Quote:
Originally Posted by stephanos
Correction: both of them went down into the water. The only reason for going into the water is to be able to immerse the convert into the water (just like John the Baptist in Luther's translation is translated "John the Dunker"). Any other form of baptism could be performed from the shore.
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Hello, again, Stephanos! I forgot to address that one.
Having settled (hopefully) in the previous post that baptism by pouring outside the Church Age is more than possible, I offer the following possible solutions. Briefly:
1. John the Baptist was in the wilderness and there is not "much water" in the wilderness. So he had to go down the Jordan River, for there is "much water" there.
a. Pouring (just as immersion) can be done even if one is down in the river, can't it?
b. There were too much people. It would be double work to fetch buckets of water. Much better get down in the river and pour on them "much water".
Note: After John baptized Jesus WITH water, Jesus went up out of the water (not rose above water, but "out of the water" to the riverside) was then baptized WITH the Holy Ghost DESCENDING from heaven and lighting UPON him.
2. Philip and the Ethiopian both went down into the water because:
Acts 8:36 And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See,
here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?
a. Philip can't pour anything; there's no water up there. But "here is water" down here.
b. It would be difficult for Philip to go up and down and get water with his hand and pour on the eunuch, but it's certainly much easier for both of them to go down where there is water.
Again, I'm not forcing anything to anyone here, but what I'm trying to show is that it is certainly possible that John and Philip (and the Twelve) could have poured.
But, again, the "figure" is the most important thing for me. Possibilities are abundant, but the doctrine is what is important:
If water baptism under the gospel of the kingdom is a picture of anything, then it has to picture the
pouring of the Holy Ghost and the
coming from heavenof the King and the Kingdom
down to earth.
