Circumcision as a symbol to help the people visualize their promise to obey the Creator’s design is similar to the role of Baptism. Baptism uses water as the physical symbol to forgive sins and make a person anew to receive the greatest help the Messiah gave as I will discuss later. Sexual addiction is a disease that constantly resists prior helps and medicine from the Creator. Therefore, the new medicine given by the Messiah draws on His help and strength that lives in us and that is capable of meeting the ever resisting and growing sexual addiction disease.
Baptism is often argued among Christians who differ on interpretation of Biblical verses. Even those who uphold baptism argue about whether only adults are capable of choosing and verbalizing their faith or whether the entire household including babies should be baptized. Some believe that just as circumcision begins at eight days old, Baptism replaces it and should begin at an early. However, I believe when one understands the Creator’s design as explained and taught by Adam and the depth of forming the one flesh even on the Genetic level whether using religious, logical or scientific evidence, one understands the puzzle and purpose of life. Baptism becomes more obvious as a powerful assistant to forgive sins and prepare the individual for the greatest help the Messiah gave.
Labor and death is not only spiritual, but also physical and requires not only spiritual but also physical medicinal help from the Creator. Fornication or adultery disease produces powerful sexual addiction against the Creator’s design and requires powerful medicinal assistance to overcome. Baptism uses the physically seen water and the deeper unseen Spirit or life of the Creator to strengthen us as a powerful medicine that helps us draw from the Creator’s strength. Baptism is similar to circumcision. Baptism reminds the baptized that they are physically cleansed from the punishment of labor and death and reminds them of the physical death of the Messiah. However, Baptism goes beyond that to imply that the faithful will earn the opportunity to rise after death. Just as the Messiah rose, the baptized draw on the Creator’s spiritual strength to help them comply with the Creator’s design during life. It is like an immunization against the disease of permanent labor and death. A disease that is as powerful as sexual addiction can certainly strike even an immunized person and without constant prevention and constant nutritional strengthening of the body and spirit, we can weaken and get sick or in some cases severely sick to the degree of infestation, septicemia and death.
Christians find Biblical symbols pointing to Baptism from the time when Moses was saved from death after crossing the Jordan River at three months of age. Then Moses helped the people escape labor, slavery and death and reach freedom by crossing the dead sea river. Moses and his people lived while the enemies could not cross the river and died. In Exodus 1: 16 the King of Egypt asked the Hebrew midwives the following,
When you act as midwives for the Hebrew women and see them giving birth, if it is a boy, kill him; but if it is a girl, she may live. The midwives, however, feared God; they did not do as the king of Egypt had ordered them, but let the boys live.
As may be expected by those who obey the Creator’s design above anyone else, even the order of the king would be rewarded not necessary during life, but more importantly after death. Exodus 1: 20 states, “Therefore, God dealt well with the midwives. The people too, increased and grew strong.” Verse 22 states, “Pharaoh then commanded all his subjects, ‘Throw into the river every boy that is born to the Hebrews, but you may let all the girls live.’”
The story continues in Exodus 2: 1-10,
A Levite man married a Levite woman who conceived a boy and hid him for three months until she put him in a papyrus basket across the Nile River and let her daughter watch from far the destiny of the child. The pharaoh’s daughter came to bathe at the river and found the boy; recognizing him as Jewish, she ordered her handmaid to find him a Jewish woman to nurse him until he was weaned. The maiden called the child’s own mother who nursed him until the pharaoh’s daughter adopted him and called him Moses.
Exodus chapter 14 explains how Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt (away from labor, death and slavery) accompanied by the angels and miraculously crossed the Red River to safety. These are some symbols of physical water used to overcome labor and death; these symbols point to the future Baptism.
In the New Testament, the story of Baptism begins when the Messiah and his mother first met John the Baptist. John and the Messiah were still in the womb − the Messiah the first few days after conception and John during the sixth month after conception as taught in Luke 1: 26-45. John the Baptist’s mission in life was to prepare the road for the coming of the Messiah, calling the people to repent and be baptized. People were baptized by John the Baptist who was teaching them that the coming Messiah is much greater than him stating, Baptism is physical and spiritual, not just symbolic. As noted in Luke 7: 30-32, those who did not baptize apparently failed to accept the plan of God for themselves in spite of their status and high theological education. As Jesus stated:
But the Pharisees and scholars of the law, who were not baptized by him, rejected the plan of God for themselves.) “Then to what shall I compare the people of this generation? What are they like? They are like children who sit in the marketplace and call to one another, ‘We played the flute for you, but you did not dance. We sang a dirge, but you did not weep.’”
