¤[Theme Music]¤
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¤[Music]¤
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>>John: I'm John Bradshaw.
Thank's for joining me.
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This is It Is
Written. The year was 1527.
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The event was an
execution. The place was Zurich,
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Switzerland, and
the man in question
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was Felix Mantz. His crime?
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Well, Felix Mantz had been
baptizing adults by immersion.
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The Zurich city magistrates
chose to execute him,
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and not by burning at the stake,
which was the common method
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of execution in those
days, not by beheading him.
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The punishment that
they thought fit the crime
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of baptizing by
immersion was death by drowning.
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Now Ulrich Zwingli, a
key figure in the Reformation
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and the spiritual leader
of Zurich, wrote to a friend
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defending the
action of the city leaders.
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These city officials were
supporters of Zwingli's Swiss
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Protestant Reformation,
and they believed that babies
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should be baptized.
Mantz had been baptizing adult
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believers in defiance
of the ruling of the Zurich
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city council. They had forbidden
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that practice. But
why the death penalty
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for baptizing someone?
Today, if one church practices
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infant baptism and
another church practices baptism
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by immersion, people would
typically say, "Okay, you do
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it your way, we do it our way,
and we'll agree to disagree."
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You wouldn't expect anybody
to think that somebody should
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die for having a different point
of view on a subject like that!
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So why did the Swiss reformers
think Felix Mantz should die
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for baptizing by immersion?
And why did Mantz believe
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so strongly in baptism by
immersion that he was willing
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to die for what he believed?
Today, in free countries where
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church and state are separate,
it is hard to understand how
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a city government could
execute someone for a harmless
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religious
practice such as baptism.
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In order to understand,
let's go back in time, back
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to the Europe of the early
1500's. Separation of church
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and state didn't
exist. In fact, infant baptism
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was seen as essential
to the union of church
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and state. People
were born as citizens
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of the state, and soon
after, became baptized members
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of the church.
Every person, without
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exception, was a member
of the state church before
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he or she could even
think. There was no choice
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in the matter.
And to a 16th century
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European, that was just
the way an orderly society
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had to be. It
was pretty much how
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Christendom had been
for hundreds of years.
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When the Protestant
Reformation came about, most
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of the reformers didn't
see a need to modify the union
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of church and state.
Lutherans simply wanted
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a Lutheran state
instead of a Catholic one.
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Swiss reformers under Zwingli
preferred their own Protestant
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Swiss cantons. Later,
in Geneva, Switzerland,
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Calvin's reform movement
was backed by the authority
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of the city. In
all these places, every
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person became a member
of the church through infant
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baptism, just as in
Catholic controlled regions.
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No one could choose
not to be in the church
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or the state. It
was as unthinkable
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as it would be for us
today to not be a citizen
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of a country. A
man outside the church
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was about the same as a man
without a country - only worse.
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At least being without a
country doesn't mean you'd
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be lost for eternity, as
it was believed being outside
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the church meant
back in those days.
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Baptizing babies put everyone
in the united church and state
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and kept society nice and
orderly with church leaders
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and magistrates in
an unchallenged position
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of authority. To
challenge infant baptism
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was viewed as an attack
on the order of society.
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So why was it challenged?
What was the problem?
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The problem was the Bible.
Felix Mantz, his friend Conrad
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Grebel and several others
believed that the Bible taught
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that only repentant believers
could decide to be baptized -
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which made infant
baptism a logical impossibility.
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They believed that
babies - who can neither believe
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nor repent - couldn't
possibly decide to be baptized.
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A decision for a baby
to be baptized is made FOR
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the child, and not BY the
child. So where in the Bible did
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these men get the idea
that baptism ought to be
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by immersion - only?
We'll find that out in just
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a moment. ¤[Music]¤
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A news story during a
recent winter told of a man who
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attempted to remove heavy snow
from the metal roof of his home.
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In one heart-stopping
moment, all the snow slid off
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like an avalanche,
and buried him alive.
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Hours later, his wife
returned from shopping and heard
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his call for help. Thank
God the story ended well!
