Baptism in Water

the titles father,son and holy ghost,was never used in the book of acts,to baptize anyone.water baptisim was always in jesus name.the titles was not used,till many years after,by the roman catholic church.the catholic church uses the titles,father,son and holy ghost,to baptize members into there roman catholic church.you have been baptized into the roman church,my friend.baptism in the book of acts,was always in jesus,name.study church history,or better again study the book of acts,its a history of the early christain church.the truth of the bible,beats an argument.there is not one place in the bible,were anyone was ever baptized in the name of the father,son and holy ghost,not one.but jesus name was used in the book of acts.you said you were baptized in the holy ghost,please ask the holy ghost,to open your understanding,to gods holy word.god bless you.stevehenry

could you show me in the king james version of the bible.were anyone was baptized,in the name of the father,son,and holy ghost.no,one was ever baptized,in the father,son,and holy ghost,in the bible.if its not in the bible,were did it come from.you tell me.thanks steve

I just stumbled across your blog and wanted to respond. I live in Spokane Valley WA, so obviously I can refer you to a church, but I just wanted to say I am so thrilled you have accepted Jesus Christ at 80 years old!

Praise God that I will meet you someday in heaven. I work for our church here in Spokane Valley and have such a wonderful church family and I'll pray that you are able to find one as well.

If you can't I would have no problem trying to help you find one there.

Every day that I have I want to do nothing but glorify and honor God with my words and actions, even up to my last day and now God is giving you an opportunity to do so as well.

Because of Him,
Deb

Its good you want to be baptized. You have the internet. Look up the local churches in Toledo and give them a call. If one refuses you try another. I'd try the Pentecostal churches.

I was in Toledo 12 years ago myself for a couple of months. There is one church called "Cathedral of Praise" that seemed ok at the time. No church is perfect. But I would highly recommend that you make it your goal not only to get baptized but also to connect with a local church where you can contribute by praying for people from your own room at home. Give something back to the Lord. Its not enough to just hear the Word all the time, and its generally better to give money to a local church or to the poor than to a flashy prosperity preacher on TV.

Hello, Peter
My name is Jermaine Johnson I've come across your article and the holy spirit is leading me to address the real issue for you. Peter I don't know who has spoken death into your life(doctor friends etc.)but I do know this that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is a healing god and he's proved it time and time again.
Here's the catch, you cannot exercise your authority through Christ over your circumstances(terminal illness) unless you show faith in that area. Here's how you do it you must first beleive in your heart He is able and willing to heal those who have faith in his word. find all the scriptures you can on the subject of healing (I will list as many as i can at the bottom)and meditate on them day and night. Meditate in this instance means to speak softly in a repetative manner as in soft utterance. Because the power is in the spoken word of god.
While you fight this illness continue praising and thanking him for healing you and you must make a promise to glorify He(God the Father through Jesus Christ) who healed you to all that hear your testimony. Furthermore the baptism is never the focus, Jesus is and when you repent of your sins for christ sake you are granted remission of sins and are given sonship through Christ. for the bible say's John baptised with water alone but the one after him (Jesus) would baptise you with the spirit of god (Holy Spirit)this is the same spirit that raised Jesus from the dead the same spirit that gave him authority over sickness and death just to name a couple. My brother in christ I BEG YOU TO TAKE HEED TO THESE WORDS FOR OUR GOD LIVES TODAY AND forever and JESUS IS STILL MAKING INTERSESSION TO THE FATHER ON OUR BEHALF. Matthew 4:23,24; 10:8; 13:15 Luke 4:18,23 Acts 14:9. I love you peter and i'll pray for you.
Sincerely Jermaine Johnson.

Dear Peter,

You'll see from the approach I've taken here that I don't believe God condemns those who truly believe in Him and love Him but understand baptism differently.

HOWEVER, I still maintain that it is God's will to be baptized as a believer. To me, the Scriptures are clear on this. If you didn't have your church traditions, would you really take infant baptism to be the teaching of the Bible? I think you would have to argue from silence. Baptism is not like circumcision as a sign of the covenant in the same way because in Israel, being the people of God was transmitted biologically, whereas in the New Covenant, it is transmitted by the seed of the Word of God. A person must receive the Word of God (if they are old enough to understand good and evil and the love of Jesus at all) to truly belong to God. When this happens, water baptism is the correct response of the OBEDIENT child of God.

I don't say "Adult Baptism" is important, but rather "Believer's Baptism". A five year old who truly believes in Jesus can and should be baptized.

Dear brother, do you understand believer's baptism to be God's will? If so, you have no righteous alternative but to be baptized as a believer. You can't let fear of men and the opinion of others control your decision.

Hi Carl,

Yes, I believe any true Christian can baptise someone who truly believes in Jesus Christ and trusts Him for salvation. There is nothing in the Bible that tells us you have to be a pastor or "leader" to do this. If you are a disciple of Jesus, in a sense, you are commanded to do it. (Matthew 28:18-20)

"And he said unto them, Go ye into the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that beliveth not shall be damned." Mk 16: 15-16
"...baptism doth also now save us..." 1Pet. 3:21

From these scrptures, and others like them, we see that salvation will be given only to those who have been baptized! Let this unshakable biblical truth echo in the corridors of you spirit and mind. Without baptism, there is no hope of salvation. With that revelation, one is confronted with an obvious question: Is the baptism which we must receive a baptism with water or is it the baptism of the Holy Ghost?

