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[Home]>[The Man-Made Church]>[10. Baptism]
This is the 10. Chapter of "The Man-Made Church."
by Frank L. Preuss
We first become believers and then we get baptized. This is the reason why infant baptism is not scriptural, because infants cannot be believers. The parents cannot baptize the infant and they cannot ask someone else to baptize the child. If they would, they would act in disagreement with scripture. But there is another reason why they cannot do it and that is that they would overrule the free will of that person if they would baptize this person without this person having asked for it. And when the person to be baptized is an infant, then that person cannot ask for the baptism. The person that is to be baptized has to make the decision to get baptized. Our first example is Jesus. Let us read Matthew 3:13-17, "Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him. But John forbad him" The initiative came from Jesus, from nobody else, also not from John the Baptist. John even tried to deter him. Jesus specifically went for this purpose - baptism - from Galilee to the Jordan. And the purpose was, to be baptized by John. It was Jesus' decision.
Let us look at a second example, Acts 10:47, "Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized?" These are the people in Cornelius' house, to whom Peter had brought the Gospel. The expression "Can any man forbid" indicates to us that here also the initiative came from these people.
Our third example is Acts 8:36-38, "And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him." Now this is a very clear example that shows us that the initiative came from the person that wanted to get baptized - from the Ethiopian. The Bible says that Philip told him the good news about Jesus (Acts 8:35), so Philip obviously included Jesus' command to get baptized. And that the Ethiopian had accepted what Philip had told him and that he had become a believer in Jesus is evident from his request to get baptized.
This example - Philip baptizing the eunuch - also shows us that a person does not get sprinkled with water but gets immersed in water - the whole person. The words chosen there are very descriptive: "And they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him. And when they were come up out of the water." So the person who baptizes and the person who gets baptized, both, go down into the water. The Bible makes it at this place quite clear, with several detailed words, that there is not a sprinkling taking place, but that both persons go, both go down, both go into the water. And to make sure that what happens there cannot be a misunderstood, the same detailed description is also used for what happened after Philip baptized him. It says there, "When they were come up out of the water." Again here as well we have to take note of the different words used: Both of them are involved, because it says "they." It says "were come" which indicates to us that their whole bodies were involved, not just a part, like a forehead or a hand. And then it says "up", this indicates that they were really in the water, not just standing in the water with their feet covered and the rest of the body above the water. No, it says they came up, so they had been really in the water, their whole body had been in the water, especially the body of the person who got baptized, but the body of the person who baptized was also standing there where it was deep enough to submerse a body and had let the body of the person to be baptized down and helped him up again and therefore also got more or less completely into the water and had therefore also to come up.
We find the same description of this procedure in Matthew 3:16, where Jesus' baptism is recorded, "And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water." And this is also recorded in Mark 1:10, "And straightway coming up out of the water." So the person who gets baptized gets totally submersed under water and the baptizer assists him in achieving it and also helps him up afterwards.
And we do everything in the Name of Jesus - also baptizing. The example is in Acts 10:47-48: Can any man forbid water, that these (Cornelius' house in Caesarea) should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we? And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then prayed they him to tarry certain days.
Other examples are Acts 8:16, "For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they (people of the city of Samaria) were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus," and Acts 2:38, "Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost."
Jesus himself teaches (Matthew 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."
Any believer can baptize. The requirement for the person to be baptized is that he believes and the requirement for the baptizer is that he is a believer. There are no special requirements for the baptizer like being a mature believer, or being already a believer for a certain time, or being male, or being an elder or deacon or evangelist. If two persons are becoming believers and there is nobody to baptize them, then they can baptize each other. It would be even possible that a person baptizes himself. We should never allow a cleric to baptize us. Any person associated with a denomination or sect should never be asked to baptize us. It does not matter if a person is a "pastor" or a "layman," anybody from a man-made church should be avoided. We should not even have fellowship with such people, because we are taught to warn them twice and then have nothing to do with them (Titus 3:10).
The relationship between the baptizer and the person to be baptized should be of course such that the baptizer knows that the person to get baptized is a believer.
