Baptism According to the Divine Will

“The patience of God was waiting in Noah’s days, while the ark was being constructed, in which a few people, that is, eight souls, were carried safely through the water. That which corresponds to this is also now saving you, namely, baptism.”—1 Pet. 3:20, 21.

1. What call is Jehovah sending out before Armageddon, and with what response?

WE SURELY live in momentous times. A whole world, the present system of things, is madly and blindly rushing toward its destruction in the universal war of Armageddon, when the age-old issue of Jehovah’s supremacy and universal sovereignty is going to be settled once and for all time. But out of that doomed old world Almighty God is calling people of good will of all nations, kindreds and tongues to come and find refuge in the righteous new world that he is creating. Every year thousands upon thousands, from all four quarters of the earth, are responding to the call and take their stand for Jehovah and his kingdom. In time they learn that it is their privilege and obligation to get baptized, according to the divine will.

2, 3. Of what significance is baptism in connection with Jehovah’s purpose of saving people?

² What, then, has baptism to do with the possibilities of being. saved out of the dying old world into the endless new world, which the living God is making? The apostle Peter referred to Isaiah’s prophecy about new heavens and a new earth, which reads: “‘For here I am creating new heavens and a new earth, and the former things will not be called to mind, neither will they come up into the heart. . . . They will do no harm nor cause any ruin in all my holy mountain,’ Jehovah has said.” (Isa. 65:17-25) So Peter wrote: “There are new heavens and a new earth that we are awaiting according to his promise, and in these righteousness is to dwell.” Then he goes on to say: “Consider the patience of our Lord as salvation”; and in another place, as quoted above, he speaks of how God’s patience was waiting in Noah’s days, and mentions that eight souls were carried safely through the water. Then he argues: “That which corresponds to this is also now saving you, namely, baptism, (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the request made to God for a good conscience) through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.”—2 Pet. 3:12, 13, 15; 1 Pet. 3:20, 21.

³ We have the Master’s own word for it that this has application right now, for he said that as the days of Noah were, so should the days of the Son of man be. (Matt. 24:37) At that time Jehovah deluged to destruction the then-existing system of things but saved eight persons, who had heeded his warning. In other words, baptism of the whole world in water brought death to the majority and salvation to only a few. So now, when the present order of things will be dissolved, the ungodly men will be destroyed but those who have heard and obeyed Jehovah’s warning message will be saved. That is what Peter is referring to when he speaks of the saving baptism.

4, 5. What was required of those who were saved in Noah’s day? What are the corresponding requirements for salvation in our day?

⁴ He did not mean, though, that the literal act of immersion in the waters of a river or lake is the means of saving, but the condition of being exclusively devoted to God, whereof water baptism is a symbol. How is that? Well, those who were with Noah in the ark and were baptized to him, when the ark was surrounded by the surging waters that fell from the windows of heaven, first had had to put faith in Jehovah’s warning message, which came to them through Noah; then they had had to work with him on the ark and thereby demonstrate their belief in God’s word and their willingness to obey him. And they had to continue in that condition right down to the day when Jehovah himself shut the door behind Noah and those who had actually gone into the ark with him.—Gen. 7:13-16.

⁵ What, then, is it in our day that corresponds to the ark wherein God saved Noah? It is the arrangement for preservation that Jehovah God builds through his Son, the glorified Christ Jesus, that is, “the new system of things.” Here on earth that new system of things is now represented by Jehovah’s witnesses, who have come into it and are organized as a New World society to bear witness to Jehovah’s name and purposes, his King and kingdom, and to live according to the divine will, thus showing the people of good will the way to salvation.

