"Is Your Baptism Valid?"

Text: Matt. 28:19 "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:"

The above scripture is a text church’s use to prove they are the one that God has appointed and authorized to baptize new born believers in Christ our Lord. Authority was given to John from God to baptize and at that time was the only one on earth authorized to baptize. It was for this reason that Jesus walked 30 miles to the river to allow John to baptize Him. Here we see Jesus give the first members of the first church authority to baptize, (Matt.28:16, 18, 19 "Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them. And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth, Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them…"). What Jesus had just said was that all power is mine, all authority is mine, and I am telling you members of the first church (that is the command "Go ye therefore") just as our Father gave John the authority to baptize, I am giving you the authority to go into all the world and baptize those that I save out of it. Therefore at this time (just as it was with John) the first church is the only one with the authority to baptize.

If we believe that Jesus truly started the first church and gave the authority to that church, then only the first church had a God given right to baptize. Now, we see only that one true church had the right to perform a baptism. This authority was given from the Father to the Son ("All power is given unto me") and from the Son to the church ("Go ye therefore") and passed down from that church to church’s which had authority from the first church to exist. Since this is true, only true authorized church’s has authority to baptize new born believers.

Alien baptism is someone baptized outside of this circle of authorized churches. The bottom-line is that true Baptism is performed only by a authorized church. All others are "Alien" and will be of no advantage to you or your membership.

Call me hard-shell if you like but facts are facts. It you were baptized by any other than a true landmark church your baptism is not true and you therefore cannot truly be a member of the bride of Christ. I believe this has been one of the most dangerous compromises by some churches in today’s times. We need to remember this, my brethren, we are responsible to God to hold the truths of His word and we will give account for allowing this truth to slip away because someone might not want to go through the baptism waters again. As I said call me hard-shell if you want but prove me wrong.

It has been my concern for some time that some of my brethren may not have true baptism. We fail to understand sometimes the importance of what we do here on earth will be carried with us into heaven. For example the Lord told the church Matt.18:18 "Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." We understand by this an excluded member here will be an excluded member in heaven. Just as a non-baptized member of a church, will be a non-church member in His kingdom. Just because a pastor and the church membership accepted you on your alien baptism does not mean the Lord will allow it in His kingdom. It is too important a subject to miss this point. It would be a shame to do so many wonderful deeds for the Lord here and miss being a true member of the bride in His kingdom. If you were baptized by a counterfeit church you need to be baptized again by a true church. Just remember "your eternal membership" depends on it.

Brother Randy Johnson

Pastor, Sovereign Grace Missionary Baptist Church

Texarkana, Texas