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Now baptism is a well-known
symbol of dying to self,
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burying the old life and
rising to new life in Christ.
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This new life can be yours.
To learn more, let me send you
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our FREE booklet
called "Buried Alive"
00:07:00.12\00:07:03.18
Just call (800) 253-3000
and ask for your copy of
00:07:03.18\00:07:07.26
"Buried Alive"
If the line's busy,
00:07:07.26\00:07:09.99
please try
again, or write us at:
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It Is Written, P.O. Box
6, Chattanooga, TN 37401.
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We'll mail a free copy
to you in North America.
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Again, our toll-free number is,
(800) 253-3000, and you'll find
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us online at itiswritten.com.
Thanks for joining me today
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on It Is Written.
I'm John Bradshaw.
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What would compel a man to
be so committed to the idea
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of baptism by immersion
that he would give his life
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in defense of his
belief? Felix Mantz was executed
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in the year 1526, drowned
in Lake Zurich in Switzerland
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because he disobeyed the civil
and religious authorities who
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said that only
infants should be baptized.
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So where was
this man coming from?
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In Mark's account of the
gospel commission, Jesus says,
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"He who believes and is
baptized will be saved."
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That's Mark 16:16
NKJV. Which indicates that
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baptism is for believers.
Believing as a condition
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for baptism is crystal
clear in the Bible, especially
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in the story of Philip
and the Ethiopian eunuch
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found in Acts 8.
The Ethiopian man points
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at a creek or pond near the
road and asks Philip if he can
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be baptized. "Then
Philip said, 'If you
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believe with all your
heart, you may.' And he answered
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and said, 'I believe that Jesus
Christ is the Son of God.'...
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And both Philip and the
eunuch went down to the water,
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and he baptized
him." Acts 8:37, 38 NKJV.
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There are several more places
in the Bible where people who
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chose to be baptized
were asked to believe.
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It is very clear that a
person must believe he or she
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is a sinner and that Jesus
is his or her Savior before
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baptism should take place.
Even those who came to John
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the Baptist to be baptized
came "confessing their sins."
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This is what Felix
Mantz and others in the 1520s
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understood. Only a
person with conscious
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self-awareness could
intelligently see his or her
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own sinfulness, experience
repentance, then believe
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in Jesus for salvation
from sin and be baptized.
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We can see this when the
apostle Peter, in his sermon
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on Pentecost, called for
the people to "Repent and...
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be baptized in the
name of Jesus Christ
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for the remission of
sins." Acts 2:38 NKJV.
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Mantz and Grebel and others
realized babies can't possibly
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believe, they can't confess
their sins, and they cannot
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repent. The two
teachers pointed out
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that Acts 5:14 says,
"Believers were increasingly
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added to the
Lord" and to the church
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- not babies who cannot
consciously believe anything.
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The reformer Ulrich Zwingli
had the dubious challenge
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of defending infant
baptism against overwhelming
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biblical evidence. Of
course, he could appeal
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to custom, tradition and to
the regular order of society.
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What had normally
seemed right to the masses was
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in his Zwingli's
favor. Zwingli denounced those
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promoting baptism by immersion
as schismatics, as dividers,
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as a threat to
the order of society.
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He also added a
theological argument that played
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tremendously on the
fear of the common people.
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Not baptizing babies was
wrong and even fatal because,
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well...what if a
baby died without baptism?
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Wouldn't that baby
lose out on eternal life?
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Mantz and others would
point out that the Bible does
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not have a single account
of a baby being baptized.
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Only people old enough to
believe and repent and make
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their own choice were
baptized. In spite of the fact
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that the Bible
writers didn't have a problem
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with babies not being
baptized, this fear of babies
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being lost if they
weren't was a strong motivator
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against believer's baptism.
So what does the Bible mandate
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for babies if it
isn't appropriate for them
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to be baptized? It's
actually very simple.