So we first become believers and then we get baptized. There follow eight scriptures showing us that the baptism of a person comes after that person has become a believer:
1. Matthew 28:19
Go ye therefore, and teach (or, make disciples, or, Christians of all nations) all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.
2. Mark 16:16
He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.
3. Acts 2:38
Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
4. Acts 2:41
Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.
5. Acts 8:12
But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.
6. Acts 8:13
Then Simon himself believed also: and when he was baptized, he continued with Philip, and wondered, beholding the miracles and signs which were done.
7. Acts 10:47
Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we?
8. Acts 16:31-33
And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway.
A baby can't be a believer and a baby can't make a decision, so it can't be baptized. The reason why people - especially denominations - baptize babies, is because they don't know scripture, they teach - by teaching baby baptism - wrong doctrine. They of course know why they are doing it. A very good way to get customers is to get them just after they are born. Denominations are using very good business practices. Only few other businesses have caught on to this. Make a person a customer just a few days after he has been born and you have him for life.
We now want to look at examples from the Bible were baptisms are reported.
1. Acts 2:41
Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day (on the day of Pentecost in Jerusalem) there were added unto them about three thousand souls.
2. Acts 8:12
But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women (of the city of Samaria).
3. Acts 8:13
Then Simon (of the city of Samaria) himself believed also: and when he was baptized, he continued with Philip, and wondered, beholding the miracles and signs which were done.
4. Acts 8:16
For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they (people of the city of Samaria) were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
5. Acts 8:36-38
And as they went on their way (on the way that goes down from Jerusalem unto Gaza), they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him.
6. Acts 9:18
And immediately there fell from his (Paul, in Damascus) eyes as it had been scales: and he received sight forthwith, and arose, and was baptized.
7. Acts 10:47-48
Can any man forbid water, that these (Cornelius' house in Caesarea) should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we? And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then prayed they him to tarry certain days.
8. Acts 16:15
And when she (Lydia, of the city of Thyatira) was baptized, and her household, she besought us, saying, If ye have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house, and abide there. And she constrained us.
9. Acts 16:33
And he (the keeper of the prison in Thyatira) took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway.
10. Acts 18:8
And Crispus, the chief ruler of the synagogue, believed on the Lord with all his house; and many of the Corinthians hearing believed, and were baptized.
11. Acts 19:5
When they (disciples in Ephesus) heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
12. Acts 22:16
And now why tarriest thou (Paul in Damascus)? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.
13. 1 Corinthians 1:14
I thank God that I (Paul) baptized none of you, but Crispus and Gaius.
14. 1 Corinthians 1:16
And I baptized also the household of Stephanas: besides, I know not whether I baptized any other.
We want to have a look at infant baptism. The man-made churches make baptism a matter of the church, which it is not. Any believer can baptize a new believer. But they make it a matter of the church, and then try to convince people that because someone is now baptized by them, he has now become a member of that church. Some churches baptize people only after they have become believers and afterwards tell them, that they are now members of this church, because they were baptized into it. For the older denominations this is too complicated, so they practise infant baptism. The main reason is of course to secure the continued existence and the financial and ideological survival. They talk the people out of the idea that someone first has to become a believer before he can get baptized. They teach them that if a baby is not baptized and dies, it will go to hell. The whole thing works on fear. So every parent will have sleepless nights until the baby is baptized. Every cough of the baby will terrify them, because the baby is not baptized yet. This is the most excellent method of getting church members. At the time of the reformation the great reformers knew that a person had to first believe and only then should get baptized. But some of them then changed their minds when the devil had got them to start their own denominations and so they started to teach infant baptism. It guaranteed them membership of all new born people in their state churches. And that is why they so vehemently fought against people who did not believe in infant baptism, because it was a threat to their clerical power. So infant baptism became a church affair. A cleric had to do it. A certain ceremony was adopted. Special basins were built. The "godchild" had to have "godparents" - "godfathers" and "godmothers." A baptism certificate was made out. That became something like a main document of life. And an entry into the church books was made. The church kept a list of all people - an absolute worldly thing. Not even the worldly powers had come up with this idea. Only after a long time they - the worldly powers - realized its usefulness. Especially when they wanted to fight a war they could go to the church and get the book and the church of course co-operated fully and helped them draw up a list of all men in fighting age. Later the worldly powers organized their own books - as they had learned it from the church. So the church, as so often, helped organize terror and destruction. After the baptism ceremony in the church a family celebration followed, and this of course was the natural family, because there simply was no spiritual family. They were all pagans. It took just a few years of development from the once powerful spiritual reformer to an absolute pagan church. Everybody who tried to do the will of the Father in heaven was persecuted and preferably killed. One of the great reformers actually got killed in a battle. He had gone back to actual physical warfare and that against other "believers."
