What is baptism?

 

Welcome back to my blog. Thank you for visiting today. We recently started an exciting series about the compelling research findings from Teleios!

 

Teleios completed a survey about baptism. We had 189 participants, of whom: 61% were <18 years; 74% evangelicals; and 50% from the southeast or Midwest USA. In total 86% believed that they were saved by grace alone and 40% believed they could not lose their salvation. See the full report here -Current views about baptism.

 

We asked them if they had been baptized and the method. We also inquired as to what baptism signified. Although we have never seen data, in speaking with young people they often appear confused over the significance of baptism and what scripture says about it. When asked how they were baptized, here are the top 4 answers and some associated meanings:

Ø     Immersed as an adult (32%) - Strong differences in the rite of baptism exist across denominations. Immersion baptism, which perhaps most closely represents the regenerative work of the Holy Spirit, is preferred strongly by Baptists. They believe generally the rite should be performed after salvation when the convert is old enough to make a responsible decision. Many Christians believe it symbolizes primarily a commitment to God by the new believer which was true also in or survey (20%).

Ø     Sprinkled as a child (23%) - This form of baptism is preferred by several traditional denominations and is generally believed to convey either:  

·       Forgiveness of the sin nature, and prior sins, allowing for a fresh start and working towards salvation, combined with grace (Catholic viewpoints) 

·       Salvation in infants too young to make a decision for Christ. This protection lasts to the time of the age of responsibility (Presbyterian viewpoints). 

·       Commitment by parents to raise a child in a Godly manner leaving the responsibility to the child to be saved and baptized as an adult (various individual churches).

Ø     Never been baptized (19%) - Although this group might be seen as disobedient by Christians, the epistles, which contain the injunctions to the church, do not command water baptism. Water baptism is seen as an example at least once (Acts 8), and maybe more early in the book of Acts (speculative). In Scripture, it was performed in almost exclusively among early Jewish Christians early in the church. Of course, salvation itself is by grace alone with no added works required (Ephesians 2:8-9).

Ø     Spiritually baptized by the Holy Spirit at salvation (15%) - This choice is closest to the meaning of baptism in the Epistles.  The apostle Paul explained that spiritual baptism ‘identified’ us (βαπτιζω, baptizoo) in the death and life of our Lord, Jesus Christ. 

 

Baptism represents the regeneration by the spirit to a new person who can serve our Lord. This regeneration appears to occur at salvation accompanied by the sealing of the Holy Spirit (Romans 6: 2-9; Colossians 2:11-13; Ephesians 2:4-7). Indeed, 68% of the participants in our survey believed baptism represented the regeneration of the Holy Spirit in their lives (Titus 3:5).

 

The rite of baptism is a very controversial topic and often elicits strong emotions from people who believe one way or another. We have tried to comment in a scripturally based and transcultural manner. Christians are free to water baptize out of faith in the method that they wish to demonstrate their commitment to our blessed Savior. 

 

Join us again next week as we continue to look at the fascinating results of Teleios research and what they tell us about the truth of scripture and our Christian culture.

 

William C. Stewart, MD

 

Email – info@teleiosresearch.com

Website – http://teleiosresearch.com

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/TeleiosResearch

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Disclaimer – This blog and its content are provided only as information and are intended for visitors 18 and older. No content on the website should be taken as advice or recommendation to any personal or institutional situation. The views expressed are those of the author alone and not necessarily either shared or endorsed by Teleios. Both the blog and the contents are subject to change at any time without notice. Although I endeavor to ensure that the blog and the content are current and accurate, it may contain errors. I do not represent that the blog or the content is current, accurate or complete, or appropriate for your specific requirements. I do not accept any liability from any person for the blog, the content or any other information (or the use of such information) I provide. I do not have a seminary degree, but I have trained myself in the scriptures to teach and provide this information. For any specific question, I suggest you contact experts in that field and/or do your own research into the scriptures.

 

 

 

Spiritual Baptism

 

 

Welcome again to my blog. Thank you for visiting. The next several blogs will talk about what happens, as described in the Bible, at the time of salvation resulting in a steadfast new and wonderful position of a believer. The blogs are based on the list presented last week.

