Presentation of the mission work Free people's mission Inc. Krefeld
/ Ewald Frank
Language: english
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3. Baptism
According to the apostolic pattern only those who believe in Jesus Christ as their personal Saviour are baptised. »He that believeth and is baptised shall be saved …« (Mk. 16: 16). This is being done by immersing the person once as practised by the apostles and in the first Centuries after. The sprinkling and the pouring has no biblical foundation and was invented in the epoch of Christianising the nations by force. That it is even today. Because the infant cannot be asked or decide, it is forced upon the child.
Peter, the man of the first hour, said on the day of the inauguration of the New Testament Church as the one empowered by God under the leading of the Holy Spirit, »Repent, and be baptised, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.« (Acts 2: 38). »And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name among all nations …« (Lk. 24: 47). In baptism the believer testifies of heaving received the forgiveness of sins, and therefore confirms it in obedience by being baptised.
The apostles at the very beginning, also Philip and Paul, understood the great commission of Matthew 28: 19 correctly and baptised accordingly into that holy name. They did not repeat the commission as a formula but understood that the New Testament covenant name is »Jesus« in which the only one God revealed Himself as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. In that name alone we have the salvation of our God. For thus our Lord commissioned, »… baptising them into the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.« (Mt. 28: 19). God is Father, but that is not a name. Son is also no name neither is Holy Spirit a name. These are designations. The one name of Father, Son and Holy Ghost into which the disciples and everyone was to baptise in is »Lord Jesus Christ« . That is the true doctrine and practice of the apostles. At the beginning of the New Testament Church and, as church history states, long after the apostles, all believers were baptised in the name of Jesus Christ.