Ellen Chat Conversation

The act of baptism represents a profound and solemn renunciation of the world and its sinful practices. When an individual enters the water, they are publicly declaring that they have forsaken the service of Satan to become members of the royal family and children of the heavenly King (2TT 389.3). This ordinance is a commitment to separate from "the unclean thing" and to live a life that is holy and dedicated to God (2TT 389.3). For those who have fallen into deep vice and iniquity, the gospel offers a path of redemption from a life of dissipation and sin (6T 295.1).

However, the process of returning to God after grievous wrongs requires a genuine experience of conversion. Individuals must plead with Jesus to reveal the full extent of their sinfulness and then look to Him as a sin-pardoning Saviour (4T 42.3). This involves a spiritual washing of the character in the blood of the Lamb, following the steps that every sinner must take to truly become a child of God (T26 54.2). In cases where an individual has been under the influence of a wrong spirit or has lived in spiritual bondage, the act of going down into the water to be baptized signifies a commitment to live in "newness of life" (21MR 238.2).

This requires the person to rebuke every particle of their former spirit and assert their liberty in the name of the Lord (21MR 238.2). True baptism is always predicated on the biblical conditions of repentance and faith (HF 150.1). The church has a responsibility to engage in work that seeks to save souls and bring the truth of the gospel to those in need of redemption (6T 295.1).

While the grace of Christ is available to those who sincerely seek it, the sacredness of the baptismal rite must be maintained as a public testimony of a transformed life and a complete break from past transgressions (2TT 389.3).

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