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Mary and Joseph took
Baby Jesus to the temple
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to be dedicated. Jesus
wasn't baptized until He
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was an adult many years
later. There is also an account
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in the gospels of mothers
bringing their little ones
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to Jesus so He could bless
them. Baptism was well known
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at that time, but
neither the mothers nor Jesus
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even mention
baptism for the babies
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or the young children.
God simply asks parents to
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dedicate their children to Him,
and then do all they can, with
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God's help, to give their
children the best possible
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chance to live their lives for
God, and grow to understand God
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as they grow
through each stage of life.
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The Bible teaches that baptism
is only effective if a person
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believes and repents.
Without belief and repentance,
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baptism is simply a
form. Baptism cannot create
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salvation, and baptism
doesn't earn salvation.
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Without belief,
baptism is meaningless.
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But when somebody believes
and understands, baptism
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has great meaning. So
where did infant baptism
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come from? It was fear of babies
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and young children
dying and losing eternal life
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that brought infant
baptism into the early church
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in the first place. I
remember my own father
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urging one of my brothers
to make sure that my brother's
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new daughter was baptized
- well, christened actually -
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because my dad
believed that if she wasn't -
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and if something tragic
were to happen - then his
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granddaughter
wouldn't go to heaven.
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Now the first clear reference
to infant baptism was written
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by an early church writer
named Tertullian, who wrote
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around AD 200 -
and he was against it.
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Not long after,
Origen, the famous teacher from
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Alexandria, wrote
that, "Infants are baptized
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for the forgiveness of sins."
According to the historian,
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Adolph Harnack, Origen
believed that sins could
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be committed in a former life,
necessitating infant baptism
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for forgiveness of
sins. Origen also claimed
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"The church had from the
apostles a tradition to give
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baptism even to infants."
Of course he gave no evidence
00:13:15.29\00:13:18.89
for those claims
from the Bible...
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because there isn't any.
There IS evidence that infant
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baptism became common
in the region of Carthage
00:13:24.67\00:13:26.94
in North Africa between 250
AD and early in the 5th Century.
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Cyprian, the bishop of
Carthage from 249-258 AD,
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decided baptism
should be carried out as soon
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as a baby is born.
There were 66 bishops of North
00:13:39.65\00:13:43.49
Africa present when he made
that decision and there's no
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record that a single
one of them objected.
00:13:46.39\00:13:48.99
Augustine, also a bishop in
North Africa, wrote in favor
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of infant baptism several times.
In about 400 AD, Augustine
00:13:52.09\00:13:56.30
expressed the
fear of the people.
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He said that an infant who dies
before being baptized cannot
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"obtain remission of
original sin," that they could
00:14:02.24\00:14:06.24
"not possibly be
vivified in Christ."
00:14:06.24\00:14:10.11
In other words, he said,
without baptism a baby who
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dies is lost. And
the Sixteenth Council
00:14:12.98\00:14:16.89
of Carthage in AD 418 decreed,
"If any man says that newborn
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children need not be baptized
...let him be anathema,"
00:14:21.96\00:14:26.29
or, let him be damned forever.
The writings of early church
00:14:26.29\00:14:30.83
leaders up to AD 500
make it clear that baptism
00:14:30.83\00:14:33.64
by immersion was the
norm throughout Christendom.
00:14:33.64\00:14:36.94
Even in the Middle Ages,
the renowned Roman Catholic
00:14:36.94\00:14:39.44
theologian Thomas Aquinas,
who allowed for sprinkling,
00:14:39.44\00:14:42.98
wrote in the 13th Century
that "the safer way to baptize"
00:14:42.98\00:14:46.72
was "by immersion,
because that, is the most common
00:14:46.72\00:14:50.62
custom."
Sprinkling first came into
00:14:50.62\00:14:53.15
common use in France,
then in the German regions,
00:14:53.15\00:14:56.29
including Austria
and part of Switzerland.
00:14:56.29\00:14:59.16
Historians tell us that some
groups, such as the Albigenses
00:14:59.16\00:15:02.33
and the Waldensians opposed
the practice in the Middle
00:15:02.33\00:15:05.50
Ages, but as a result
they faced severe persecution.
