Do You Agree with This?

[mfblume]

Bloo-ba-blooo-ba-bloo-ba-blooo back to you, too. Nya nya.

[ManOfWord]

Originally Posted by BrotherEastman

Below is an excerpt from my syllabus. Do you agree or disagree with the last statement of this excerpt? Why or why not?


The big questions in relation to baptism are: “How?” and “To whom?”

a. How should the church baptize?
a. Historically the church has employed three modes, each with slightly different theological connotations.
i. immersion—Symbolically, the believer is buried and raised with Christ (in his death and resurrection; see Romans 6:3, 4).
ii. pouring—Symbolically, the believer receives the outpouring of the Holy Spirit (see Joel 2:28).
iii. sprinkling—Symbolically, the believer has the blood of Jesus sprinkled upon her (see I Peter 1:2, Ezekiel 36:25).


(All three modes of baptism carry the symbolism of washing (Acts 22:16, Titus 3:5, 1 Peter 3:21).

It cannot be forgotten that the early church, for the most part was Jewish. Being Jewish, they would therefore have the Jewish ceremony of mikveh. In mikveh, which was Jewish baptism, the person being immersed, immersed themselves, vertically in a body of water. The idea is still cleansing and carries that connotation today.

I would agree what all the modes share the idea or symbolism of cleansing. It is the execution of that which the church disagrees over.

[mfblume]

The Jewishness of the origin of Christ's birth and all the oracles of God that the Jews were given are full of tremendously awesome insights. They're like parables in picture of truths of the new covenant. Thank God for the Jews!

[ManOfWord]

Originally Posted by mfblume

The Jewishness of the origin of Christ's birth and all the oracles of God that the Jews were given are full of tremendously awesome insights. They're like parables in picture of truths of the new covenant. Thank God for the Jews!

I agree. I've never said that we must return to them, but they are our roots. It is amazing how much more clearly the bible "speaks" with Jewish "spectacles" on. The more clearly we see Jewish in the NT the more Christian we can become. If we ONLY had the love for the word the Jews of Jesus day did, we would be a different people!