Baptism: Anointed Christian Ritual?

by Emery 13 Replies latest jw friends

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  Emery

  I read a couple of scriptures yesterday and realized that baptism-- its symbolism and ritual-- should only be practiced by the anointed per JW theology. According to these 2 scriptures:

  1 Cor 12:13 - "For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body--whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free--and we were all given the one Spirit to drink."

  Ephesians 4:4 - "There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called..."

  How on earth can the Watchtower baptize prospects of the great crowd and yet deny the partaking of emblems? They go hand in hand! The very ritual of baptism pertained only to the anointed christians of the 1st century. What kind of explanation has the Watchtower given to say that the symbol of baptism isn't related to being born-again? An anointed practice, practiced upon the non-anointed--WTF? I feel this is a huge blunder which hasn't really been touched upon here.
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  jgnat

  Or how about this one, frequently quoted by my pastor:

  Acts 2: 38 Peter 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. 39 The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.”

  Everyone's anointed. Everyone may partake.
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  jgnat

  Or this?

  Romans 6 For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, [a] that we should no longer be slaves to sin— 7 because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.

  8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. 10 The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.

  11 In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.

  Baptism is the symbolic "death" of the mortal body, and the "resurrection" of the spiritual one.
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  prologos

  when Jesus gave the original baptism and teaching instructions, the disciples still had an earthly hope, were jewish all, and not yet anointed.

  so technicly that package was the command to carry forward.

  Jewish convert were baptized in the name of jesus only (being already into the Lord god the father).

  So baptism preceded and followed anointing and was to be done to all.

  Wt has turned this ritual into a induction ceremony, particularly with the latest wording, far removed from what jesus taught.

  of course, slyly they do not deny the emblems, but the indoctrinate the R&F to pass,

  drink the cool aid (not to "exercise faith") volontarily.
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  Emery

  Prologos this sounds reasonable but what scriptures back up the idea that the disciples were originally baptizing outside of the body of Christ? Also what scriptures show that baptism in the first century contained 2 separate meanings or hopes? I can see the baptisms of John the Baptist being evidence to this but the Society themselves say all those in the 1st century were anointed by holy spirit, before and after Jesus.
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  DATA-DOG

  They are wrong, but WHY? John was baptising people before holy spirit was poured out in 33 c.e. So if you were baptized by John before Jesus, and you became a Christian, what then? Did you have to be re-baptized, or did you not have a heavenly hope?

  I don't know anymore. The Jews believed in the restoration of all things. The earth was made for a reason.. I guess it all changed?! Who knows anymore... I may be done with all of it.
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  Emery

  @Data Dog

  I understand your frustration. Baptisms made after pentacost 33 CE would include and require the holy spirit. Nothing in scripture indicates that baptism has reverted back to anything less. It is a born again ritual.
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  prologos

  emery, I try to keep it simple for my mind's limitations. there were at least 2 baptisms before the command in Math:28, that of John and that of the disciples of Christ, at that time still locked in the earthly Israel kingdom hope.

  Jesus commanded a baptism that seem to embrace all that and all his teachings, which had seeds of both earthly(material) and heavenly hope. (but no exclusive certainty)

  Actual baptisms after pentecost varied, wether the person was Jewish, already baptized by John, by the disciples or a Gentile like Cornelius who was anointed even before his baptism.

  After Cornelius (the first other sheep), there was only one anointed Christian congregation, the Israel of God. One valid baptism. all partakers. all in the New Covenant. but

  within that spiritual nation where people of two destinies, according to god's choosing! for example: Peters waited - for ----New Heaven and New Earth.

  There was also the SEALING of the future rulers with Christ OUT OF that congregation: starting with execution of Stephen and ending with the last martyr prior to Armageddon.;the sealing of the "axed" 144k.

  I like to believe in I anointed congregation, I baptism, God (if any) looking at all that and making already described choices, sealed ones, firstfruits, heavenly rulers, temple foundations,

  our trying to second - guess the creator on his part are power plays.
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  Bobcat

  DATA:

  Did you have to be re-baptized

  (Acts 19:1-7 NWT) . . .In the course of events, while A·pol′los was in Corinth, Paul went through the inland parts and came down to Eph′e·sus, and found some disciples; 2 and he said to them: "Did you receive holy spirit when YOU became believers?" They said to him: "Why, we have never heard whether there is a holy spirit." 3 And he said: "In what, then, were YOU baptized?" They said: "In John's baptism." 4 Paul said: "John baptized with the baptism [in symbol] of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus." 5 On hearing this, they got baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 And when Paul laid his hands upon them, the holy spirit came upon them, and they began speaking with tongues and prophesying. 7 All together, there were about twelve men.

  Take Care, and you might need a diversion, just to give yourself a break.
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  blondie

  There was a window of time between 1930 (maybe earlier) to 1935 when some Bible Students/jws thought they were of the earthly class and did not need to be baptized (only the anointed). So you have an idea there. Even until 1938, they did not think they had to attend the "memorial." I have to check my notes, but I do remember sisters from that period that held back from baptism because they didn't think they were anointed but after 1935 and the WTS explanation about the other sheep, they did get baptized.