A Deep Belief In Baptism!

During the "baptism" of Ireland’s King Aengus (in the middle of the 5^th century), St. Patrick, so the story goes, leaned on his sharp-pointed staff as he talked and inadvertently stuck it down into the King’s foot. Patrick finally noticed a growing pool of blood at the king’s feet and realized he had stabbed the royal foot. He expressed his deep regret and begged the king’s forgiveness. He then asked Aengus why he hadn’t moved or complained in spite of the severe suffering he endured. The king replied he thought it was all a part of the ceremony! I’m not sure if King Aengus was scripturally baptized by being "buried" with Christ, that is, immersed in water, or if, as was often the practice of that time, he had water "sprinkled" or "poured" on him. New Testament baptism most definitely is a burial (Romans 6:3-4; Colossians 2:12) in water for believers (Mark 16:16; Acts 8:35- 38) who have repented, and that it is for the forgiveness of sin (Acts 2:38). But one thing is crystal clear – King Aengus deeply believed baptism was important enough, if need be, to do some bleeding! Ancient Christians, unlike some who profess faith in Jesus in modern times, held deep convictions about baptism. In my personal library, I have a really fascinating book entitled The Early Christians In Their Own Words. The book is a collection of long and short quotations from followers of Jesus in the earliest Christian centuries. The quotations were selected and edited by Eberhard Arnold. The sources quoted include such people as Polycarp, Origen, Tertullian, Clement of Alexander, Ireneaus, Ignatius and others. The following quote is from the editor of the book Eberhard Arnold as he discusses the fact that candidates for baptism went through a thorough course of teaching that included the changes converts were expected to make – "Under these conditions any question of infant baptism could only be possible after the middle of the second century. It is a fact that at the beginning there was no infant baptism. The conviction of the first Christians depended upon their deep belief in baptism. Through their faith in the Holy Spirit they were the church of believers that could forgive every sin because in it every sin was overcome. Many came to the Christians, impressed by the possibility of a totally new way of living and looking for a power that would save them from their unworthy lives" (p 12).

There can be no denying water baptism was viewed as vital in the first century. In the book of ACTS, under the preaching of inspired men, there is no record of any person who heard and believed and wanted to obey the gospel who ever ate a bite or drank a drop or slept a wink until they had been baptized! Acts 2:41 records that after the first gospel sermon under the Great Commission, about 3,000 were baptized "that same day." In Acts 8:35-38 Philip preached Christ to the Ethiopian eunuch. When they came to a pool of water, the eunuch asked, "What hinders me from being baptized?" Philip’s preaching of Jesus convicted him of the need to immediately be baptized, and after confessing his faith in Jesus, he was. In Acts 16:33 we read about a Roman jailor who heard the gospel after midnight and "immediately he and all his household were baptized." All these people had a deep belief in the importance, yea, the necessity of baptism in being saved. How about you? Think about it. 

–    Dan Gulley, Smithville, TN