Baptism is not just symbolic. The people complained to John the Baptist telling him that Jesus was baptizing – implying as it said in verse 25 that Jesus was using the water and Spirit in what appeared to be “ceremonial washing.” John the Baptist educated the people by reminding them that the Creator’s wrath of labor and death cannot be removed by earthly means, but only by the Creator. He explained in John 3: 31-36,
The one who comes from above is above all. The one who is of earth is earthly and speaks of earthly things. But the one who comes from heaven [is above all]. He testifies to what he has seen and heard, but no one accepts his testimony. Whoever does accept his testimony certifies that God is trustworthy. For the one whom God sent speaks the words of God. He does not ration his gift of the Spirit. The Father loves the Son and has given everything over to him. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever disobeys the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God remains upon him.
John the Baptist understands baptism well because it is his mission; he explains that Jesus teaching and demonstrating is supernatural, because Jesus comes from heaven. John referred to Jesus as the Messiah stating in John 3: 28, “You yourself can testify that I said [that] I am not the Messiah, but that I was sent before him.”
John 3: 1-21 tells us about an interaction between a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews and Jesus as stated in verse 2 and 3,
Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God, for no one can do these signs that you are doing unless God is with him.” Jesus answered and said to him, “Amen, amen, I say to you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.
When great teachers teach deeper than what is obvious, they first prepare the people and listeners. Nicodemus recognized that Jesus was at least a great teacher sent by God and had God’s permission to act and speak the way Jesus was acting and teaching. However, I notice that Jesus was pointing out to Nicodemus assuredly that humans are cursed with permanent labor and death; and therefore will never be able to see God and live were God lives while being offspring of Adam and Eve who chose labor and death. Jesus is pointing out to Nicodemus that theological leaders and teachers should be teaching and reminding the people of the permanent Creator’s design revealed by Adam and Eve that caused the permanent labor and death. To overcome the wrath requires a new physical and spiritual birth not just the common conception and birth. Nicodemus apparently forgot about what Adam and Eve had done and did not understand the depth of the teaching lesson. He asked in verse 4, “How can a person once grown old be born again? Surely he can not reenter his mother’s womb and be born again, can he?”
Nicodemus’ answered the Messiah with a question clearly illustrates that he totally forgot about what took place between Adam, Eve, the serpent and the Creator’s promise; otherwise, he would not have answered with the birth from the parents. Everyone born from Adam and Eve’s descendants must suffer labor and death, which is a permanent punishment that cannot be overcome by anyone except the Creator. Christ was teaching about Baptism using the physical water and the Spirit coming from the Creator as clarified by Christ’s answer. The remainder of that chapter describes Christ baptizing many more people than John the Baptist was. Christ stated to Nicodemus in John chapter 3 verse 5,
Jesus answered, “Amen, amen, I say to you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit.”
Christ continued his teaching lesson to Nicodemus and everyone who was listening, reminding them about what took place between Adam, Eve, the serpent and the Creator and reminding them again about Moses’ physical illustration in the desert that pointed to the Messiah’s mission. As stated in John 3: 13-15,
“No one has gone up to heaven except the one who has come down from heaven, the Son of Man. And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.”
Clearly Christ was reminding everyone of the Creator’s design and salvation plan that could only be accomplished by the Messiah, the Son of Man, who is the Creator and who alone has gone up to heaven. Everyone else requires the Creator’s power − the receiving part of the Creator himself which is his Spirit provided in the Baptism of water and Spirit. Therefore, as Christ indicated, Baptism is a vital element that gives us part of the Spiritual element of the Creator. Thus, Baptism becomes powerful medicinal assistance for us not only to overcome labor and death, but also to help us become one flesh with the Messiah so we can live with Him after death where no human would be able to live while serving the punishment of labor and death.
Therefore, Baptism became important just as circumcision became a vital physical sign of the promise between the Creator and his believers. As we discussed, although circumcision was performed on men, that covenant covered women as well even though they are not circumcised. Likewise, the Messiah offered Baptism to males and females. Since Christ made Baptism to allow everyone the ability to go to heaven, many people came to him, his disciples and John the Baptist for Baptism as stated in John 3: 22-23,
After this, Jesus and his disciples went into the region of Judea, where he spent some time with them baptizing. John was also baptizing in Aenon near Salim, because there was an abundance of water there, and people came to be baptized.
