112 years ago, on June 15, 1904, the General Slocum steamboat caught fire and sank in the East River, becoming the worst maritime disaster in New York City's history. I was unaware of this tragedy until I happened across a "Virtual Cemetery" for it on Find-a-Grave, created by Judi Braddick.
The boat had been chartered to carry members of St. Mark's Evangelical Lutheran Church to a church picnic. A spark or flame ignited some straw and then other flammable material. That and much of what followed has been considered criminal negligence by many students of the event. Eight people were indicted concerning the fire and tragedy, but only the captain was convicted. It is estimated that 1021 people died (of 1342 on board). The last survivor of the General Slocum disaster died at the age of 100 in January of 2004.
Wednesday, June 15, 2016
Tuesday, June 14, 2016
The line dividing good and evil, and other quotes
The posting of quotes by human authors does not constitute agreement with either the quotes or their sources.
"If only there were evil people somewhere insidiously committing evil deeds, and it were necessary only to separate them from the rest of us and destroy them. But the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being." -- Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, in The Gulag Archipelago
"Prayers without variety eventually become words without meaning." -- Don Whitney
"Faith, without trouble or fighting, is a suspicious faith; for true faith is a fighting, wrestling faith." -- Ralph Erskine
"There is no fault which makes a man more unpopular, and no fault which we are more unconscious of in ourselves. And the more we have it ourselves the more we dislike it in others." -- On pride, from C. S. Lewis
"Some of my non-Calvinist brothers can do “spin” on subject matter better than a Maytag washing machine can on High school football uniforms." -- C. B. Scott, a non-Calvinist Southern Baptist preacher
"If you’re not willing to preach in the basement, you have no business preaching in the bay window." -- David L. Allen
"If I ever achieve humility, I’ll sure be proud of it." -- Mark Twain
"The will of God is never exactly what you expect it to be. It may seem to be much worse, but in the end it's going to be a lot better and a lot bigger." -- Elisabeth Elliot
"A kicking mule can't pull, and a pulling mule can't kick. Lay aside your kicks and come to church where you can pull." -- J. A. Branaman
"If a cluttered desk is a sign of a cluttered mind, of what, then, is an empty desk a sign?'" -- attributed to Albert Einstein
"If only there were evil people somewhere insidiously committing evil deeds, and it were necessary only to separate them from the rest of us and destroy them. But the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being." -- Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, in The Gulag Archipelago
"Prayers without variety eventually become words without meaning." -- Don Whitney
"Faith, without trouble or fighting, is a suspicious faith; for true faith is a fighting, wrestling faith." -- Ralph Erskine
"There is no fault which makes a man more unpopular, and no fault which we are more unconscious of in ourselves. And the more we have it ourselves the more we dislike it in others." -- On pride, from C. S. Lewis
"Some of my non-Calvinist brothers can do “spin” on subject matter better than a Maytag washing machine can on High school football uniforms." -- C. B. Scott, a non-Calvinist Southern Baptist preacher
"If you’re not willing to preach in the basement, you have no business preaching in the bay window." -- David L. Allen
"If I ever achieve humility, I’ll sure be proud of it." -- Mark Twain
"The will of God is never exactly what you expect it to be. It may seem to be much worse, but in the end it's going to be a lot better and a lot bigger." -- Elisabeth Elliot
"A kicking mule can't pull, and a pulling mule can't kick. Lay aside your kicks and come to church where you can pull." -- J. A. Branaman
"If a cluttered desk is a sign of a cluttered mind, of what, then, is an empty desk a sign?'" -- attributed to Albert Einstein
AG Lynch, and other links
The posting of links does not constitute an endorsement of the sites linked, and not necessarily even agreement with the specific posts linked.
- AG Lynch Refuses to Defend Law to Speedily Terminate Wrongdoers -- "Lynch’s sudden constitutional scruples are ironic, given the Obama administration’s past willingness to ignore Constitutional checks and balances and attack First Amendment freedoms when it is ideologically convenient..."
- Aiming to deepen rite’s meaning, Baptist pastor in Ohio baptizes infant -- "But Kennedy did not say no, and during worship on Sunday, April 19, he conducted his and his church’s first-ever infant baptism."
- 'Free the Nipple' Ft. Collins files federal lawsuit -- "Group says topless ban violates First Amendment."
- HB2 and its Pandora’s box: I identify as black and 40. That’s OK, right? -- "Though the administration might have the best of intentions, its fusion of sex and gender raises complex questions. Race, for example, is even more of a social construct than gender."
- Holy Infants? A Closer Look at 1Corinthians 7:14 -- "...if the baptism of infants were taking place in Corinth, Paul would certainly not have written this way."
- 'It’s haunted me': After threats, wife of anti-abortion GOP lawmaker goes public about own abortion -- "I’m extremely proud of my wife for her courage!"
- Obama Tries To Pretend The Second Amendment Doesn’t Exist -- "Obama doesn't want to talk about why strict gun laws don't reduce gun violence, but he has much to say about why we should regulate guns like automobiles."
- Religious Groups’ Views on Evolution -- "...affirm that evolution and the Bible do not contradict each other."
- Seven Things You Should Know about the Civil War -- "Wilmer McLean, a Virginia resident, has one of the most interesting stories of the War."
- The Amish understand a crucial thing about modern medicine that most Americans don’t -- "Long before Obamacare, Plain communities achieved what the rest of America had not: universal healthcare coverage."
- The Baptist Ecclesiology of E. Y. Mullins: Individualism and the New Testament Church -- "Most observers consider E. Y. Mullins to be the most influential Southern Baptist theologian and denominational leader of the twentieth century."
- The Disciples in Ephesus – Acts 19:1-7 -- "The debate surrounds the questions of whether or not the twelve disciples mentioned in Acts 19:1-7 were actually born again or not."
- The LGBT Movement Will Self-Destruct -- "Ideas have consequences, and gender ideologues are only beginning to grapple with the fruits of theirs."
- U.S. flags removed from Confederate graves on Memorial Day weekend -- "I don't think this is an organized effort by a group. It's just some folks who don't quite get why the flags are out there and feel compelled to take them down."
- Why There Are American Flags on Confederate Graves -- "...in 1958 Congress chose to consider Confederate soldiers as the equivalent of Union soldiers as Civil War Veterans."
- Woman Who Was Arrested for Letting 11-Year-Old Son Drive Golf Cart Speaks Out -- "In the arresting documents, the officer said Mall failed to “surrender her hands to be handcuffed” and that Mall and her husband were “intoxicated…uncooperative and obstinate”."
Monday, June 13, 2016
6,000 Year Old Earth
Written by and used by permission of Pastor Wayne Reynolds, Independence Baptist Church, Foristell, Missouri
There are five (and only five) Biblical steps necessary to determine the age of the universe.
For a graphical representative of the following explanation click here.
1. Genesis 5. These genealogies cover 10 generations, from Adam to Noah, and reveals that Noah died when the earth was 2006 years old. Click here to view a table created from Genesis 5.
2. Gen. 11:10-32. These genealogies cover 9 generations, from Shem (the son of Noah) to the death of Terah (Abraham’s dad). This genealogy will give you the age of the earth at the death of Terah, who is the father of Abraham, as 2081. It is very interesting to note that Terah died the very year Abraham received the promise of God in Genesis 12:1-4. It is very true that we will not receive any of the promises of God until we obey the conditions of those promises. God had told Abraham to depart from: (1) his country, (2) his kindred, and (3) his father’s house. Abraham did not receive any of the promises of God until he obeyed completely. We, like Abraham, will receive none of the promises of God until we obey completely. Click here to view a table created from Genesis 11:10-32.
It is interesting to note that Abraham was born the same year Noah died, when the world was 2006 years old. According to Genesis 12:4, Abraham was 75 years old when he received the promises of God. Add 2006 to 75 and we discover the world was 2081 years old when the promise was given to Abraham concerning the coming Saviour and the blessings of God upon the nation of Israel.
3. Galatians 3:16,17 declares, "Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ. 17 And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect." Abraham received the promise when the world was 2081 years old. Now, add the 430 years spoken of in Galatians 3:16,17 to 2081, and we discover the world was 2511 years old when the law (the Ten Commandments) was given.
Also read Exodus 12:40,41. "Now the sojourning of the children of Israel, who dwelt in Egypt, was four hundred and thirty years. 41 And it came to pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty years, even the selfsame day it came to pass, that all the hosts of the LORD went out from the land of Egypt."
The sojourning of the children of Israel (in Canaan: during the lifetime of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob: in Egypt (see Exodus 6:16-20) during the life of Levi, Kohath, Amram, and Moses.
4. I Kings 6:1. This verse will bring us up to the fourth year of Solomon's reign.
I Kings 6:1 states, "And it came to pass in the four hundred and eightieth year after the children of Israel were come out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon's reign over Israel, in the month Zif, which is the second month, that he began to build the house of the LORD."
Now we can add another 480 years to 2511 and we get find it is 2991 years from creation to the fourth year of Solomon’s reign.
5. Using any secular history, look up the date when Solomon reigned. This will be in the area of 1015-975 b. c. If you like, you can go through the books of I and II Kings and prove that Israel went into bondage to the Assyrians in 722 B. C. and Judah went into bondage to Babylon in 606 B. C.
Because we know from secular history that Solomon reigned about 1,000 years before Christ, we can add 1,000 years to 2,991 (the age of the earth when Solomon began to reign) and you get 3991 (the approximate age of the earth when Christ was born.)
I think everybody knows it is approximately 2000 years the time of Christ until now. So add 2000 years to 3991 and you get 5991. That is pretty close to 6,000 years.
It is very clear, is it not, that the Bible proves the age of the universe to be approximately 6,000 years old.