The earliest church, being exclusively Jewish, practieced two baptisms. They baptized with John the baptist's baptism of water, telling those who humbled themselves to his divinely ordained baptism to expect to receive Jesus' baptism of the Spirit. They followed the pattern set by John, who told those whom he baptized, " I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose. He shall baptize you with the holy Ghost and with fire" Lk 3:16 These two baptisms, John's and Jesus', are the only two baptisms which God has ever ordained.
John Baptism
John baptism was not simply a baptism in water. Without John's message of a mighter one coming with a mightier baptism, water baptism is nothing more than a useless soaking. John's baptism always included an exhortation ot receive the holy Ghost baptism; his message and his baptism were two parts of one act. Twelve men in Ephesus thought they had received John's baptism, but because they had not heard about the holy Ghost, the aposlte Paul disagreed. He explained to hose misinformed disciples that " John verily baptized with the baptism of prpentance, SAYING..." Act 19:4. So we, with Paul, must conclude that even though they had been baptized with water, they had not really recevid John's baptism, for they had not been told to expect the holy Ghost baptism. John's message about the holy Ghost was as much a part of his baptism as was the water. Those twelve Ephisians had been taught by Apollos, a very learned and God fearing man, who himself knew nothing of the holy Ghost baptism. When two of Paul's Friends explained to Apollos "the way of God more perfectly", he exhibited a noble and godly attitude by humbling himself to the "more perfect way " of live in the Spirit Act 18:24-28. His first concern was not for his reputation as a great teacher of the scriptures; rather, his first concern was to do the will of God. What a great Example this Apollos was for us all!
Another overlooked truth concerning John's baptism was that it had to be earned. John was not a spiritual harlot, taking in anyone who waanted to join his cause. Receiving his baptism was an honor;it was not something that a person could receive simply by deciding that he wanted it. One had to repent of the evil he had done; he had to confess and turn from his evil ways. Only then would John baptisze him. When someunrepentat souls dared to come to John to be baptized, the man of God was harsh: O Generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath ot come? Bring forth fruits worthy of repentance....Lk 3:7-8; Mt3:7-8. However, when sincere souls asked what to do so that he would baptize them, " He answered and said unto them, 'he that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none. And he that hath meat, let him do likwise, Then came the pulbicans to be baptized and said unto him, Master, what sholl we do? And he said unto them, Exact no more than that which is appointed you. And the soldiers like wise demanded of him, saying, and what shall we do? And he said unto them, Do violencse to no man, neither accuse any falsely, and be content with your wages" Lk 3:7-14.
So, there was a price to be paid if one hoped to be baptized by John, not a price of money but a price of humility and faith. Long ago, Isaiah had spoken of this invisble currency of the heart when he proclaimed, " Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters. And he that hath no money, come ye, buy and eat. Buy wine and milk without money and without price" Isa. 55:1. The blessings of the Lord are indeed Free; but no one receives them who does not pay his price.
The third truth concerning John's baptism which must be seen, if one would rightly understand baptism, is that no one but Jews were allowed to receive it. John, like Jesus, was sent only to the house of Israel. Concerning his commission from God, John said, when Jesus came to him at the Jordan River, " This is he of whom I said, After me cometh a man which is preferred before me', for he was before me. and I knew him not. But that he should be made manifest to Israel,therefore am I come baptizing with water" Jn. 1:30-31
These then are the three indispensable elements of John's baptism:
*It was for the Circumcised (Jews) only
*It was Given only to Jews who truly repented.
*It was given with a message of Jesus' baptism of the spirit which should follow.
If any one of these three elements is changed or missing, John's baptism is not being administered.

Onthe day of Pentecost, Peter appealed to a multitude of devout Jews to " Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the holy Ghost" Act 2:38
Like John Peter pleaded with his fellow Jews to repent and be baptized in water, and then to receive the baptizm of the holy Ghost. This was the doctrine which God gave to earliest church. Two baptism were practiced, and to do was right at that time.
The ONE baptism of Christ
Paul's gospel cut against the grain of two baptisms. God did not send him to baptize in water(1Cor. 1:17), and as for as salvation was concerned, Paul said there is "one Lord, one Faith, one baptism" Eph4:5. The only baptism which Paul practiced or preached was the baptism of the holy Ghost. He baptized in water a few Corinthian belivers, and he regretted that he had done so (1Cor. 1:14-16), for it gave rise to quarrels and made room for proud boasting concerning who was baptized by which man, whether by Pual, or Peter, or Apollos, ect.
Paul's gospel of libery from the works of trhe law is perhaps mor misunderstood now than when is was first preached. How many are still baptizing in water, and perfforming other dead ceremonial works, without knowing that by doing so they are denying the sufficincy of Christ! Isreal's symbolic ways of worship, including John's baptism, were needful, holy instruments of God in their time. They served their divinely ordained purpose by pointing to the Messiah. But Christ has come now, and by his sacrificial death made a " new and living way" for us to approach the father: the way of life in the holy spirit. If the baptism you preach is one which those without the Spirit can practice, it has no part in the kingdom of God. To worship God now in a way which was possible before the Spirit was givin is to worship God in Vain. Only what Jesus suffered and died to make possible is any longer acceptable with the Almighty.
Angel

Michael, your article on water baptism is good overall; however, I have a few issues with some of your points. First, the early apostolic church led by Peter and Paul preached and practiced baptizing repentant believers in the Name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins (Acts 2:38, 8:16, 10:48, 19:5, 22:16). The trinitarian titles of Father, Son, Holy Ghost, were never used by the apostles in an actual baptism in the Bible. The NT clearly states that true believers should do everything that is spiritually significant in Jesus' Name, since JESUS (Jehovah-Savior) is the only saving name for mankind to call on (Matt 1:21; Acts 4:12; Col 3:17). If we truly desire to make our calling and election sure then we need to do everything the way the apostles did because Jesus himself declared that people would believe in Him through their words(doctrines, teachings) (John 17:20). God bless.