The purpose of life, whether we understand it fully or not, is to obey the Creator’s design and follow the requirements to overcome the wrath of the permanent labor and death. I can understand the reaction of the people flocking to Christ, his disciples and John for Baptism; they realized that the promised hope to Adam, Eve and their offspring to break the cycle of permanent death and have life thereafter is now becoming reality. Faithful parents sacrifice labor and death for the offspring just as Adam and Eve did; faithful parents also want what is best for them and for their children as well. Thus, not only adults flocked to Christ for Baptism and blessings, but they also brought their children as well. They probably hassled the crowds surrounding Christ, traveled long distances on dirty or rocky roads and endured tiring laborious journeys (considering their available transportation) so that their children would get what the parents desired but could not provide − to go to heaven after death. As stated in Matthew 19: 13-15,
Then children were brought to him that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples rebuked them, but Jesus said, “Let the children come to me, and do not prevent them; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” After he placed his hands on them, he went away.
Therefore, it should be clear that for the believers, the offer of Baptism by water and spirit should be extended to the children as well. No education, words, speeches, screams, cries or knowledge can overcome labor and death whether young or old, man or woman except through the Creator. Thus the Messiah made Baptism so that it could be performed independently of the individual’s ability to write, read, speak, hear, see, feel or touch. Thus, the steward’s choice to come and bring their dependents to Baptism is acceptable, just as the children brought to Christ were accepted. Therefore, the Messiah’s powerful medicinal help of Baptism is for the weak and strong and the healthy and sick, because neither can overcome labor and death independently.
Believing in the Son clearly implies making physical choices that are obedient to the Creator’s design, because the opposite is expressed in John 3: 36, “disobeys the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God remains upon him.” Therefore, disobedient means not only disbelief that the Creator physically chose to Labor, death and rise, but also refers to whether our choices comply with the Creator’s design (such as the choice to baptize).
The entire Bible teaches the importance of our choices complying with the Creator’s design from Adam and Eve to the message of the Messiah. Jesus stated in John 3: 20-21,
For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come toward the light, so his works might not be exposed. But whoever lives the truth comes to the light, so his works may be clearly seen as done in God.
Therefore, although Baptism gives a person the lost ability to rise after death, it is not a free pass to heaven independent of whether our choices comply with the Creator’s design. Even Adam, Eve and the angel who become a serpent all were living in heaven – meaning they had the ability to live permanently free of labor and death − yet their choices inherited permanent labor and death. Otherwise, any creatures could disobey the Creator and never suffer permanent labor and death. Therefore, obviously we are called and encouraged to strive to become like the Creator by our choices, but we will never gain the Creator’s exclusive ability to excuse permanent labor and death consequences. For example, our lifestyle choices may increase or decrease our longevity, but we will never attain permanent life nor have the ability for reincarnation after reaching permanent death. Roman chapter 6 reemphasizes that point by clearly encouraging and calling those who already baptized to change their choices and even their thinking to comply with the Creator’s design and by reminding those already baptized that sin can become an addiction and enslave their life leading them back to death.
Indeed, people never change and always look for the easy way. They want to live forever after death, but want to continue to make choices against the Creator’s design; they rationalize the illogical, justify the unjust and manipulate the truth. Thus, as it was at the time of Adam and Eve, it continues today and for eternity that our choices must comply with the Creator’s design. Please, read the entire chapter of Roman 6. I am limiting my quote to verses 1 to 16,
What then shall we say? Shall we persist in sin that grace may abound? Of course not! How can we who died to sin yet live in it? Or are we unaware that we who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were indeed buried into his death? We were indeed buried with him through baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by Glory of the Father, we too might live in newness of life. For if we have grown into union with him through a death like his, we shall also be united with him in the resurrection. We know that our old self was crucified with him, so that our sinful body might be done away with, that we might no longer be in slavery to sin. For a dead person has been absolved from sin. If, then, we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him. We know that Christ, raised from the dead, dies no more; death no longer has power over him. As to his life, he lives for God. Consequently, you too must think of yourselves as [being] dead to sin and living for God in Christ Jesus. Therefore, sin must not reign over your mortal bodies so that you obey their desires. And do not present the parts of your bodies to sin as weapons for wickedness, but present yourself to God as weapons to righteousness. For sin is not to have any power over you, since you are not under the law but under grace. What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? Of course not! Do not know that if you present yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?
