BAPTISM AND REPENTANCE; REPENTANCE AND BAPTISM

With evangelists Glen & Renette Vermeulen

Courtesy of Now Unbanned Publications C.C.

 

The repentance Peter called for at Pentecost:

On the Day of Pentecost, Peter, ‘filled,’ possessed, or newly baptized with the Holy Spirit, commanded his audience, ‘Repent and let every one of you be baptized in the Name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit – [the Holy Spirit Himself]’  - Acts 2:38. 

Some preachers interpret Peter’s call to repentance, as well as relating verses in the Gospels, as a call to complete repentance from sin BEFORE we can experience salvation through faith in Jesus Christ!  While it is true that every believer must repent from his or her sin, in Acts 2, Peter was not speaking about personal types of sin such as stealing, from which believers must repent in the power of the Holy Spirit.  Our continual repentance from particular sins is the vital process of sanctification, which follows the rebirth – see Rom. 12:1-2; 1 Jn. 1:8-9. 

At Pentecost, Peter was referring to Jesus’ statement in Mark 1:15, ‘The time is fulfilled, [for the New Testament dispensation to be revealed,] and the Kingdom of God [IN you] is at hand.  Repent, [from Judaism] and believe in the [NT] Gospel.’ 

The S.F. Bible explains, ‘Jesus announced the inauguration of a new [dispensation] of salvation, of which repentance [from worldly, spiritually dead religion] and belief in the Gospel were prerequisites….’  In effect, Peter was calling upon the Jews ‘to change their opinion of and attitude toward Christ;’ to turn from Judaism, and to believe and accept the Gospel. 

The baptism that Peter commanded at Pentecost:

Then Peter commanded, ‘and let every one of you be baptized in the Name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins…’ 

Contrary to what Peter preached on Pentecost, Paul, who came to explain the Gospel more clearly, could write that ‘the blood of Jesus forgives sin,’ not the water-baptism.  – [Please read Eph. 1:7-14! - And yes, Peter and Paul were at odds with one another about important issues, read Gal. 2:11-14.] 

In Acts 2, Peter was still referring to the baptism of John the Baptist ‘for remission of sins,’ (Mt. 3:11.)  As explained in ‘Relationship VS Religion,’ the Baptist preached the SAME baptism which Jesus had commanded in Mt. 28:19 - but from the old dispensation, he was still looking FORWARD TO the cross, resurrection, ascension, and Pentecost.  Paul, on the other hand, defined the SAME baptism from the new dispensation, and his viewpoint of looking BACK to the cross, resurrection, ascension, and Pentecost, as described in Rom. 6. 

The S.F. Bible explains, ‘Baptism ‘in the Name of Jesus’ is a public, [new dispensational] acknowledgement that we have accepted Jesus as Messiah and Lord.  ‘Name’ suggested nature or character; to confess Him to be all that His Name denotes.  Baptism in and of itself is not a means of forgiveness and salvation…’ and John’s baptism only had power as a type or symbol of Jesus’ imminent cross and resurrection. 

 

The following is an extract from the book, ‘Relationship Versus Religion:’ 

“We all heard how Catholicism persecuted its Calvinistic ‘heretics’. 

It is enlightening, however, to note that during the 16^th century the German Kaiser aided Luther’s reformation, born from Catholicism, with his troops.  The Kaiser’s motive, naturally, was similar to that of his predecessors: he implemented this ‘new’ Christianity to further his political goals.  As this so-called reformation was just another fusion between the political beast and the false prophet, the reformation did not transform its members spiritually as Scripture commands; it merely conformed its members to the evolving religion of Protestantism: Rev. 19:20; Rom. 12:1-12; Gal. 5:4. 

Though Luther, Calvin and their contemporaries were Catholic ‘heretics’, from time to time they reverted back to their Catholic ‘enemies’ and joined forces with them again, in order to rid the world of those who opposed their unbiblical doctrines.  Their inexpressibly violent crusades spread through Europe like wildfire, as Catholicism and Protestantism contended for the hand of the reigning monarch in each country.

As early as 1527 the false prophet, in the form of Luther, declared the death penalty for all those who obeyed Jesus’ commandment to baptise His disciples or adult followers: Mt. 28:19. 

They were the Baptists, who stated that Jesus died for every person and that the spirit must be reborn through the personal and willing acceptance of Christ: Jn. 1:12-13; 3:3-5.  Once the spirit is reborn, baptism by submersion is a symbol of the believer’s inward, spiritual regeneration.  As a result, the baptism only pertains to sincere, adult believers – Acts 8:36,37,38. [The vital verse, Acts 8:37, was omitted by the NU.]