6. Is baptism a matter of choice for those who want to do the divine will?

⁶ All who do come to this New World society in order to learn the way to life and who give themselves to Jehovah God in dedication should be baptized in accordance with Jesus’ command in Matthew 28:19, 20: “Go therefore and make disciples of people of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the holy spirit, teaching them to observe all the things I have commanded you. And, look! I am with you all the days until the consummation of the system of things.” So baptism in water is not left as a matter of choice for those who want to do the divine will, as Jehovah is still making disciples of people of all the nations, but it is a requirement that has to be complied with; and an ever-growing number of dedicated persons are now submitting to such baptism every year. A striking example of this was given on that memorable day during the Divine Will International Assembly of Jehovah’s Witnesses, in New York city in the summer of 1958, when 7,136 persons were immersed in water.

WHO MAY BE BAPTIZED?

7, 8. Of what is baptism a symbol, as illustrated in Jesus’ case?

⁷ Now, as to who should be baptized and in what way, in order to be in harmony with the divine will, Peter said that baptism is what saves, not a cleansing of the filth of the flesh, but rather “the request made to God for a good conscience.” Thus infant baptism is ruled out at once, because an infant cannot make such a request to God. Baptism is, in fact, a symbol, an act of confession, of what has already taken place in the heart of the baptized one: that he has dedicated himself to Jehovah God, to live henceforth according to the divine will. This is what Jesus’ own baptism meant. He is the great Exemplar to be followed by all who want to serve Jehovah God.

⁸ Matthew tells us that John the Baptist was immersing Jews who had repented of their sins against the Law covenant, which Jehovah had made with that nation. One day Jesus came to John to be baptized. But John hesitated to do it, because he knew that Jesus had not transgressed the covenant. Jesus then said that it ought to be done, in order to “carry out all that is righteous.” (Matt. 3:15) And the apostle Paul writes, in Hebrews 10:9, that at that time Jesus fulfilled the words of the psalm: “Look! I am come to do your will,” O God. (Ps. 40:7, 8) Jesus had now dedicated himself to do the special work that the divine will prescribed for him, and that was written “in the roll of the book,” that is, in the Hebrew Scriptures, which contained “the sacred pronouncements of God.” (Rom. 3:1, 2) And so, when John dipped Jesus completely under the water of the river Jordan, that was a symbolic act that testified that Jesus was now dead as to his earthly way of life up till then.

9. How must the act of baptizing be performed in order to make the proper symbol?

⁹ Jesus set the pattern as to why baptism must be performed in that way, by complete submerging, in order to be a picture, a symbol. The baptized one, in being dipped out of sight, is “buried” in the water. That such was the way John was baptizing is shown, aside from the fact that the Greek word translated “baptize” means “to dip, to submerge,” by the statement found in the apostle John’s narrative: “John [that is, the Baptizer] also was baptizing in Aenon near Salim, because there was a great quantity of water there.” (John 3:23) But the baptizer does not leave the person submerged there to die in the water. No, the baptizer raises him up again, as a symbol of the fact that he is now to walk in a new way of life, wholly devoted to Jehovah God, whose divine will must henceforth be his guide. Those who are being baptized do thereby testify that they have broken loose from the old world, in which they were born as the imperfect children of Adam, and which world is ruled by Satan, the great opposer of God and his kingdom; and they have come to seek refuge in the arrangement that Jehovah has made for men and women who believe, and that corresponds to the literal ark in Noah’s day.

10-12. (a) What does it mean that baptism is done “in the name of the Father”? (b) In the name “of the Son”? (c) In the name “of the holy spirit”?

¹⁰ When Jesus commanded his followers to make disciples of people of all the nations, he said, as quoted above, that these disciples should be baptized “in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the holy spirit.” The act of baptism, then, must be a confession of the fact that the baptized one has come to know that Jehovah God is the Supreme One, the almighty Creator and Giver of life, the righteous and all-wise God and the loving Provider of salvation from sin and its woeful results. He must also have seen the great issue that overshadows everything else in the world and that is soon to be settled forever, to Jehovah’s eternal praise, namely, the issue of universal domination: Is Jehovah God to rule the universe, or is the Devil? Connected with that is this lesser issue: Can men on earth serve Jehovah with integrity when subjected to trials and persecutions? With this knowledge the one who is going to be baptized according to the divine will has dedicated himself to Jehovah, willing to do His will at whatever cost.—Job 1:9-11; Jude 25.

