Rebuttal #4:
Baptism
#4 Objection:
What does the scripture say regarding baptism? Baptism is a public symbol of repentance and dedication to follow Jesus Christ. No scriptural provision is made that one should be or can only be baptized AFTER one knows the doctrine of a group of men. That is called A Doctrine of Man (Mark 7:7), and it is not from Christ. The argument "How can you be dedicated to serving Christ unless you know something about Him and what your dedication would mean" is a fair question. So, it makes sense that someone should know something about their God and His Christ before their dedication to serve them.
Once that knowledge, whether a little or a lot, moves a person to repentance and acceptance of the Lord Jesus Christ as savior, it should be what leads them to baptism. It is their personal conviction and is a work of the Holy Spirit. If you are motivated to serve Christ, which I argue you will be once you come to true repentance, then you should begin your Christian journey to serve God immediately. The baptism you receive should be according to scripture, not an affirmation that you have become a member of a religious order or a specific church. Acts 2:38, Matt 28:19.
We have the example of the Ethiopian Eunuch in Acts 8:27-38. The Holy Spirit directed Philip to go near the chariot the eunuch was traveling in and stay by it. He heard the Ethiopian reading from Isaiah regarding how the lamb was led to the slaughter, all the while keeping silent in His humiliation and being deprived of justice. When asked by Philip, Do you know what that means? The Ethiopian responded How can one know unless someone will teach Him? Philip then told Him the good news of Jesus Christ: the fulfillment of prophecy concerning the Messiah to which he was an eyewitness. The Ethiopian, seeing water, said, "What is preventing me from being baptized?" Therefore, they went into the water, and Philip baptized Him.
This example, along with the examples of how John the baptizer baptized, saying to repent and be baptized (Mark 1:4) and Jesus' admonition to repent (Matt 4:17, John 3:22) and be baptized, points to how it is the "heart" that repents and wants to turn towards a godly life and away from a life of sin. Repentance in our hearts is the qualification for baptism. It is a public declaration of one's repentance and desire to live thereafter forever in discipleship to the Messiah. God gives no example in the scripture that men/women must have an extensive knowledge of the Bible or a doctrine before being baptized.
It seems to be clear that, while we do need to have some knowledge before we are baptized (in other words why are we being baptized?), THAT knowledge is THE "Good News that Jesus, as God's Son, died for our sins, was resurrected to new life, and is the promised Savior and King of God's Kingdom." His unjust death was the final and complete atonement for mankind's sins. He is a precious gift of God's mercy upon a fallen mankind. If this moves you, accept His gift of Salvation, and repent from your worldly ways; nothing stops you from being baptized. Your baptism is between you, Jesus Christ, and the Father. You take this commitment with you all your life, and it is not to include or be a qualified commitment with a third-party (i.e., the Watchtower Governing Body doctrine). The apostle Peter said:
Acts 2:38 BSB
38Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of The Holy Spirit. 39This promise belongs to you and your children and to all who are far off—to all whom the Lord our God will call to Himself.”
It is worth noting that not all New Testament books had been written when Peter said this. So, it would have been impossible to make a requirement that each "baptismal candidate" would need an education first, to know what it meant to be a Christian. Education and learning more about God and His savior would come later, AFTER a person had changed their heart, repented, and accepted the forgiveness of their sins by Jesus' shed blood on the cross. If God is love, then it makes sense that He wants us to love Him as He loves us, and thus, when you hear the Good News of Jesus, a person changes in their heart, repents, and gets baptized.
Acts 15:8 BSB
8And God, who knows the heart, showed His approval by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as He did to us.
The Bible says you will perish unless you repent upon hearing this Good News.
Luke 13:5 BSB
No, I tell you. But unless you repent, you too will all perish.
Baptism is performed when a person responds to the Good News of Jesus Christ that He gave His life to forgive our sins. To accept His free gift, one needs to repent of one's old ways of living, turn towards living according to God's principles/commandments, and present oneself to God to do His will. Getting baptized is a personal commitment to God to give your life to follow His Son, Jesus Christ, for the remainder of your life and into eternity. It is your forever commitment.
Baptism is not based on a religious affiliation, knowledge of a doctrine, or even extensive knowledge of the scriptures. It is based on changing one's heart towards God's salvation gift and repentance from one's previous way of life. It is the public show of your dedication to live to do God's will. Growing in the enlightenment of God's Word will come as you continue to grow spiritually, grow in your Bible studies, and because of your committed prayer life.
Now, there is nothing wrong with taking the time to begin studying the Bible and learning more about God and His plan of Salvation before you understand God's gift of forgiveness and are moved to repent and become baptized. Seeking the knowledge of God's Truth tells that you are seeking answers and looking to the only one who can provide the answers to life: the one who gives life itself. You do not need to "qualify" for baptism once your heart tells you you want to serve Jesus.
These are the two questions asked of everyone at their baptism by the Watchtower:
Question 1. Have you repented of your sins, dedicated yourself to Jehovah, and accepted His way of Salvation through Jesus Christ?
Question 2. Do you understand that your baptism identifies you as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses in association with Jehovah’s organization?
Is a Christian a Jehovah's Witness? Actually, yes. As Christians, we must witness the Good News of God's Kingdom. We are actually witnessing to the Messiah's work (Jesus Christ). We are also witnesses to Almighty God, whose name can be known as Jehovah, Yahweh, Yah, The Four Letters (YHWH), The Tetragrammaton, etc. It is God's will that He sent Jesus to us for Salvation, and the Son is not greater than the Father, as Jesus said. It is between you and the Father if you decide you want or need to be baptized again strictly in the name of The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit without association to any religion. I personally would like to be baptized again in accordance with the scripture and outside any oath to a false prophet. But, I believe God knows I was sincere in my repentance the day I was baptized, albeit by an organization that adulterated the Word of God (I didn't realize it then.)
#4 Recap: Your baptism is not dependent upon your being affiliated with a religion or church. God has no religion. We have the Truth, which is Jesus Christ, who is THE WORD of God. Jesus said, "I am the way, the Truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. (John 14:6 WEB). And Jesus said…"Your word is Truth." (John 17:17 WEB). Do not allow any organization to have pre-qualifications for your dedication to God by baptism that are not scriptural. When you hear the message of the Good News and understand that Jesus died for your sins, and you are forgiven because God has mercy on you, repent and rejoice! Be baptized in the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Begin living a life following Jesus Christ and obey His commandments! This personal repentance and baptism will stay with you all your life (not conflated by a vow to an organization), even as the Holy Spirit may lead you out of the church you got baptized in to another.