By Pastor Wayne Reynolds, from the Independence Baptist Church website (BY PERMISSION)
There are five (and only five) Biblical steps necessary to determine the age of the universe.
For a graphical representative of the following explanation click here.
1. Genesis 5. These genealogies cover 10 generations, from Adam to Noah, and reveals that Noah died when the earth was 2006 years old. Click here to view a table created from Genesis 5.
2. Gen. 11:10-32. These genealogies cover 9 generations, from Shem (the son of Noah) to the death of Terah (Abraham’s dad). This genealogy will give you the age of the earth at the death of Terah, who is the father of Abraham, as 2081. It is very interesting to note that Terah died the very year Abraham received the promise of God in Genesis 12:1-4. It is very true that we will not receive any of the promises of God until we obey the conditions of those promises. God had told Abraham to depart from: (1) his country, (2) his kindred, and (3) his father’s house. Abraham did not receive any of the promises of God until he obeyed completely. We, like Abraham, will receive none of the promises of God until we obey completely. Click here to view a table created from Genesis 11:10-32.
It is interesting to note that Abraham was born the same year Noah died, when the world was 2006 years old. According to Genesis 12:4, Abraham was 75 years old when he received the promises of God. Add 2006 to 75 and we discover the world was 2081 years old when the promise was given to Abraham concerning the coming Saviour and the blessings of God upon the nation of Israel.
3. Galatians 3:16,17 declares, "Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ. 17 And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect." Abraham received the promise when the world was 2081 years old. Now, add the 430 years spoken of in Galatians 3:16,17 to 2081, and we discover the world was 2511 years old when the law (the Ten Commandments) was given.
Also read Exodus 12:40,41. "Now the sojourning of the children of Israel, who dwelt in Egypt, was four hundred and thirty years. 41 And it came to pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty years, even the selfsame day it came to pass, that all the hosts of the LORD went out from the land of Egypt."
The sojourning of the children of Israel (in Canaan: during the lifetime of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob: in Egypt (see Exodus 6:16-20) during the life of Levi, Kohath, Amram, and Moses.
4. I Kings 6:1. This verse will bring us up to the fourth year of Solomon's reign.
I Kings 6:1 states, "And it came to pass in the four hundred and eightieth year after the children of Israel were come out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon's reign over Israel, in the month Zif, which is the second month, that he began to build the house of the LORD."
Now we can add another 480 years to 2511 and we get find it is 2991 years from creation to the fourth year of Solomon’s reign.
5. Using any secular history, look up the date when Solomon reigned. This will be in the area of 1015-975 b. c. If you like, you can go through the books of I and II Kings and prove that Israel went into bondage to the Assyrians in 722 B. C. and Judah went into bondage to Babylon in 606 B. C.
Because we know from secular history that Solomon reigned about 1,000 years before Christ, we can add 1,000 years to 2,991 (the age of the earth when Solomon began to reign) and you get 3991 (the approximate age of the earth when Christ was born.)
I think everybody knows it is approximately 2000 years the time of Christ until now. So add 2000 years to 3991 and you get 5991. That is pretty close to 6,000 years.
It is very clear, is it not, that the Bible proves the age of the universe to be approximately 6,000 years old.
By Pastor Wayne Reynolds, from the Independence Baptist Church website (BY PERMISSION)
Sunday, June 12, 2016
Greek and Latin terms used in Christian theology
Some Greek and Latin terms used in Christian theology, which you might run across reading on the subject:
Latin
Greek
Latin
- Creatio ex Nihilo: creation out of nothing
- Credenda: things to be believed
- Credo: I believe
- Gloria in Excelsis Deo: glory to God in the highest
- Imago Dei: image of God
- Missio Dei: the mission or sending of God
- Ordo Salutis: order of salvation (e.g., the logical order of how salvation transpires in time)
- Prima Causa: first cause
- Protoevangelium: first gospel (specifically Genesis 3:15)
- Regnum Christi: the rule of Christ
- Solo Christo: Christ alone
- Sola Fide: faith alone
- Sola Gratia: grace alone
- Sola Scriptura: Scripture alone
- Soli Deo Gloria: to God alone be the glory.
- Summum Bonum: highest or chief good (i.e., God)
- Vox Dei: Voice of God
Greek
- Adiaphora: things of indifference (i.e., neutral, not right or wrong in themselves)
- Agape: love
- Autographa: original writing
- Ecclesia: church, congregation
- Eucharistia: thanksgiving (some churches use the term Eucharist for the Lord's Supper)
- Hagia Graphia: Holy Scriptures
- Kenosis: emptying (particularly regarding the Incarnation of the Son of God)
- Kerygma: preaching, the proclamation of the gospel
- Logos: word (often used in reference to Jesus)
- Praxis: action (or practice)
Saturday, June 11, 2016
Logic on Fire, and other reviews
The posting of book reviews does not constitute endorsement of the books or book reviews that are linked.
- A Review of (documentary) "Logic On Fire: The Life and Legacy of Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones" -- "Rest assured that “Logic On Fire” will not disappoint."
- Book Review – A Lost God in a Lost World -- "...Tinker addresses a number of problems that exist in the church and the solution that is rooted in God."
- Book Review – Biblical Counseling and the Church -- "...overall the book did an excellent job of presenting the case and providing the means for seeing counseling be an every-member ministry of the local church."
- Book Review: Nathan Bedford Forrest’s Redemption by Shane E. Kastler -- "The book, like Forrest’s life itself, is a testimony to the power and mercy of our forgiving and redeeming God, the God whose grace, as wrote a more famous Baptist pastor, abounds even to the chief of sinners."
- Book Review: Neither Complementarian nor Egalitarian -- "...the terms we are using are the product of cultural forces of the era in which we live."
- Book Review of "End The Fed" By Ron Paul -- "Regardless of where you come down regarding your opinion, you will have much more information for deciding your position after reading this short, but informative book."
- Book Reviews: Remembering Two Baptist Pioneer Preachers of Texas -- "The book is well-illustrated and contains considerable genealogy."
- Book: The Other Worldview -- "Peter Jones’...concept is that there are not an infinite number of worldviews. Instead, he posits the existence of exactly two worldviews."
- Review: Domestic Slavery Considered As a Scriptural Institution -- "The letters of Wayland and Fuller are a good and fascinating read and as the editors indicated, an illustration of how two public figures differed on a volatile topic..."
- Review of Spending God's Money -- "The most disturbing attribute of Branson's book for me was what I didn't read in it."
- Review: The Greatest Hoax on Earth? Refuting Dawkins on Evolution -- "It is informative, encouraging, and gratifying to see the arguments of the world’s foremost evolutionist smashed to smithereens."
- Review: Unholy Charade - Unmasking the Domestic Abuser in the Church -- "Unholy Charade makes for uncomfortable reading."
Friday, June 10, 2016
Deeper than the stain has gone
Nearly 10 years ago I posted two stanzas of the hymn Dark the stain that soiled man’s nature. Since then I have found that it has four stanzas and a chorus. Here they are:
1. Dark the stain that soiled man’s nature,
Long the distance that he fell.
Far removed from hope and heaven,
Into deep despair and hell.
But there was a fountain opened,
And the blood of God’s own Son,
Purifies the soul and reaches
Deeper than the stain has gone!
2. Conscious of the deep pollution,
Sinners wander in the night,
Tho’ they hear the Shepherd calling,
They still fear to face the light.
This the blessed consolation,
That can melt the heart of stone,
That sweet Balm of Gilead reaches
Deeper than the stain has gone!
3. All unworthy we who’ve wandered,
And our eyes are wet with tears;
As we think of love that sought us
Through the weary wasted years.
Yet we walk the holy highway,
Walking by God’s grace alone
Knowing Calv’ry’s fountain reaches
Deeper than the stain has gone!
4. When with holy choirs we’re standing
In the presence of the King,
And our souls are lost in wonder,
While the white robed choirs sing;
Then we’ll praise the name of Jesus,
With the millions round the throne;
Praise Him for the pow’r that reaches,
Deeper than the stain has gone!
Chorus:
Praise the Lord for full salvation,
God still reigns upon His throne.
And I know the blood still reaches
Deeper than the stain has gone.
I also found it being sung HERE and HERE. My source attributed the song to Raymond Browning (so also in The Sanctified South: John Lakin Brasher and the Holiness Movement). On other hand, several online mentions of the song attribute it to Adger M. Pace. The resolution is that Raymond Browning wrote the words and Adger M. Pace wrote or arranged the music. There is a 1956 copyright renewal by Browning’s wife in Catalog of Copyright Entries: Third series that attributes it this way.
--
“The Rev. Raymond Browning, 74, former pastor of the Church of the Nazarene in Asheville, died Friday night at this home in Bethany, Oklahoma, after a heart attack.
“The funeral service will be held there on Tuesday.
“Dr. Browning served as pastor of the Asheville church from 1949 until May 1952. He was a native of North Carolina and had been a minister of both Methodist and Nazarene churches. He received his doctorate from Trevecca Nazarene College at Nashville, Tenn. He was a song writer and poet.
“Surviving are the widow; a son, David, missionary to British Honduras, and four daughters.”
(“Nazarene Minister Victim of Death,” The Times-News, Hendersonville, NC, Monday August 24, 1953, page 4)
1. Dark the stain that soiled man’s nature,
Long the distance that he fell.
Far removed from hope and heaven,
Into deep despair and hell.
But there was a fountain opened,
And the blood of God’s own Son,
Purifies the soul and reaches
Deeper than the stain has gone!
2. Conscious of the deep pollution,
Sinners wander in the night,
Tho’ they hear the Shepherd calling,
They still fear to face the light.
This the blessed consolation,
That can melt the heart of stone,
That sweet Balm of Gilead reaches
Deeper than the stain has gone!
3. All unworthy we who’ve wandered,
And our eyes are wet with tears;
As we think of love that sought us
Through the weary wasted years.
