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Dr. Stephen W. Christian

Pastor Stephen W. Christian

Our Beliefs : Baptism

Baptism

Baptism in an essential “first step” for a believer who seeks to become a disciple of Jesus Christ. In taking it, he reaveals that a coup has taken place in the secret recesses of his soul. The government of self has been toppled and overthrown. In its place, a new authority now reigns and rules. It is Christ, the living Lord!

We at Bountiful Blessings Fellowship uphold the act of baptism as a sacred, injunction of the Scripture. Every believer, serious in his or her faith, will also be serious about baptism. In many ways, baptism is comparable to a marriage. In our culture, a couple usually falls in love prior to their wedding day. The marriage ceremony is an outward representation of the inward comittment. So it is with baptism, one is saved before being baptized, the act is an outward expression of an inward profession. A picture is indeed worth a thousand words. And the picture portayed in baptism declares a variety of scriptural truths.

• It proclaims Christ’s death and resurrection

Now let me remind you, dear brothers and sisters, of the Good News I preached to you before. You welcomed it then and still do now, for your faith is built on this wonderful message. And it is this Good News that saves you if you firmly believe it—unless, of course, you believed something that was never true in the first place.
I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me—that Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, as the Scriptures said.
1 Corinthians 15:1-4 (New Living Translation)

• It serves public notice to the world of one’s new life in Christ

If anyone acknowledges me publicly here on earth, I will openly acknowledge that person before my Father in heaven.
Matthew 10:32 (New Living Translation)

• It pictures a believer’s death to sin and his resurrection to a spiritual life and lifestyle through the power of the Holy Spirit

Or have you forgotten that when we became Christians and were baptized to become one with Christ Jesus, we died with him? For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives.
Since we have been united with him in his death, we will also be raised as he was. Our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin. For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin. ...He died once to defeat sin, and now he lives for the glory of God. So you should consider yourselves dead to sin and able to live for the glory of God through Christ Jesus.
Romans 6:3-7,10-11 (New Living Translation)

Our method of baptism is the method os immersion. We feel strongly that this mode is the one preseted in the New Testament for the following reasons:

1. The Greek word for baptism means “to submerge, plunge, drench, saturate, dip” (Ardnt and Guingrich, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, p.131)
2. Immersion followed the Jewish proseltye practice.
3. The practice of the early church was immersion.

Jesus commanded His disciples to baptize in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost (Matthew 28:19). The New Testament Apostles understood this commandment to mean by the authority of the Godhead, but in the name of Jesus Christ. They taught and practiced water baptism in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. (Acts 2:38—Colossians 3:17)

Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Matthew 28:19 (New Living Translation)

Peter replied, “Each of you must turn from your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
Acts 2:38 (New Living Translation)

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.
Colossians 3:17 (King James Version)

The command of Scripture is “be baptized.” By it we both please the Lord and declare His reality in our live and to the world.

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