What Makes a Baptism Valid?

What makes of baptism invalid meshes. One of the questions will be answering on today's addition of core Christianity will hi this is Bill Meyer along with Pastor Israel Sanchez in this is the radio program where we answer your questions about the Bible and the Christian life every day.

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Quite simply, you you you read Genesis 19 in verse 24 says the Lord rained on Sodom and Gomorrah sulfur and fire from the Lord out of heaven, and he overthrew those cities and all the Valley and all the inhabitants of the cities and what grew on the ground, lots wife behind him looked back and she became a pillar of salt earlier you.

You mentioned you know when when the three strangers came to Abraham one of them is identified as the angel of the Lord or even the Lord himself.

It's as if God is visiting law.

They are giving her if you mean Abraham there giving him this promise.

The promise of of offspring. Anything accompanied by at least two other angels. It seems like these two other angels are the ones who go down to Sodom and Gomorrah gotchas. I would I'm gonna come down and see you know whether the outcry against the city what what whether it's all true. You know it's as if God is inspecting the city if you will. And as a result of the evil there in Sodom and Gomorrah. God rains down fire and brimstone brings brings about this judgment and destroys the entire city. How exactly that it was it was it just you know God acting immediately was somehow through the mediation of these angels. These angels are accomplishing this fiery brimstone, rain, and yet it it's it's ultimately the Lord who sent them up. I'm not entirely sure I'm not. I think either way with. It seems to me like the Angels were going down to investigate, but also debt to bring about this judgment through what they reported, and end. God is. It seems to be the primary agent here. The one who's bringing that judgment directly raining down fire and brimstone, so if I had to choose ahead. I didn't have thought through this one specific, but I had to choose I would say God is the one who's acting here through essentially with the Angels were reporting back to him about Sodom and Gomorrah. Thank you Brian for for that question and may the Lord bless you as you continue to dig into the Scriptures.

Terrible story, but it really does show us how following God's law and not to trying to usurp it and betray him and do evil. This is looking to pay off in the end right yeah well that was a lesson in there is an important lesson for us here. It's the lesson that the apostle Peter brings up in second Peter and it's essentially this God will judge sin you think about what he said in second Peter.

Peter said in second Peter chapter 2 verse four.

If God did not spare angels when they sin, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness, to be kept until the judgment and if he did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah Harold of righteousness, with seven others, when he brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly, if by turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes. He condemned them to extinction, making them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly and if he rescued righteous Lot greatly distressed by the sensual conduct of the wicked afore as that righteous man lived among them day after day he was tormenting his righteous soul over their lawless deeds that he saw and heard in the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment, and so that's the lesson that week that we pull from me of some of the stories as God takes sin very seriously and don't think that we can persist in sin or people can persist in sin and that they won't experience the judgment of God in the fact that we haven't yet is a sign of God's mercy.

He's calling us to repent, to embrace his truth and that something even that I I think we see in that scene in Genesis where Abraham is is acting as this this in, but this go-between if you will pleading for mercy on those cities, but judgment will come upon those who do not repent. So that's one of the lessons we see here so well said the score Christianity with pastor Israel Sanchez's we have a wonderful free resource.

We like to make available to you, just like on this program every day. This resource answers a lot of the tough questions that people have about the Bible and the Christian life and you can get that by going to our website and discuss more information on what that little booklet entails. Yet if you're looking for a short booklet were talking somewhere around 50 pages. That is going to get into some of the, the, the most common questions that people ask about the Christian faith. What were thinking about apologetics here defending the Christian faith and get a hold of this booklet.