Yet we walk the holy highway,
Walking by God’s grace alone
Knowing Calv’ry’s fountain reaches
Deeper than the stain has gone!
4. When with holy choirs we’re standing
In the presence of the King,
And our souls are lost in wonder,
While the white robed choirs sing;
Then we’ll praise the name of Jesus,
With the millions round the throne;
Praise Him for the pow’r that reaches,
Deeper than the stain has gone!
Chorus:
Praise the Lord for full salvation,
God still reigns upon His throne.
And I know the blood still reaches
Deeper than the stain has gone.
I also found it being sung HERE and HERE. My source attributed the song to Raymond Browning (so also in The Sanctified South: John Lakin Brasher and the Holiness Movement). On other hand, several online mentions of the song attribute it to Adger M. Pace. The resolution is that Raymond Browning wrote the words and Adger M. Pace wrote or arranged the music. There is a 1956 copyright renewal by Browning’s wife in Catalog of Copyright Entries: Third series that attributes it this way.
--
“The Rev. Raymond Browning, 74, former pastor of the Church of the Nazarene in Asheville, died Friday night at this home in Bethany, Oklahoma, after a heart attack.
“The funeral service will be held there on Tuesday.
“Dr. Browning served as pastor of the Asheville church from 1949 until May 1952. He was a native of North Carolina and had been a minister of both Methodist and Nazarene churches. He received his doctorate from Trevecca Nazarene College at Nashville, Tenn. He was a song writer and poet.
“Surviving are the widow; a son, David, missionary to British Honduras, and four daughters.”
(“Nazarene Minister Victim of Death,” The Times-News, Hendersonville, NC, Monday August 24, 1953, page 4)
Thursday, June 09, 2016
Baptisms described, AD 100—400
Below are some examples of the understanding of baptism among early Christian writers. I do not advocate all of their theology, some with which I would widely differ. But their incidental and deliberate statements on baptism suggest immersion was the standard and predominant mode among them -- as well as confirming the early ties of the theology of baptism with the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The quotes are arranged in roughly alphabetical order. Links are provided for those who would like to research the source material.
Baptism is by immersion, but by pouring if the water is insufficient for immersion *
Chapter 7. Concerning Baptism. And concerning baptism, baptize this way: Having first said all these things, baptize into the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, in living water. But if you have no living water, baptize into other water; and if you cannot do so in cold water, do so in warm. But if you have neither, pour out water three times upon the head into the name of Father and Son and Holy Spirit. But before the baptism let the baptizer fast, and the baptized, and whoever else can; but you shall order the baptized to fast one or two days before. – Didache (parts of original possibly before AD 100, with other material added later; it was rediscovered in 1873)
Baptism is by immersion, but by pouring if the water is insufficient for immersion
VII 1. Περὶ δὲ τοῦ βαπτίσματος, οὕτω βαπτίσατε· ταῦτα πάντα πρειπόντες, βαπτίσατε εἰς τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ πατρὸς καὶ τοῦ υἱοῦ καὶ τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος ἐν ὕδατι ζῶντι. 2. ἐὰν δὲ μὴ ἔχῃς ὕδωρ ζῶν, εἰς ἄλλο ὕδωρ βάπτισον· εἰ δ’ οὐ δύνασαι ἐν ψυχρῷ, ἐν θερμῷ. 3. ἐὰν δὲ ἀμφότερα μὴ ἔχῃς, ἔκχεον εἰς τὴν κεφαλὴν τρὶς ὕδωρ εἰς ὄνομα πατρὸς καὶ υἱοῦ καὶ ἁγίου πνεύματος. 4. πρὸ δὲ τοῦ βαπτίσμος προνηστευσάτω ὁ βαπτίζων καὶ ὁ βαπτιζόμενος καὶ εἴ τινες ἄλλοι δύναται· κελεύεις δὲ νηστεῦσαι τὸν βαπτιζόμενον πρὸ μιᾶς ἢ δύο. Didache (in Greek)
Baptism, descending and coming up
This means, that we indeed descend into the water full of sins and defilement, but come up, bearing fruit in our heart, having the fear [of God] and trust in Jesus in our spirit. -- The Epistle of Barnabas (ca. 70-100), Chapter 11, translated by Alexander Roberts and James Donaldson, from Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol. 1
Baptism, descending into the water
And I said, "I heard, sir, some teachers maintain that there is no other repentance than that which takes place, when we descended into the water and received remission of our former sins." He said to me, "That was sound doctrine which you heard; for that is really the case..." -- The Shepherd of Hermas (1st or 2nd century)
Baptism, descending in death and rising in life
The seal, then, is the water: they descend into the water dead, and they arise alive. And to them, accordingly, was this seal preached, and they made use of it that they might enter into the kingdom of God." "Why, sir," I asked, "did the forty stones also ascend with them out of the pit, having already received the seal?" "Because," he said, "these apostles and teachers who preached the name of the Son of God, after falling asleep in the power and faith of the Son of God, preached it not only to those who were asleep, but themselves also gave them the seal of the preaching. Accordingly they descended with them into the water, and again ascended. -- The Shepherd of Hermas (1st or 2nd century)
Baptism, a washing with water
Chapter 61. I will also relate the manner in which we dedicated ourselves to God when we had been made new through Christ; lest, if we omit this, we seem to be unfair in the explanation we are making. As many as are persuaded and believe that what we teach and say is true, and undertake to be able to live accordingly, are instructed to pray and to entreat God with fasting, for the remission of their sins that are past, we praying and fasting with them. Then they are brought by us where there is water, and are regenerated in the same manner in which we were ourselves regenerated. For, in the name of God, the Father and Lord of the universe, and of our Saviour Jesus Christ, and of the Holy Spirit, they then receive the washing with water. -- Justin Martyr (ca. 100-165), The First Apology
Baptism, bringing persons to water as opposed to pouring on oil and water
21.4 But there are some of them who assert that it is superfluous to bring persons to the water, but mixing oil and water together, they place this mixture on the heads of those who are to be initiated, with the use of some such expressions as we have already mentioned. -- Irenaeus of Lyons (130-200), Book I
Baptism, immersion three times
Luke 23:46 After His resurrection He promises in a pledge to His disciples that He will send them the promise of His Father; Luke 24:49 and lastly, He commands them to baptize into the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost, not into a unipersonal God. And indeed it is not once only, but three times, that we are immersed into the Three Persons, at each several mention of Their names. -- Tertullian (ca. 160-230), Against Praxeas, Chapter 26, translated by Peter Holmes, from Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol. 3
Baptism – thrice immersed
To deal with this matter briefly, I shall begin with baptism. When we are going to enter the water, but a little before, in the presence of the congregation and under the hand of the president, we solemnly profess that we disown the devil, and his pomp, and his angels. Hereupon we are thrice immersed, making a somewhat ampler pledge than the Lord has appointed in the Gospel. – Tertullian (ca. 160-230, De Corona, Chapter 3, translated by S. Thelwall, from Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol. 3
Baptism, plunged in water
Thus, too, in our case, the unction runs carnally, (i.e. on the body,) but profits spiritually; in the same way as the act of baptism itself too is carnal, in that we are plunged in water, but the effect spiritual, in that we are freed from sins. – Tertullian (ca. 160-230, On Baptism, translated by S. Thelwall, from Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol. 3
Baptism, a bath or laver of regeneration
(trans. 1) The ropes that stretch around her [the ship of the church] are the love of Christ, which binds the church. The net that she bears with her is the bath of the regeneration that renews the believing, from which too are these glories.