¹¹ Today, too, the baptized one also confesses that he has seen that Jehovah has given to his first-born, beloved Son, Jesus Christ, the name that is above every other name, so that there is salvation in none other. Jesus Christ is Jehovah’s chosen King and has now come in the glory of his kingdom and as the righteous Judge, and all who desire to live must “kiss the Son,” that is, hail him as King and obey his orders, and in due time he will become their Everlasting Father.—Acts 4:12; Matt. 25:31; Ps. 2:12; Isa. 9:6, AS.

¹² That baptism is also done in the name of the holy spirit means that the baptized one is testifying to the fact that he has come to know that the holy spirit is the active force of the living God, which he sends out through his Son, Christ Jesus, and which operates toward Jehovah’s people, enlightening and directing his theocratic organization on the earth today as it did in the days of the apostles; and that the immersed one has rendered himself in submission to this holy force.—Acts 1:8; 20:28; Joel 2:28, 29.

13. What did Jesus do after he had received the holy spirit following baptism?

¹³ It was this holy spirit or enlightening and empowering force from God that came over Jesus when he rose out of the water of Jordan; and now mark what he did after that. After he had been in the wilderness for forty days and had been tempted by the Devil, he began to proclaim: “The kingdom of God has drawn near. Be repentant and have faith in the good news.” (Mark 1:15) The Devil had offered Jesus all the kingdoms of this world, but Jesus refused to have anything to do with him, for “it is Jehovah your God you must worship, and it is to him alone you must render sacred service.” (Luke 4:6-8) It was Jehovah’s kingdom that he desired, and for it he was going to work, bear witness and suffer persecution, yes, he was willing even to lay down his life for it. And why was he put to death? It was because of his absolute loyalty to Jehovah’s kingdom, which is the instrument for vindicating his Father’s holy name and bringing salvation to obedient creatures, by means of Jesus’ redeeming blood.—John 18:33-37; 19:12-16.

14. What should one who contemplates getting baptized ask himself?

¹⁴ In view of this faithful example the one contemplating baptism should ask himself: Am I willing to do as Christ did, to publish the kingdom of heaven and stay loyal to it? Can I see myself as part of that happy crowd that John described in Revelation who stand before the throne and joyfully cry out: “Salvation we owe to our God, who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb”? They were shown as having palm branches in their hands; just as when Jesus made his triumphal entry into Jerusalem, seated upon the colt of an ass, the crowd that was then gathered there took branches from palm trees and went out to meet him and shouted: “Blessed is he that comes in Jehovah’s name, even the king of Israel!” In the great crowd of worshipers who now “meet” him and hail him publicly is where everyone belongs who dedicates himself now to Jehovah God.—Rev. 7:9, 10; John 12:12-15.

15. (a) Baptism marks the beginning of what? (b) What must the baptized one do in order to live forever? What counsel did Paul give in this connection?

¹⁵ The baptism or immersion really marks the public announcement of something new. Here now is a person who has dedicated his life to Jehovah God. He thereby, so to speak, seals the contract made in prayer that binds him to Jehovah, to obey his divine will and support his worthy cause. He is expected to be what James 1:25 calls “a doer of the work ‘ and he is to be “happy in his doing it.” Salvation is not assured to you once the step of baptism has been taken, but rather you must, as Paul says, “keep working out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” (Phil. 2:12) When one has given himself to Jehovah to be his slave he must not leave Jehovah’s service—it means his life, and it is for life! In order to live forever one must forever be Jehovah’s obedient slave. In order to be that, it is necessary to associate now with his New World society, which is under the command and direction of the Greater Noah, Christ Jesus. This requires one to study God’s Word both privately and in meetings that are arranged for this purpose, and these keep one spiritually fit to have a share in spreading the good news of the ruling kingdom. The apostle Paul gave good advice in this regard when he wrote to the Hebrews (10:23-25): “Let us hold fast the public declaration of our hope without wavering, for he is faithful that promised. And let us consider one another to incite to love and right works, not forsaking the gathering of ourselves together, as some have the custom, but encouraging one another, and all the more so as you behold the day drawing near.” The day that he referred to has now drawn very near indeed. This must never be forgotten.