In addition to their unbiblical doctrine of predestination, Luther, Calvin and their contemporaries also preached that “baptism is not only the outward sign of inner experience, (the rebirth of the spirit), for adults, but baptism does itself regenerate.”

According to this lie the ceremonial sprinkling of a baby, (the ritual in itself), saves all of their ‘predestined’ members, the ‘elect’ for whom Christ died. 

And so, their clergy still administers this unbiblical ‘baptism of regeneration’ to all their ‘chosen’ babies. 

 

Many do not realise the origin and aim of this ‘baptism’. 

It is evident that Catholicism and Protestantism are not that different after all. 

Their origin, for one, is the same.  The New Testament union between the political beast and the false prophet started with the fall of the spiritual church in the 4^th century A.D., [see ‘The Church Of Acts’]; it continued during the spreading of Catholicism and reached a destructive peak during the 16^th century when Satan violently escalated his vision to govern the world through religion: Rev. 19:20. 

The so-called ‘baptism’ of babies was a mighty tool in achieving the political beast and the false prophet’s goal of globalisation and world-dominance. 

This ‘baptism’ was taken from paganism and dragged into the church of Caesar Constantine during the early centuries after Christ.  The motive was not, as many are led to believe, a form of dedicating their babies to God.  It was to bring Constantine’s entire empire - and all the states that followed suit - under Christian domain. 

As in the case of apartheid South Africa, the beast and the false prophet declared many of their empires 'Christian’, [others were declared Muslim, Buddhist, etc.], ”simply because they were under Christian, [Muslim or Buddhist], rule. 

An important issue of this governmental Christianity is the ‘baptism’ of babies. 

Throughout history these crusader governments and their hierarchical clergy declared that their citizens could only become Christians once they were baptised. 

They did not leave their citizens – or the citizens of conquered countries - any choice, but forced them with the sword and through the barrel of a gun to convert to Christianity and be ‘baptised’, or ceremonially sprinkled with water.  But it was harder to convert adults to their fallacies.  So it became necessary to ‘baptise’ the nation into this idolatrous religion before the truth of the Gospel could reach them. 

Their most effective brain-washing technique is the fallacy that, if a baby should die without being ‘baptised’, it would burn forever in hell, as their baptism-rite in itself “has saving, regenerative power”: Mt. 19:13-15; 18:1,10; Mark 10:13-16.

This ritual ‘salvation’ through the ceremonial sprinkling of babies has nothing to do with the atoning work of Christ, or the real, Biblical baptism of believers by submersion.  This Christianity is not a willing, personal experience with the living God either: Jn. 1:12-13; 3:3,5; 17:3.  It is only a governmental means to maintain charge of the population’s loyalties, time and money. 

The choice of free will is taken away from the people through this ‘baptism’. 

This Christening, or the naming of a baby, was invented to convert citizens of the state to Christianity even before they could think for themselves and refuse.  Christening actually means, ‘to make a baby into a religious Christian through the ritual sprinkling of water.’ According to Calvin’s doctrines of predestination and salvation through christening, Christians ‘need never’ make a choice where Christ is concerned.  All his ‘chosen’ church members are born and raised as ‘saved’ Christians, and they die Christian, irrespective of their personal choices and lifestyles: Jn. 8:31-32. 

The Calvinistic clergy, who exchanged most of the Scriptural truths for their politically inspired man-made lies, also spread the belief that, as everyone in a Christian county is already ‘saved’, it is completely unnecessary to evangelise the population, or to teach their church members the truth of Scripture: Jn. 16:13-14.

As a result, the Broederbond-controlled, Calvinistic ‘mother’ churches of the apartheid regime did not evangelise the white population of South Africa: Rev. 19:20.  As whites ‘naturally’ belonged to the ‘church’, they were already Christian.  Other races, which were not part of the ‘white elect for whom Christ died’, were brainwashed with their doctrines, and brought into separate churches as a means of political control.

[The Broederbond or Association of Brothers was the power behind the apartheid throne.  A top-secret society, working underground to steer the course of church- and secular history in SA.  See BROEDERBOND in ‘Essence of Religion’, ‘Oppression Of Politics And Religion’ and ‘Two Women Are Two Churches’.]

To this day even non-active members of both Catholicism and Calvinism ignorantly call the believers who choose to adhere to God’s truth, “heretics” and “sects”, and they reject and slander them accordingly.  As their European ancestors, who physically tortured and murdered the real believers of Christ, they fear the truth and power of the Gospel that can save their souls.  They were brainwashed to view the truth as lies, to be extremely wary of those who preach against their doctrines, and indoctrinated to believe that these so-called ‘lies’ would only bring “division amongst converted Christians” and “tear congregations apart”: Acts 24:14-16. 