(trans. 2) and the ropes that stretch around her are the love of Christ, which binds the Church; and the net which she bears with her is the laver of the regeneration which renews the believing, whence too are these glories. -- Hippolytus (170-236), Translation 1 as found in Worshipping with the Church Fathers (Christopher A. Hall, Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2009 page 44) and Translation 2 as found in On Christ and Antichrist
Baptism includes descending in the water
16. ...And some of them try to argue that they only administer a sound and perfect, not as we, a mutilated and curtailed baptism, which they are in such wise said to designate, that immediately they have descended into the water, fire at once appears upon the water. -- A Treatise on Re-Baptism (ca. 255)
Baptism different from sprinkling or affusion, though allowing the latter for the infirm
12. You have asked also, dearest son, what I thought of those who obtain God's grace in sickness and weakness, whether they are to be accounted legitimate Christians, for that they are not to be washed, but sprinkled, with the saving water. In this point, my diffidence and modesty prejudges none, so as to prevent any from feeling what he thinks right, and from doing what he feels to be right...13...And therefore, as far as it is allowed me by faith to conceive and to think, this is my opinion, that any one should be esteemed a legitimate Christian, who by the law and right of faith shall have obtained the grace of God in the Church. Or if any one think that those have gained nothing by having only been sprinkled with the saving water, but that they are still empty and void, let them not be deceived, so as if they escape the evil of their sickness, and get well, they should seek to be baptized. But if they cannot be baptized who have already been sanctified by ecclesiastical baptism, why are they offended in respect of their faith and the mercy of the Lord? -- Cyprian of Carthage (d. 258), Epistle 75, To Magnus
Baptism a sinking down and rising up, signifying burial and resurrection
In these benefits you were baptized, O newly-enlightened one. The initiation in grace, O newly-enlightened one, has become to you a guarantee of resurrection; you have baptism as a pledge of life in heaven. In the sinking down you imitated the burial of the Master; but you rose up from there, beholding beforehand the works of the resurrection. -- Discourse on the Holy Passover (attributed to Athansius, ca. 296–373) as quoted in Baptism in the Early Church: History, Theology, and Liturgy in the First Five Centuries, by Everett Ferguson (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans, 2009, pp. 492-493)
Baptism a dipping in water
3.XVI. You therefore, O bishop, according to that type, shall anoint the head of those that are to be baptized, whether they be men or women, with the holy oil, for a type of the spiritual baptism. After that, either you, O bishop, or a presbyter that is under you, shall in the solemn form name over them the Father, and Son, and Holy Spirit, and shall dip them in the water; and let a deacon receive the man, and a deaconess the woman, that so the conferring of this inviolable seal may take place with a becoming decency. And after that, let the bishop anoint those that are baptized with ointment. Apostolic Constitutions, Book III (ca. 375)
Baptism by three immersions, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost
8.50. If any bishop or presbyter does not perform the three immersions of the one admission, but one immersion, which is given into the death of Christ, let him be deprived; for the Lord did not say, Baptize into my death, but, Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Therefore, O bishops, baptize thrice into one Father, and Son, and Holy Ghost, according to the will of Christ, and our constitution by the Spirit. -- Apostolic Constitutions, Book VIII (ca. 375)
Baptism in a pool, consisting of descending into and ascending from water
20.4 After these things, you were led to the holy pool of Divine Baptism, as Christ was carried from the Cross to the Sepulchre which is before our eyes. And each of you was asked, whether he believed in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, and you made that saving confession, and descended three times into the water, and ascended again; here also hinting by a symbol at the three days burial of Christ. -- Cyril of Jerusalem (ca. 313–386 AD), Catechetical Lecture 20
Baptism a going down and coming up
3.12 For you go down into the water, bearing your sins, but the invocation of grace , having sealed your soul, suffers you not afterwards to be swallowed up by the terrible dragon. Having gone down dead in sins, you come up quickened in righteousness. For if you have been united with the likeness of the Saviour's death Romans 6:5, you shall also be deemed worthy of His Resurrection. For as Jesus took upon Him the sins of the world, and died, that by putting sin to death He might rise again in righteousness; so thou by going down into the water, and being in a manner buried in the waters, as He was in the rock, art raised again walking in newness of life. -- Cyril of Jerusalem (ca. 313–386 AD), Catechetical Lecture 3
Baptism consists of three immersions
15.35 This then is what it is to be born again of water and of the Spirit, the being made dead being effected in the water, while our life is wrought in us through the Spirit. In three immersions, then, and with three invocations, the great mystery of baptism is performed, to the end that the type of death may be fully figured, and that by the tradition of the divine knowledge the baptized may have their souls enlightened. -- Basil the Great (ca. 329-379), De Spiritu Sancto
Baptism, burial and resurrection, descending and rising
We call it the Gift, because it is given to us in return for nothing on our part; Grace, because it is conferred even on debtors; Baptism, because sin is buried with it in the water...Let us then be buried with Christ by Baptism, that we may also rise with Him; let us descend with Him, that we may also be exalted with Him; let us ascend with Him, that we may also be glorified together. -- Gregory Nazianzen (ca. 329–390), Oration 40, on holy Baptism
Baptism, a dipping and burial
11. The water, then, is that in which the flesh is dipped, that all carnal sin may be washed away. All wickedness is there buried... 21. So that Syrian dipped himself seven times under the law, but you were baptized in the Name of the Trinity, you confessed the Father. Call to mind what you did: you confessed the Son, you confessed the Holy Spirit. Mark well the order of things in this faith: you died to the world, and rose again to God. And as though buried to the world in that element, being dead to sin, you rose again to eternal life. Believe, therefore, that these waters are not void of power. Ambrose (340-397), On the Mysteries
Baptism immersion
How and in what manner? By the water. For the being baptized and immersed and then emerging, is a symbol of the descent into Hades and return thence. Wherefore also Paul calls baptism a burial, saying, Therefore we are buried with Him by baptism into death. -- John Chrysostom (ca. 349–407) Homily 40 on First Corinthians
The above examples are not considered authoritative (only the Holy Scriptures are), but are presumed to be historically accurate and representative of the faith and practice of the writer. There seems to be a fairly consistent thread of immersion that runs through the writings of the early "Church Fathers".
Archaelogy
"The predominant number of baptismal fonts permitted immersion, and many were so large as to defy any reason for their existence other than immersion." (Baptism in the Early Church, Everett Ferguson p. 883)
* It is generally conceded that parts of the Didache have an origin as early as AD 100 (or even earlier), with later editing. This work was discovered in 1873 in the Constantinople Manuscripts by Greek Orthodox Archbishop Philotheus Bryennios. It was published 1883. It is dated as copied in 1056. In his notes on translation in 1937, J. Louis Guthrie stated that he believed that the instruction on baptism by pouring was a late addition, "for it shows the insertion of a different scribe." He says, "The direction concerning pouring is the worst possible Greek. It is so bad, it does not make sense. He gives the literal translation as "But, if you may not have both, pour out into the head three water into a name Father and Son and Holy Spirit." (The Didache of the Twelve Apostles, J. Louis Guthrie, 1938, pp. 10, 19) Schaff appears to disagree with this assessment (that the pouring reference is late). See The Oldest Church Manual Called The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles: Didachē, p. 35.
Baptism is by immersion, but by pouring if the water is insufficient for immersion *
Chapter 7. Concerning Baptism. And concerning baptism, baptize this way: Having first said all these things, baptize into the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, in living water. But if you have no living water, baptize into other water; and if you cannot do so in cold water, do so in warm. But if you have neither, pour out water three times upon the head into the name of Father and Son and Holy Spirit. But before the baptism let the baptizer fast, and the baptized, and whoever else can; but you shall order the baptized to fast one or two days before. – Didache (parts of original possibly before AD 100, with other material added later; it was rediscovered in 1873)
Baptism is by immersion, but by pouring if the water is insufficient for immersion
VII 1. Περὶ δὲ τοῦ βαπτίσματος, οὕτω βαπτίσατε· ταῦτα πάντα πρειπόντες, βαπτίσατε εἰς τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ πατρὸς καὶ τοῦ υἱοῦ καὶ τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος ἐν ὕδατι ζῶντι. 2. ἐὰν δὲ μὴ ἔχῃς ὕδωρ ζῶν, εἰς ἄλλο ὕδωρ βάπτισον· εἰ δ’ οὐ δύνασαι ἐν ψυχρῷ, ἐν θερμῷ. 3. ἐὰν δὲ ἀμφότερα μὴ ἔχῃς, ἔκχεον εἰς τὴν κεφαλὴν τρὶς ὕδωρ εἰς ὄνομα πατρὸς καὶ υἱοῦ καὶ ἁγίου πνεύματος. 4. πρὸ δὲ τοῦ βαπτίσμος προνηστευσάτω ὁ βαπτίζων καὶ ὁ βαπτιζόμενος καὶ εἴ τινες ἄλλοι δύναται· κελεύεις δὲ νηστεῦσαι τὸν βαπτιζόμενον πρὸ μιᾶς ἢ δύο. Didache (in Greek)
Baptism, descending and coming up
This means, that we indeed descend into the water full of sins and defilement, but come up, bearing fruit in our heart, having the fear [of God] and trust in Jesus in our spirit. -- The Epistle of Barnabas (ca. 70-100), Chapter 11, translated by Alexander Roberts and James Donaldson, from Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol. 1
Baptism, descending into the water
And I said, "I heard, sir, some teachers maintain that there is no other repentance than that which takes place, when we descended into the water and received remission of our former sins." He said to me, "That was sound doctrine which you heard; for that is really the case..." -- The Shepherd of Hermas (1st or 2nd century)
Baptism, descending in death and rising in life
The seal, then, is the water: they descend into the water dead, and they arise alive. And to them, accordingly, was this seal preached, and they made use of it that they might enter into the kingdom of God." "Why, sir," I asked, "did the forty stones also ascend with them out of the pit, having already received the seal?" "Because," he said, "these apostles and teachers who preached the name of the Son of God, after falling asleep in the power and faith of the Son of God, preached it not only to those who were asleep, but themselves also gave them the seal of the preaching. Accordingly they descended with them into the water, and again ascended. -- The Shepherd of Hermas (1st or 2nd century)
Baptism, a washing with water
Chapter 61. I will also relate the manner in which we dedicated ourselves to God when we had been made new through Christ; lest, if we omit this, we seem to be unfair in the explanation we are making. As many as are persuaded and believe that what we teach and say is true, and undertake to be able to live accordingly, are instructed to pray and to entreat God with fasting, for the remission of their sins that are past, we praying and fasting with them. Then they are brought by us where there is water, and are regenerated in the same manner in which we were ourselves regenerated. For, in the name of God, the Father and Lord of the universe, and of our Saviour Jesus Christ, and of the Holy Spirit, they then receive the washing with water. -- Justin Martyr (ca. 100-165), The First Apology
Baptism, bringing persons to water as opposed to pouring on oil and water
21.4 But there are some of them who assert that it is superfluous to bring persons to the water, but mixing oil and water together, they place this mixture on the heads of those who are to be initiated, with the use of some such expressions as we have already mentioned. -- Irenaeus of Lyons (130-200), Book I
Baptism, immersion three times
Luke 23:46 After His resurrection He promises in a pledge to His disciples that He will send them the promise of His Father; Luke 24:49 and lastly, He commands them to baptize into the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost, not into a unipersonal God. And indeed it is not once only, but three times, that we are immersed into the Three Persons, at each several mention of Their names. -- Tertullian (ca. 160-230), Against Praxeas, Chapter 26, translated by Peter Holmes, from Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol. 3
Baptism – thrice immersed
To deal with this matter briefly, I shall begin with baptism. When we are going to enter the water, but a little before, in the presence of the congregation and under the hand of the president, we solemnly profess that we disown the devil, and his pomp, and his angels. Hereupon we are thrice immersed, making a somewhat ampler pledge than the Lord has appointed in the Gospel. – Tertullian (ca. 160-230, De Corona, Chapter 3, translated by S. Thelwall, from Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol. 3
Baptism, plunged in water
Thus, too, in our case, the unction runs carnally, (i.e. on the body,) but profits spiritually; in the same way as the act of baptism itself too is carnal, in that we are plunged in water, but the effect spiritual, in that we are freed from sins. – Tertullian (ca. 160-230, On Baptism, translated by S. Thelwall, from Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol. 3
Baptism, a bath or laver of regeneration
(trans. 1) The ropes that stretch around her [the ship of the church] are the love of Christ, which binds the church. The net that she bears with her is the bath of the regeneration that renews the believing, from which too are these glories.