00:15:05.50\00:15:11.44
Baptism was never by sprinkling
in Scotland "until after
00:15:11.44\00:15:15.08
the Reformation,
about the year 1550."
00:15:15.08\00:15:19.08
It wasn't until the Protestant
Reformation that baptism
00:15:19.08\00:15:21.52
by immersion became
more widespread, but it did
00:15:21.52\00:15:24.75
so at a terrible cost.
Felix Mantz was just the first
00:15:24.75\00:15:28.66
martyr of thousands of
martyrs that would follow
00:15:28.66\00:15:31.36
in his footsteps.
The sad fact of history
00:15:31.36\00:15:33.50
is that both Protestant
and Catholic authorities hunted
00:15:33.50\00:15:36.53
down and tried to
wipe out the Anabaptists
00:15:36.53\00:15:40.04
- the group that Mantz
was aligned with, a group
00:15:40.04\00:15:42.87
who practiced
baptism by immersion.
00:15:42.87\00:15:46.37
The late Cardinal Gibbons
wrote in his book Faith of our
00:15:46.37\00:15:49.24
Fathers, "For several centuries
after the establishment
00:15:49.24\00:15:52.55
of Christianity,
baptism was usually conferred
00:15:52.55\00:15:55.65
by immersion; but since the
twelfth century the practice
00:15:55.65\00:16:00.22
of baptizing by infusion
has prevailed in the Catholic
00:16:00.22\00:16:03.02
Church, as this
manner is attended with less
00:16:03.02\00:16:06.03
inconvenience than
baptism by immersion."
00:16:06.03\00:16:10.37
Convenience. But
there's a better reason
00:16:10.37\00:16:12.93
than that for Christians to
do what they do - and that would
00:16:12.93\00:16:16.00
be love for God, and
respect for His word.
00:16:16.00\00:16:19.74
Not convenience!
Most people are aware that
00:16:19.74\00:16:23.04
not all Christians
baptize the same way.
00:16:23.04\00:16:25.78
So, is there a right way
and a wrong way to baptize?
00:16:25.78\00:16:29.95
Or does it even
matter? Those associated
00:16:29.95\00:16:32.75
with Felix Mantz
and Conrad Grebel
00:16:32.75\00:16:34.76
performed baptisms using
a bucket and pouring a small
00:16:34.76\00:16:38.79
amount of water on
the candidates' heads.
00:16:38.79\00:16:41.76
Many churches today baptize by
sprinkling or pouring a little
00:16:41.76\00:16:44.57
water on a person's head.
But other churches baptize
00:16:44.57\00:16:47.14
by complete immersion, by
submerging a person entirely
00:16:47.14\00:16:51.01
under water: sometimes
in a baptistery in a church,
00:16:51.01\00:16:53.27
or maybe, maybe in a
river or a lake, or the ocean.
00:16:53.27\00:16:56.91
How does the Bible shed
light on the proper method
00:16:56.91\00:17:00.35
of baptism? That's just ahead.
00:17:00.35\00:17:03.72
¤[Music]¤
00:17:04.39\00:17:09.02
Every Word is a one-minute
Bible-based daily devotional
00:17:09.99\00:17:13.63
presented by Pastor John
Bradshaw and designed especially
00:17:13.63\00:17:16.90
for busy people like you.
Look for Every Word on selected
00:17:16.90\00:17:20.70
networks or watch it
on-line everyday on our website,
00:17:20.70\00:17:23.74
itiswritten.com.
00:17:23.74\00:17:25.64
¤[Music]¤ It was
in 1517 that Martin
00:17:26.47\00:17:33.38
Luther sparked the Protestant
Reformation, but one historian
00:17:33.38\00:17:36.22
wrote that the event which
“symbolized a complete break
00:17:36.22\00:17:39.49
with Rome” like no other
happened eight years later.
00:17:39.49\00:17:43.12
So what event could that
be? What could be so radical?
00:17:43.12\00:17:46.06
It happened on January 21 of
that year, near the Grossmünster
00:17:46.06\00:17:49.16
Church in Zurich, when a dozen
men entered the home of Felix
00:17:49.16\00:17:52.57
Mantz, prayed together
to God for courage, and...
