The Ordway new era., 1912-02-02

have believed and have left unbelieved
many things which we ought to have
believed" said Pastor Russell.
saner Views Now Held
Christinn-Disciples still theoretically
say that everybody not immersed In
water Is still in sin and bound fol
eternal torture. although this Is not
the logic Of their teachings. Our Bap
tist friends no longer believe that only
those who have been Immersed In va
ater constitute the one Church Of the
living God whose names nre 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
dently the Apostolic teaching Of Bap
tism got lost. Human speculation and
theories buried 1t in rubbish. In Ter.
tulian's day the Disciple view pra
vailed. that water baptism cleansed
from sin. At that time It 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.
fcrent proposition. which swept everv.
thing before 1t. His claim was mort
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-tha
few drops Of water would be equally
efilcacious rs protection against the
fires Of eternal torture. Sentiment rau
so strong that II became the custom
to perform IL sprinkling Of an unborn
child-in ufero-if there were any feai
that It would not be born alive.
"John's Baptism" Not For Us
Repudiating ali the theories OF the
Dark Ages. Gods people should return
to the instructions given by the Lord
and the Apostles. a careful examina.
tion shows not single reference to in.
on the contrary. only believers were
instructed to be baptized.
Two baptisms are noted. Johns
Baptism" and Christ's. The first was
for the remission OF sins and was up
plicable to all Jews. By 1t such Jews
as had been living In open sin re-
nounced the sin. and returned to bar
mony with God. under the Law Cove.
nant. Such as thus sincerely returned
to Moses were ready to accept Christ
Us the antitype and BY faith were
transferred from Moses to Christ
from the house OF servants to the
house Of sons. (Heb. iii. 8. g. These
Mt Pentecost became really. officially
recognized US the Church OF Christ.
Subsequently Gentiles were invited
to be baptized into membership In the
Body Of Christ. the Church. "John's
Baptism" was not preached to them
because they did not belong to the
holy nation which originally was "bnp
tized 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-
dzed directly into Christ
0sntiies 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
is 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: so many of you as
were baptized into Jesus Christ dnto
membership in His Body. the Church,
were Immersed into His DEATH" tRo-
mans vi. 81
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 begot
ten of the Holy Spirit to newness Of
life as New Creatures In Christ. When
the last member of this consecrated
little flock"' shall have passed into
death the baptism of the Church into
Christ's death will be completed and
all the faithful ones will then share
in His resurrection" to glory. honor
and immortality-''thef first Tor chier
resurrection"
His death" was different from the
death Of others in that He did not die
as n 'sinner. but as n Sacrifice" Our
being baptized into His death signifies
that the Church also die. not as sin
nprs. but as sacrifices.