The Correct Way to Baptize....

Originally Posted by Judah

I have a question regarding remission of sins. I had always been taught that baptism in Jesus' name was for the remission of my sins. Then, the other day as I was reading, I came across this scripture:

Acts 10:42-44

42 And He commanded us to preach to the people, and to testify that it is He who was ordained by God to be Judge of the living and the dead. 43 To Him all the prophets witness that, through His name, whoever believes in Him will receive remission of sins.”

I realize that later on in the chapter they were baptized. However this particular verse puts emphasis on our belief in Him for remission of sins.

In the spirit of wanting to learn, I submit this question: Is it, indeed, our belief in Him, OR the actual water baptism that grants us remission of sins?

Respectfully,
Judah

Scriptural definition of "believe" is much different that what we commonly accept it to be. If I should say that I believe something, I am agreeing in my mind that something is TRUE. But, scriptural believing is more than an operation between the ears. It is a way of life. It is adhering to something. It is conforming to something...it is complying by word, deed and a life.

So, if I were to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, I am going to become committed to him and follow him, keeping His commandmnents and following His way. In short, obeying the whole Word of God.

Originally Posted by Judah

I have a question regarding remission of sins. I had always been taught that baptism in Jesus' name was for the remission of my sins. Then, the other day as I was reading, I came across this scripture:

Acts 10:42-44

42 And He commanded us to preach to the people, and to testify that it is He who was ordained by God to be Judge of the living and the dead. 43 To Him all the prophets witness that, through His name, whoever believes in Him will receive remission of sins.”

I realize that later on in the chapter they were baptized. However this particular verse puts emphasis on our belief in Him for remission of sins.

In the spirit of wanting to learn, I submit this question: Is it, indeed, our belief in Him, OR the actual water baptism that grants us remission of sins?

Respectfully,
Judah

If you truly believe(trust) in Him, you will be baptized in His Name.

Your post immediately brings to mind Mark 16:16

Mr 16:16 - He that believeth(trusts) and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.

The implications of the master are clear, if you believe(trust) you will be baptized gladly and thus salvation is at hand, if you don't believe(trust) in Him and His Word, baptism will not be an issue as a result.

Many believe in Jesus, that is, that he exists, not many trust.

Originally Posted by keith4him

With all the discussion about baptism over the last few days, thought I would share some tidbits about baptism, some of what we do regarding baptism is from tradition and you know what they say about it that...

The first tidbit is that the person being baptized called on the name of the Lord, not the one doing the baptizing Acts 22:16.

I think that something is missing because the person who is being baptized sometimes misses this important element of calling on the Name of Jesus to wash them from their sins

The second part is that this I believe fulfills Romans 10:9

The third tidbit, is that of course the Jews understood baptism to be part of the washing rituals from their history of purification washings, but there is a new twist that the Romans understood about loyalty and oaths, that baptism also gave a picture of a soldier pledging ownership and loyalty to his new master (Pawson, The Normal Christian Birth)

Another tidbit about baptism that I never saw until recently, was in Luke's account of Jesus's baptism, the Holy Spirit did not descend upon him for the sake of ministry/to fulfill the type of the baptism of the Spirit, until he prayed, here is what Luke records....

Luke 3:21 When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as he was praying (Jesus), heaven was opened

Quite possibly the phrase 'calling on the name of the Lord' is an idiomatic phrase which simply means to beleive. So the one being baptised (believes the gospel and has repented already); this is all that this phrase means. It does not mean that the one being baptised utters the words; 'I now baptise myself in the name XXXXX.'

[Michael The Disciple]

Its true more emphasis needs to be put on the believer "calling on the name" in baptism than the preacher saying the name. Also as Bro Strange pointed out we are actually being baptized INTO the name of Jesus.

Jesus is the name of the body of Christ. We are baptized INTO IT.

26: For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.
27: For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. Gal. 3:26-27

4: 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.
5: For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:
6: Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. Rom. 6:4-6

In baptism we enter the body of Jesus Christ. We put off all we are and take on all he is. In doing so the old man is destroyed hence "the remission of sins".

You are no longer identified with Adam but with Jesus.

And of course the new convert cannot grasp all this before he is even baptized. Yet let us not minimize water baptism. It is essential to salvation Mark 16:16. To the new birth John 3:5. To remission of sins Acts 2:38.

[Michael The Disciple]

Originally Posted by Iron_Bladder

Quite possibly the phrase 'calling on the name of the Lord' is an idiomatic phrase which simply means to beleive. So the one being baptised (believes the gospel and has repented already); this is all that this phrase means. It does not mean that the one being baptised utters the words; 'I now baptise myself in the name XXXXX.'

So do Trinitarians still say words when baptizing? Like I was baptized by them saying,

I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost?

Pardon me elder, but Acts 2:38 gives us both the how and why.

It is so simple that those that received the Word (ACTS 2:38) gladly were baptized. [ SEE ACTS 2:41 ]

No bedtime stories of old for the 3000, it was their time to awake from the slumber.

God Bless, Theo.

Where in Acts 2:41 do you find a baptismal formula? Can't you see that God doesn't tell us the formula as it simply isn't important to him.

KEYWORD: SAVE YOURSELVES FROM THIS UNTOWARD GENERATION.

Acts 2:40 (KJV)
And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation.

Originally Posted by Theophilus

Surely you jest...

You sure do get it honest, Bro Strange.

Pardon me elder, but Acts 2:38 gives us both the how and why.

It is so simple that those that received the Word (ACTS 2:38) gladly were baptized. [ SEE ACTS 2:41 ]

No bedtime stories of old for the 3000, it was their time to awake from the slumber.

God Bless, Theo.

The Acts of the Apostles gives us an historical narrative of the first 30 years or so of the Church. In biblical hermeneutics there is a rule called the priority of didactic, and this very important rule states: All historical narratives are to be interpreted by the didactic."

The didactic is the teaching portions of Scripture. Biblical doctrine should not be formed from the historical narrative. For the most part, OP gather most or all of their "in the name of" doctrine from Acts, the historical narrative.

[ApostolicTexas]

The baptism of Jesus was for John...John saw the symbol of the dove..this is how He knew the messiah was to be...this I believe was also the public declaration of the Christ

[ApostolicTexas]

Originally Posted by Truly Blessed

I agree with you Bro. Strange. The Bible is very clear that the gospel is the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ (1Cor.15:3-5). Peter had no reason to even say what is recorded in Acts 2:38, except that in verse 37 the crowd was "cut to the heart" and asked, "What shall we do?". What convicted them? The preaching of the gospel!

Most Apostolics stopp there and ask "What convicted them?" they go on and say "The preaching of the gospel"..I not only agree with that statement but I also go a step forward and believe the crowd also knew very well of the prophecy of Joel that Peter mentioned in Acts 2:17

And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:

And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy:

19 And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke:

20 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come:
21 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.

The crowd not only realized Jesus was the one sent to save them..but they also realized..something else mentioned by Joel..not just the outpouring of the Spirit..but the coming judgement..and destruction..that did come in 70 AD.