00:17:52.57\00:17:55.80
This has got to be good, right?
and they baptized one another.
00:17:55.80\00:17:59.67
They were “Anabaptists,”
or “re-baptizers.”
00:17:59.67\00:18:01.98
They said they weren't
“re-baptizers,” but “baptizers,”
00:18:01.98\00:18:04.68
seeing as infant
baptism isn't baptism at all.
00:18:04.68\00:18:07.22
Five months later,
one of them was martyred.
00:18:07.22\00:18:08.98
Then more,
including Mantz himself.
00:18:08.98\00:18:11.52
It was Jesus who
said, “Go therefore and make
00:18:11.52\00:18:13.62
disciples of all
nations, baptizing them.”
00:18:13.62\00:18:16.02
Matthew 28:19. The
Reformers were only
00:18:16.02\00:18:18.43
following Christ's words.
That's something all believers
00:18:18.43\00:18:21.10
are called to
do. I'm John Bradshaw
00:18:21.10\00:18:22.70
for It Is Written. Let's
live today by Every Word.
00:18:22.70\00:18:26.13
If something in today's program
has sparked your interest
00:18:26.84\00:18:29.37
in deeper Bible
Study, visit our website:
00:18:29.37\00:18:31.81
itiswritten.com
where you'll find a host of
00:18:31.81\00:18:34.84
spiritual resources and
free Bible study guides.
00:18:34.84\00:18:38.55
You'll find a complete archive
of past It Is Written programs
00:18:38.55\00:18:40.95
available in script form so
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00:18:40.95\00:18:44.95
Plus, you can watch a program
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00:18:44.95\00:18:47.89
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00:18:47.89\00:18:51.13
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00:18:53.19\00:18:55.40
What does the Bible say
about the way a person should be
00:18:57.03\00:18:59.87
baptized? Here's what we
know about Jesus' baptism.
00:18:59.87\00:19:03.44
It says this in Matthew 3:16,
"When He had been baptized,
00:19:03.44\00:19:08.88
Jesus came up
immediately from the water."
00:19:08.88\00:19:14.38
He "came up." Now
that sounds like He
00:19:14.38\00:19:19.45
had been immersed, doesn't it?
One comes up after being down
00:19:19.45\00:19:23.86
under. So Jesus was baptized
00:19:23.86\00:19:26.33
by immersion in the Jordan
River by John the Baptist.
00:19:26.33\00:19:30.57
Philip baptized the Ethiopian
eunuch by immersion, as well.
00:19:30.57\00:19:33.87
Notice the
wording in Acts 8:38 & 39.
00:19:33.87\00:19:37.37
"And both Philip and
the eunuch went down into
00:19:37.37\00:19:42.58
the water, and he baptized
him. Now when they came up out
00:19:42.58\00:19:47.72
of the water, the Spirit of
the Lord caught Philip away."
00:19:47.72\00:19:51.35
Acts 8:38, 39 NKJV
"Down into the water;"
00:19:51.35\00:19:54.09
"up out of the
water." That's immersion,
00:19:54.09\00:19:58.13
without a doubt. As a
matter of fact, the Greek
00:19:58.13\00:20:00.16
word for baptize,
baptizo, means "to immerse."
00:20:00.16\00:20:03.90
John the Baptist's name
meant "John the Immerser."
00:20:03.90\00:20:07.90
Clearly, baptisms in the
New Testament were by immersion.
00:20:07.90\00:20:11.41
A fascinating study has been
done on the baptisteries found
00:20:11.41\00:20:15.28
in the ancient ruins
of Christian churches
00:20:15.28\00:20:17.55
and in the
basilicas and cathedrals
00:20:17.55\00:20:19.71
of the Middle Ages.
Among the ancient ruins,
00:20:19.71\00:20:22.38
stone-laid
baptisteries have been found.
00:20:22.38\00:20:24.65
Some even have steps
going down into them, allowing
00:20:24.65\00:20:27.69
individuals to walk
down into the water.
