" Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ?" Jo. 1:25
This was the question to John Baptist asked by the priests in Jerusalem and must intrigue us.
Which relation they saw between the act of to baptize and the messianity (to be the Christ)? What had to do one thing with another? This must introduce us to a study about baptism.
Baptism is herewith the Saint Supper a sacrament of our Church: something ordered by Jesus Christ Himself, and that involve a mistery(sacrament): the comunication of the special Grace of God tp the believers, in the act of obedience, as says the eminent theologist Emil Brunner: "the sacraments are the God's Word to the eyes, to the body finally." and though: "they are like braces that hold the Church."
Baptism, being therefore one of two (02) sacraments of the Reformed Church, it is an way by which God's Word become accessible to the sensorial feelings, performing visiblely one invisible fact: the somebody pertainment to the Church, the Christ's Body.
Baptism claims for faith: "... that whoever believes..." John 3:16 and we can affirm that the genuine faith claims for baptism: "He who believes and be baptized will be saved...!" Mark 16:16.
But the doubt remains:
- what is the mean of the question that entitle this article?
Baptism, herewith the Saint Supper, does neither have few importance nor arised as absolute newness in the New Testament, seeing that the apostle Peter himself cried when thousands and thousands were being baptized: "Yes, and all the prophets, from Samuel and those who flollow, as many as have spoken, have also foretold these days." Act 3:24.
This is why A. Almeida asks: "baptize the people was or not part of that He (the Christ) came to accomplish? "Why then to baptize if you are not the Christ?".
The jews had known that Moses, "...according to the law..." "...sprinkled ... all the people" Heb 9:19, and had known also the prophecy of Ezekiel, who says: "Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean..." Ezek. 36:25,26. They had known that Christ would come to accomplish the law and the prophets, Matt 5:17. - Then what they saw John Baptist to do that had lead them to suspect to be he the Christ? - For certain John sprinkled the people! (the greek word BAPTIZO means: to sprinkle, to plunge, to wash, to dye).
Although we understand that the baptism form isn't the most important thing, but its contents of faith, we practice reverently and convict the biblical baptism by sprinkle.
But why then we baptize the children? Can they believe?
See the next bulletin.
Pr. Afro