We get baptized because Jesus got baptized. He is our example. His baptism is recorded on Matthew 3:13-17:
Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him. But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me? And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him. And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
In Mark 1:9-10 this is recorded:
And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John in Jordan. And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him.
And in Luke 3:21 is written:
Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass, that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened.
Jesus got baptized and we also get baptized, because we students are to be like our teacher (Matthew 10:24-25): The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord. It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord.
We baptize because Jesus commands us to (Matthew 28:19): Go ye therefore, and teach (or, make disciples, or, Christians of all nations) all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.
We get baptized because we obey Jesus' command to be baptized. And we obey his command because we love him (John 14:15): If ye love me, keep my commandments.
We get baptized so that our sins may be forgiven (Acts 2:38):
Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
We get baptized because it is a pledge of a good conscious toward God (1 Peter 3:21): The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
We get baptized because we live a new life (Romans 6:1-14):
What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed (justified) from sin. Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members as instruments (arms, or, weapons) of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.
We get baptized because we are also risen with him (Colossians 2:12): Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.
Because we have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so we walk in him (Colossians 2:6). This causes us to be rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as we have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving (Colossians 2:7). And we beware lest any man spoil us through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. And we are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power: In whom also we are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ: Buried with him in baptism, wherein also we are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead. And we, being dead in our sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven us our trespasses; blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; and having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it (or, in himself). Let no man therefore judge us in meat (or, for eating and drinking), or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ. Let no man beguile (or, judge against us) us of our reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, and not holding the Head, from which all the body by joints and bands having nourishment ministered, and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God. Wherefore if we be dead with Christ from the rudiments (or, elements) of the world, why, as though living in the world, are we subject to ordinances, (Touch not; taste not; handle not; Which all are to perish with the using;) after the commandments and doctrines of men? Which things have indeed a shew of wisdom in will worship, and humility, and neglecting (or, punishing, or, not sparing) of the body; not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh (Colossians 2:8-23).
So we are free. We are free from the traditions of men. From philosophy, vain deceit, from a body of the sins of the flesh. We are dead to our sins. The handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, is blotted out and taken out of the way, nailed to the cross.
We let no man judge us in meat, or drink, or in respect of a holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath day.
We let no man beguile us of our reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, and not holding the Head, from which all the body by joints and bands having nourishment ministered, and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God. We are not misled by men who do not hold the Head, who want to beguile us.
We are not subject to ordinances like touch not, taste not, handle not.
We are free from the commandments and doctrines of men, which have a shew of wisdom.
We are free, we abound in thanksgiving. We are complete in him - in Christ, which is the head of all principalities and power. We are buried with him in baptism and therefore are also risen with him.
We are quickened together with him, having forgiven us all trespasses.
We are free from all religion and from all rites. There are no more rites in our lives. Even this baptism is not a rite. It is just having a bath and be clean - spiritual clean - and a demonstration to the world - the world we are leaving behind - and a show to this world, a show that looks like a rite, because the ones left behind have to understand what we are doing with their worldly mind, which does not understand spiritual things.
