Baptism

2. Baptism was a counter
Baptism was used as a counter in the addition to the Church, the body of
Christ. It was a way of weighing the body to see if the baby was growing
properly or not. Later in Rome when people were lined up to be baptized to
make them Christians, the body was growing flabby. When an unbeliever
got baptized, the counter gave a wrong counting, but the sealing was a sealing
of condemnation. The same concept is found in the communion.
Communion is a blessing to those who receive it in faith, but a condemnation
for those who partake of it unworthy
What does baptism do?
For the person who is baptized, it is an initiation into the church. If he is an
adult or the head of a family or tribe or nation it is his confession of faith in
Jesus Christ individually or collectively. For the outward world it is a
declaration of his new identity as a member of the church and declares their
allegiance to Jesus. If we look at the history of Islam, Islam did use the
national conversion method. Their baptism was the declaration starting "la
ilah". This will require a change in relationships with his friends, family and
community as a whole. When a man leaves his evil ways and finds salvation,
this is the way he tells his old companions that he is no more the same old
man. He thereby comes into new relations within the church - the family of
God. It protects the infant (irrespective of how old he is) by being in the
family and provides an environment to grow. It is also compared to clothing,
which protects from heat and cold.
Why do we have big marriage ceremony? There is an announcement, and a
ceremony in the midst of the community and a celebration. All these are
necessary to make sure that a new relationship has been established between
the boy and the girl and they are not available for others. A new relationship
is established between other girls and boys. Baptism also does the same. It is
important and necessary. It has nothing to do with salvation, but everything
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