(trans. 2) and the ropes that stretch around her are the love of Christ, which binds the Church; and the net which she bears with her is the laver of the regeneration which renews the believing, whence too are these glories. -- Hippolytus (170-236), Translation 1 as found in Worshipping with the Church Fathers (Christopher A. Hall, Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2009 page 44) and Translation 2 as found in On Christ and Antichrist
Baptism includes descending in the water
16. ...And some of them try to argue that they only administer a sound and perfect, not as we, a mutilated and curtailed baptism, which they are in such wise said to designate, that immediately they have descended into the water, fire at once appears upon the water. -- A Treatise on Re-Baptism (ca. 255)
Baptism different from sprinkling or affusion, though allowing the latter for the infirm
12. You have asked also, dearest son, what I thought of those who obtain God's grace in sickness and weakness, whether they are to be accounted legitimate Christians, for that they are not to be washed, but sprinkled, with the saving water. In this point, my diffidence and modesty prejudges none, so as to prevent any from feeling what he thinks right, and from doing what he feels to be right...13...And therefore, as far as it is allowed me by faith to conceive and to think, this is my opinion, that any one should be esteemed a legitimate Christian, who by the law and right of faith shall have obtained the grace of God in the Church. Or if any one think that those have gained nothing by having only been sprinkled with the saving water, but that they are still empty and void, let them not be deceived, so as if they escape the evil of their sickness, and get well, they should seek to be baptized. But if they cannot be baptized who have already been sanctified by ecclesiastical baptism, why are they offended in respect of their faith and the mercy of the Lord? -- Cyprian of Carthage (d. 258), Epistle 75, To Magnus
Baptism a sinking down and rising up, signifying burial and resurrection
In these benefits you were baptized, O newly-enlightened one. The initiation in grace, O newly-enlightened one, has become to you a guarantee of resurrection; you have baptism as a pledge of life in heaven. In the sinking down you imitated the burial of the Master; but you rose up from there, beholding beforehand the works of the resurrection. -- Discourse on the Holy Passover (attributed to Athansius, ca. 296–373) as quoted in Baptism in the Early Church: History, Theology, and Liturgy in the First Five Centuries, by Everett Ferguson (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans, 2009, pp. 492-493)
Baptism a dipping in water
3.XVI. You therefore, O bishop, according to that type, shall anoint the head of those that are to be baptized, whether they be men or women, with the holy oil, for a type of the spiritual baptism. After that, either you, O bishop, or a presbyter that is under you, shall in the solemn form name over them the Father, and Son, and Holy Spirit, and shall dip them in the water; and let a deacon receive the man, and a deaconess the woman, that so the conferring of this inviolable seal may take place with a becoming decency. And after that, let the bishop anoint those that are baptized with ointment. Apostolic Constitutions, Book III (ca. 375)
Baptism by three immersions, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost
8.50. If any bishop or presbyter does not perform the three immersions of the one admission, but one immersion, which is given into the death of Christ, let him be deprived; for the Lord did not say, Baptize into my death, but, Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Therefore, O bishops, baptize thrice into one Father, and Son, and Holy Ghost, according to the will of Christ, and our constitution by the Spirit. -- Apostolic Constitutions, Book VIII (ca. 375)
Baptism in a pool, consisting of descending into and ascending from water
20.4 After these things, you were led to the holy pool of Divine Baptism, as Christ was carried from the Cross to the Sepulchre which is before our eyes. And each of you was asked, whether he believed in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, and you made that saving confession, and descended three times into the water, and ascended again; here also hinting by a symbol at the three days burial of Christ. -- Cyril of Jerusalem (ca. 313–386 AD), Catechetical Lecture 20
Baptism a going down and coming up
3.12 For you go down into the water, bearing your sins, but the invocation of grace , having sealed your soul, suffers you not afterwards to be swallowed up by the terrible dragon. Having gone down dead in sins, you come up quickened in righteousness. For if you have been united with the likeness of the Saviour's death Romans 6:5, you shall also be deemed worthy of His Resurrection. For as Jesus took upon Him the sins of the world, and died, that by putting sin to death He might rise again in righteousness; so thou by going down into the water, and being in a manner buried in the waters, as He was in the rock, art raised again walking in newness of life. -- Cyril of Jerusalem (ca. 313–386 AD), Catechetical Lecture 3
Baptism consists of three immersions
15.35 This then is what it is to be born again of water and of the Spirit, the being made dead being effected in the water, while our life is wrought in us through the Spirit. In three immersions, then, and with three invocations, the great mystery of baptism is performed, to the end that the type of death may be fully figured, and that by the tradition of the divine knowledge the baptized may have their souls enlightened. -- Basil the Great (ca. 329-379), De Spiritu Sancto
Baptism, burial and resurrection, descending and rising
We call it the Gift, because it is given to us in return for nothing on our part; Grace, because it is conferred even on debtors; Baptism, because sin is buried with it in the water...Let us then be buried with Christ by Baptism, that we may also rise with Him; let us descend with Him, that we may also be exalted with Him; let us ascend with Him, that we may also be glorified together. -- Gregory Nazianzen (ca. 329–390), Oration 40, on holy Baptism
Baptism, a dipping and burial
11. The water, then, is that in which the flesh is dipped, that all carnal sin may be washed away. All wickedness is there buried... 21. So that Syrian dipped himself seven times under the law, but you were baptized in the Name of the Trinity, you confessed the Father. Call to mind what you did: you confessed the Son, you confessed the Holy Spirit. Mark well the order of things in this faith: you died to the world, and rose again to God. And as though buried to the world in that element, being dead to sin, you rose again to eternal life. Believe, therefore, that these waters are not void of power. Ambrose (340-397), On the Mysteries
Baptism immersion
How and in what manner? By the water. For the being baptized and immersed and then emerging, is a symbol of the descent into Hades and return thence. Wherefore also Paul calls baptism a burial, saying, Therefore we are buried with Him by baptism into death. -- John Chrysostom (ca. 349–407) Homily 40 on First Corinthians
The above examples are not considered authoritative (only the Holy Scriptures are), but are presumed to be historically accurate and representative of the faith and practice of the writer. There seems to be a fairly consistent thread of immersion that runs through the writings of the early "Church Fathers".
Archaelogy
"The predominant number of baptismal fonts permitted immersion, and many were so large as to defy any reason for their existence other than immersion." (Baptism in the Early Church, Everett Ferguson p. 883)
* It is generally conceded that parts of the Didache have an origin as early as AD 100 (or even earlier), with later editing. This work was discovered in 1873 in the Constantinople Manuscripts by Greek Orthodox Archbishop Philotheus Bryennios. It was published 1883. It is dated as copied in 1056. In his notes on translation in 1937, J. Louis Guthrie stated that he believed that the instruction on baptism by pouring was a late addition, "for it shows the insertion of a different scribe." He says, "The direction concerning pouring is the worst possible Greek. It is so bad, it does not make sense. He gives the literal translation as "But, if you may not have both, pour out into the head three water into a name Father and Son and Holy Spirit." (The Didache of the Twelve Apostles, J. Louis Guthrie, 1938, pp. 10, 19) Schaff appears to disagree with this assessment (that the pouring reference is late). See The Oldest Church Manual Called The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles: Didachē, p. 35.
Wednesday, June 08, 2016
Rebaptism
A few years ago I wrote about the "rebaptisms" of Acts 19. Rebaptism is a word that can be hard to satisfactorily define, because its use depends on one's theological convictions. Collins English Dictionary says it is a Christian word meaning "a new or second baptism."
The predominant use of the term is an attempt to describe the baptism of a person who has received a prior baptism that is considered invalid. Almost always, if not always, those who are performing "a new or second baptism" are doing so because they believe there was never a baptism in the first place! J. D. Hall puts it this way -- It’s Not “Re-Baptism”: It’s Baptism writing, "I refuse to the word ‘baptism’ in defining that ritual [i.e. pouring water on the head of an unrepentant unbeliever]." If a church believes the candidate for baptism must be a professed believer, then a water ritual with an infant does not qualify for recognition as baptism. If a church believes the mode of baptism must be immersion, then a water ritual of affusion (pouring) or ablution or dispersion (sprinkling) does not qualify.
Baptists have traditionally understood the idea of rebaptism as a misnomer we use because it is tied into the subject under discussion -- when someone thinks a person has already been baptized and then receives "a new or second baptism."
* Baptists and others who hold believer's baptism are often dubbed "Anabaptists" or "Re-Baptizers" by those who practice infant baptism.
The predominant use of the term is an attempt to describe the baptism of a person who has received a prior baptism that is considered invalid. Almost always, if not always, those who are performing "a new or second baptism" are doing so because they believe there was never a baptism in the first place! J. D. Hall puts it this way -- It’s Not “Re-Baptism”: It’s Baptism writing, "I refuse to the word ‘baptism’ in defining that ritual [i.e. pouring water on the head of an unrepentant unbeliever]." If a church believes the candidate for baptism must be a professed believer, then a water ritual with an infant does not qualify for recognition as baptism. If a church believes the mode of baptism must be immersion, then a water ritual of affusion (pouring) or ablution or dispersion (sprinkling) does not qualify.
