What do you think baptism entailed? Standing in a church with a few relatives, whilst someone sprinkles a bit of water on a baby's head? This tends to be the case with infant baptism in Christendom, with some kind of 'confirmation' ceremony later on. Others baptize adults and older children in large bodies of water. So which one reflects first century baptism do you think?
A good example of what reflects first century baptism is
Acts 8:36,38-39 As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water. What can stand in the way of my being baptized?” [38] And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him. [39] When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing.
I think the wedding illustration works well, personally. No one gets married in secret. It is entering a contract, a legal arrangement which requires witnesses and commitment.
Baptism is personally private, but at the same time, a public event. When John was commanded to baptize those who came to the Jordan River to present themselves in repentance over past sins against the Law, he did so publicly.
The wedding is a public event (unless they elope or go through a Vegas drive thru wedding) and requires witnesses. The Bible makes no such connection to baptism. What sense does it make to use an analogy that doesn't apply? John's baptism was public by default because he was baptizing a lot of people in a river and the were biblically confessing their sins. The public aspect couldn't be avoided and no reason to avoid it, but the public aspect wasn't the purpose. The purpose was repentance and cleansing, the Jewish miveh, which was well known to the Jews. Baptism in Jesus's name as well was never once described as a public declaration, any public aspect was a 'side effect'.
John 3:19-21...
"Now this is the basis for judgment: that the light has come into the world, but men have loved the darkness rather than the light, for their works were wicked. 20 For whoever practices vile things hates the light and does not come to the light, so that his works may not be reproved. 21 But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that his works may be made manifest as having been done in harmony with God.”
With this principle in mind, we see that making ones dedication to God by water baptism public, then there was more incentive to live up to it. It was not something done in secret. People knew you had become a Christian and the way you lived your life henceforth was proof.
That passage refers to confessing sin. The way people knew you had become a Christian was by telling them and the life henceforth. That's not what baptism was for. Baptism was for the purpose stated in Acts 2:38-39, Romans 6:4-7.
John 3:22-23....
"After this Jesus and his disciples went into the Ju·deʹan countryside, and there he spent some time with them and was baptizing. 23 But John too was baptizing in Aeʹnon near Saʹlim, because there was a great quantity of water there, and people kept coming and were being baptized".
John 4:2-3....
"When the Lord became aware that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John— 2 although Jesus himself did no baptizing but his disciples did— 3 he left Ju·deʹa and departed again for Galʹi·lee".
It doesn't necessarily mean that every person baptized did so publicly, but by and large when people heard that baptism was taking place, they came and presented themselves for baptism, which was not done in secret, but publicly.
Which shows that the public aspect of baptism was incidental, not part of its purpose.
Romans 10:9-10...
"For if you publicly declare with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and exercise faith in your heart that God raised him up from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one exercises faith for righteousness, but with the mouth one makes public declaration for salvation."
What better way to publicly declare that you have accepted Jesus as your savior?
Good question. The better way is the Biblical way
Matthew 28:19-20 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, [20] and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Mark 16:15 He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.
1 Peter 3:15 But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,
The was no "publically" in Romans 10:9-10. That is a corrupted Bible you quoted. Look in the Greek and you'll see. There was never a christian coming out event in the Bible nor
was such a thing expected. You can actually look for it and find none. The quoted scriptures above were expected, however. That's how people found out one had converted to Jesus.
Romans 10:9-10 & baptism were the conversion itself. As it was with Paul, who wrote Romans. He believed and confessed Jesus as Lord Acts 22:8 & 10, which got things started, yet after doing so he was still with his sins three days later Acts 22:16 and got baptized calling on Jesus's name to have his sins washed away. Only after this did the world discover he had converted to Christ Acts 9:20-21, they were like "Huh?!", through his preaching of the gospel, not through his baptism, as baptism was never commanded as a coming out event.
And there was no getting saved method in the Bible known as "accepting Jesus as your savior". That's all an evangelical "thing". Try finding any mention of it in the Bible.
Do you understand what baptism symbolizes?
I do. It has no symbolizing purpose in the written scriptures whatsoever.
Deeje, shouldn't the disparity concern or scare you, that for many groups of Bible believers, baptism as a public declaration is a foregone conclusion, when at the same time there is a COMPLETE ABSENCE in the Bible of any reference/description of baptism as such? Isn't that the tell-tale sign and very definition of man-made tradition? that it's not in the Bible!
If you watch the video you posted you can make a note of the many scriptures used.
The Jezebel video I posted was not the one I had intended. It had a very similar beginning, So I posted the wrong one. I apologize for that. The lady however, still does not offer any passages indicating that a spirit of Jezebel even exists.
If you contend that the wedding video does have scriptures that describe baptism this way, by all means present them here.
Sorry for the delay in replying.