It's called tough questions answered. We dive into topics like you know what what about other religions, Buddhism, and Islam. What about the Bible's view of sexuality, gender is is the Scripture to restrictive on those things is questions of people rant asking today and that we need to have answers for. As Christians, and so get a hold of this resource for yourself or for for friends and family. You can pick it up over@corechristianity.com for free. It is a fantastic booklet that will really help you answer some of those difficult questions that people may ask you to be folks at work. Maybe folks in your own family who have doubts or questions about the Bible or the Christian faith. Just go to core Christianity.com/offers and look for tough questions answered go back to the false Karen is on the line from St. Louis, Missouri, Karen, what's your question for pastor atrial guys every day and you did address and sent one point that I heard by I just wanted to ask if Jesus spoke to Paul on the road to Damascus. Why would he not speak to believers today and I go head turns out I do want to trust that what was that you know what really speaks to us through the word, and the Holy Spirit that like when somebody sends it, and I felt like I heard him audibly speak to me, times in my life. Yeah, maybe that's the question right. Yet it seems like you read the Bible and God is having these these discussions.

These conversations even with Abraham, with Jacob, a member the I mention preaching to Genesis right now, and in looking at God's promises to Jacob. In particular, or you think about that. The revelation that that Saul of Tarsus experience being knocked off of his horse and hearing the voice of Jesus audibly.

Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me. Why doesn't Jesus speak like that to all Christians could eat well, sure, God can do whatever he wants and I've heard stories of individuals saying you know I think God spoke to me audibly or as a I think I heard it was, but ordinarily speaking.

This is not what we experience it all and and and for many people, you know that really frustrates them. You know it is something wrong with my Christianity I just don't sense that that Jesus is speaking to me and I think the that the difference is this what you have in the New Testament and and described throughout the pages of the Bible in the Old Testament is the accomplishing of redemption, redemptive history and typically when God was moving accomplishing redemption through the life of Jesus the death of Jesus. The resurrection of Jesus.

The early proclamation of the gospel with the day of Pentecost in the book of acts you, you do have at those moments is sort of influx of miraculous activity of Susan God is just speaking directly from heaven.

But even throughout the history of the Bible that was not the ordinary way in which God dealt with his people, me when Jesus showed up on the scene. What did people say no one is ever done these things, no one is ever worked miracles like this. It wasn't like that. The people in Jesus's day, they just would've expected to hear God speaking from heaven and to see people rising from the dead and and you know, the lame walk, and so on and so forth.

This was unique. This was new because it was accompanying the accomplishing of redemption will now hearing redemption is been accomplished.

Jesus's salvation once for all has been accomplished and right now God is speaking to us through Jesus, his son, especially, I would say in the Scriptures, and God uses the Holy Spirit to illuminate the Scriptures to our to our lives to our hearts. And I bet in your life as you've read the Bible that there have been times where you're reading Scripture, and it just seems like that that the lightbulb turns on you know you're gripped by your convicted by the spirit of God is using it to speak to you.

Jesus is speaking to you through his word. This is why the author the Hebrews as he's writing to the church that he's he's addressing. In it he talks about not neglecting his his voice. He says Nino therefore as the Holy Spirit says this is Hebrews chapter 3 verse seven today if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion. On the day of testing in the wilderness where your fathers put me to the to the test and saw my works for 40 years. Therefore, I was provoked with that generation, and said they always go astray in their heart they have not known my ways as I swore in my wrath, they shall not enter my rest. He says he says to a group of Christians today if you hear his voice now is he is he talking about an audible voice from heaven know why I don't think that's what he's talking about. He's talking about hearing the voice of Jesus through the proclamation of the gospel, the leading of the Holy Spirit, drawing us to God through that preached word. We need the word. That's where Jesus is speaking here and now and that's why we should be saturated in the word of God and you know just earlier. Also it because I think this is such an important question at some taken time on this, but in Hebrews chapter 1 the author the Heber said long ago it many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets in these last days he has spoken to us by his son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, and so God is speaking today to you. To me, to the world through his son Jesus and through what Jesus has done and is that message that gospel through the Scriptures is being proclaimed the spirit of God the Holy Spirit illuminates that word for us so that we are transformed by it. Could God providentially in in in an extraordinary way guide us speak to us more audibly.

If you will. God can do whatever he wants. He can where we really need to to search. If you will, for the voice of God is what he's promised to speak to us in his word and one concern that I have, Karen, is it so many people are looking for some audible voice from God. Some sign from heaven and they haven't picked up their Bible in years. That's a problem.