00:20:27.69\00:20:31.46
All of them were large
enough for people to get in to
00:20:31.46\00:20:33.93
and to be baptized by immersion.
Baptisteries carved from huge
00:20:33.93\00:20:38.80
blocks of marble or built
into the floor can be found
00:20:38.80\00:20:41.50
in basilicas and cathedrals
in many places in Europe.
00:20:41.50\00:20:44.44
In many locations large
baptisteries have since been
00:20:44.44\00:20:47.54
filled in, with a font for
pouring built over the spot
00:20:47.54\00:20:50.61
where the baptistery used to be.
00:20:50.61\00:20:52.95
Perhaps the most interesting
adaptation of a baptistery
00:20:52.95\00:20:55.82
is the one found in the
Basilica of St. Peter in Rome.
00:20:55.82\00:20:59.32
An ornate bronze baptismal
font holds a small amount
00:20:59.32\00:21:04.16
of water in the front
part, but the whole thing stands
00:21:04.16\00:21:07.36
in a large
depression in the floor.
00:21:07.36\00:21:10.17
That large depression
indicates an earlier form
00:21:10.17\00:21:12.83
of baptism was performed there.
Records reveal that Benedict
00:21:12.83\00:21:17.57
XIII, elected the Pope
in 1724, anxious to conform
00:21:17.57\00:21:21.94
to the ancient rite
of administering baptism
00:21:21.94\00:21:23.95
by immersion
"ordered the construction ...
00:21:23.95\00:21:28.58
forming a large basin."
And this was after thousands
00:21:28.58\00:21:30.59
of Anabaptists perished
for practicing believer's
00:21:30.59\00:21:33.02
baptism by immersion.
Of course, succeeding popes
00:21:33.02\00:21:36.12
didn't agree with
Benedict XIII, and soon
00:21:36.12\00:21:39.89
the depression was
filled in by the baptismal font
00:21:39.89\00:21:41.86
that can now be
seen in St Peter's today.
00:21:41.86\00:21:44.40
Well, does the form
of baptism really matter?
00:21:44.40\00:21:47.74
If you want to be true
to the Bible, you've got
00:21:47.74\00:21:51.71
to believe that it does.
But why does the Bible teach
00:21:51.71\00:21:54.58
baptism by immersion?
Since the word baptize
00:21:54.58\00:21:57.61
in the Greek means "to immerse,"
has a person been baptized
00:21:57.61\00:22:01.58
if they were not immersed?
What does it really mean
00:22:01.58\00:22:05.52
to be baptized?
Baptism has been understood
00:22:05.52\00:22:08.49
as a way to join
with the Christian church
00:22:08.49\00:22:10.49
as a follower of Christ -
which is a very Biblical idea.
00:22:10.49\00:22:14.00
In Acts chapter 2, 3000 people
were baptized and they were
00:22:14.00\00:22:18.13
"added to the
church." (You see that
00:22:18.13\00:22:20.14
in verse 47). And
in Romans 6, Paul says
00:22:20.14\00:22:24.17
that people who are baptized
are baptized into the death
00:22:24.17\00:22:28.58
of Christ. And
then just as Christ
00:22:28.58\00:22:31.28
was raised up from the dead,
we begin to walk in a new life.
00:22:31.28\00:22:35.62
Listen to this. "Do
you not know that as many
00:22:35.62\00:22:39.55
of us as were baptized
into Christ Jesus were baptized
00:22:39.55\00:22:44.19
into His death?
Therefore we were buried
00:22:44.19\00:22:47.23
with Him through baptism
into death, that just as Christ
00:22:47.23\00:22:50.83
was raised from the dead by
the glory of the Father, even so
00:22:50.83\00:22:54.94
we also should walk
in newness of life."
00:22:54.94\00:22:58.87
Romans 6:3, 4
NKJV. So what exactly
00:22:58.87\00:23:03.11
does Paul mean? He explains.