16. (a) What should the baptized one be careful to avoid? (b) What course under persecution meets with Jehovah’s approval?

¹⁶ The one who undergoes baptism should remember also that he must not let material riches allure him and cause him to leave the proper course of exclusive devotion to Jehovah, not even to get some temporary economic advantage from using the methods of the selfish old world. The danger of being ensnared into letting material things mean more to one than the high principles of New World living must always be watched. Neither should bad repute or threats of persecution, because of participating in the work of bearing witness, be allowed to hinder one from following the right course. ‘Think of Jesus,’ counsels the apostle, ‘who has endured such contrary talk by sinners.’ Think of the apostle John, who served Jehovah faithfully even in his old age, although it meant being exiled and put to hard labor as a prisoner on the island of Patmos; and of how Paul himself kept on faithfully amid great and continued persecution. (Heb. 12:2, 3; Rev. 1:9; 2 Cor. 11:23-27) Think of Jehovah’s witnesses in Germany in Hitler’s day and now behind the Iron Curtain and elsewhere under various dictatorships, how sufferings and privations have only spurred them on to greater zeal and how Jehovah has wonderfully blessed their efforts.

17. What special warning did Jesus give for our day?

¹⁷ One must never become so sure of himself that he thinks he is immune from being tempted to leave Jehovah’s service for one reason or another. He should remember that the King, Jesus Christ, himself warned, in Matthew 24:12, 13: “Because of the increasing of lawlessness the love of the greater number will cool off. But he that has endured to the finish is the one that will be saved.” It is necessary to be mindful also of the seemingly small things in connection with Jehovah’s work; for example, to stick to one’s agreements in the training program that is carried on in the congregations of Jehovah’s witnesses, not to neglect to report service results, and so on.

18. Should one think of the truth only when attending meetings?

¹⁸ In Revelation 12:9, 17 we read that “the great dragon . . . , the original serpent, the one called Devil and Satan,” who is now confined to the vicinity of the earth, is wrathful and wages war against those “who observe the commandments of God and have the work of bearing witness to Jesus.” For this reason it is all the more necessary to be on constant watch, to put on the complete suit of armor from God and to learn how to use the sword of the spirit, which is the Word of God, both to defend oneself and to be able to take the offensive against the enemy. (Eph. 6:11-18) To take the offensive is, in fact, the best defense. In the spiritual war, wherein Jehovah’s servants are engaged, this means to go out and tell other people about our great and wonderful God and show them the way to life. The Christian should not think of the truth only when at meetings, but should have it in his heart. The psalmist wrote: “How I do love your law! All day long it is my concern.” (Ps. 119:97) And not only in the daytime was that so, but also at night: “O God, you are my God, I keep looking for you. . . . When I have remembered you upon my bed, during the night watches I meditate on you half-aloud.” (Ps. 63:1, 6) When the heart is full of the truth, it is not difficult to speak to others about it; and that is what one should do, for “with the mouth one makes public declaration for salvation,” says Paul in Romans 10:10. And Peter says that Christians should always be “ready to make a defense before everyone that demands of [them] a reason for the hope” they have.—1 Pet. 3:15; Luke 6:45.

