SCRIPTURAL PATTERN OF WATER BAPTISM: Holiness Revival Movement Worldwide.

EVERY WORD OF GOD FOR DAILY LIVING

BY PASTOR PAUL RIKA
(Int. Director Holiness Revival Movement Worldwide)

DATE: WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2020

TEXT: Matthew 28:18-20

KEY VERSE: Matthew 28:19 - Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost

The Lord Jesus gave the formula for water baptism of converts as single immersion into a body of water, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. It is one immersion in water because the three Persons are one. There are many wrong practices that have crept in which must be avoided. These include infant baptism, baptism by pouring or sprinkling water or making sign of the cross on the forehead, baptism by three immersions, baptism in the name of Jesus alone, baptism of unconverted people, and baptism of already baptized believers.
 
Infants are babies and they are not to undergo water baptism because they have not reached the age of accountability and cannot exercise a rational free will to repent and forsake sin. The idea of pouring or sprinkling water on the converts to be baptized is completely unscriptural. The Lord Jesus Himself went to river Jordan to be baptized by John and was immersed in water. Indeed, water baptism is an ordinance proclaiming public identification with the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
 
The acceptable standard of scripture requires that repentant sinners who have forsaken their sins and accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior and are willing to walk in newness of life be baptized. Some people misunderstand the reference to baptism “in the name of Jesus” as mentioned in some verses of Acts of the Apostles (e.g. Acts 2:38, 19:5). The phrase, “baptized in the name of Jesus” means baptism as was authorized by Jesus, and the baptism authorized by Jesus states clearly in Matthew 28:19 that it should be done “in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.” Again, this was to differentiate from the baptism of John the Baptist and the baptism of the Hellenists for Gentiles that converted to Judaism.
 
It is, therefore, wrong to baptize only in the name of Jesus because the name of Jesus does not represent the Godhead. The Father is not Jesus, the Holy Spirit is not Jesus and these three Persons make up one God. It is necessary to baptize with the fullness of the Godhead because the Father was involved in the salvation of that sinner, Jesus of course came down for the salvation of that sinner being the Son, and the Holy Spirit was involved in the conviction and salvation of the sinner. Therefore, scriptural pattern of water baptism submits the saved man to the Trinity.
 
Thought for the day: He that believes and is baptized, the same shall be saved
 
Song for the day: Forever O Lord, Thy word is settled in heaven, it is settled

Bible reading for the day: Isaiah 53-55; 1Thessalonians 2