Beware: False Prophets In Sheep's Clothes!

One false teacher wrote on baptism. Before we read his words let us explore the ones of Jesus. Matthew 7:15-20 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. And we all should remember that every man is a liar and God true. In other words, it is far better to believe Christ and his words and deeds along with his faithful Apostles, than any modern day Pharisee no matter what his intent is or was in any matter. Here now is his seed of doubt and confusion. "The two main errors in the Early Church were baptismal remission and baptismal regeneration. The former viewed baptism as the act that would wash away all sins to that point. That is why Constantine delayed baptism until late in life when he thought himself to be near death. He wanted his sins to that point to be forgiven, leaving but a few sins to deal with through other legal means. That he was baptized by a heretic, Eusebius of Nicomedia, is another matter altogether. The latter view believed baptism was the act that initiated the regenerative process of God in man. Forgiveness and the gift of the Spirit are two aspects of the New Covenant promise brought to fruition at the first Christian Pentecost." Peter declared, "Repent, and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." (Acts 2:38) Romans 6:3-6 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like 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 planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection. Baptism is by faith (Mark 16:16 "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.”) and is the Christian equivalent of circumcision, or "the circumcision of Christ": "In him you were also circumcised with the circumcision of Christ, having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead" (Col. 2:11– 12). The difference is that circumcision is powerless to saven you today (Gal. 5:6, 6:15), but "baptism now now saves us" (1 Pet. 3:21). Iraneus said rightly the following words on baptism. "‘And Naaman dipped himself seven times in the Jordan’ (2 Kings. 5:14). It was not for nothing that Naaman of old, when suffering from leprosy, was purified upon his being baptized, but (this served) as an indication to us. For as we are lepers in sin, we are made clean, by means of the sacred water and the invocation of the Lord, from our old transgressions, being spiritually regenerated as newborn babes, even as the Lord has declared: ‘Except a man be born again through water and the Spirit, he shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven’ [John 3:5]" (Fragment 34 [A.D. 190]). Now the water alone has no power. If it did every person taking a bath even without faith, would be saved. Faith in God is what now saves us but it must be according to his word. Christ commanded baptism (Luke 24:45-48, John 3:5, and Mark 16:15-18) in his name. This was completed by all the Apostles with the 120 and Paul later on, agreeing to this. Read the book of the Acts of the Apostles from 2:38 until 22:16 of the same. Baptism is a act of obedience. Always completed in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. As he holds all saving and command power in all matters. See Matthew 28:18, Acts 4:12, and Colossians 3:17 among many others. This is shown as those who believed were baptized in Acts 2:37-41, 8:12-16, and 10:44-48. The following words are from the Catholics and then Luther, a Protestant who bagan the counter Catholic movement. The word Baptism is derived from the Greek word, bapto, or baptizo, to wash or to immerse. This sacrament is called Baptism, after the central rite by which it is carried out (Greek baptizein) means to "plunge" or "immerse"; the "plunge" into water symbolizes the catechumen's burial into Christ's death, from which he rises up by resurrection with him, as "a new

creature" (Catechism of the Catholic Church. Imprimatur Potest Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger. Doubleday, NY 1995, p. 342). We see that The Catholic Encyclopedia admits that immersion was the biblical practice, the practice of the early Church, though history shows that it was slowly dropped in the Latin/Western Church. Thus it admits that it is not faithful to the original practice of baptism. Also notice that the Catechism of the Catholic Church admits that baptism is a plunging/immersion that shows a burial and resurrection, but this certainly is not the ceremony that they use of infants (which most likely are the majority of those baptized by Roman Catholics). Early Protestant leaders such as Martin Luther endorsed infant baptism. Notice this section from Luther's Small Catechism: Why are babies to be baptized? A. Babies are to baptized because they are included in the words ‘all nations’ (Luther’s Small Catechism with Explanation. Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis, 1986, p.202). Martin Luther not only encouraged infant baptism, he and his affiliated Protestant leaders specifically condemned those who opposed infant baptism. Martin Luther got these statements confirmed: Article IX: Of Baptism. Of Baptism they teach that it is necessary to salvation, and that through Baptism is offered the grace of God, and that children are to be baptized who, being offered to God through Baptism are received into God's grace. They condemn the Anabaptists, who reject the baptism of children. The Confession of Faith: Which Was Submitted to His Imperial Majesty Charles V. At the Diet of Augsburg in the Year 1530. by Philip Melanchthon, 1497-1560. Translated by F. Bente and W. H. T. Dau. Published in: Triglot Concordia: The Symbolical Books of the Ev. Lutheran Church. St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 37. There is no doubt that the New Testament supports baptism by immersion. Also, the New Testament does not have any clear recording of the baptism of infants or small children. The Catholic Encyclopedia noted: Infant baptism has, however, been the subject of much dispute. The Waldenses and Cathari and later the Anabaptists, (A name for anyone who rebaptized people, escpecially by faith and in the name of Jesus Christ. Luther himself new of these people and rejected their council which was of God.) rejected the doctrine that infants are capable of receiving valid baptism, and some sectarians at the present day hold the same opinion (Fanning, William H.W. Transcribed by Charles Sweeney, S.J. Baptism. The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume II. Published 1907. New York: Robert Appleton Company. Nihil Obstat, 1907. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., Censor. Imprimatur. John M. Farley, Archbishop of New York). Baptism was once only by immersion and in the name of Jesus, that is until the time of Justin Martyr 90-165 A.D. Justin on baptism. For, in the name of God, the Father and Lord of the universe, and of our Saviour Jesus Christ, and of the Holy Spirit, they then receive the washing with water. And this washing is called illumination, because they who learn these things are illuminated in their understandings (First Apology 61). Tertullian (Who coined the word trinity from the twisting of Plato's work of Timaeus in 200 A.D.) later further changed it to simply the titles. The Didache ( Approximately 140 A.D.) has it both ways. In the name of the Lord (Jesus is Lord of all, Acts 10:36) and in the titles, probably a later insertion. We must remember what the Apostle Paul taught: And many of the Corinthians, hearing, believed and were baptized in Jesus name by Paul himself in Acts 18:8. Read 1 Corinthians 1:1-24 for further proof. The original practice in the New Testament was immersion after belief and repentance. It was essentially considered as the process to wash new Christians of the sins/faults of their past. Read: Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God (1 Corinthians 6:9-11, KJV). Baptism was mostly done out of doors, but sometimes inside, but always by immersion. And clothed. Do you want to be found clothed with the Righteousness of God or the ideas of corrupt men? James 1:22-25 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word,

and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed. Also James 2:18-20 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? 1 John 3:16-18 Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth. In the mouth of two or three witnesses is every word established. By your words of faith in the name of Jesus you will be justified, or by the lack of it in the man made trinity condemned. Take the words of Jesus for this. Matthew 7:21-23 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. Notice that the Lord Jesus states these ones did all deeds except baptism in his name. And that they still were in their sin. A direct violation of Colossians 3:17, John 10:9, and John 14:6. And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him. I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. Please take this message to heart. Ezekiel 33:32 And, lo, thou art unto them as a very lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice, and can play well on an instrument: for they hear thy words, but they do them not. Here is a lovely message given to me for you, by the Holy Spirit. Yet, the word must enter into your heart and life to be effective. Only about one in ten baptized in the name of Jesus remain true to the finish line. And that is the same number of those who returned back to thank Christ for their healing. Luke 17:16-17 And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan. And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine? We must endure unto the end to be saved. May the Lord Jesus shine upon and bless your paths.