19. What should be the motive for dedication and baptism, and how is that motivating power manifested in our day?

¹⁹ If out of love one makes a dedication and obeys the command to get baptized, then the keeping of God’s other commands, such as that about public declaration of one’s faith and about attending meetings, will be easy, for they are fruits of love also. The exercising of love in association with fellow Christians results in greater appreciation of God’s requirements. The proverb says: “By iron, iron itself is sharpened. So one man sharpens the face of another.” (Prov. 27:17) Refraining from active service after baptism, like holding back from baptism itself, leaves one just outside that inner circle of nearness to God. At Acts 2:46, 47 we read that “day after day they [the apostles and the other early Christians] were in constant attendance at the temple with one accord, . . . praising God and finding acceptance with all the people.” Today all the great crowd of “other sheep” that have associated with the remnant of the joint heirs of Christ have been baptized with one accord and they have now joined in one accord in preaching the good news of the Kingdom.

20. (a) What song are Christians now singing against Satan? (b) Who will be saved when Gog makes his final attack?

²⁰ In doing so these Christian spiritual warriors will also be singing the taunting song against Satan, the oppressive ruler of the old world, telling the people that his time is limited, until Jehovah’s great Vindicator, the King of kings and Lord of lords, will send him and all his hordes of wicked demons into the abyss. Before that happens, however, Satan, the Gog of Ezekiel’s prophecy, will make his final, all-out, desperate attack on Jehovah’s people, whereof the prophet tells in chapters 38 and 39, and then only those will be saved who have ‘acknowledged their belief in Christ, the King, before men.’—Isa. 14:3-20; Luke 12:8, 9.

21. Why is it proper for one who is contemplating baptism to scrutinize himself, and for what should he then look?

²¹ Now, as to the appropriateness of getting baptized, it must be remembered that Jehovah searches the hearts and tries the minds of those he accepts for baptism. Proverbs 21:2 says: “Jehovah is estimating hearts.” We stand or fall before him and are accountable to him. So it is proper that each one who is contemplating baptism should scrutinize himself in the light of God’s Word to see whether there is something that would really prevent him from getting baptized. This will be further discussed in the following article.

“What Prevents Me from Getting Baptized?”

1, 2. Why did Philip not prevent the newly converted Ethiopian from getting baptized?

THE great work of discipling people of all the nations and baptizing them found one of its earliest converts in the person of a cabinet minister from Ethiopia, a Jewish proselyte, who was returning to his homeland after a journey to Jerusalem to worship at the temple. He was sitting in his chariot reading the prophecy of Isaiah. Jehovah’s angel directed Philip to go and preach to him, and this Philip did. After Philip’s explanation that the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy applied to Jesus, the Ethiopian eunuch had made up his mind. This was it! This was the truth! And so, as the account at Acts 8:36-38 relates: “Now as they were traveling over the road, they came to a certain body of water, and the eunuch said: ‘Look! a body of water; what prevents me from getting baptized?’ With that he commanded the chariot to halt, and they both went down into the water, both Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him.”

² Philip did not prevent the Ethiopian eunuch from getting baptized. He knew that as a Jewish proselyte he had enough knowledge and understanding to know what he was doing. Philip knew this was no snap decision on the spur of the moment. He also knew that the Ethiopian qualified as a candidate for baptism in the matter of moral cleanness. Was he not just returning from worship at the temple and had he not gone to the extent of a strenuous journey to do so? Had not Philip been called by the holy angel to witness to this man, indicating that God had ‘estimated the heart’ of the Ethiopian and was calling him into God’s organization for service? Yes. So why would Philip prevent the baptism?

3-5. What requirements must a person meet in order to qualify for baptism?

³ No man can prevent another from being baptized if he meets God’s requirements. It is Jehovah God who decides what qualifications must be met by candidates for baptism. Persons not meeting the requirements Jehovah sets are automatically prevented by him as being ineligible. The baptizer, or an understanding baptized ordained Christian minister knowing the facts, would then explain why such one does not qualify. Those desiring to do the divine will must come to God on his terms and meet his requirements. Only those persons who acknowledge the universal sovereignty of Jehovah, who trust in the ransom and are washed clean, who submit to the kingship of Jehovah’s Son, Christ Jesus, and who follow the leading of the holy spirit qualify for baptism. In this respect it should be noted that understanding and recognition of these fundamental doctrines is even more required than is technical Scriptural knowledge concerning them. Advanced detailed knowledge of the Scriptures may, and often does, come after baptism. Paul said concerning Christians in his day: “But you have been washed clean, but you have been sanctified, but you have been declared righteous in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ and with the spirit of our God.”—1 Cor. 6:11.

