ABSOLUTE BIBLICAL ORDER IN BAPTISM
God is not the author of confusion, but of definite, particular order. That order is divine order. That is order is Biblical order. That order is to be obeyed by all of God's regenerate people. ALL things are to be done decently and in Bible order (1Corinthians 14:33-40). Although the application of that truth may not have reached all areas of our lives, we still must believe that God's order must be respected, honored, and submitted to.
Biblical order in the ordinance of baptism is of serious importance. The Biblical requisites must be met if one's baptism is to be according to Biblical, divine order. Any baptism that does not fulfill Biblical order is defective, alien, and not God-honoring. Defective baptism is baptism of man: recognized, respected, and accepted of men......but not of God. "The baptism of John, was if from heaven or of men? Answer me" (Mark 11:30). At the same time remembering the words of our Lord Jesus, "....for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God" (Luke 16:15). Our approbation and acceptance must come from God and that will only take place when we do things according to His dictates and order, not our own (2Corinthians 10:18). Biblical order concerning baptism has four essential, Bible-based points:
1. CORRECT CANDIDATE--A Spirit-wrought, regenerate, believing disciple of Jesus Christ evidenced by spiritual, palpable fruit.
2. CORRECT MODE--The complete and total immersion in much water symbolically and accurately declaring the death, burial, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.
3. CORRECT MOTIVE--The proper motive is not for salvation or the obtaining of the pardon of sin, but rather to declare publicly and pictorially Christ's redemptive work and the true Gospel, to declare one's death to sin and resurrection unto righteousness, and to unite or be added to a New Testament church.
4. CORRECT AUTHORITY--The only Biblically-authorized administrator of the ordinance of baptism is a properly constituted church that holds to the apostolic faith and practice.
In the case of the pastors that I referred to in the state of XXXXXX, the one was baptized under a false Gospel by a church that I am unaware of. The other was baptized by a church that baptizes unconverted people....adults, not children.....with the hope that they will be converted at a later time.
The prostitution of the ordinance by the church in XXXXXX, XXXXX, was something that was done for expediency sake. For personal benefit and gain, they deemed unimportant the baptism of the members they received. They did not follow Biblical order and thereby became disorderly themselves.
I hope that this short explanation will satisfy your understanding. As we have talked extensively in time past, historic Baptists are a zealous people for divine truth and Bible order. In that the ordinances are symbolic of Christ, His person, and His redemptive work, to modify or alter them, as the Catholics and Protestants have freely done, is to declare an impure Gospel at best or at worst declare a gospel that is totally perverted.
***This was a portion of an answer to a question that I received via email concerning our practice of baptism on the mission field. The "XXXXX" are the intentional blotting out of proper names in respect of the involved parties. I trust that my sharing of this email correspondence will bring blessing to others and eternal glory to the Lord Jesus Christ!
Comments