Some Fundamental Topics

Baptism in Water

We believe in the doctrine of the baptism in water because it is one of the commandments that has a very deep spiritual meaning, which the Lord Jesus Himself referenced, as noted in Matthew chapter 28:

19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

Each believer must have sufficient abilities and maturity to make a decision to being baptized in water. The Lord, in Mark 16, states that it is necessary to believe, which is why a newborn baby or a child is not subject to this baptism, insofar as they are not able to grasp the size of what they would be undergoing.

16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.

Children’s blessings are safeguarded by the Lord, according to 1 Corinthians 7, based on their parent’s dedication to God, while they become responsible before God and achieve the necessary maturity to believe in Christ.

14 For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband; otherwise your children would be unclean, but now they are holy.

With this regard, therefore, what the Church must do is to follow the example of our Lord Jesus who when He was a Child was brought to the temple to be presented. This passage can be found chapter 2 of Luke:

25 And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was just and devout, waiting for the Consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26 And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. 27 So he came by the Spirit into the temple. And when the parents brought in the Child Jesus, to do for Him according to the custom of the law, 28 he took Him up in his arms and blessed God and said

Or even when Jesus Christ Himself presented some children before God in Matthew 19:

13 Then little children were brought to Him that He might put His hands on them and pray, but the disciples rebuked them. 14 But Jesus said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven.” 15 And He laid His hands on them and departed from there.

Now, through the physical action of the baptism in water, the believer symbolically dies, is buried and resurrects along with our Lord Jesus to a new life. This is what Paul the apostle stated in the letters he wrote to the Romans, chapter 6, and to the Colossians in its chapter 2.

4 Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

12 buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.

Hence, with regards to the baptism in water there are several Bible passages that can be highlighted, but we are only going to quote what took place to the church in Samaria, according to Acts of the Apostles, in its chapter 8—a passage that highlights this baptism by calling it “in the name of Jesus.” In addition, it references the baptism with the Holy Spirit.

14 Now when the apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them, 15 who, when they had come down, prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit. 16 For as yet He had fallen upon none of them. They had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 17 Then they laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.

Lastly, the Bible teaches that each believer must be baptized in water, but that action by itself does not cleanse the person from sin or the filth of the flesh. However, the person does commit to living a righteous life before God, strive to change and do everything within his or her reach to please Him, so that by doing so, the believer will move toward a new life in perfection before God. Peter the apostle said this in chapter 3 of his first letter.

21 There is also an antitype which now saves us—baptism (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Introduction
The Existence of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit
The Bible as the Written Word of God
Existence and Value of the Ministry Called and Chosen by God
The Role of Women in the Church
A Universal Church for All
Baptism in Water
Baptism with the Holy Spirit
Spiritual Gifts and Laying on of Hands
The Gift of Prophecy
The Change of Life
Resurrection, not Reincarnation
The Blessing of Eternal Life