⁴ Another requirement for all candidates of baptism is recorded for us at Isaiah 52:11: “Turn away, turn away, get out of there, touch nothing unclean, get out from the midst of her, keep yourselves clean, you who are carrying the utensils of Jehovah.” Thus it is clear that all who wish to do the divine will must separate from the world and be clean. They must make whatever adjustments are necessary in their lives to conform to the moral standards laid down in God’s Word.

⁵ The requirements for baptism, then, can be summed up as (1) having enough knowledge and understanding to know what is being agreed to, and (2) being morally clean. In some countries the organization of Jehovah’s witnesses has had to take measures to make sure that both of these requirements are met. If someone does not yet understand the implications of baptism, then it is not the overseers in the organization who are preventing him from being baptized. Rather, baptism is temporarily postponed because of the ineligibility of the candidate. He does not understand and therefore could not be in harmony with God’s requirements. In the same way, a child under the age of reason is not eligible for baptism, because he does not understand all it means. In certain adults this lack of ability to understand the seriousness of the step they are taking is sometimes observed. In lands where this is common, the organization requires that a certain period of study be completed before a candidate is eligible. In the same manner, persons who need to make adjustments in their moral standard of living to conform to God’s righteous requirements should not be baptized until those changes have been made.

6, 7. (a) Who must answer the question as to whether there be something that prevents baptism? (b) When should dedication and baptism take place?

⁶ Now for all who have reached the point in life where they have accepted the truth and are prepared to come to Jehovah God as clean vessels, the time has come when they must ask themselves the same question as did the Ethiopian eunuch: “What prevents me from getting baptized?” His question was really one of self-scrutiny. Everyone must answer that question with a good conscience toward God.

⁷ If one recognizes the truth that Jehovah is and that his Son reigns, that his ransom applies to oneself and that Christ Jesus is dispensing the holy spirit in connection with God’s visible organization on the earth; if one has no problem relating to clean living that takes time to readjust; if one has been thinking seriously of giving one’s life to God’s service, what can one say in good conscience to the query: “What prevents me from getting baptized?” Nothing, except to express the same conclusion as the Ethiopian: Nothing prevents! There you have it! At the moment when one realizes that there is nothing preventing him is when he must be obedient to God and not postpone the receiving of water baptism.

8, 9. (a) Why are some dedicated ones postponing the step of baptism? (b) Will such postponing help in meeting responsibilities?

⁸ There are some dedicated ones, however, who for one reason or another are postponing their baptism. In some places in the earth as many as twenty-eight percent of those who publish the kingdom of God have not yet been baptized. If they are dedicated to God through Christ, what are the reasons for this? What is preventing them? A few are babes in knowledge and understanding and they should study more to have proper appreciation. Some others, new in the truth, have not had time to strip off the unclean habits of the world or straighten up their way of living with the opposite sex. These should get their lives straightened out first, become clean and stay clean. But by far the greatest number of these are persons who have enough knowledge to know the seriousness of the step of dedication. They are clean. If they have made a dedication and are still postponing baptism, they are disobeying a command. If they are not yet dedicated, then the answer is very simple: They should give themselves to God in complete dedication and stop holding back.

⁹ What prevents a clean person? Nothing, except a little thought in the mind of one who thinks that by postponing dedication a little longer he will be better able to meet the responsibilities. That is not so. In Asia, in Africa, in many countries where people have not had any Christian background those desiring to do the divine will have been able to come to a conclusion that they must change their lives over to Christian living in order to qualify for salvation. Oh, it takes a fierce inner struggle for a while, but as soon as the struggle is over and the realization that this is the truth dawns on him, that person quickly dedicates himself to Jehovah and submits to water immersion. But, remember, baptism is the symbol; it is not your dedication. Being dipped in water does not make the change. The heart must have changed. In many cases this change takes place in just a few months. Then there must be the holding faithful to the dedication.