Baptists have traditionally understood the idea of rebaptism as a misnomer we use because it is tied into the subject under discussion -- when someone thinks a person has already been baptized and then receives "a new or second baptism."
* Baptists and others who hold believer's baptism are often dubbed "Anabaptists" or "Re-Baptizers" by those who practice infant baptism.
Closet annihilationist, and other links
The posting of links does not constitute an endorsement of the sites linked, and not necessarily even agreement with the specific posts linked.
- Are you a closet annihilationist? -- "National Geographic has an interesting article on the doctrine of Hell...The gist of it is that evangelical belief in the traditional doctrine of hell is in decline."
- A Subjective Definition of ‘Death’ Would Unleash Great Evil -- "Legally, human death is declared when medical testing discerns the irreversible cessation of one of two biological functions that must work for a human being to be considered an integrated functioning organism."
- British Baptist Historians: E. A. Payne -- "1951-1967 General Secretary of the Baptist Union of Great Britain"
- College boots ex-Delta Force hero after complaint from LGBT activists -- "I was not given an opportunity to explain myself."
- Deaf Cashier Photographed as Patrons Patiently Write Down Food Orders -- "... after seeing so many people bully others on a daily basis, I can't tell you how refreshing it was to see these small acts of kindness demonstrated from so many different people."
- Elder Plurality in Baptist Congregationalism: A Response to Dr. Bart Barber -- "Although he and I take different approaches as to what this better polity looks like, we both desire to see congregations exercising healthy congregationalism and pastoral leaders giving solid leadership..."
- Fuller on Passages that Seem Contradictory -- "The statement in these two passages contains a variety, but no contrariety..."
- God And Evil: Problem Solved (Excerpts) -- "If God is all-good, and if God is all-powerful, why are sin and suffering in the world?"
- Hellers or No-Hellers? -- "Because Primite Baptist Universalists do believe in hell in the temporal world, they strongly reject the No-Heller label that others have given them."
- James Patterson’s New Book -- "James Robinson Graves: Staking the Boundaries of Baptist Identity"
- John R. Sampey: Professor, Pastor and President -- "A native Alabaman born in the midst of the American Civil War, and of Huguenot and Methodist-turned-Baptist stock, John was well-versed in Scripture as a youth."
- Observations Regarding Baptism -- "There is no hint of any sort that those disciples who had been immersed by John were re-immersed when they began following Jesus."
- On “Landmark” Doctrines and Historical Ignorance -- "...it is ridiculous how many contemporary Baptists have no clue what Landmarkism is but fashion themselves as experts on the subject."
- Only a Church that Loves Truth Will Validate and Help an Abuse Victim -- "Even if that truth involves the revealing of evil hiding like a snake in the grass, the real Christian who yearns for Christ’s truth and justice, who thirsts to see victims delivered will receive that news and crave to shine further light upon it."
- Science points to a Divine Creator -- "Theoretical physicist Paul Davies has said that “the appearance of design is overwhelming.”"
- The Danger of Tolerance -- "The churches have ceased to demand that their members act like dedicated Christians whose lives have been changed by the Spirit of the Lord."
- The old, old story: Lottie Moon and Crawford Toy -- "Much of the story is not in dispute: Lottie Moon and Crawford Toy were engaged to be married. They did not marry."
- The Other Side of William Whitsitt -- "Before reading this book, I had seen Whitsitt as a good man and conservative scholar who became involved in an unfortunate controversy over Baptist history."
- Water Works: Why Baptism Is Essential -- "Some churches say Baptism is optional, but the New Testament teaches it is integral to the life of faith."
- What is the Internet’s Favorite Book? -- "...the first installment of The Hunger Games...sits atop a Goodreads crowdsourced list of “Best Books Ever”."
Tuesday, June 07, 2016
Unbelieving spouses and unbaptized children
The text – 1 Corinthians 7:14
The context – biblical marriage instructions, 1 Corinthians 7
The subtext pretext – infant baptism
1 Corinthians 7:14 For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband: else were your children unclean; but now are they holy.
Some words used
Some paedobaptists confidently cite this Scripture as incontrovertible evidence of infant baptism. According to Jonathan Culley this scripture establishes “that God deals covenantally with the children of professing believers.”[1] In fact, baptism is nowhere in view in the text. One who advocates infant baptism can argue the text supports the view, but in the end this text will prove fatal to their view.
The statement of Paul in verse 14 is set in the larger context of instruction on marriage found in 1 Corinthians chapter 7. Narrowed down, in verses 12 through 24 he is addressing questions on the marriages of believers and unbelievers. Should Christian believers stay married to unbelievers? A need for separation because of unbelief on the part of one spouse suggests the marriage is improper and that it would be wrong for the believer and unbeliever to live together as husband and wife. Paul stresses that coming to faith in Christ does not dissolve natural bonds or blood relationship. They should remain married.
The unbelieving here is a man or a woman who is an unbeliever -- not a follower of Christ -- who is married to a believer -- a follower of Christ. Whatever sanctified or holy may mean, the unbeliever who is in a marriage relation to a believer is sanctified by that relation. It is not the marriage that is sanctified, but the person. Marriage is an institution of God (Gen. 2:18-25) and is honourable in all (Heb. 13:4). Further, whatever the marriage relation provides in relation to an unbelieving spouse it also does in relation to a child. The words and meaning are the same. If the first were not true (else), the second would not be. Else (epei) is also translated “otherwise,” “since,” “for then,” etc. Finally, this should settle once for all any ideas the believer might have of departing or dissolving the marriage (Cf. verses 12-13). It should not be done. The unbeliever would be removed from whatever sanctification received, and the same would be true for a child also.
What the statement does not mean
An unbeliever, by virtue of his or her being married to a believer, is set apart or holy. A child of a believer, by virtue of being the child of a believer, is set apart or holy. Both the unbelieving spouse/parent and unknowing child are sanctified by their relationships to the believer. The unbelieving spouse and unknowing child enjoy temporal life blessings by sharing in the blessings available to the believer, because of their being in a relationship with that believer. The unbelieving spouse and the unknowing child have the same sanctified relation to the believer.[2] This relation is in the marriage covenant, not in the church covenant. In the Old Testament, Abraham’s physical seed were Israel. Under the New Testament, those who are in Christ by faith are Abraham’s spiritual seed. Notice Paul does not say that the child is not holy (hagios) but unclean (akathartos) until he or she is baptized. No, the child is holy in the familial relationship.
If Paul is making a cause and effect argument -- because of this, then this -- one parent must be a believer in order to sanctify the unbelieving parent, which in turn sanctifies the unknowing child. Else were children unclean that is, if the marriage did not sanctify the unbeliever, the children would be unclean rather than holy. So through a series of causes, first the believing parent, and then the sanctified unbeliever, the child is holy. In this type of cause and effect arrangement, the sanctification of the unbeliever comes first and is therefore more directly tied to the believer than is the sanctification of the child (which is removed by one more step). Such is not the belief or practice of any paedobaptists, even though they refer to this Scripture as proof of their belief and practice. For them it is agreeable to baptize infants whether or not the parents were separated. Paul would not use such a flawed argument to discourage separation.[3]
It is clear that this is not a cause and effect argument -- but if not, then what? In this letter, Paul is writing “unto the church of God which is at Corinth.” In his address to the whole church, he directly addresses them in the second person plural like “ye” and “your” (e.g. 1:4; 3:2-3; 5:6; 5:12) -- and sometimes including himself by using the first person plural “we” and “us” (e.g. 3:9; 6:14; 8:4). When he writes to the church about a specific grouping within the church, he uses the third person. For example, in 6:16-17 he writes of “he which is joined to an harlot” and “he that is joined unto the Lord.” When he comes to the groups of chapter 7, he writes of the unmarried and widows as “them” and “they”(8-9); and the married wife as “her” and “she” (10-11). The same manner can be observed in 7:12-13, where Paul speaks of the believing and unbelieving spouses in the third person singular -- “he” and “him”, “she” and “her”. Yet when he addresses the children -- else were your children unclean -- he does not speak of “their” children (that is, the children of the husband and wife addressed) but rather of “your” children -- the children generally of the people of the church of Corinth.[4]
Understanding this statement cues us to the fact that Paul is not making a cause and effect argument, but rather is comparing the like status of different individuals in the family. The holiness of the children is not an effect of the sanctification of the unbelieving spouse; it is a situation like it. Children are unclean with the exception of the same kind of holiness as the unbelieving adult parent has. If the unbelieving spouse were not sanctified by the marriage, it would be true also that an unknowing and unbelieving child, born by nature a sinner, is not sanctified by the relationship to a believing parent (not because of it, but for the same kind of reason). If unbelieving spouses should be cast off from with their believing spouses, then children also ought to be severed from familial connection to believing parents as well. Such is unthinkable! The whole of family and society would thereby be disrupted. As such, this is a strong argument for the maintaining the marriages of believers and unbelievers. It says nothing of infant baptism.[5]
[1] Though he admits that there “is no explicit statement anywhere in the Scriptures that infants were to be baptized or that they were commanded to be baptized.” Neither does he explain why the unbelieving spouse’s sanctification does not entitle him or her to covenant baptism. (A Biblical and Historical Case for Infant Baptism, Jonathan Culley, Palm Bay, FL: Covenant Presbyterian Church, 2008, pp. 11,16)
[2] If the sanctification of the child qualifies the child for baptism, the like sanctification would also qualify the adult for baptism.
[3] Under this interpretation the children are holy only as long as the believing parent remains in the marriage to the unbelieving parent. Ra McLaughlin, a Reformed believer and an advocate of infant baptism, recognizes this problem, writing “But the odd thing about both these arguments is that they make the children’s holiness dependent upon the marital status of their parents rather than on the children’s participation in the covenant community.” (Holy Children of Unbelievers)
[4] “Your children” refers to the children of all Corinthian believers, not just children of a mixed marriage between a believer and an unbeliever.