God is set. I am speaking. I've spoken to you here take up and read here what I say learn about who I am, grow in your relationship with me and we wanted on our own terms.

In this now. God gives it to us and so I would say continue to dig into the Scriptures and to pray the Lord would illuminate them to you that Jesus would continue to speak to you through his word and see what the Lord doesn't and you'll find.

He certainly is still speaking in powerful ways in a powerful way there, especially to you and to his people. God bless some great counsel. Thank you for that intro you're listening to core Christianity with pastor Israel Sanchez. Our website again is core Christianity.com and anytime you have a question you can call us 24 hours a day. We check our voicemails each day. And here's the number to call at 833-843-2673. That's 833 the core. We have a question that came in from Brennan by email Israel. Here's what Brendan asks a friend of mine has been performing baptisms for his friends on his own in his bathtub. He is not an elder of a church and this isn't in a home church did these baptisms hold any validity really good question.

I mean you know your ear asking her what makes a baptism of baptism well. Ordinarily, it should be done by a minister of the gospel someone who's ordained in the context of the local church. We are baptized into Christ and into the body of Christ the family. I think too often you in a week.

We have the sort of individualistic understanding of our relationship with Jesus so that it's all yeah that III believe in Jesus say I was baptized by my cousin at the Bayer in a pool or in a bathtub that kind of the thing, but I got no real relationship to the local church and I think we we really we get this wrong so often, baptism was instituted by Christ is a sign and seal of his gospel of the grace that he gives to his people, it's done in the name it needs to be done in the name of the father and of the son and of the Holy Spirit.

According to the institution of Jesus Christ in the Gospels. In Matthew 28. It should be done in the context of the local churches should be done by a minister. But what if it wasn't, what if it was done by it by a minister who fell away, who later rejected the gospel and is no longer a Christian is is that baptism still a valid baptism, well actually this is something that Christians have talked about for 2000 years. There was an early controversy in the ancient church known as the Donatist controversy with this was the very questioning of their work.

There were lapsed Christians would turned away from the faith because of persecution, so people were wondering what will you know if you are baptized by pastor turned away from the faith, was that baptism still valid in essentially the way that the church responded with by saying yes because it's not the individual who makes the word efficacious or the sacrament the ordinance efficacious.

It's the word of God isn't the holiness of your pastor, your minister, that makes your baptism stick if you will, and thank God for that because pastors are imperfect sinners, just like all of us. We need the grace of God. It's Jesus and his word and his spirit that makes a baptism of baptism, in particular in obeying done according to the that the way in which Jesus instituted it. Now if it wasn't to say it wasn't done in the name of the father and of the son and of the Holy Spirit may be an individual just know they were dunked, but there were no words associated also.

That's not a baptism, not according to Jesus, you would need to actually get baptized. But what if an individual was baptized by a family member and they were intending to be baptized.

They were baptized in the name of the father and of the son and of the Holy Spirit. They were in a trusting in Jesus didn't understand everything.

What would that baptism still be a valid baptism.

Here, there's gonna be some to debate among among Christians. I think that's not how it should be done ordinarily. But I think that we could still receive that baptism on the basis of God's word. The intention the fact that it was done in the name of the father and of the son and of the Holy Spirit thinking that that scene actually in the book of Exodus. In Exodus chapter 4 where God actually wanted to kill Moses. Why did want to kill him because he hadn't circumcised his his son. Circumcision in the Old Testament is almost like a type if you will, of baptism in the New Testament. He was supposed to circumcise as his son. He didn't and so you know who did his wife now ordinarily that's not how it was supposed to be done, but God accepted it and and so I think I think that there are instances when were thinking about baptism where it's not done the way it should be done ordinarily.

But we don't have to necessarily rejected and there are other instances where it just isn't a baptism you know it's not done with water in the name of the father and of the son and of the Holy Spirit, and so on so forth, where we would say to an individual hey you need to actually get baptized you know in in the local church by a pastor, the way Jesus talked about it in so complex question an important question. I too often today.

