Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1910-01-18

mission Of sins" and merging themselves or
fedora ting with others
remind chem that all the scriptures they. cite
in support of Immersion for the remission Oh
/ sins belonged to the Jews, and none OF II 10
! Gentiles The Jews exhorted by John
| the Baptist and others 10 .enounce SIM 10 re-
| turn III harmony with Moses law, and 10 snow
| this change Of character By water immersion.
| But those Ephesians who believed in Christ
! and whom Apollos bel tized for the remission
! of sins did not receive tue HOLY spirit. ~.
| Paul explained to them that their baptism
| was an improper OEe-tEat they as Gentil's'
| required an immersion into Chrlst-Acts D;l'''
BAPTIST UNION NOT FEDERATION.
AS week ago VIC suggested 10 Iresoytcfl-
ans COngI ega tlCaalists anu Ne uodlsts, Il UNION
of heart and head as better than federation, SO
, suggest ito the defOn,ns.t -elts ~ "Csv
| doctrines We considering today. WAT we
| shall tLggtst respecting baptism VIII Apply To
| all Christians. D..
All Christians agree that Jesus and his apps
ties taught baptism and that there Is but lone
| Lord, faitn ana one baptism -Eph 40.
We cannot here elaborate, but mefel! suggest
| mat nowhere in the scriptures Is Infant Dap
tsm commanded or urged. The expression
believe and be baptzeu,. implies amenGal de-
I veIopment capable OF belief hey Ond IhaI which
infants possess. The original preteAt Tor IN
! trouucng infant baptism was SET forth by 81
/ Augustine, who urged that as all -hanRiltI was
gong TO eternal Torture except the church, IL
Was necessary to get infants into the church;
and baptism was set forth as the doorway. AL
/ parents, course, We're anxious mat their
children should be immersed into. the church and
saved from eternal torture. And those good
wishes certainly cOmmendable, even If
| unnecessary, subsequently, immersion was de-
clared TO be unnecessary and sprtnkling became
it's substitute with all. The thought Of preser-
walton from eternal torment thereafter attach
/ ed to the sprlnkling. Although our minds nave
Droadened that comparatively few believe st.
Augustlnes presentation, nevertheless the Gus
! tom of infant sprinkling continues with more
\ or less of fear abandon it for the ehldS
] sake. ...3 3 .... ,t (
| As our minds become freed from the night
mare of eternal torture and purgatory,. we are
assisted to more sane interpretations of Gods
Word. We suggest that proper understand
! ing of the Bibles teaching respecting the i'm
mersion of believers furnishes a ground for
common union amongst all OF Gods eonsecrated
people. Let examine it.
| Who will dispute that st. Pauls words of
Romans 63-5 are the .clcarest presentation Of
! the import of baptism furnished US In the Biblef
! The passage Is cited in proof of every theory
! Of baptism, yet ii supports only one-the true
one. Notice that II does not say, as many sup
pose, So many OF were baptized into Jesus
| Christ baptized into water. Ii does say.
80 many of MS we're baptized into Jesus,
Christ were baptized into his death" Is there
not a differeuce3 That Indifference Is the ex-
PLANTATION of all of our difficulties this sub
ject. The clearing Of it away furnishes the
foundation for harmony between all; and not
merely for harmony, but for union amongst ali
classes of connected Christians,
Consider the passage critically. First INNER
zion into Christ signifies to the Justified be-
lever his immersion into. his burial into, the
body of Christ member of 1.-THE church
which is his body.''-Eph. 1929. The apostle
sets forth clearly a distinction between the
church and the world and between the salvation
of the church and the salvation Of the world.
! The church 1.-THE elect of the Lord, called
; and chosen; and IL faithful, they will be
members of the glorious church beyond the veil.
