Shall we at long last believe the Word of God or continue to stubbornly persist with accustomed religious rites and traditions?

 

Let these scriptures speak for themselves, for they are a record of how baptism was performed in the New Testament. Check them out in the various translations but also use Strong’s Hebrew and Greek Dictionary to arrive at the true meaning of the word baptism. In Luther's German Bible the word to baptize ‘Taufen’ means to dive or submerge and this is certainly what the following scriptures support. The apostle Paul considered baptism a burial service – to bury the old self (symbolizing the old sinful lifestyle) even as the Egyptians, were buried under water at the time of the exodus of Moses and of all Israel from Egypt:

 

‘Therefore we were buried with Him by baptism into death so that as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father even so we also should walk in newness of life. For, if we have been joined together in the likeness of His death, we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection; knowing this, that our old man is crucified with Him in order that the body of sin might be destroyed, that from now on we should not serve sin for he who died has been justified from sin’ (Romans 6:4-7).

 

‘In whom also you are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ, buried with Him in baptism, in whom also you were raised through the faith of the working of God, raising Him from the dead. And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us and has taken it out of the way, nailing it to the cross’ (Colossians 2:11-14).

 

‘And Jesus, when He had been baptized, went up immediately out of the water. And lo, the heavens were opened to Him and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting upon Him’ (Matthew 3:16).

 

'Then Philip opened his mouth and began at the same Scripture and preached the gospel of Jesus to him. And, as they passed along the way, they came on some water. And the eunuch said see, here is water, what hinders me from being baptized? Philip said, if you believe with all your heart it is lawful. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. And he commanded the chariot to stand still. And they both went down into the water, both Philip and the eunuch. And he baptized him. And when they had come up out of the water the Spirit of the Lord caught Philip away so that the eunuch saw him no more. And he went on his way rejoicing' (Acts 8:35-39).

 

‘And John was also baptizing in Enon near Salim because there was much water there. And they came and were baptized’ (John 3:23).

 

Are you being illuminated? Why did John choose a place with much water to baptize?

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Which of these two options do the scriptures support?