BIBLE TEACHINGS MADE PLAIN part 29
Biblical Baptism
Lesson number 28 was about our future heritage we have in Christ Jesus our Lord, a new earth and a new heaven. We learned also that a certain number of people will not inherit eternal life and others who have their name in the book of life will inherit eternal life and live for ever on this new earth surrounded by a new heaven.
In a previous lesson we have mentioned how our name will be written in the Book of life in heaven. It has to do with the spiritual experience of being born again. As we mentioned it is a spiritual experience not a return to the mother’s womb, as Nicodemus responded to Jesus in John 3:4 and 9.
Jesus said in John 3:3 “Except a man (woman) be born again he (she) cannot see the kingdom of God”. To be born again means being born from above, from heaven. Then in John 3:5 Jesus repeats again. “Except a man is born of water and the spirit he cannot enter the Kingdom of God”. Jesus talks about Spirit and water as necessary for the born again experience.
In a natural, biological birth we have also different elements working together in order to have a birth of a new person. There is the mother and the father and seed being planted from one into the other. This will take time to mature before the birth will take place. When the time comes for the birth it is also out of water, we call this birth water.
Something similar takes place in the spiritual experience. Read 1Peter 1:23 “being born again not of corruptible seed but of incorruptible by the Word of God” From corruptible seed we are born into this life which is towards death. From incorruptible seed, the Word of God, we will be born into the Kingdom of God, towards eternal life
Who is the incorruptible seed, the Word of God? Jesus Christ our Lord. He is the incorruptible One, the one without blemish, 1Peter 1:19, who has never sinned, 2Cor.5:21. He is also the Word of God, John 1:1-3 and 14 and He is also the promised seed, Gal.3:16 and 29. Jesus Christ must be accepted as our personal Saviour, which means to call upon Him, Acts 2:21, read also Joel 2:32, because there is no other name by which we will be saved, Acts 4:12.Jesus Christ must be accepted and be planted into our life as a seed is planted into the earth. It is by grace, that is the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, which is God’s gift, John 3:16, and through faith, that is in Jesus we will be saved, Eph.2:8-10. When we accept this it means that the Seed, Jesus Christ, is planted within us and will start to mature towards the born again experience.
The outcome will be children of God by faith in Jesus Christ, Gal. 3:26 read also John 1:12 and 1John3:1 and don’t forget to read John 3:15, 16. Not believing or accepting Jesus Christ means being condemned, but by believing in Jesus Christ we are not condemned, Rom.8:1. All this is the work of the Holy Spirit moving upon our hearts and mind. As the Holy Spirit moved upon the waters in Genesis chapter 1:1 and creation took place, so the Holy Spirit moves upon our hearts and when we let Him it will bring about a new birth or the born again experience. Where does the water come in about which Jesus spoke to Nicodemus in John 3? That has to do with baptism, read Gal.3:27. We accept Christ and then be baptised which means we make Christ a part of our life. It is the natural result of accepting Christ, without delay. Read Acts 8:36. The man from Ethiopia asked what would hinder him to be baptised, Phillip answered “if you believe with all your heart” Acts 8:37. The Ethiopian man responded with his confession of faith and was baptised and he continued his journey rejoicing.
This is the process Jesus has left us in Matth.28:19, 20 and in Mark 16:16, first a time of teaching, then believing what we have learned from the scriptures followed by baptism. Then follows teaching under grace, Titus 2:11-15, to learn to observe or to practice to be a follower of Jesus Christ. We will learn more about in part 30.
Dear reader if you have been through the previous 28 teachings, now you should give serious thought of seeking to be baptised. Do you believe what you have been learning in these 28 lessons? Out of baptism comes then a new life, a born again life in Christ. The apostle Paul in Romans 6 explains what baptism is in reality. Read Romans.6 the first verses 1-8. Jesus Christ died, and rose the third day, so we in a spiritual manner die to our former life which is buried in the waters of baptism, and we are raised up from the waters of baptism to start a new life in Christ. The result will be what is called in 2Cor.5:17 a new creature in Christ or a born again person. We become a citizen of the Kingdom of God and have our name written in the book of life. Dear reader do you desire to be a citizen of the Kingdom of God?
From the time of our baptism we live with Christ as Paul writes in Gal.2:20, crucified with Christ now we live the life in and of Christ and as the Ethiopian man we will do this rejoicing because we have entered into the Kingdom of God, eternal life is assured.
The people who were baptised on the day of Pentecost also rejoiced, Acts 2:46, 47 and so did the jailor in Acts 16:34
Dear reader God is looking to you, He loves you deeply and He desires to see you rejoicing in your salvation found in Jesus and making the decision to be baptised without delay. Baptism means even more. It is not only being baptised into Christ but also into His body, the church. Christ is the head of the body, the church. Eph.5:23; Col.1:18. It is impossible to be baptised in Christ and not accept the body of Christ which is His church
After you have gone through these 28 lessons you will agree the church of Christ means the Seventh-day Adventist Church, God’s last day Remnant Church. This church only has the identifying marks of the remnant which are mentioned in Rev.12:17 and 14:12. It is a commandment keeping church which must include keeping holy the seventh day Sabbath; it has the Testimony of Jesus which is the Spirit of Prophecy, Rev.19:10 and it has the faith of Jesus which indicates it is a Christian church.
There are many Christian churches, but not many do keep the seventh day Sabbath. There are also a number of Christian churches keeping the seventh day Sabbath but do not claim to have the Testimony of Jesus. Only the Seventh-day Adventist church does claim, on biblical grounds, to be the remnant of Revelation 12:17 and 14:12. Remnant means the last day church, the last of the Seed which is Christ, Gal.3:16, 29, which is under attack of the dragon, the Devil.
Baptism means following in the footsteps of Jesus who also was baptised, Luke 3:21, 2 and Matth.3:13-16. If Jesus found it necessary to be baptised, who had never sinned, then it is more necessary for you to follow Jesus also in baptism. Dear reader don’t you want to follow Jesus now?
Dear reader may I suggest that you kneel down now and wherever you may be and turn your life over to Jesus who died in your place and accept Him as your Saviour and Lord for the rest of your life. Jesus loves you which is the motive that He died for you, in your place. He is knocking at the door of your heart right now, Rev.3:20. You will never regret but rejoice always. God bless and be a follower of Jesus also into the waters of baptism. We suggest the following commitment.
Commitment: Having accepted Jesus as my personal Saviour and having decided to follow Jesus all the way the rest of my life I now commit myself to seek opportunity to be baptised in Christ and also into the body of Christ His remnant church of this time.
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