 

At salvation we receive:

• Spiritual baptism 
• Membership in the church
• The Holy Spirit 
• Adoption 
• Justification 
• Possession

 

Let's start with spiritual baptism. This important biblical truth is vital in understanding who we are as Christians. Our knowledge about baptism will transform the way we think!

 

First, let's consider the word itself. Although controversial, in the Epistles when baptism is mentioned it speaks generally of spiritual baptism. It does not mean dunking or sprinkling primarily; water baptism might be considered as an external ritual to signify the internal event. The word is βαπτιζω (baptizoo) in the Greek (this is the language in which the New Testament originally was written), and was an old term borrowed from the dye trade. It meant that a piece of cloth immersed in the dye became identified with the new color.

 

Secondly then, what does being identified with Christ have to do with us as Christians? Fortunately, a lot! When we become a Christian, we are identified with Christ’s gracious death and His resurrection. Otherwise, at salvation our old self died and was buried with Christ. We are raised now to new life with Him and we sit with Him on the right hand of God the Father (Romans 6:2-12; Ephesians 2:4-7; Colossians 2:12-13).

 

Why is this concept so important? Similar concepts in Scripture that also appear to speak probably to spiritual baptism are: regeneration (Titus 3:5), born again (John 3: 5) and a new man (Ephesians 4:24; Colossians 3:10):

• Believer’s sin - Although every believer sins we can say ‘no’ to sin because as a new person in Christ we have the power to live a victorious life. 
• The reason for the resurrection - Baptism teaches us the importance of the resurrection because we are raised with Christ to new life without which we would still be dead in our sins (1 Corinthians 15:17).
• Eternal security - Baptism helps prove we cannot lose our salvation. because scripture does not indicate that if we commit sin that our new self can be killed, and the old dead self resurrected like some bad re-make of the ‘Night of the Living Dead’!  

 In other words, you are transformed permanently to a new life, resurrected with Christ and sitting with Him in heaven. These changes cannot be reversed. What a great comfort we have in truth of scripture. Therefore, as a new person, we are liberated from sin and are free to serve Christ. We cannot be defeated by the misdeeds of our old self.

 

Christ is a fantastic and true savior! The nature of our salvation is so important that we will address each of the individual promises. Come back next week as we continue this exciting journey.

 

William C. Stewart, MD

 

Email – info@teleiosresearch.com

Website – http://teleiosresearch.com

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/TeleiosResearch

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/TeleiosResearch

YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/c/TeleiosVideos

X - https://x.com/TeleiosTweets

TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@teleiostiktok

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/teleiosresearch

 

Disclaimer – This blog and its content are provided only as information and are intended for visitors 18 and older. No content on the website should be taken as advice or recommendation to any personal or institutional situation. The views expressed are those of the author alone and not necessarily either shared or endorsed by Teleios. Both the blog and the contents are subject to change at any time without notice. Although I endeavor to ensure that the blog and the content are current and accurate, it may contain errors. I do not represent that the blog or the content is current, accurate or complete, or appropriate for your specific requirements. I do not accept any liability from any person for the blog, the content or any other information (or the use of such information) I provide. I do not have a seminary degree, but I have trained myself in the scriptures to teach and provide this information. For any specific question, I suggest you contact experts in that field and/or do your own research into the scriptures.

 

 

The Return of Christ – Eschatology: Part 1

 

Welcome to my blog. Thank you for visiting.

 

In the course of human history, few narratives hold as much intrigue, anticipation, and profound significance as the promise of the return of Christ. Across centuries, cultures, and continents, the idea of Christ's second coming has been a focal point for theologians, believers, and seekers alike. It represents the culmination of divine promises, the fulfillment of prophecies, and the ultimate hope for redemption.

 

In this series of blogs, we embark on a journey to explore the multifaceted dimensions of the return of Christ. We delve into its theological underpinnings, historical interpretations, and contemporary relevance. Beyond doctrinal debates and eschatological speculations, we seek to unravel the profound implications of this event on individual faith, societal ethics, and global consciousness.

 

Christ’s return is our great hope of salvation and initiates spending a glorious eternity with God. Consequently, the study of eschatology (end times) is critical to understanding our salvation and is a great blessing (Revelation 1:3). Let's take the next few blogs to consider the return of Christ in detail and what scripture says. 

 

Although the exact nature of Christ’s return is controversial among theologians, it is important to base our beliefs on scripture, which will be the basis of our discussion. 

