New Testament Versus Denominational Baptism
Following the Lord's resurrection and preceding his ascension, he commissioned the apostles, saying: "All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world." (Matt. 28:18-20)
Here Jesus authorized a baptism that is to be (1) preceded by teaching, (2) administered by men, and (3) practiced unto the end of the world. Thus are these three facts certain: (1) this baptism is valid today; (2) infants, having never been taught, are not subjects of it; and (3) men being the administrators, it is not Holy Spirit baptism. Holy Spirit baptism was promised and not commanded (Matt. 3:11, 12; Acts 1:5), and was administered by the Lord upon two occasions. The apostles received Holy Spirit baptism (Acts 2:1-4), and the house of Cornelius received it. (Acts 10:44-45; 11-15-17) It was administered upon the apostles that they might be equipped to carry out the great commission, and upon the house of Cornelius to convince Peter and his Jewish brethren that the gospel is for the Gentiles as well as the Jews.
Today, there is one baptism. (Eph. 4:5) The element of this baptism is water (Acts 10:47,48); the act is a burial (Rom. 6:4; Col. 2:12), and the design is remission of sins. (Mk. 16:16; Acts 2:38) This baptism is the consummating act of primary gospel obedience by which a penitent, confessing believer in Jesus Christ is liberated from the domain of Satan — a domain of sin, darkness, bondage and perdition. But into what is New Testament baptism?
It is into Jesus Christ: "Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death. Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life." (Rom. 6:3, 4) When the candidate for salvation escapes the domain of Satan he enters into Christ, "In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins." (Eph. 1:7) And it is in the action of baptism that this translation is effected.
New Testament baptism is into the death of Christ: ...so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death." Those who deny that baptism is a condition of salvation remind us that it is in the blood of Christ that we arc cleansed from sin. (1 Jno. 1:7; Rev. 1:5) Exactly, but it is in the grave of baptism that the blood is contacted, and the cleansing effected. Jesus shed his blood in his death. (Jno. 19:34), and we are baptized into his death, and thus into his blood, New Testament baptism is into the candidate's own death to sin. "....we arc buried by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life." The phrase "into death" (Rom. 6:4) refers to the candidate's death to sin. As Jesus was quickened in the grave, so is man quickened in the grave of baptism. He is buried dead in sin and raised dead to sin. He is buried dead to righteousness and raised alive to righteousness. Both before and after baptism, he is both dead and alive — before baptism he is alive — to the guilt of sin and dead to righteousness; after baptism he is dead to the guilt of sin and alive to righteousness. When he dies to sin, to the guilt of sin, when God ceases to impute, or attribute, his sins unto him (Rom. 4:7,8), he is quickened unto righteousness. God at this point forgives him, and imputes his (the candidate's) faith for righteousness. (Rom. 4:5; 6:17, 18) When he has died to sin he is freed from sin. (Rom. 6:7) This change is effected in baptism, where he is quickened together with Christ. Paul said, "Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead. And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses." (Col. 2:12, 13)
New Testament baptism is into Christ's kingdom. When the penitent, confessing believer, in the grave of baptism, receives the forgiveness of sins, by means of Christ's blood, he is "delivered from the power of darkness and translated into the kingdom of God's dear Son." (Col. 1:13) He is then to "walk in newness of life." He has acquired citizenship in the spiritual kingdom of heaven, and is a voluntary subject of the divine government. He is in covenant relationship with God in Christ; the realm of righteousness is his domain and Christ is his King. Thus he is to speak and act "in the name of the Lord Jesus" (Col. 3:17), accepting the New Testament as his sole, all-sufficient and final rule of faith and practice.
New Testament baptism is into one body: "For as the body is one and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: also is Christ. For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body...." (1 Cor. 12:13) "Now are there many members, yet but one body." (1 Cor. 12:20) This one body is Christ's one church: "He is the head of the body, the church." (Col. 1:18) Therefore, New Testament baptism is into one church and into but one church.
