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The Exhorter
The Bulletin of the Oakland Church of Christ
18111 Townsend Ford Road * Athens, Alabama
Published bi-montly to encourage and instruct followers of Jesus.
Volume 24, Number 7 April 15, 2001 Steve Klein, editor
(Click here to go back to Oakland's Home Page -- Click Here to view Back Issues of The Exhorter)
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DROP OUTS
By A. A. McInroe
"Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity." --Jesus, Parable of the Sower, Luke 8:14
Frequently members of the church, apparently for no reason at all, quit attending the services. This is usually preceded by a period of indifference and spasmodic attendance. Upon closer investigation it will be found that back of it all there is usually a hindering cause. It may be that the individual has become in some entanglement with sin, so that he feels so uncomfortable when studying God's Word in class, or listening to a gospel sermon, that he prefers to quit attending, rather than be constantly reminded of his ungodliness. His sin may be that of gambling, drinking, filthy speech, unethical business transactions, or some other equally sinful thing. There are many reasons why an individual should not act so. The following are some of them:
1) He owes God a life of service, and if every day that he lives upon the earth were spent in faithful service, he could never compensate for all that God has done for him.
2) Eternity is too long, hell is too hot, and heaven is too beautiful to spend life here in pursuit of things that will cause one to be lost.
3) Setting the proper example before others is the obligation of every professing Christian. It would be tragic to so live as to miss heaven, but it would be doubly tragic to lead others to the place of eternal suffering. Be an example to your family and friends.
4) No one has a lease on life. James said, 'Life is as a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away' (James 4:14). No doubt many will be lost who intended to do something about their condition, but death overtook them before they had prepared to meet God. Don't let it happen to you! - via "Bible Matters"
Was Paul Baptized Standing Up?
By Joe R. Price
Yes, according to Catholic Answers, a Catholic apologetics ministry (www.catholics.com). Their reasoning? (They say) "Paul was baptized in a house (Acts 9:17-18). In fact, he was baptized standing up. When Ananias came to baptize him, he said: "And now why do you wait? Rise [literally, "stand up"] and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on his name" (Acts 22:16). "Peter performed baptisms in the house of Cornelius (Acts 10:47-48), even though bathtubs and swimming pools weren't fixtures of ancient homes. After the earthquake that released him from prison, Paul baptized his jailer and his entire family--within the jailer's house (Acts 16:32-33)."
These Catholic apologists, in trying to prove from the Bible that baptism can be the sprinkling or pouring of water, have ignored the Biblical definition of baptism, eliminated the scriptural significance of being buried when baptized, and manifestly perverted scripture. The New Testament teaches us that "much water" is needed to baptize (John 3:23). That is because to "baptize" (baptizo) means "to dip...to immerge, to submerge" (Thayer's Greek Lexicon, p. 94). Romans 6:3-5 and Colossians 2:12 clearly describe baptism as a death, burial and resurrection [death to sin, buried (united) with Christ, raised to newness of life]. Now, unless the house of Judas (Acts 9:11) had a container of water large enough to submerge a man, Paul was not baptized "in a house"! Ditto for Cornelius.
The Catholics are apparently confused by the meaning of "house" and the events of Acts 16:32-34. In verse 32 Paul preached the gospel to the Jailer "and to all who were in his house." House in verse v. 32 is "family" in v. 33 ("all his," KJV). The Jailer "took them" (Paul & Silas), washed their stripes, "and immediately he and all his family were baptized" (v. 33). The Jailer then "brought them into his house (his dwelling), fed them and there was great rejoicing (v. 34). No, the Jailer and his house were baptized in water sufficient to immerse them. And that was not in the house (the dwelling), since they came back into the dwelling after being baptized (v. 34)! As for Paul, the same is true. Paul was sitting, urged to arise and be baptized. Now, he had to stand up to go to the water and be baptized (Acts 22:18). Acts 22:16 says nothing of Paul's posture when baptized.
The Catholics are forcing their "sprinkling" mode of baptism into this text. It simply is not there. They know you do not stand while being immersed (baptized) in water. So, they have to read into the text what is not there in order to support their error.
The Mikveh - Ancient Baptistery
by Steve Klein
There is no real evidence from the text of the Scriptures that the baptisms of Paul, Cornelius, the Philippian jailer, or anyone else took place in houses. In fact, in the case of the Jailer, the Scriptures seem to require that the baptisms occurred someplace other than in the house (as noted in the good article above).
However, you may find it interesting (as I did) to learn that some ancient dwellings did have containers large enough to submerge a man. While it is unlikely that the baptisms (immersions) of Paul or Cornelius occurred within houses, it would not have been impossible. It is very misleading to say, as some advocates of sprinkling-for-baptism have said, that, "bathtubs and swimming pools weren't fixtures of ancient homes."
According to the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia "The religious Jew was required to cleanse him or herself from ceremonial uncleanness by immersion in a mikveh" defined as "an immersion pool used for ritual washing." Such pools would be very similar to what we call baptisteries. A number of these pools have been unearthed by archeologists in Israel (Revised ISBE, vol. 3, pp. 353-354).
Again, the ISBE states that, "The presence of a fairly large number of immersion pools by the staircase leading to the temple beyond doubt indicates provision for a multitude of ritual immersions as worshippers approached the temple mount. Some scholars have suggested that this would be the most feasible place for the baptism of the three thousand to have taken place on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:41)."
Of course, none of this proves that even one person was ever baptized in a mikveh to become a Christian. What it does prove is that we need to be very careful about trying to reinterpret the Bible to fit our unfounded assumptions as to what could or could not be done in ancient times.
My Mission
by Roy Harris
To know the things I need to know,
To go the way I needs must go,
To be what God would have me be,
And see the things He'd have me see,
To say the things I need to say,
And say them in the proper way.
To bear the wounds I cannot heal,
Probe not where God does not reveal.
This is the kind of life I'd lead.
The character for which I'd plead.
The kind of mission I'd fulfill.
And thus to do my Master's will.
-- from Silver Shadows (Number 2)
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