No Witnesses

1
No Witnesses

• What if a person is baptized when one is present
  except the person being baptized and the person
  doing the baptizing?

2
Must there be witnesses?

• Reason given for requiring witnesses Confession
  before men
• Romans 109-10 - 9that if you confess with your
  mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart
  that God has raised Him from the dead, you will
  be saved. 10For with the heart one believes unto
  righteousness, and with the mouth confession is
  made unto salvation.
• Matthew 1032 - Therefore whoever confesses Me
  before men, him I will also confess before My
  Father who is in heaven.

3
Must there be witnesses?

• Reason given for requiring witnesses Anyone can
  make the claim
• While this is true most of us were not present
  at the baptism of others in this congregation
• We were baptized in other places
• There must be some level of trust
• Being accepted in this church is NOT the same as
  being accepted by God

4
Any Bible examples?

• Acts 827-28 - 27So he arose and went. And
  behold, a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great
  authority under Candace the queen of the
  Ethiopians, who had charge of all her treasury,
  and had come to Jerusalem to worship, 28was
  returning. And sitting in his chariot, he was
  reading Isaiah the prophet.
• Acts 838 - So he commanded the chariot to stand
  still. And both Philip and the eunuch went down
  into the water, and he baptized him.

5
Acts 8

• We do not know
• If there were servants or others along If there
  were others, there is no mention of them being
  baptized
• Where this man worshiped when he got home
• How he could prove he was baptized
• Many congregations give out baptismal
  certificates that verify the date, place, and
  who baptized

6
Conclusion

• There is no reason to require witnesses
• One claiming to have been baptized only harms
  themselves
• Baptism is between the person seeking salvation
  and God who forgives their sins
• I have baptized many when I and the person
  seeking baptism were the only two people around.
• I believe such a baptism is valid.