00:23:03.11\00:23:06.21
"For if we have been
united together in the likeness
00:23:06.21\00:23:08.45
of His death, certainly we
also shall be in the likeness
00:23:08.45\00:23:12.82
of His resurrection,
knowing this, that our old man
00:23:12.82\00:23:16.83
was crucified with Him,
that the body of sin might
00:23:16.83\00:23:20.40
be done away with,
that we should no longer
00:23:20.40\00:23:23.20
be slaves of sin. For
he who has died has been
00:23:23.20\00:23:27.94
freed from sin."
Romans 6:5-7 NKJV.
00:23:27.94\00:23:32.01
Paul is saying that baptism
represents the death of our
00:23:32.01\00:23:35.68
old nature of
sin and selfishness,
00:23:35.68\00:23:38.25
and a transformation
to a new life in Christ.
00:23:38.25\00:23:41.48
In verse 6, he describes
the death of our old nature
00:23:41.48\00:23:44.02
as "our old man" who
"was crucified with Him."
00:23:44.02\00:23:48.89
What part of baptism
represents being crucified
00:23:48.89\00:23:51.03
with Christ; the
death to sin and self?
00:23:51.03\00:23:54.10
Well, that would
be GOING UNDER WATER.
00:23:54.10\00:23:56.63
Paul calls it "being
buried with Him through baptism
00:23:56.63\00:24:00.27
into death" in Romans
6:4. What part of baptism
00:24:00.27\00:24:04.27
represents being resurrected
like Christ; changed to a new
00:24:04.27\00:24:08.04
life in Christ? That
would be COMING UP OUT
00:24:08.04\00:24:11.15
OF THE WATER. So
baptism is a symbol
00:24:11.15\00:24:14.65
of change from spiritual
deadness-sin in control
00:24:14.65\00:24:19.19
of the life-to a
new spiritual life.
00:24:19.19\00:24:22.89
That is why
baptism means "to immerse."
00:24:22.89\00:24:25.76
Only immersion can symbolize
the change that comes through
00:24:25.76\00:24:28.33
true conversion.
Jesus described true baptism
00:24:28.33\00:24:31.83
as being born all over
again. He said these words
00:24:31.83\00:24:35.10
to Nicodemus in John 3.
"Except a man be born of water
00:24:35.10\00:24:40.34
and of the Spirit, he
cannot enter into the kingdom
00:24:40.34\00:24:43.75
of God." John 3:5 KJV.
00:24:43.75\00:24:47.22
Sprinkling or pouring simply
cannot symbolize the dramatic
00:24:47.22\00:24:51.05
transformation Christ brings
about in our lives through
00:24:51.05\00:24:54.02
the Holy Spirit. You
see, God is in the business
00:24:54.02\00:24:57.49
of transforming people.
Like the prodigal son in the
00:24:57.49\00:25:00.76
parable, those who are
lost become found, and those who
00:25:00.76\00:25:05.10
are dead are made alive.
And if you've given your life
00:25:05.10\00:25:09.84
to Jesus Christ, He calls
you to demonstrate that through
00:25:09.84\00:25:12.91
baptism: a person goes
down into what essentially
00:25:12.91\00:25:16.31
is a watery grave - and when you
come out of that water to walk
00:25:16.31\00:25:20.45
in newness of
life... that's when you're
00:25:20.45\00:25:23.89
really living!
00:25:23.89\00:25:26.15
¤[ethereal music]¤
Baptism is a well-known symbol
00:25:29.56\00:26:04.69
of dying to self, burying
the old life and rising to
00:26:04.69\00:26:09.06
a new life in Christ.
This new life can be yours.
00:26:09.06\00:26:11.73
To learn more, let me send
you our FREE booklet called
00:26:11.73\00:26:14.60
"Buried Alive"
Just call (800) 253-3000
00:26:14.60\00:26:19.07
and ask for your
copy of "Buried Alive"
00:26:19.07\00:26:22.41
If the line's
busy, please try again,
00:26:22.41\00:26:24.68
or write us at It
Is Written, P.O. Box 6,
00:26:24.68\00:26:27.58
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We'll mail a free copy to you
00:26:27.58\00:26:32.85
in North America. It Is
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00:26:32.85\00:26:36.22
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00:26:46.50\00:26:49.90
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Again, our toll-free number is,
00:26:49.90\00:26:53.24
(800) 253-3000,
and our web address is
00:26:53.24\00:26:57.48
itiswritten.com.
