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1. There is NOTHING in Scripture or for nearly 1600 years about the prohibition of baptism to those under the age of X (whatever age that is).... Anti-Paedobaptism was first invented by some wackedoodle Anabaptists in the late 16th Century.
2. There is NOTHING in Scripture or for nearly 1600 years about the prohibtion of baptism to those who did not first prove their faith in Jesus.... Credobaptism was first invented by some wackedoodle Anabaptists in the late 16th Century.
3. There is NOTHING in Scripture or for nearly 1600 years about the prohibition of baptism by any means other than full immersion under water.... Immersion only was first invented by some wackedoodle Anabaptists in the late 16th Century.
4. There is NOTHING in Scripture or for 1600 years that Baptism accomplishes nothing. An invention of a few wackedoodle Anabaptists in the late 16th Century.
5. There is NOTHING in Scripture or for nearly 2000 years about the prohibtion of baptism by anyone who has not first proven they are among the unnamed few for whom Jesus died.... A Calvinist Baptist invention of recent invention.
Concerning the claim that Baptism was made central to Christianity because it does nothing..... Concerning the baseless claim that the Anabaptist invented dogmas actually predate them....
The Epistle of Barnabas (A.D. 130) “This means that we go down into the water full of sins and foulness, and we come up from the water of baptism bearing fruit in our hearts, fear and hope in Jesus and in the Spirit.”
Shepherd of Hermas (A.D. 140?): "they descend into the water of Baptism dead, and they arise alive.”
St. Justin Martyr (A.D. 160?) "And we, who have approached God through Him, have received not carnal, but spiritual circumcision, which Enoch and those like him observed. And we have received it through baptism, since we were sinners, by God’s mercy; and all men may equally obtain it."
St. Irenaeus (A.D. 190?). "And when we come to refute them [i.e. those heretics], we shall show in its fitting-place, that this class of men have been instigated by Satan to a denial of that baptism which accomplishes the regeneration to God, and thus to a renunciation of the whole [Christian] faith."
St. Irenaeus (A.D. 190?) "“Now, this is what faith does for us, as the elders, the disciples of the apostles, have handed down to us. First of all, it admonishes us to remember that we have received baptism for the remission of sins in the name of God the Father, and in the name of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who became incarnate and died and raised."
St. Clement of Alexandra (A.D. 215?) "The same also takes place in our case, whose exemplar Christ became. Being baptized, we are by such illuminated, we become sons; being made sons, we are made perfect; being made perfect, we are made immortal."
St. Clement of Alexandra (A.D. 215?) "For it is said, “Put on him the best robe,” which was his the moment he obtained baptism. I mean the glory of baptism, the remission of sins, and the communication of the other blessings, which he obtained immediately he had touched the baptismal font."
St. Cyprian (A.D. 255) responding to a man who was asking him the specific question of whether or not the pouring of water in baptism would be valid: "You have asked also, dearest son, what I thought about those who obtain the grace of God while they are weakened by illness – whether or not they are to be reckoned as legitimate Christians who have not been bathed with the saving water, but have rather had it poured over them, such is just as legitimate."
There are countless more. My point here is not the individual things here said, but the unavoidable and universal affirmation that Baptism is not an inert, ineffectual, mere ritual... and nowhere do we see any sense of it as some "outward ritual indicating an inward decision." Universally, baptism is seen as something God uses to accomplish something.
And of course Scripture does not speak of baptism as ineffectual, nothing about "an outward symbol of an inward decision"
I can find no Scriptures that state or indicate that. But there are several, that when taken together, suggest something quite different. Let's look at those (hopefully the program here will bring them up for you to read)...
Acts 22:16
First Peter 3:21
Romans 6:3-4
1 Corinthians 6:11
1 Corinthians 12:13
Galatians 3:26-27
Ephesians 5:25-27
Colossians 2:11-12
Titus 3:5
1 Peter 3:18-22
I admit no ONE verse above is indisputable or perspicuous, but together there is a strong indication. And of course we find nothing that indicates that it is a inert, ineffectual, useless ritual.
We need to also consider that Jesus, the Apostles and the Early Church gave great importance to this! Jesus places it along side of (and seemingly equal to) teaching in the Great Commission, for example. It seems less likely that it would be regarded as so critical if it is an inert, ineffectual ritual that changes and accomplishes nothing at all.
A blessed Easter to all....
- Josiah
,.