It, as the Bride OF Christ. will be his com
pRnion and queen during the mlennial reign of
glory for the blessing OF the wOrld-fOr the
blessing of the non-elect. considered last Sun
Our immersion into Christ as members of
his body members Of his elect church. signi-
flies that thenceforth We are dead from the
4 hum.n and the individual standpoint, but alive
tow o God members or .'hrSt In whom
aonce thencefOrth we have standing and a
hope
ST. Paul not only tells of need to he
thus Immersed into membership in the body
of Christ. but he proceeds to tell us how that
iDt fan his pc eS exp%n the matter
How strange that ever thought these words
signified water immersion Our eyes .sge now
DEATH signifies or participation with our. Lord
Jesus in suffering for righteousness. .inf SET
Ssn5ls SS & e aes It fh rS
deed that the whole world suffers pain. Z sor-
row. disappointment etc; yet our Lord SUI
feredndifferently from all otherss aHdsour dying
must, correspondent His. He suffered. the Just
for the Jun hist. The holy. harmless ndefiled
one laidadown His life specifically. yolunta r
ily foyfuf1y. And We, TO share IN His DEATH. 70
he Baptized into his death, " must do the same.
! True. Jesus was spotless while we are mem,
hers
through faith in His blood And hence we have
in the divine sight through Him "a standing
of human perfection or justification This
standing is granted to us or imputed to MS Tor
the very purpose of permitting us to sacrifice
our human rights and earthly interests as lie
sacrificed His The elect to be dead
With Him. that in the resurrection. they may
live with Him and be like Him and share His
glory, honor and immortality BY conseersti4n
we present our bodies living sacrifices holy
and acceptable to God, as the apostle declares.
from. 12:1) Thus we are Immersed INTO ms
death and thus we become members OF , Ills
Christ.s death Will fail of the membership in
His body-wiIl fail to be Of His elect church. Hsdd
I with Adam and being dead with Christ Is very
great BY 5nsture are all dead with Adam
He was a sinner. condemned we. as ms OH
. snrinr I'd are tile same. 1t necessary there
fore that we. should by faith be lifted out OF
! this condition of death with Adam, IN oroer
. might become dead with Christ. Thus we share
with Him His sacrifical death ana. oy par,
p ticipation in His resurrecuon' aiso oeeo"e
iRffiding ourselves. then of the unscrlpturai
: theory. Of an eternal torment awaiting. tne
BON elect, may not all CHRISTIANS perceive 'n Nv
/ hIess them through the elect. As Jesus oy h's
: sacrifice was made head Of the church, SO aii
! who will be his members must share mis- spirit
of sacrifice-death to the world and earthly
interest. Only, such may share with Him IN
{ His mlllennial kingdom work of blessing up
lifting, instructing, assisting all OF tine hon-
p elect Many of tue nonelect under the ruler
b light and better. opportunities OF the mllleh-
Inium will turn from sin to righteousness, from
n death to life eternal. - This baptism INTO
: death and its blessed reward knows no denomi-
national lines IT includes in the church or the
Al elect those of everyH denomination and OF no
denomination who comply with Its conditions OF
faith and obedience and conservation unto death
= Was not this our Lords baptism as he de-
crbed it, Just before His crucifixion he SAID,
II have baptism to be baptised with ana
rEhow | am straitened ttroubled) until II ne
q lfaccomplishedl'' His baptism dated from his
e conservation at Jordan. but 1t was not futly
r .'accomplished'' until on the cross ne cried
= ''It Is finished His baptism into death was
finished Was not this baptism into death
! what he referred to- when speaking TO His dis
cipIes?+ James and John requested that they
might sit or his right hand and left and ln
| the Kingdom. In reply Jesus said, Are VI
able to; be baptized with the baptism tnat 1. an
' Ibaptized with?'' Surely lie did not refer 70
a water immersion. Surely lie did refer e
His baptism into death, and meant His apoF
5 ties to understand that only by sharing IN Hi'
- baptism into death could they hope TO sit VIII
e Him I'm His throne.--Mark 1887.
Z 'sWith this reasonable. logical Scripturai view
Q Of baptism before our minds which or us woulC
5 he 1incljned to dispute over the form or INT
e! symbolic in respect TO the class or persons
II who should properly the symbol? Surely
| none would claim that infants could thus. De
$ lieve ard thus consecrate 10 death! Surely III
4 would agree that symbolical immersion into
= water such was practiced by the early
3 church. according to all the records, would 10
$ the most reasonable most beautiful. most ap
mot hOd Of