I think we minimize the means of grace as we call them the ordinances baptism and the Lord's supper, but these are gifts that God gave to us his promises his gospel to his people that we should cherish and embrace and and do according to how Jesus called us to do them and so may God bless you as you seek to do that. You're listening to core Christianity with pastor Israel Sanchez's we have a YouTube channel and you can watch a drill live on YouTube every day at 11:30 AM Pacific time for that half-hour. You can go to our YouTube channel. He can also send us a message through YouTube as well.

Here's one from Marvin, who's been watching us from the Philippines and he says how was prophesying done in the New Testament church. Is there a difference between prophecy in the Old Testament and in the New Testament Marvin thank you for that question. Another controversy if something got a lot of good controversial questions today.

I love it. Well it New Testament prophecy versus Old Testament prophecy. There are some who will say will. There was no difference at all. I don't I don't know that I buy that because the prophets in the Old Testament were annexed to, if you will, the theocracy in Israel. They were called to call out the kings of Israel went when they fell short of the terms of God's covenant. We might refer to them as covenant prosecutors people like Jeremiah people like Ezekiel, and so on one since they were closely associated with the theocracy. They were a part of that theocracy that that kingdom under the old covenant which has been done away with, you know, there is no theocracy anymore today as there was under the old covenant with Israel. Now you have the church and so and so right there.

I think that that signifies that there's gotta be something unique or distinct.

What we see happening in the New Testament, and of course if you're curious about you know the way in which they function you want to go to first Corinthians, especially chapter 14, where Paul talked about the. The role of the prophets and what they were doing and in the context of the local church there. The new covenant community really had to do with the edification of the body, specifically prophesying was closely associated with the building up of the church in the in places like the book of acts you do have prophets who were were foretelling specific event you think of agate basin and and those who were associated with him in the book of acts. It was a famine that was foretold by by a prophet in the book of acts, but oftentimes it wasn't just it wasn't just this this or even primarily, this foretelling that is telling the future. It was forth telling.

That is speaking the truth of the gospel and the word of God, bringing people under conviction, but I still think that prophets even in the New Testament were the sort of unique office. I've mentioned this before, you don't have need of the qualifications for the prophet outlined in the New Testament church. You do have qualifications for elders and deacons found in first Timothy three and Titus chapter 1, and it does seem to me like like these prophets that were there in the new covenant Church and of the start of this in between time. As you know that the gospel has been accomplished by Jesus Christ as life, death, burial and resurrection. The pouring out of the Holy Spirit in in the book of acts. Now all believers have the Holy Spirit in this unique way you think of the prophecy in Joel chapter 2 where where Joel received this word from the Lord, your sons and your daughters will prophesy, but this is unique.

This is different from what was happening in the Old Testament.

So in one sense we could say that every believer by virtue of our union with Jesus Christ fulfills this sort of prophetic office were filled with the Holy Spirit sealed with the Holy Spirit and called to proclaim the excellencies of him who calls us into his marvelous light.

God in his grace and so the distinctions there. God bless and thank you very much. This is core Christianity with pastor Israel Sanchez, just a reminder we have that free resource available tough questions answered. You can find that at our website.

Core, Christianity.com/offers Sycamore call Jordan is calling in from Lynchburg Virginia Jordan what your question for pastor.

Israel I much for everyday but my question is downtown where I live. I like and people I like her burn like hell through by no way be like rebuking the like. The opinion, but what you're about. You're not another. The right answer would be rebuking me. Obviously there's some people whose approaches to evangelism can can be unhelpful after driving people away, especially if they're not actually preaching the gospel, but just telling people you know you're going to hell. That kind of the thing. I think right if the gospel is being clearly proclaimed the forgiveness of sins and people are just being condemned. That's a good thing. But if it's if it's people just being put under the law and condemned turning away from the gospel does not even hear it. Then I would say it's a bad thing. Thanks for listening and God bless. Thanks for listening to core Christianity request your copy of today's special offer. Visit us at core, Christianity.com and click on offers in the menu bar or call us at 1-833-843-2673. That's 833 when you contact us. Please let us know how you been encouraged by this program and be sure to join us next time. As we explore the truth of God's word together