Baptism 2

A Christian who refuses to be baptized is directly disobeying the Lord who saved him. There was no such thing in the apostolic times as an un-baptized Christian. I do not mean that baptism was a condition of justification of one's sins. It was not, and all who preach that it is are guilty of adding works to faith. The Churches of Christ stand outside the boundary of Christian orthodoxy. I also do not mean that it is impossible to be saved but fear making a public stanbd. Joseph of Arimathea was a saved man, but was a secret disciple, until the circumstances of Jesus' death and burial motivated him to declare himself by his actions. I mean that baptism was mandatory for all, not optional. It was not a debatable practice, such as whether to perform Communion weekly (as some Christian churches do), monthly (as many do), or quarterly (as some European churches did in the past). Baptism is the beginning of Christian discipleship, according to the Great Commission. Infant christening is no excuse for refusing baptism, since infant christening is not baptism. Baptism does not mean that one's parents are Christians, and that one attends a Christian church, contrary to the Reformed misrepresentation of its significance. Baptism means that you have taken Jesus' yoke upon you, and no one can do that for you. Only you can do that for yourself; it is a voluntary decision.