Teachings
The roots of the Bible
Baptism
Yaakov, Béla Orbán
Child’s Baptism or immersion at adult age?
Many people think that child's baptism is enough and replaces the immersion at adulthood.
Even the Roman Catholic Church of Hungary practiced adult-baptism by total immersion in water just before the Ottoman invasion more than five hundred years ago.
Certain bowls still visible along the Danube testify this ancient tradition.
One of the explanations of child's baptism which I discovered some years ago gave me a certain resignation and a certain approval.
When the first Christians began to be persecuted and when the death watched out for them from everywhere, they wanted to know their children in security.
In this purpose, they agreed with their spiritual brothers to take their mutual children in charge and to continue to bring them up in case of the loss of one's parents.
The "godfathers and the godmothers" of this dangerous time thus made a commitment to take care of the children of their spiritual brothers and sisters in case of death.
It follows from it naturally that this mutual promise to continue to raise the children in faith and Christian leading in case of death or disappearancewas also made in a visible way and in an official frame.
This explanation is understandable and acceptable even nowadays, because such a brotherly relation is absolutely not bad.
They do not persecute us today, but whatever can happen to anyone at anytime.
However this is not the equivalent with adult -baptism, when somebody declares and expresses in front of everybody’ eyes, in absolute consciousness and responsibility that:
- My unique God is the Eternal, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob
- My unique Lord is Yeshua HaMashiach
- I accept the Spirit of the Messiah (Christ), the Holy Spirit, as my guide, who makes me know God's Will and Project.
Renewal or Reinforcement of the baptism? ...and at what moment?
During my ministry and in many cases, baptism often appeared to be necessary for us to renew or strenghten.
Some people wanted to be rebaptised because they were not sure of the purity and integrity of their previous baptism.
When we strengthen our Alliance with God by Yeshua within the framework of the Last Supper, we also have to strengthen our baptism by its renewal? Absolutely yes, but why?
There can be many reasons for the renewal of baptism.
I would name some of them:
- In spite of the purity of his heart, the believer was baptized in an assembly, a church, in brief, he was immersed in men's power.
- The believer was baptized completely "in order", but confided his later steps of spiritual growth in the hands of men, so consciously subjecting his life to a human power.
- And then, there are those who baptized, but did not keep their promises made to Christ and continued their religious lives.
Children who were born, but who remained infants…
To summarize, those who were not directly and exclusively baptized in the Body of Christ, or the ones being reborn but did not start on the path of Christ, all have to go in front of God to settle and to restore these gaps and to finally give their lives to Him and only to Him!
After baptism...
According to Midrash-Tankuma, so that whoever could be ready to understand and live the presence and the Spirit of God (Chechina), he must be immersed in water and, in the Messianic times, it will be God Himself who will pour water on Israel to purify it, just like we can read it in the book of Ezekiel (36,25)
To have the right to pronounce the name of God, Essenes practiced the immersion in water every morning before the prayer.
(Tosefta,- Judaim 2.20,- Berachot 22a,- Kiddushim 70.a)
Even according to this Jewish belief, the person baptized and born again in Yeshua HaMashiach, will be able to..................(what?)
But what happens next?
We could even go further and ask the following question:
Where did people pass after their baptism?
I often put this question to myself.
By our ministry, many people were prepared and arrived at the decision of being baptized..
Their pronounced words and their statements of faith let no doubt about the fact that the moment had come to say yes, to put the seal of Christ on their lives in the visible world, too.
Then one or two years pass, and they disappear.
The losses hurt, and indeed in similar cases, the servant making baptism stops to think for a while:
What have I done wrong?
It is useful to pay attention to the causes of these losses and dangers.
And that all this should be a good lesson for all those who plan to be baptized.
Because we can be easily born again without ever starting on the road of spiritual growth.
Because premature children can also be born who will finish by being unable to live if we do not cover them with more attention and love.
Then, we find those who expected some reward due to their baptism. Those who expected changes and the improvement of their economic and social situation, even the radical increase of their standard of living.
People often think that all their problems will be resolved by their baptism ... goodbye problems and marigolds and welcome to the Dolce Vita.
Indeed life will be quiet and peaceful, but not the way we imagine it...
Baptism is not a tool for solving problems. Baptism is not what the "happy-Christendom" is waiting for and expecting by having made this step. Because as soon as we cross the Jordan, hard battles wait for us on the other side of the bank! But we can face these fights by having a cover of protection and being strengthened. We already went through hard tests during our way in the desert. The Jordan River is not the objective, it is not the terminus. The Jordan is really a demarcation line, all that was ancient stay outside and everything becomes new. But this New is not exempt from battles and fights.
They crossed the Jordan, but they are unable and do not even want to fight. They surrender. They prefer to choose the most comfortable solution and their lives waste away… Nevertheless the process of sanctification has a price. And this price is worthy to pay
Translated from hungarian by Richard (Zeev Shlomo)
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