In baptism the body is washed in water - symbolic of the inner cleansing of the soul, symbolic of the blotting out of sins by righteousness - and as a pledge of discipleship. The water represents the cleansing power of the word of God. The act of baptism is a confirmation of the faith into which the person being baptized entered. He confirms that he will as of now recognize these commands of God, that he will live in accordance with them and that they will cause him to experience many blessings. Through baptism the spirit of God is joined to him - as God's spirit was joined to Jesus when he was baptized and the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
So other people can be present when we get baptized, not only believers but also unbelievers. The baptism is a sign to them - a sign to do the same. So guests, friends, family, relatives, they are all welcome. All are able to share in what is happening. If it causes problems - if this getting baptized is causing you to keep it a secret - then you are probably not ready yet. But not to keep it a secret does not mean you have to publicize it.
Let the heaven open for you and let the Spirit descend on you - get baptized. It happened to Jesus: the heaven was opened at the moment he went out of the water, and the Spirit descended on him like a dove (Matthew 3:16; Mark 1:10 and Luke 3:21-22).
And when we come out of the water there are no more rites. A thing like communion is just a normal meal with our friends in which we recognize the food and the drink as part of all that is around us and in us: God. We are all one; there is unity: oneness.
We are to live the holy life that we might conquer death; we will know what the end of mortal life will be, when we have reached the consciousness that we and God are one.
Now messages by Bertha Dudde follow:
Explanation about water baptism.
13. October 1963. B.D. NR. 8643.
You still do not understand the spiritual meaning of my word - you interpret the letters for yourselves according to your intellect, and that is why you also cannot come to the right results; you cannot understand what I wanted to tell you when I spoke to my disciples: Baptize them in the name of the father and the son and the holy spirit. By baptism you always only understand the submerging in water - an outer form which men apply to announce their obedience to the commandment of baptism - but which was and just is only an outer accompanying form, but never touches the actual core of my commandment. Water baptism as such brings about no change at all to a man, what you men have to admit after all. Only the allocation of that what goes out from the father, from the son, from the spirit - what proves the love of the father, the wisdom of the son and the power of the spirit - that can bring about in man a change and is only the true baptism, which every man has to receive to reach his aim on earth: to perfect himself, to be able to unite with me forever. The father - love - is an everlasting fire from which the light of wisdom - the son - goes out, and now also the power of the spirit has to express itself; man - as a weak creature - has to be so filled with love and wisdom that he himself now attains again power and freedom. He has to be filled with my spirit; so love, wisdom and spirit power have to mark him as divine creature which has returned to perfection. Man has to submerge in the sea of my love; he has to be introduced into all truth, what will always happen through my will, my power and my over great love. Baptize them in the name of the father - bring to them my word of love, which contains wisdom in it, and through it makes the spirit having an effect in man possible, which requires love activity because the expression of my spirit is the giving of my love, which is expressed in the supply of wisdom - a truthful knowledge. Love, wisdom and power - about these you men have to be truthfully enlightened, and this enlightenment is a true spirit baptism, but which cannot be replaced through an submerging in water. Just understand, you men, that you are not to bind yourselves to outer forms - understand it that I certainly do not demand formalities from you, but always only assess what is undertaken in spirit and in truth. And when you now as proof of your right thinking put forward John's baptism of me in the Jordan, then consider that men of that time still knew very little about me, that they at that time thought highly of outer acts and that only a certain degree of maturity of the individual was needed to be able to make the spiritual meaning of the baptism understandable to him. Moreover men proved through the will to let John baptize them their desire to come closer to their God and creator, and in those times this was already a considerable spiritual gain. And so I myself also underwent this act to legitimize the work of my forerunner John because it would have been pointless to explain to men this outer act as unimportant because they would still not have been able to summon up understanding for the pure spiritual truth. A water baptism did not do any harm to them, but benefit only then when they also accepted the word of God, which John brought to them. And so also now man will receive the baptism when he accepts my word, which my endless fatherly love brings him, lives accordingly and through this comes to wisdom - which goes out from love - and now also my spirit is awakened in him, which is light and power and has an effect in man. But all this cannot be replaced through water baptism, only the latter will always remain a symbol, an outer form, in which men want to persist, because they try to demonstrate everything outwardly and are not content with the value of pure spiritual experience. I can only tell you again and again that all outer acts and practices have no value, that I never assess a man by what he does outwardly, but alone the inner attitude towards me and my word is decisive because as soon as a man accepts my word, acknowledges it and leads a life according to this word, he will perfect himself still on earth because my word is the water of life, which flows out of the original source. And in this water you are to submerge; this water will flow out of your body, and you will experience the spiritual baptism when the spirit in you awakens to life, when love, wisdom and power interpenetrate you and you again become your original being, which you were from the very start, when through the water of life you come to eternal life, which you will no longer lose for evermore. Amen. B.D. NR. 8643.