Notice in verse 7 how Baptism was designed as a strong medicine to help us resist sin. As we discussed, sexual addiction is one of the strongest and most contagious diseases and can weaken and enslave even those baptized,
We know that our old self was crucified with him, so that our sinful body might be done away with, that we might no longer be in slavery to sin.
Notice how sin with our body parts leads us to enslave ourselves even after Baptism. Roman chapter 6 encourages us to use Baptism to give us strength and to remind us to use our life and body to make righteous choices and live a righteous life. It urges us not to persist in sin and warns us that persisting in sin will enslave us to the power of sin; sin would infest our body and lead to permanent death. See how the disease of sin becomes a powerful weapon even against the baptized and much more so against the un-baptized. “Therefore, sin must not reign over your mortal bodies so that you obey their desires.” Finally, I draw your attention to the fact that even for the baptized, an enslavement to sin leads to death. Do not know that if you present yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?
I noticed that even the choice of Baptism to overcome labor and death directly reflects the Creator’s permanent design of the one flesh − even when the superficial aspects remain two separate bodies they are clearly one flesh on the Genetic level. Notice that Baptism symbolizes being born again – implying rebirth. It symbolizes a rebirth using the physical shapeable water to indicate death of our old physical body and the birth of a new physical and spiritual body. I see this rebirth with a deeper understanding. On the Genetic level, it is not exactly as husband and wife one flesh, but very close to the understanding of the offspring’s Genetic flesh.
In fact, fornication or adultery is even more offensive to the baptized, because the baptized is not only betraying his commitment and promise to the Creator’s design but is also betraying his commitment to the physical involvement of the Messiah in forming the born again body and spirit of the baptized. The Baptized becomes one flesh with Christ.
The question of what happens to those who die un-baptized (such as the situation in the death of the aborted offspring’s Genetic flesh of the offspring) is answered by the illustration that Christ promised one of the soldiers on the Cross that whoever believed in Him would go to heaven. All that is entrusted to the merciful Creator who generously chose labor, death and then resurrection so everyone would have the opportunity to rise after death.
Any baptized person may reject their faith by disobeying the Creator’s timeless design and in doing so, jeopardize their opportunity to win life with the Creator after death. However, anyone who once rejected the Creator, but sincerely asked forgiveness and re-committed his/or her life back to the Creator and abiding by the Creator’s timeless design can begin new. Those who were properly baptized would not need to be re-baptized as written in Ephesians 4: 5.
One body and one Spirit, as you were also called to the one hope of your call; one God LORD, one Faith, one baptism; One God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
The need for rebaptism would mean the resurrection of Christ is not a permanent part of the Creator’s design as if the Creator’s design was not perfect and required multiple designs. Rebaptism of a properly baptized person attests to the existence of multiple creators, gods, multiple creator’s designs, multiple faiths, multiple goals of life; this is illogical, unscientific and unsupported by Judeo-Christian evidence of the Bible.
Baptism of a dead person sincerely seeks the lost opportunity of an unbaptized person during life. However, since death is final before judgment, the practice lacks the spiritual and physical integrity of the living human being to unite with the Messiah, die with him and rise after death by receiving the living Spirit. A dead person is already past the stage of life. Thus, in spite of the sincerity of the Baptism of the dead, it is illogical and impossible to produce the intended purpose. Nor does it add to or subtract from the permanently lost opportunity to baptize during life. We leave the final judgment after death in the hands of the merciful Creator for those who are baptized and those who are not.
Everyone is obligated to obey the Creator’s design (at least the nonverbal communication summarized in the Ten Commandments) and to assist their dependents to abide by the Creator’s design. Everyone should strive to make choices based on truth. Everyone should spend the time to evaluate the purpose of life, not from opinions, but based on truth.
So many people die at every moment and at any stage of life; that should prompt everyone whether educated or not to figure out that life must have a purpose more important than all the short-lived goals, plans, desires, pain, pleasure, ambitions, achievements and fantasies. It is foolishness to see the overwhelming logical clues and evidence all around us, yet persistently ignore, manipulate and rationalize the truth. We are in this together; thus we should help one another as much as we can, but should never neglect ourselves. However, the final judgments and any possible exceptions remain up to the Creator. The safest path is to follow the Creator’s design as much as possible without relying on any exceptions.