 

The 16^th century Protestant reformation merely followed in the political-religious footsteps of Catholicism.  Although Protestants were led to believe that Catholics were their archenemies and that Calvinism had turned its back on the ‘papal idolatry’, the whole idolatrous reformation was merely another of Satan’s great illusions: Rev. 13:11-14; 19:20; Gal. 5:1-4.  It promised revival and salvation; instead it brought destructive, political crusades and furthered the spiritual death of its members. 

Instead of simply obeying Jesus’ commandment to “go into all the world, make disciples of all the nations, baptise [by submersion] these disciples in the Name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, and teach them everything I commanded” - a Gospel so uncomplicated a child can understand every word - the Protestants, too, built shrines, adhered to their many twisted, unbiblical doctrines, and in so doing robbed their members of a personal relationship with God in Christ: Mt. 3:13-17; 28:19; Jn. 17:3. 

The Baptists of the 16^th century preached the real Gospel and spoke out against these fallacies.  So the beast and the false prophet had to silence them, even if it meant putting them to death in order to keep peace among the population, and union among their religious churches: Mt. 10:34-39; 12:50.  Accordingly, Luther and Calvin joined forces with the German Kaiser and their Catholic ‘enemies’.  Together they turned their fury on the Baptists, who ‘kept on interfering’ with their goal of Christian union and political control, and marked the Baptists for extermination: Jn. 18:36; 2 Tim. 2:3-4. 

During the battle of FRANKENHAUSEN in 1525 the beast and the false prophet, in the form of Luther and the Kaisers, murdered 100,000 farmers – 100,000 people in one battle – because the government and the Protestant church did not grant them their God-given right to serve Christ in spirit and in truth, and to proclaim His real Gospel. 

Servetus is but ONE believer who was callously tortured and put to death on the fiery stake by the 'great' reformer John Calvin himself. 

With the battle of MÜNSTER in 1535, the religious demon in the form of Catholics and Lutherans marched against the Baptists and murdered hundreds in cold blood.

[ENCYCLOPAEDIA AMERICANA Vol. 1; ENCYCLOPAEDIA BRITANNICA Vol. 15; WêRELDSPEKTRUM, Vol. 10; WORLD BOOK ENCYCLOPAEDIA Vol. 1; COLLIERS ENCYCLOPAEDIA, Vol. 2; STEP-CHILD OF THE MODERN CHURCH, Coetzee.]

The Catholic/Protestant sword of Christianity ultimately drenched 16^th century Germany in human blood.  Europe followed; and eventually its razor-sharp blade scourged islands, the Americas, Australia, Africa and even Asia.  Yet Christians still admire these unscrupulous persecutors and murderers of thousands of martyrs; even subscribing the title of ‘father’, ‘reverend’ or ‘minister’ to them: Rev. 16:5-6; 19:2. 

Generation after generation, mesmerised by the power of the beast and the false prophet, followed their soul-consuming doctrines: Rom. 1:32.  Wilfully, through a lack of knowledge or through a lack of love for the truth, the descendants of these callous crusaders continue to associate themselves with their atrocities; kneeling at the altars and pulpits that were drenched with the innocent blood of those who had suffered for the truth of Christ. 

 

Although the Baptist’s interpretation of the Word did not remain pure, they were murdered because they also believed that the true church is a gathering of sincere believers, united through their faith in Christ and through their obedience to the Word: 1 Cor. 3:16-17.  They rejected the fallacy that the church consists of ‘predestined’ people who ‘inherit’ salvation. 

Parallel to this ran their Biblical belief that the baptism can only be administered to born again believers, as the ritual sprinkling of water, or ‘christening’, cannot renew anyone spiritually – especially not babies who cannot believe in Jesus as yet. (Jesus commanded in Mt. 28:19 that [born again] disciples or true followers must be baptised [by submersion]: Mt. 3:13-17; Acts 8:37 – omitted by the NU.) The Baptists also rejected all state-involvement in religion and saw the early church as God’s master plan for His church: 2 Tim. 2:3; Jn. 18:36.  They taught that the church fell under the rule of Caesar Constantine and complete restoration of primitive church life should be the church’s only form. As the Baptists rejected the so-called rejuvenating power of the Catholic/Protestant christening, they were unjustly called “Ana-Baptists”, which means they were christened as babies, but as adults they baptised themselves ‘again’. 

Jesus Christ is the Creator God