Faith1
Faith2
Baptism 1
Baptism 2
Greek definition of Baptism...******
Recently most people have seen me as someone that has been sucked into believing an "untrue doctrine" that is based on works and rituals rather than faith. Some that I have spoken with have even gone as far as to call the Church of Christ a cult (not true). Statements such as that really make a person want to defend his point to the best of his ability, and that is the main point of this part of the site (to defend and promote the idea of baptism as a neccesary part of the plan of salvation).
I would like to say that in no way am I trying to be judgemental or "superior" to anyone, and do not wish to imply that. Rather, it is quite the opposite. Alot of people I meet are smarter and have more wisdom than I do, and this is to be expected because life experience is crucial to the learning experience (I am only 20). But having said this, my belief on water baptism being essential to salvation does not seem to be something that will be shaken in the near future. The reasons for this will be stated throughout this part of the site.
For my personal believes and convictions on this topic please refer to this page...My thoughts.
P.S. Mother, I also wrote you a little letter. Just click this link-->Mom
Apologetics press
The Christian Courier
Water saves
The Bible says about the saving effect of water as follows: "In the days of Noah only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water, and this water symbolises baptism that now saves you also - not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a good conscience towards God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ." 1Peter 3:20-21
Noah was not saved by water but the ark. In the same way we are not saved by the baptism but Jesus. However in such sense water saved Noah that it saved him from the godless world. In the same way the baptism saves a believer from the sinful world. The death of Jesus is like the flood and His resurrection gives us a clean world. What has a good conscience got to do with the baptism? The Bible witnesses that it is possible to get a good conscience only through the faith which comes from the blood of Jesus. "Since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus ...let us draw near to God ... having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water." Hebr.10:19-22 In the baptism we ask for the power to maintain a good conscience which was given by the blood of Jesus. The baptising washes away our sin in the sense that it washes away our sinful nature, because sharing the death of Jesus gives us the power to avoid sinning.
The baptism also gives us a good conscience from the good deeds that we left undone, because a dead one does nothing, not good or bad. The baptism ends the life under the law. "For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God. I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me." Gal.2:19-20