[5] According to John Leadley Dagg in A Decisive Argument Against Infant Baptism: Furnished by One of Its Own Proof-texts, Paul’s insight here provides proof that infant baptism was not practiced by the church at Corinth. For example, he writes, “The church at Corinth was a Pedobaptist church, or it was not. If it was a Pedobaptist church, the argument of Paul was invalid; because it was based on the false assumption, that the children sealed with the seal of God’s covenant, dedicated to Him in the holy rite of baptism, and admitted within the pale of the church, were in like circumstances with unbelieving and unbaptized adults, who were out of the covenant, and out of the church. But Paul did not use an invalid argument: therefore this church was not Pedobaptist; and the same must be true of all the churches planted by the Apostles, since they were, doubtless, all similarly organized.” (A Decisive Argument Against Infant Baptism [1850] in Tracts on Important Subjects, Charleston SC: Southern Baptist Publication Society, 1854, p. 50) Similarly Anders Wiberg writes, “...if infant baptism had been introduced by the Apostle into the Corinthian church, he could not, under any circumstances, have questioned whether the children might not have been “unclean,” because baptism would have made them "holy.” (Christian Baptism: Set Forth in the Words of the Bible, (Philadelphia, PA: American Baptist Publication Society, n.d., p. 166)
The context – biblical marriage instructions, 1 Corinthians 7
The subtext pretext – infant baptism
1 Corinthians 7:14 For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband: else were your children unclean; but now are they holy.
Some words used
- unbelieving - Gk apistos ἄπιστος (faithless, without trust) that is, not a believer in Jesus Christ
- husband - Gk. 1st aner ἀνὴρ (male, husband) 2nd adelpho ἀδελφῷ (brother)
- wife - Gk. gune 1st γυναικί 2nd γυνὴ (woman, wife)
- children - Gk. teknon τέκνα (offspring, children)
- unclean - Gk. akatharta ἀκάθαρτά from akathartos (impure, unclean, not cleansed), and opposite of kathartos (clean). It is used of unclean spirits (e.g. Acts 8:7), unclean people (e.g Eph. 5:5), and that which is legally or cermonially unclean (e.g. Acts 10:14, 28).
- sanctified - Gk. hegiastai ἡγίασται from hagiazo and related to hagios (saint, holy); separated, consecrated, regarded as holy, cleansed. It can mean internal (e.g. Heb. 10:10-14), external (e.g. 1 Pet. 3:15; 1 Cor. 7:34) or separated, set apart for a specific use (e.g. 1 Tim. 4:4-5).
- holy - Gk. hagia ἅγιά from hagios (saint, holy) and related to hagiazo (sanctify); dedicated, separated, hallowed. The difference of “holy” and “sanctified” in verse 14 is the difference of noun and verb.
- your - Gk. humon ὑμῶν (your, genitive plural)
- else - epei ἐπεὶ (else, since, because)
Some paedobaptists confidently cite this Scripture as incontrovertible evidence of infant baptism. According to Jonathan Culley this scripture establishes “that God deals covenantally with the children of professing believers.”[1] In fact, baptism is nowhere in view in the text. One who advocates infant baptism can argue the text supports the view, but in the end this text will prove fatal to their view.
The statement of Paul in verse 14 is set in the larger context of instruction on marriage found in 1 Corinthians chapter 7. Narrowed down, in verses 12 through 24 he is addressing questions on the marriages of believers and unbelievers. Should Christian believers stay married to unbelievers? A need for separation because of unbelief on the part of one spouse suggests the marriage is improper and that it would be wrong for the believer and unbeliever to live together as husband and wife. Paul stresses that coming to faith in Christ does not dissolve natural bonds or blood relationship. They should remain married.
The unbelieving here is a man or a woman who is an unbeliever -- not a follower of Christ -- who is married to a believer -- a follower of Christ. Whatever sanctified or holy may mean, the unbeliever who is in a marriage relation to a believer is sanctified by that relation. It is not the marriage that is sanctified, but the person. Marriage is an institution of God (Gen. 2:18-25) and is honourable in all (Heb. 13:4). Further, whatever the marriage relation provides in relation to an unbelieving spouse it also does in relation to a child. The words and meaning are the same. If the first were not true (else), the second would not be. Else (epei) is also translated “otherwise,” “since,” “for then,” etc. Finally, this should settle once for all any ideas the believer might have of departing or dissolving the marriage (Cf. verses 12-13). It should not be done. The unbeliever would be removed from whatever sanctification received, and the same would be true for a child also.
What the statement does not mean
- Sanctified and holy cannot mean children or unbelieving spouses are saved (internally sanctified) by their relationship to the parent/spouse. This would be the works of man for salvation rather than the grace of God.
- Sanctified and holy cannot mean external sanctification. The spouse or child is not more moral or ethical just because the marriage relationship exists -- though the believing spouse/parent can be a good influence on either of them.
- Sanctified and holy cannot mean sinlessness or final sanctification. That contradicts the rest of the Bible and does not fit the context.
- Sanctified and holy cannot mean that the marriage and offspring are legitimate in a legal sense, else all marriages contracted by unbelievers are null and void, and all their children illegitimate.
- Unclean or impure versus sanctified and holy cannot just refer to original sin (inherited sin nature), or else original sin would be negated by the marital relationship.
An unbeliever, by virtue of his or her being married to a believer, is set apart or holy. A child of a believer, by virtue of being the child of a believer, is set apart or holy. Both the unbelieving spouse/parent and unknowing child are sanctified by their relationships to the believer. The unbelieving spouse and unknowing child enjoy temporal life blessings by sharing in the blessings available to the believer, because of their being in a relationship with that believer. The unbelieving spouse and the unknowing child have the same sanctified relation to the believer.[2] This relation is in the marriage covenant, not in the church covenant. In the Old Testament, Abraham’s physical seed were Israel. Under the New Testament, those who are in Christ by faith are Abraham’s spiritual seed. Notice Paul does not say that the child is not holy (hagios) but unclean (akathartos) until he or she is baptized. No, the child is holy in the familial relationship.
If Paul is making a cause and effect argument -- because of this, then this -- one parent must be a believer in order to sanctify the unbelieving parent, which in turn sanctifies the unknowing child. Else were children unclean that is, if the marriage did not sanctify the unbeliever, the children would be unclean rather than holy. So through a series of causes, first the believing parent, and then the sanctified unbeliever, the child is holy. In this type of cause and effect arrangement, the sanctification of the unbeliever comes first and is therefore more directly tied to the believer than is the sanctification of the child (which is removed by one more step). Such is not the belief or practice of any paedobaptists, even though they refer to this Scripture as proof of their belief and practice. For them it is agreeable to baptize infants whether or not the parents were separated. Paul would not use such a flawed argument to discourage separation.[3]
It is clear that this is not a cause and effect argument -- but if not, then what? In this letter, Paul is writing “unto the church of God which is at Corinth.” In his address to the whole church, he directly addresses them in the second person plural like “ye” and “your” (e.g. 1:4; 3:2-3; 5:6; 5:12) -- and sometimes including himself by using the first person plural “we” and “us” (e.g. 3:9; 6:14; 8:4). When he writes to the church about a specific grouping within the church, he uses the third person. For example, in 6:16-17 he writes of “he which is joined to an harlot” and “he that is joined unto the Lord.” When he comes to the groups of chapter 7, he writes of the unmarried and widows as “them” and “they”(8-9); and the married wife as “her” and “she” (10-11). The same manner can be observed in 7:12-13, where Paul speaks of the believing and unbelieving spouses in the third person singular -- “he” and “him”, “she” and “her”. Yet when he addresses the children -- else were your children unclean -- he does not speak of “their” children (that is, the children of the husband and wife addressed) but rather of “your” children -- the children generally of the people of the church of Corinth.[4]
Understanding this statement cues us to the fact that Paul is not making a cause and effect argument, but rather is comparing the like status of different individuals in the family. The holiness of the children is not an effect of the sanctification of the unbelieving spouse; it is a situation like it. Children are unclean with the exception of the same kind of holiness as the unbelieving adult parent has. If the unbelieving spouse were not sanctified by the marriage, it would be true also that an unknowing and unbelieving child, born by nature a sinner, is not sanctified by the relationship to a believing parent (not because of it, but for the same kind of reason). If unbelieving spouses should be cast off from with their believing spouses, then children also ought to be severed from familial connection to believing parents as well. Such is unthinkable! The whole of family and society would thereby be disrupted. As such, this is a strong argument for the maintaining the marriages of believers and unbelievers. It says nothing of infant baptism.[5]
[1] Though he admits that there “is no explicit statement anywhere in the Scriptures that infants were to be baptized or that they were commanded to be baptized.” Neither does he explain why the unbelieving spouse’s sanctification does not entitle him or her to covenant baptism. (A Biblical and Historical Case for Infant Baptism, Jonathan Culley, Palm Bay, FL: Covenant Presbyterian Church, 2008, pp. 11,16)
[2] If the sanctification of the child qualifies the child for baptism, the like sanctification would also qualify the adult for baptism.
[3] Under this interpretation the children are holy only as long as the believing parent remains in the marriage to the unbelieving parent. Ra McLaughlin, a Reformed believer and an advocate of infant baptism, recognizes this problem, writing “But the odd thing about both these arguments is that they make the children’s holiness dependent upon the marital status of their parents rather than on the children’s participation in the covenant community.” (Holy Children of Unbelievers)
[4] “Your children” refers to the children of all Corinthian believers, not just children of a mixed marriage between a believer and an unbeliever.