New Testament baptism is into a spiritual relationship. It is into the universal body of Christ, and makes one a "fellow-citizen with the saints, and of the household of God." (Eph. 2:19) To those who had received this baptism Peter said: "Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, and holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ." (1 Pet. 2:5) This spiritual house is a holy temple in the Lord "builded together for a habitation of God through the Spirit." (Eph. 2:21,22)
New Testament baptism is into a divine fellowship. Of those who were baptized on Pentecost, the scriptures say, "They continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers." The word "fellowship" in this passage (Acts 2:42) involves something other than monetary contributions or a mutual sharing together in the activities of the church. This is the apostles' fellowship just as the doctrine of the passage is the apostle's doctrine. It is the fellowship enjoyed by the apostles. And of this fellowship, the apostle John said: ....truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ." (1 Jno. 1:3) This is a divine fellowship — a fellowship with divine persons. John further said: "God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin." (1 John 1:5-7) This fellowship "one with another" is the fellowship of a Christian with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ, and this is the "apostles'" fellowship mentioned in Acts 2:42. If two men have fellowship with God, they surely have fellowship with each other, but all who are baptized into Christ are baptized into fellowship with divine persons, and with other members of the divine and spiritual body. We speak of withdrawing fellowship, and we are authorized to withdraw ourselves from every brother who walks disorderly (2 Thess. 3:6) hut only the person who has been baptized into fellowship with God can withdraw or sever that divine fellowship. Before we can in righteousness withdraw from a brother, he must first sever his fellowship with God, by his own failure to "continue steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine" (Acts 2:42) or to "walk in the light." (1 John 1:7)
And now, let us examine denominational baptism in the light of the foregoing. Some denominational churches deny that baptism is essential to salvation, and contend that men are admitted into Christ, the death of Christ, their own death to sin, newness of life, the one divine body, the spiritual relationship, and divine fellowship of that body, before and without baptism. Yet, to become a member of the respective denomination, one must accept what that denomination calls baptism; and in so doing he accepts a baptism that is into the denominational church, which is admittedly not the one divine body of 1 Cor. 12:13; Eph. 4:4; Col. 1:18. But New Testament baptism is (1) "one baptism." (2) "by one Spirit," and (3) "into one body." (Eph. 4:5; 1 Cor. 12:13) The one and only baptism that the Holy Spirit is the author of is into one divine body and into the divine fellowship of that body. The denominational church is an additional body with its additional fellowship, and neither the body or the fellowship is divine in nature. Surely, the Holy Spirit is not the author of the baptism that is into that human body and fellowship.
Then there are other denominational churches that preach baptism "for the remission of sins" and tell sinners that it is into the one divine body with its divine fellowship. Among these denominations are the Mormon, Christadelphian and Christian Churches. Is the baptism administered by these churches New Testament baptism? Is it the "one baptism" that is "by one Spirit" and "into one body"? Should the churches of Christ accept as members individuals from these denominations, upon the baptism they have received? Some say we should, and especially that we should receive members from the Christian Church, without immersing them for the remission of sins.
I do not believe that such a practice is in harmony with the truth. The Christian Church constitutes "one body" that is not the one divine body. It is a human body in addition to the divine body, with its human relationship and fellowship. And the baptism administered by it is into an authorized body, relationship and fellowship. If someone insists that the baptism administered by the Christian Church does not make one a member of that human body and forbidden fellowship, let him prove that those who receive it do not thereby become recognized members of the Christian Church; and if someone insists that this baptism is into both the divine and human bodies, and the divine and human fellowship, let him explain how the one baptism, by one Spirit, into one body, can be into two bodies one divine and the other human.
The Bible says: "Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them." (Eph. 5:11) And if there is an objection to my reference to a denomination as an "unfruitful work of darkness," the objector is sincerely invited to cite a single passage of scripture giving to any denomination a place in the divine light.
New Testament baptism is immersion in water of a penitent, confessing believer, in Jesus Christ, in order to receive the remission of sins, and it is into the one blood-bought church of Jesus Christ. If you, dear reader, have not accepted it, you are urged to do so while time is yours.
If the reader has Bible proof that any part of this article does not represent truth, he or she is invited to call the same to my attention. God's truth is our only hope. (Jno. 8:32)
— Route No. 1, Savoy, Texas