Erroneous interpretation of the words of Jesus.
29. November 1963. B.D. NR. 8688.
The thinking of men is earthly directed, and so they also interpret everything earthly, which had a deep spiritual meaning, which was supplied to them as spiritual teaching from me, who has always spoken directly or through messengers to men. But my instructions were brought about for the salvation of souls, and when I addressed men, both in old and also in new times, then I have always put a spiritual meaning into my words, which was also understood rightly in the beginning, but never a long time passed until this spiritual meaning was worldly interspersed and was interpreted in the end in an earthly sense. And so therefore my word never remained pure; acts and practices came out of it, which no longer corresponded with the spiritual meaning, and my word has lost its healing power, because it no longer remained my word. What was spiritual demanded of you - because I expected a blessing for your souls from the fulfilment - that you men have changed to earthly acts. For every demand I made towards your souls you have thought up and carried out a worldly event for yourselves, and you then have called these events sacraments and then conferred an over high importance on them, so that now innumerable men comply with the demands which were made on them with greatest conscientiousness and believe to gather a treasure of favours for their souls through the fulfilling of humanly issued commandments. And everything is just form and appearance and completely meaningless for the maturing of the soul. But you men persist with utmost tenacity in such forms, which you have made for yourselves, but which were never demanded by me of you men. All my words which I spoke when I myself walked over the earth as man had a deep spiritual meaning and can never be replaced through outer acts. But you have not grasped the deeper idea, and for you it is enough to have outer practices, which can never bring in an advantage for your souls. Consider which effects you alone concede just to baptism! Consider that you carry out a simple outer act and are now convinced of spiritual success: may it be the release from original sin, may it be the inclusion in my church - the inclusion in a religious community. But all this man has to acquire for himself during his life on earth; he has to let himself be redeemed from sin through Jesus Christ in free will. Therefore more than just the act of baptism belongs to it, which is carried out with a child. And he also can only join my church again in free will through conscious living in my following, that he reaches a living faith through love - the mark of the church founded by me. Think of the sacraments of confession and of the altar. What you have made of these and through what formalities you hope for the forgiving of sins for you. Think of what I want to have known under these, that you are to admit me so that I can celebrate communion with you and you with me - and how you let these my words This do in remembrance of me - become an event, which again can have no effect on your souls when you do not lead such a deep life of love that you are closely united with me through love and I then can also be present in you myself. Everything which is demanded of you spiritually, with which your soul is to cope with alone, that you men have fused with earthly terms and therefore built up something for yourselves, so that you eagerly observe what is demanded of you, what is explained as being my will. And again and again enlightenment has to be given to you about it, but you do not accept such enlightenment, but you comply with humanly issued commandments always more eagerly, while you ignore my commandments to love God and the neighbour and therefore always become of a darker spirit and in the end no longer a possibility exists to recognize the wrongness of your thinking and acting. And you have also put on fetters for yourselves by you accepting everything as truth unquestioningly what has been made accessible to you as my word. All my words you interpret pure earthly but you pay no attention to the spiritual meaning, and through this errors have developed which can only be corrected when you are filled with love because then the inside of you will light up, and you recognize it when you move in error. All humanly issued commandments and sacramental acts will be recognized by you as deception, which only a dark spirit could make out to be divine will and you will seek to break away from error in the knowledge of pure truth, which alone can give the soul salvation and which alone only that man will recognize as truth who lives in love, who therefore fulfils my love commandments first and then will also move in the right thinking. Amen. B.D. NR. 8688.
This is the end of "Baptism."
Next chapter: [11]
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