New Testament Baptism Part 1

Part 1 of 2 interviews discussing the principles and practice of baptism. Broadcast in 2007 on Finnish television. What made a Methodist minister come to believe that infant baptism is unbiblical and then become a Baptist? Although David Pawson was “baptised in the sight of the church”, he began to ask whether his baptism met the criteria of the New Testament. Was he “baptised in the sight of the Lord”? After examining the relevant thirty-one separate passages of the New Testament to get the “whole picture” about baptism and its requirements, David concluded that he had not understood baptism at all and had been following the “tradition of the church”. He discovered that “baptism, in essence, is a joint action between God and man”. To be baptised, the believer has to do things that “a baby is incapable of doing: hear the gospel, believe the good news, repent of their sins, and to call on the name of Jesus”. He came to regard his infant baptism as invalid, which freed him to get baptised “for the first time” as an adult. His conscience now prevented him from baptising babies. These thought-provoking interviews, which David gave for a TV channel in Finland, stress the importance of baptism. He discusses the challenges that arose from his change of position on the subject as well as the new doors that staying true to his faith and convictions opened to him to preach the gospel. In the first interview, David talks about New Testament baptism — what it was/is, its purpose, its requirements and why it is for adults rather than babies. He also covers some of the history of infant baptism. A free to download PDF booklet called 'New Testament Baptism' that accompanies this video can be downloaded from www.explainingbiblicaltruth.global Free resources and a library of Davids teachings are available from www.davidpawson.org ©️David Pawson Ministry CIO 2007