Quote:
Originally Posted by TRFrance
Baptism as a testimony to our belief?
I'm still waitng for someone to show me the scripture that says baptism is "a testimony to our belief" or "an outward sign of an inward change", etc.
I DO know the scriputure verses that refer to baptism being for "remission of sins" ( Acts 2:38) and for "washing away of sins" ( Acts 22:16). But the verses that speak of baptism's purpose being for "an outard sign" or "an outward testmony", etc... I've never seen those --- anywhere.
Sam, Jermyn, anyone... Help me here. |
OK, TRFrance,
there is no chapter and verse that uses the words "a testimony to our belief" or "an outward sign of an inward change." Those are, at least in my case, our theological interpretations of the ritual of baptism.
Baptism or mikveh developed among the Jews a couple of centuries before the birth of Jesus. It is still practiced by some Jews. It was a ritual cleansing. It is now (and was then as far as we know) a three-time self immersion in "living" or running water. From what I understand, the word "mikveh" means "gathering" (of waters) and since the word occurs three times the three-time self immersion is used. Some devout men participate in the mikveh/baptism every week in preparation for the sabbath. Ladies self immerse a prescribed time after their monthly period for a ritual cleansing and as a burial for that new life that did not happen. Gentile converts to Judaism at the time of John the Baptist would undergo circumcision, offer an animal sacrifice, and then perform the mikveh ritual. That was nothing new for folks back then. When John came practicing the mikveh as preparation for the coming King and Kingdom it was as if he were telling people they had to be converted just like Gentiles to participate in this coming kingdom. That may be why he warned them not to think they were OK just because they had Abraham as their (physical) father because this was some thing spiritual. Actually, after a Gentile performed the self-immersion and the other requirements he was referred to as being "born of water" since he could not claim actual physical birth as a descendant of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob/Israel.
In my opinion, baptism is a symbolic cleansing, but not an "actual" cleansing from sin. In my opinion this is what Peter means when he uses words about baptism as:
--a figure (picture) of salvation
--not an actual washing or removal of filth
--the response (answer) of a good conscience toward God.
You can see, however, that the Jewish belief in the ritual cleansing of baptism and the term "born of water" could result in a current belief that water baptism actually washes away sin and can be considered "born of water." you can see where the three time (or trine) immersion would lend itself to using a three fold formula i.e. the FS&HG wording used by most churches.
In the Didache, there is a passage about Christian baptism. Didache means Teaching and the book is called The Didache (Teaching) of the Apostles. We don't know when it was written. Guesstimates range from around 50 AD to about 250 AD. It is included in Acts chapter 15 in the AESV (Aramaic English Standard Version) of the Bible. It is called the Limuda and is considered by some to be part of the letter written after the Jerusalem Council recorded in
Acts 15 which probably happened in the winter of AD 49/50. Here is what
Acts 15 in the AESV says about water baptism:
"And concerning baptism, you shall baptise in this manner:
Having first taught all these things, baptise in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, in living water.
But if you have no living water, baptise in other water; and if you cannot do so in cold water, do so in warm.
But if you have neither, pour water three times upon the head in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit."
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