[5] According to John Leadley Dagg in A Decisive Argument Against Infant Baptism: Furnished by One of Its Own Proof-texts, Paul’s insight here provides proof that infant baptism was not practiced by the church at Corinth. For example, he writes, “The church at Corinth was a Pedobaptist church, or it was not. If it was a Pedobaptist church, the argument of Paul was invalid; because it was based on the false assumption, that the children sealed with the seal of God’s covenant, dedicated to Him in the holy rite of baptism, and admitted within the pale of the church, were in like circumstances with unbelieving and unbaptized adults, who were out of the covenant, and out of the church. But Paul did not use an invalid argument: therefore this church was not Pedobaptist; and the same must be true of all the churches planted by the Apostles, since they were, doubtless, all similarly organized.” (A Decisive Argument Against Infant Baptism [1850] in Tracts on Important Subjects, Charleston SC: Southern Baptist Publication Society, 1854, p. 50) Similarly Anders Wiberg writes, “...if infant baptism had been introduced by the Apostle into the Corinthian church, he could not, under any circumstances, have questioned whether the children might not have been “unclean,” because baptism would have made them "holy.” (Christian Baptism: Set Forth in the Words of the Bible, (Philadelphia, PA: American Baptist Publication Society, n.d., p. 166)
Monday, June 06, 2016
Baptism, word and significance
The significance of baptism -
Baptism is the sign of the righteousness which is by faith.
Acts 2:38: Baptism announces or exhibits the remission of sins.
Act 22:16: Baptism announces or exhibits washing away of sin.
Romans 6:3-4, Colossians 2:12: Baptism announces or exhibits renewal in Christ (we die to sin with Christ and rise with Him to walk in newness of life).
Galatians 3 :28: Baptism announces or exhibits putting on Christ (being new or renewed in Him).
1 Peter 3:21 Baptism announces or exhibits the answer of a good conscience toward God.
--
A few dips in the Old Testament (Greek Septuagint)
Exodus 12:22 And ye shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the blood that is in the bason, and strike the lintel and the two side posts with the blood that is in the bason; and none of you shall go out at the door of his house until the morning.
Exodus 12:22 And ye shall take a bunch of hyssop, and having dipped it into some of the blood that is by the door, ye shall touch the lintel, and [shall put it] upon both door-posts, even of the blood which is by the door; but ye shall not go out every one from the door of his house till the morning.
Exodus 12:22 λήψεσθε δὲ δέσμην ὑσσώπου, καὶ βάψαντες (from βάπτω, translated dip) ἀπὸ τοῦ αἵματος τοῦ παρὰ τὴν θύραν καθίξετε τῆς φλιᾶς καὶ ἐπ᾿ ἀμφοτέρων τῶν σταθμῶν ἀπὸ τοῦ αἵματος, ὅ ἐστι παρὰ τὴν θύραν· ὑμεῖς δὲ οὐκ ἐξελεύσεσθε ἕκαστος τὴν θύραν τοῦ οἴκου αὐτοῦ ἕως πρωΐ.
2 Kings 5:14 Then went he down, and dipped himself seven times in Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God: and his flesh came again like unto the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.
2 Kings 5:14 So Naiman went down, and dipped himself seven times in Jordan, according to the word of Elisaie: and his flesh returned to him as the flesh of a little child, and he was cleansed.
2 Kings 5:14 καὶ κατέβη Ναιμὰν καὶ ἐβαπτίσατο (from βαπτίζω, translated dip) ἐν τῷ ᾿Ιορδάνῃ ἑπτάκις κατὰ τὸ ρῆμα ῾Ελισαιέ, καὶ ἐπέστρεψεν ἡ σάρξ αὐτοῦ ὡς σάρξ παιδαρίου μικροῦ, καὶ ἐκαθαρίσθη.
2 Kings 8:15 And it came to pass on the morrow, that he took a thick cloth, and dipped it in water, and spread it on his face, so that he died: and Hazael reigned in his stead.
2 Kings 8:15 And it came to pass on the next day that he took a thick cloth, and dipped it in water, and put it on his face, and he died: and Azael reigned in his stead.
2 Kings 8:15 καὶ ἐγένετο τῇ ἐπαύριον, καὶ ἔλαβε τὸ μαχμὰ καὶ ἔβαψεν (from βάπτω, translated dip) ἐν τῷ ὕδατι καὶ περιέβαλεν ἐπὶ τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀπέθανε, καὶ ἐβασίλευσεν ᾿Αζαὴλ ἀντ᾿ αὐτοῦ.
Daniel 4:33 The same hour was the thing fulfilled upon Nebuchadnezzar: and he was driven from men, and did eat grass as oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till his hairs were grown like eagles’ feathers, and his nails like birds’ claws.
Daniel 4:30 In the same hour the word was fulfilled upon Nabuchodonosor: and he was driven forth from men, and he ate grass as an ox, and his body was bathed with the dew of heaven, until his hairs were grown like lions’ [hairs], and his nails as birds’ [claws].
Daniel 4:30 αὐτῇ τῇ ὥρᾳ ὁ λόγος συνετελέσθη ἐπὶ Ναβουχοδονόσορ, καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐξεδιώχθη καὶ χόρτον ὡς βοῦς ἤσθιε, καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς δρόσου τοῦ οὐρανοῦ τὸ σῶμα αὐτοῦ ἐβάφη (from βάπτω, translated bathed), ἕως οὗ αἱ τρίχες αὐτοῦ ὡς λεόντων ἐμεγαλύνθησαν καὶ οἱ ὄνυχες αὐτοῦ ὡς ὀρνέων.
Baptism is the sign of the righteousness which is by faith.
Acts 2:38: Baptism announces or exhibits the remission of sins.
Act 22:16: Baptism announces or exhibits washing away of sin.
Romans 6:3-4, Colossians 2:12: Baptism announces or exhibits renewal in Christ (we die to sin with Christ and rise with Him to walk in newness of life).
Galatians 3 :28: Baptism announces or exhibits putting on Christ (being new or renewed in Him).
1 Peter 3:21 Baptism announces or exhibits the answer of a good conscience toward God.
--
A few dips in the Old Testament (Greek Septuagint)
- King James translation of the Bible
- English translation of the Septuagint by L. C. L. Brenton
- Greek Septuagint text used by the Church of Greece/Greek Orthodox
Exodus 12:22 And ye shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the blood that is in the bason, and strike the lintel and the two side posts with the blood that is in the bason; and none of you shall go out at the door of his house until the morning.
Exodus 12:22 And ye shall take a bunch of hyssop, and having dipped it into some of the blood that is by the door, ye shall touch the lintel, and [shall put it] upon both door-posts, even of the blood which is by the door; but ye shall not go out every one from the door of his house till the morning.
Exodus 12:22 λήψεσθε δὲ δέσμην ὑσσώπου, καὶ βάψαντες (from βάπτω, translated dip) ἀπὸ τοῦ αἵματος τοῦ παρὰ τὴν θύραν καθίξετε τῆς φλιᾶς καὶ ἐπ᾿ ἀμφοτέρων τῶν σταθμῶν ἀπὸ τοῦ αἵματος, ὅ ἐστι παρὰ τὴν θύραν· ὑμεῖς δὲ οὐκ ἐξελεύσεσθε ἕκαστος τὴν θύραν τοῦ οἴκου αὐτοῦ ἕως πρωΐ.
2 Kings 5:14 So Naiman went down, and dipped himself seven times in Jordan, according to the word of Elisaie: and his flesh returned to him as the flesh of a little child, and he was cleansed.
2 Kings 5:14 καὶ κατέβη Ναιμὰν καὶ ἐβαπτίσατο (from βαπτίζω, translated dip) ἐν τῷ ᾿Ιορδάνῃ ἑπτάκις κατὰ τὸ ρῆμα ῾Ελισαιέ, καὶ ἐπέστρεψεν ἡ σάρξ αὐτοῦ ὡς σάρξ παιδαρίου μικροῦ, καὶ ἐκαθαρίσθη.
2 Kings 8:15 And it came to pass on the morrow, that he took a thick cloth, and dipped it in water, and spread it on his face, so that he died: and Hazael reigned in his stead.
2 Kings 8:15 And it came to pass on the next day that he took a thick cloth, and dipped it in water, and put it on his face, and he died: and Azael reigned in his stead.
2 Kings 8:15 καὶ ἐγένετο τῇ ἐπαύριον, καὶ ἔλαβε τὸ μαχμὰ καὶ ἔβαψεν (from βάπτω, translated dip) ἐν τῷ ὕδατι καὶ περιέβαλεν ἐπὶ τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀπέθανε, καὶ ἐβασίλευσεν ᾿Αζαὴλ ἀντ᾿ αὐτοῦ.
Daniel 4:33 The same hour was the thing fulfilled upon Nebuchadnezzar: and he was driven from men, and did eat grass as oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till his hairs were grown like eagles’ feathers, and his nails like birds’ claws.
Daniel 4:30 In the same hour the word was fulfilled upon Nabuchodonosor: and he was driven forth from men, and he ate grass as an ox, and his body was bathed with the dew of heaven, until his hairs were grown like lions’ [hairs], and his nails as birds’ [claws].
Daniel 4:30 αὐτῇ τῇ ὥρᾳ ὁ λόγος συνετελέσθη ἐπὶ Ναβουχοδονόσορ, καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐξεδιώχθη καὶ χόρτον ὡς βοῦς ἤσθιε, καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς δρόσου τοῦ οὐρανοῦ τὸ σῶμα αὐτοῦ ἐβάφη (from βάπτω, translated bathed), ἕως οὗ αἱ τρίχες αὐτοῦ ὡς λεόντων ἐμεγαλύνθησαν καὶ οἱ ὄνυχες αὐτοῦ ὡς ὀρνέων.
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