BAPTISM NO. 1

BAPTISM NO. 1

I am glad and thankful that, though often wishing it, and thinking of it (for you know I desire you to be fully perfect), I have not written to you on this subject until your own mind was exercised about it.

Baptism is the declaration of the end of the first Adam in the death of Christ, establishing that we are all dead. The believer takes his place there by faith; he renounces, as becomes him, the first Adam, and therefore is baptised unto the death of Christ. He rises out of the death into ^[p. 53] newness of life. This is simple. Now all belonging to the believer is properly placed in the same standing with himself. It is a principle with God from the beginning. The little ones were brought to Mount Ebal to be present at the reading of the curses. The believer’s belongings are put in the same standing as the believer himself; we read of the Philippian jailor, he “was baptised, and all his straightway” (Acts 16: 33). There can be no question as to the fact, and the principle everywhere through scripture authorises the fact. All belonging to the believing jailor (”believing” is in the singular) were baptised. Baptism separates me avowedly from the first Adam, which is condemned in the death of Christ. By right all men should acknowledge the fact; I do so in faith, and I place my child there as being the only place where God can deal with him, seeing, furthermore, that my child is now “holy”, that is, not better in nature than other children, but now belonging to God — God’s property, just inasmuch as a lamb given to the priest by a Jew is holy to God and His property; so I cannot therefore arrange for or do with my child as I like; I must regard it as holy — God’s property.

The old Adam can never again be presented to God. We are entirely on new ground, and therefore we are instructed to bring up our children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, and how can we do so if we fail to set them in the place that is honouring to Christ and His work, in which He ended, by bearing death, the man who brought in the judgment. I do not believe any one sees clearly and fully the end of the first Adam in God’s sight who does not see his responsibility to baptise his children. Get the truth and faith in the truth before you go to any one. The tree ought to take root first before it is subjected to storms. Truth is the rail for the engine of faith to run on.

“He that believes and is baptised” (Mark 16: 16) is certainly more than water baptism. It is, in fact, believing with the heart and confessing with the mouth. It is the surrender of man as man unto Christ — putting on Christ.