these little children, Jesus states that the kingdom of heaven belongs to them, indicating to us of the ``safe'' or ``innocent'' state in which they are in. We can, therefore, rest assured in knowing that any little infant that dies before reaching an age of accountability will end up in heaven. Christ further pointed out that if we want to enter heaven, we must become like little children (Matt. 18:3); which does not mean that we act immaturely, but that we become ``innocent'' (through the blood of Christ) and also have a childlike faith or dependence upon God in heaven. ...being childlike with these qualities is one thing -- but being childish is another. -- NUMBER 16 -- ANSWER: A) TO HAVE SINS WASHED AWAY.... After considering what the Bible has to say about water baptism, how could anyone reach any other conclusion than that it is necessary in order to have our sins forgiven and to become a child of God? To sum it up, the Bible shows us that baptism... * is so one can be ``saved'' (Mark 16:16) * is so one can enter the kingdom (John 3:3-5) * is ``for the remission of sins'' (Acts 2:38) * is to ``wash away...sins'' (Acts 22:16) * is to bury one with Christ (Rom. 6:3) * is so one can rise up with Christ to walk in ``newness of life'' (Rom. 6:4) * is so one can be put ``into Christ'' (Gal. 3:26,27) * is to make one a child of God (Gal. 3:26,37) * so one can be buried and raised up with Christ (Col. 2:12) * is so we can be saved (Titus 3:5; 1 Peter 3:21) ___________________________________________ NEWS & NOTES Dorothy Vandergriff, Carol Music's cousin, has recently passed away. Let us be praying for all the family, friends, and other relatives. John Pitman and his wife Lou were out of town last Sunday. John was trying out as a preacher for a church in Birdstown, Tennessee. Free Bible courses are available upon request. Greetings to our visitors today! Please come again--and often! We enjoy having you. ___________________________________________ A NOTE FROM THE EDITOR If you have any questions about the comments on baptism made in today's and last week's bulletins, feel free to contact me at the address below, e-mail, or phone. I would be happy to talk with you about this (or any other Bible topic). We live in a time when, sadly, the majority of the religious world is not teaching God's plan for salvation, which includes water baptism; so it is vitally important to help others see what the Bible has been saying all along about this. Though brought up in denominations that did not teach one must also be baptized to be saved, I'm thankful I finally did learn the truth and submitted to water baptism in 1977 so that I could benefit from the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and be cleansed by His blood. ________________________________________ Tri-State CHURCH OF CHRIST 1314 Montgomery Avenue, Ashland, Kentucky 41101 Sunday: 10:00 A.M. Bible class 10:50 A.M. Worship 6:30 P.M. Worship Wednesday: 7:30 P.M. Bible study evangelist/editor: Tom Edwards (606) 325-9742 e-mail: tedwards@zoomnet.net Gospel Observer web site: http://www.zoomnet.net/~tedwards/go ________________________________________