1. There is NOTHING in Scripture or for nearly 1600 years about the prohibition of baptism to those under the age of X (whatever age that is).... Anti-Paedobaptism was first invented by some wackedoodle Anabaptists in the late 16th Century.
2. There is NOTHING in Scripture or for nearly 1600 years about the prohibtion of baptism to those who did not first prove their faith in Jesus.... Credobaptism was first invented by some wackedoodle Anabaptists in the late 16th Century.
3. There is NOTHING in Scripture or for nearly 1600 years about the prohibition of baptism by any means other than full immersion under water.... Immersion only was first invented by some wackedoodle Anabaptists in the late 16th Century.
4. There is NOTHING in Scripture or for 1600 years that Baptism accomplishes nothing. An invention of a few wackedoodle Anabaptists in the late 16th Century.
5. There is NOTHING in Scripture or for nearly 2000 years about the prohibtion of baptism by anyone who has not first proven they are among the unnamed few for whom Jesus died.... A Calvinist Baptist invention of recent invention.
Concerning the claim that Baptism was made central to Christianity because it does nothing..... Concerning the baseless claim that the Anabaptist invented dogmas actually predate them....
The Epistle of Barnabas (A.D. 130) “This means that we go down into the water full of sins and foulness, and we come up from the water of baptism bearing fruit in our hearts, fear and hope in Jesus and in the Spirit.”
Shepherd of Hermas (A.D. 140?): "they descend into the water of Baptism dead, and they arise alive.”
St. Justin Martyr (A.D. 160?) "And we, who have approached God through Him, have received not carnal, but spiritual circumcision, which Enoch and those like him observed. And we have received it through baptism, since we were sinners, by God’s mercy; and all men may equally obtain it."
St. Irenaeus (A.D. 190?). "And when we come to refute them [i.e. those heretics], we shall show in its fitting-place, that this class of men have been instigated by Satan to a denial of that baptism which accomplishes the regeneration to God, and thus to a renunciation of the whole [Christian] faith."
St. Irenaeus (A.D. 190?) "“Now, this is what faith does for us, as the elders, the disciples of the apostles, have handed down to us. First of all, it admonishes us to remember that we have received baptism for the remission of sins in the name of God the Father, and in the name of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who became incarnate and died and raised."
St. Clement of Alexandra (A.D. 215?) "The same also takes place in our case, whose exemplar Christ became. Being baptized, we are by such illuminated, we become sons; being made sons, we are made perfect; being made perfect, we are made immortal."
St. Clement of Alexandra (A.D. 215?) "For it is said, “Put on him the best robe,” which was his the moment he obtained baptism. I mean the glory of baptism, the remission of sins, and the communication of the other blessings, which he obtained immediately he had touched the baptismal font."
St. Cyprian (A.D. 255) responding to a man who was asking him the specific question of whether or not the pouring of water in baptism would be valid: "You have asked also, dearest son, what I thought about those who obtain the grace of God while they are weakened by illness – whether or not they are to be reckoned as legitimate Christians who have not been bathed with the saving water, but have rather had it poured over them, such is just as legitimate."
There are countless more. My point here is not the individual things here said, but the unavoidable and universal affirmation that Baptism is not an inert, ineffectual, mere ritual... and nowhere do we see any sense of it as some "outward ritual indicating an inward decision." Universally, baptism is seen as something God uses to accomplish something.
And of course Scripture does not speak of baptism as ineffectual, nothing about "an outward symbol of an inward decision"
I can find no Scriptures that state or indicate that. But there are several, that when taken together, suggest something quite different. Let's look at those (hopefully the program here will bring them up for you to read)...
Acts 22:16
First Peter 3:21
Romans 6:3-4
1 Corinthians 6:11
1 Corinthians 12:13
Galatians 3:26-27
Ephesians 5:25-27
Colossians 2:11-12
Titus 3:5
1 Peter 3:18-22
I admit no ONE verse above is indisputable or perspicuous, but together there is a strong indication. And of course we find nothing that indicates that it is a inert, ineffectual, useless ritual.
We need to also consider that Jesus, the Apostles and the Early Church gave great importance to this! Jesus places it along side of (and seemingly equal to) teaching in the Great Commission, for example. It seems less likely that it would be regarded as so critical if it is an inert, ineffectual ritual that changes and accomplishes nothing at all.
A blessed Easter to all....
- Josiah
,.
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