10. Why should one not be fearful of dedicating himself although some have failed to be faithful?

¹⁰ How, then, can an answer be made to God in good conscience that there is some good reason to postpone dedication and baptism? No answer can. Some may be thinking that they know someone who made a dedication and failed. That may be, but what about those thousands upon thousands of dedicated ones all over the earth that are not failing, that are holding faithful to their dedication and baptism under great stress, persecutions and pressures of all kinds? There are certainly many more examples of those who dedicate and succeed than of those who dedicate and fail. It is not at all necessary to be fearful any longer. If one knows he should dedicate himself to God and be baptized and does not do so, the responsibility before Jehovah is the same as if he did. The man who makes a dedication and fails will not survive Armageddon, but neither will the man who postponed dedication and never took the steps to qualify him for life. Both will be equally dead. Why be in either class?

11. Could there be a more favorable time for dedication than the present?

¹¹ Could the desire for a more favorable time to dedicate one’s life to God because of the reluctance to give up the pleasures of the world be preventing baptism? There could certainly never be a more favorable time than now. As for the urgency of the time now and the pleasures of this world, the apostle admonishes at 1 John 2:17: “The world is passing away and so is its desire, but he that does the will of God remains forever.” There is no reason to delay longer, but every reason now to make up one’s mind to do the divine will all the way. There will never be a better or more urgent time to do so than right now.

12, 13. Give modern examples of how former ties have been broken by members of various faiths and a firm stand taken for Jehovah’s clean worship.

¹² The one submitting himself to baptism has broken former ties with Christendom or heathendom. This seemingly difficult step is being taken every day. In Africa the influence of witch doctors and fear of voodoo have been broken through the determination of newly dedicated and baptized Christians. In the Orient the powerful hold of ancestor worship has been repudiated even by old grandmothers who have worshiped their ancestors for many decades. This step has lost them old friends and acquaintances—something that is not easy for them, for to most Oriental people the standing among their friends and neighbors is more important than anything else in life. From all kinds of former beliefs people have come, dedicating and symbolizing that dedication by water immersion. Then they keep right on walking in their integrity. They have done what the Scriptures tell them to do, at 2 Corinthians 6:17: “‘Therefore get out from among them, and separate yourselves,’ says Jehovah, ‘and quit touching the unclean thing,’ ‘and I will take you in.’”

¹³ That is just what Jehovah has done today. How marvelous it is and how awe-inspiring it has been to see the spirit of Jehovah work on the minds of those formerly bound by pagan customs to repudiate the worship of demons and become ardent worshipers of Jehovah! This means making the mind over, and sometimes even a change of circumstances, but nothing has prevented them from dedicating and then being baptized. Some of these baptized ones were formerly followers of Buddha, striving for the nothingness of nonexistence. Some were formerly Confucianists, believing the best way of life was to follow a passive course of character development. Some were fiercely nationalistic Shinto worshipers of the Japanese emperor; some were Taoists, Mohammedans, Hindus, demon worshipers and atheists. Jehovah has taken them all in. Dedication and baptism became the door through which they were taken in. Any dedicated ones today thinking of postponing baptism should look at these marvelous modern-day examples of faithfulness from every quarter of the globe. By not holding back they have overcome all obstacles that might have prevented them from getting baptized.