00:26:57.48\00:27:00.55
Today, we have been
talking about baptism.
00:27:01.98\00:27:03.99
What the Bible
teaches about being baptized
00:27:03.99\00:27:06.22
by immersion.
And the reason that
00:27:06.22\00:27:08.22
is so powerfully important
is because baptism by immersion
00:27:08.22\00:27:11.36
represents a life
that is being given fully
00:27:11.36\00:27:14.46
and completely to Jesus Christ.
When a person is baptized
00:27:14.46\00:27:17.73
by immersion, they
are signifying something.
00:27:17.73\00:27:19.73
My life is given to Jesus
and I have come up out of that
00:27:19.73\00:27:22.94
water and I am now
walking in newness of life.
00:27:22.94\00:27:26.57
Have you made that
decision to be baptized?
00:27:26.57\00:27:30.08
And if you haven't,
what are you waiting for?
00:27:30.08\00:27:33.28
Perhaps now is the time
for you to make a decision
00:27:33.28\00:27:35.28
that says: "Jesus,
I'm giving you my life.
00:27:35.28\00:27:38.99
Jesus, I'm serious
about it. I want to enter into
00:27:38.99\00:27:42.12
that commitment
ceremony with you.
00:27:42.12\00:27:44.86
I'd like to be baptized,
have my sins washed away,
00:27:44.86\00:27:48.73
buried in that watery
grave. I want to walk in newness
00:27:48.73\00:27:53.20
of life." To
learn more about this,
00:27:53.20\00:27:55.64
visit out
website itiswritten.com.
00:27:55.64\00:28:02.04
You'll find information
there that will help you
00:28:02.04\00:28:04.05
in your journey with
Jesus. And I want to encourage
00:28:04.05\00:28:06.08
you today not to wait,
but to make that decision
00:28:06.08\00:28:08.08
that sees you follow
Jesus' example of being baptized
00:28:08.08\00:28:10.39
by immersion.
Let me pray with you
00:28:10.39\00:28:12.92
about that. Our
Father in heaven, we thank
00:28:12.92\00:28:16.83
you today for the wonderful
gift, really, it's a gift
00:28:16.83\00:28:19.69
of baptism by immersion, which
is all to do with that great
00:28:19.69\00:28:23.03
gift of salvation
that you gave to us.
00:28:23.03\00:28:26.50
I know that now there are people
who are making a decision.
00:28:26.50\00:28:28.74
It's time for me to be
baptized. I shouldn't be waiting
00:28:28.74\00:28:32.14
any longer. I
need to do what Jesus
00:28:32.14\00:28:34.54
has asked me to do and I
need to give Him my heart
00:28:34.54\00:28:36.44
and my life. So take
that heart now, Lord,
00:28:36.44\00:28:39.68
and make it yours.
Father, I pray that you
00:28:39.68\00:28:42.12
would lead all of us,
those who need to be baptized,
00:28:42.12\00:28:46.22
to be baptized and those
who have been, to recommit
00:28:46.22\00:28:49.89
their lives to you
right now, to walk with Jesus
00:28:49.89\00:28:54.00
living His life in us. We
thank you today and we pray
00:28:54.00\00:28:59.93
in Jesus' name, Amen.
00:28:59.93\00:29:03.97
¤[Music]¤
00:29:06.37\00:29:21.56
Thanks for joining me
today. I look forward to seeing
00:29:22.82\00:29:24.96
you again next time.
Until then, remember:
00:29:24.96\00:29:29.03
It is written: Man
shall not live by bread alone,
00:29:29.03\00:29:32.57
but by every word that
proceeds from the mouth of God.
00:29:32.57\00:29:36.81
¤[Music]¤
00:29:37.87\00:29:52.89