 

Scripture prophecy 

 

End times biblical literature in the New Testament includes major prophetic passages in:

 

• Revelation
• Chapters 4-18 – The tribulation
• Chapters 19-20 -The second coming of Christ
• Chapters 21-22 – Eternity
• Matthew 24 and 25 - The “Olivet discourse”, discusses the tribulation, 2nd coming and judgment, leaning to a Jewish perspective

• 1 Corinthians 15:51ff – The rapture
• 1 Thessalonians 4 – The rapture
• 1 Thessalonians 5 – Second coming
• 2 Thessalonians 1 – Tribulation
• 2 Thessalonians 2 – Antichrist

 

There is also extensive prophetic literature in the Old Testament detailing the first and second comings of Christ, Christ’s kingdom reign, and prophecies already fulfilled in the Old Testament itself. Many prophecies related to Christ are dealt with in our chapter, the Plan of God. The kingdom reign of Christ is discussed here. Prophecies fulfilled in the Old Testament itself are beyond the scope of this Resource Center. Please see the helpful references below for further reading.

 

Although opinions vary, proper interpretation of scripture should be a normal, literal meaning that should consider the style of writing in the original text. For instance, prophecy literature should allow symbols to be symbols, as intended by the original author, to represent actual events, not to be spiritualized or understood verbatim.

 

Our discussion is based on a normal literal interpretation of scripture. Other traditional alternative beliefs to the end times exist but are not included in this chapter because of the lack of substantiation in scripture. Several references are included below for your convenience for deeper reading.

 

Key definitions 

 

• The term ‘end times’ is derived from scripture ‘last days’. This term and its derivatives typically mean the time of the church as well as Christ’s second return and ensuing eternity. It can indicate, however, only Christ’s return and beyond which is the case for our study in this chapter.
• Eschatology – This is the study of end times taken from the Greek word ‘last’ (ἔσχατος, eschatos).

 

End times events in order

 

• The rapture (1 Thessalonians 4: 13-18; Revelation 4:1; 1 Corinthians 15:50-58) – This important event includes the following:
• It occurs at a time known only by God
• A trumpet, shout, and announcement shall be heard, and Christ will return in the clouds
• Christ will take dead and living Christians out of the world to be with Him for eternity
• Those taken our bodies will be changed to be incorruptible forever
• The rapture initiates the series of events leading to Christ’s return and begins specifically the tribulation (see below).
• Although beliefs differ, scripture indicates the church is taken out of the world before the tribulation because it is promised to Christians that they will not know God’s wrath (Revelation 3:10; 4:1; 1 Thessalonians 5:9), which is the purpose of the tribulation. The church is not mentioned in tribulation passages.

 

Well, that starts our discussion of end times and takes us through the rapture allows those living on earth to begin their experience with eternity, avoiding the wrath to come.

 

Thanks be to God for his wonderful promises of eternal life through our faith alone in Jesus Christ. Join us next time as we continue this wonderful journey of our overview of the end times.

 

Books to expand on this topic:

Messiah in the Old Testament, The: Kaiser Jr., Walter C.: 9780310200307: Amazon.com: Books

Systematic Theology (4 Volume Set): Chafer, Lewis Sperry: 9780825423406: Amazon.com: Books

Basic Theology: A Popular Systematic Guide to Understanding Biblical Truth: Ryrie, Charles C.: 9780802427342: Amazon.com: Books

 

William C. Stewart, MD

 

Email - info@teleiosresearch.com

Website - http://teleiosresearch.com/

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/TeleiosResearch

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/TeleiosResearch

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/c/TeleiosVideos/

 

Disclaimer - This blog and its content are provided only as information and are intended for visitors 18 and older. No content on the website should be taken as advice or recommendation to any personal or institutional situation. The views expressed are those of the author alone and not necessarily either shared or endorsed by Teleios. Both the blog and the contents are subject to change at any time without notice. Although I endeavor to ensure that the blog and the content are current and accurate, it may contain errors. I do not represent that the blog or the content is current, accurate or complete, or appropriate for your specific requirements. I do not accept any liability from any person for the blog, the content or any other information (or the use of such information) I provide. I do not have a seminary degree, but I have trained myself in the scriptures to teach and provide this information. For any specific question, I suggest you contact experts in that field and or do your own research into the scriptures.