The Wahpeton times. [volume] (Wahpeton, Richland County, Dakota [N.D.]) 1879-1919, 1911-11-09


Christian Disciples still theoretically,
say that everybody not immersed in
water is still in sin and bound for
eternal torture, although this is not
the logic Of their teachings Our Bap.
fist friends no longer believe that only
those who have been immersed in va.
alter constitute the one Church of the
living God whose names are written in
heaven" and that these alone will be
saved. Nevertheless. this is still the
Baptist theory. and for this reason
our Baptist friends still invite only the
Immersed to the Lords Supper. Evi.
IDENTIFY the Apostolic teaching of Bap.
tism got lost. Human speculation and
theories buried it in rubbish. In Ter.
tullian's day the Disciple view Dre.
vailed. that water baptism cleansed
from sin. At that time 1t was Gus.
tomary to postpone baptism until death
was supposed to be near-that all sins
up to date might be washed away.
Thus it was In Constantine's day.
Later came st. Augustine with diff.
ferent proposition, which swept every.
thing before It. His claim was more
nearly that of the Baptists. that only
the Church would be saved from eter.
nal torture and that baptism is the
door into the Church. Thereafter In.
FAINT immersion became popular.
Later our Roman Catholic friends
declared immersion unnecessary-that
few drops Of water would be equally
ef1cacious as protection against the
fires Of eternal torture. Sentiment ran
SO strong that 1t became the custom
to perform sprinkling of an unborn
child-in utero-if there were any fear
that It would not be born alive.
"John's Baptism" Not For Us
Regulating all the theories Of the
Dark Ages. Gods people should return
to the instructions given by the Lord
and the Apostles. A careful examina.
ton shows not single reference to In.
FAINT baptism in the New Testament.
On the contrary. only believers were
instructed to be baptized.
Two baptisms are noted. "John's
Baptism" and Christ's. The flrst was
for the remission Of sins and was ap-
plicable to all Jews By 1t such Jews
as had been living In open sin re-
nounced the sin. and returned to har.
mony with God, under the Law Cove
nant Such as thus sincerely returned
to Noses were ready to accept Christ
as the antique and BY faith were
transferred from Moses to Christ
from the house Of servants to the
house Of sons. Heb. Ill. 8. g. These
at Pentecost became really. officially
recognized as the Church of Christ.
Subsequently Gentiles were invited
to be baptized into membership in the
Body of Christ, the Church. Johns
Baptism" was not preached to them
because they did not belong to the
holy nation which originally was "bap.
tiled into Moses in the sea and cloud"
The Gentiles. on the contrary, were
aliens, strangers, to the commonwealth
Of Israel. They were not to come into
Christ. through Moses. but to be bap-
tiled directly into Christ.
0sntiIss Baptized Into Christ
The true theory Of Baptism does not
exclude sanity Methodists, Presby.
terians. CongregationalistS. Lutherans.
Catholics. from the one. true Church
which Is the Body Of Christ; neither
does It admit to membership in the
true Church all who have been i'm.
mersed into water. Water Immersion
10 merely the symbol or picture of the
real immersion. In order to be mem.
bers OF Christ, members of the Church
which is the Body Of Christ, we must
be immersed into Him. but not by wa.
ter immersion. Hearken to the Apos.
ties statement: $50 many of you as
were baptized into Jesus Christ Onto
membership in His Body. the Church,
were Immersed into His DEATH" (Ro.
mans vi. g.,
Our immersion into Christ's death
begins With the conservation Of our
Wills. our hearts. our all. Then and
there God through Christ accepts the
conservation and we are reckoned
dead according to the flesh and besot.
ten Of the Holy Spirit to newness Of
life az New Creatures IN Cartst. When
the last member Of this consecrated
little dock" shall have passed into
death the baptism Of the Church into
Christ's death will DO completed and
oil the faithful ones win then share
In His resurrection" to glory. honor
and immortality-''the 6rst (of chez
resurrection"
His death" was different from the
death Of others in that Hs did not die
~ simmer. but - Sacrifice" Our
being baptized into Hts death sisniiies
that the Church also die. not % Gin
pers. but ss ssrriHces.