There’s two baptisms, which one is key to understanding these passages. And then Paul would say, ‘one baptism’ so what does that mean? WOW, seems confusing. Thank God we can search the Bible for answers. Thank God He has given us the Holy Spirit to make our search fruitful.
How can one make the claim of having a bible, when the first 400 years of Christians did not have a bible as we have today.
Faith comes from hearing (Romans 10:17), not reading.
Scripture is very clear there is only one baptism, (
Ephesians 4:5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism) how do you find two confusing baptism’s from the scriptural posts #38 and #39 that I provided? Water baptism in the Holy Spirit is what makes us a new creation in Jesus Christ. Man cannot do this on his own by believing only; (Mark 16:15
He said to them, "Go into the whole world and **proclaim the gospel to every creature.
16
Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemned. **
Who can doubt the power of God who saves even infants from the power of death.
You cannot provide no scripture that excludes children and or infants from baptism. When scripture includes “Entire households” were baptised. An understanding of first century Jewish culture will confirm that “Entire households” includes infants in arms, slaves and free persons Jewish or not, whom ever lived in the Entire household was baptised.
Once people (sinners) heard the Gospel message, what always followed was baptism, which cleansed the actual sin, including original sin, to become children of the Father in heaven, when baptism is the beginning initiation into the (kingdom of God) body of Jesus Christ.
Acts 8:11-13
They paid attention to him (Simon Magus) because he had astounded them by his magic for a long time, **but once they began to believe **
Philip as he preached the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ,
men and women alike were baptized. Even Simon himself believed and, after being baptized, became devoted to Philip.
Titus 3:5
… not because of any righteous deeds we had done but because of his mercy, he saved us through the bath of rebirth (baptism) and renewal by the holy Spirit.
1 Cor 1:16
I (Paul) baptized the household of Stephanas also …
Acts 11:13-14
He related to us how he had seen (the) angel standing in his house, saying, ‘Send someone to Joppa and summon Simon, who is called **Peter, who will speak words to you by which you and all your household will be saved.’ **
Acts 16:15
**After she **(Lydia of Thyatira)
and her household had been baptized, she offered us an invitation…
Acts 16:30
Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
31
And they said,
"Believe in the Lord Jesus and you and your household will be saved."
32
**So they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to everyone in his house. **
33
He took them in at that hour of the night and bathed their wounds; **then he and all his family were baptized at once. **
(
To be “baptised at once” is a fulfillment of Ezekiel’s prophecy of baptism by Sprinkling)
Ezekiel 36:25 **I will sprinkle clean water upon you to cleanse you from all your impurities, **and from all your idols I will cleanse you. 26 I will give you a new heart and place a new spirit within you, taking from your bodies your stony hearts and giving you natural hearts. 27 I will put my spirit within you and make you live by my statutes, careful to observe my decrees. 29 I will save you from all your impurities;
(**Justin (Martyr) (Rome, 100-165), First Apology, Ch. 61 see Ezekiel 36:25
They (those to be baptized) then are brought by us where there is water, and are regenerated in the same manner in which we were ourselves regenerated. For, in the name of God, the Father and Lord of the universe, and of our Savior Jesus Christ, and of the Holy Spirit, they then receive the washing with water … The reason for this we have received from the Apostles.) **
(
Paul relates circumcision with the baptism of Christ)
Col 2:11-12
In him you were also circumcised with a circumcision not administered by hand, by stripping off the carnal body,** with the circumcision of Christ.**
You were buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead.
(
Philip revealed the scriptures of Isaiah to the eunuch what follows from hearing the Gospel and believing comes the sacrament of baptism.)
Acts 8:36,38
As they traveled along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “Look, there is water. What is to prevent my being baptized?” … Then he ordered the chariot to stop, and **Philip and the eunuch both went down into the water, and he baptized him. **
Acts 10:47
"Can anyone withhold the water for baptizing these people, who have received the holy Spirit even as we have?"
Eph 5:26
… to sanctify her, **cleansing her by the bath of water with the word, **
**Cyprian (Carthage, 200-258):
Letters, No. 69:12
You have asked … whether they are to accounted legitimate Christians, for that they are not to be washed, but sprinkled, with the saving water. **… I think that the divine benefits can in no respect be mutilated and weakened; nor can anything less occur in that case where, with full and entire faith both of the giver and receiver, is accepted what is drawn from the divine gifts … **it ought not to trouble any one that sick people seem to be sprinkled or effused, when they obtain the Lord’s grace. **
but I doubt it was meant as an insult. I’ll bet once he explains his reason for using the family he did was to show the silliness of a position by bring out an extreme.