14. Why must dedication never be “halfhearted”?

¹⁴ Dedication can never be a “halfhearted” thing. The footnote rendering of Psalm 119:113 substitutes the expression, “the double-minded ones I have hated,” for the main rendering, “the halfhearted ones I have hated.” Those understanding the necessity of dedication and baptism, but who for some reason hold back, are really being double-minded. One mind urges them to dedicate, the other influences them to try to hold on just a little longer to the glittering pleasures of this world. The greatest of Jesus’ two commandments was to “love Jehovah your God with your whole heart and with your whole soul.” (Matt. 22:37) No room for halfhearted dedication there. James (4:8) admonishes the “indecisive ones” to draw close to God, and he will “draw close to you.” Those who hold back are also holding themselves just outside that close, warm relationship with our Creator that comes with full dedication.

15. How should desire for dedication and baptism be developed in the hearts of the good-will people?

¹⁵ Jesus’ command to go and make disciples of people of all the nations, baptizing them, was given to faithful Christians of the early congregation. These loyal ones taught the seriousness of baptism to the new converts. So today, it is the responsibility of the mature to teach the seriousness of baptism. It is part of the upbuilding of the weak, for which the strong are responsible to the great Shepherd. By patient, tactful teaching and example they develop in the new person the desire for baptism. This is done gradually, but from very early in the weekly home Bible study that one conducts with the good-will person. Paul says: “For ‘anyone that calls upon the name of Jehovah will be saved’. However, how will they . . . hear without someone to preach?” (Rom. 10:13-15) In the same manner, how will people of good will know the way to translate their newly learned truth into New World living and dedication if the mature Christians do not develop the desire in the hearts of these good-will persons?

16, 17. (a) Could one overdo encouraging to get baptized? (b) Why should premature baptism be guarded against?

¹⁶ Encouraging baptism can be overdone to the point where the baptism is no longer the decision of the individual, and this should be avoided. All Christians take a personal interest in their future brothers and they want them to take this necessary step of obedience for life and be baptized. Yet, no Christian can urge baptism on another against his will. Baptism follows a private dedication of the heart to do the divine will of Jehovah. It must be a freewill decision, the deciding one knowing well what is involved and being willing to accept the responsibilities of service that go with it. The practice of being obedient to one’s elders that exists in many Oriental countries cannot be applied when it comes to deciding on baptism. One should never be baptized to please parents or the influential head of a family who might happen to be one of Jehovah’s witnesses.

¹⁷ Premature baptism should be guarded against. Baptism prematurely without the proper appreciation results in double-minded persons who look back into the world and long for the things left behind. That one’s separation from the world is required should definitely be first understood. Jesus said: “No man that has put his hand to a plow and looks at the things behind is well fitted for the kingdom of God.” (Luke 9:62) In the year 1959 there were 86,345 persons who put their hand to the plow. May they never turn and look at the things behind!

18, 19. What responsibility rests upon overseers and other mature Christians toward the newly interested ones?

¹⁸ In the case of the Ethiopian eunuch, when Philip heard him reading the prophecy of Isaiah he asked him: “Do you really know what you are reading aloud?” (Acts 8:30) This was in effect an examining of the Ethiopian and then, by explaining the Scriptures to him, Philip made sure he did know. A discerning minister is able to point out the things the student needs to know in such a way that he will see the necessity of dedicating himself, and he will never have to be asked to dedicate himself to God. A skillful and discerning minister knows how to do this. At Proverbs 20:5 it is written: “Counsel in the heart of a man is as deep waters, but the man of discernment is one that will draw it up.” The mature minister will not be timid to make known to the future candidate for baptism what Jehovah’s moral requirements are. The new person will then seek his counsel. Those who bear the vessels of Jehovah must be clean. Where moral standards have to be changed to conform to Bible principles, tactful early drawing up of the deep waters of counsel by the minister is needed so that the candidate can begin to rearrange his life where necessary. If a minister has been timid to bring up these matters, the candidate may have to meet the issue too suddenly and it may come as a shock of cold water.

¹⁹ Overseers and study conductors in the congregation organization also take an interest in the new persons of good will. In First Thessalonians, in the second chapter, 1Th 2 verses 3-12, the role of the mature overseer and conductor is summed up: “For the exhortation we give does not arise from error or from uncleanness . . . at no time have we turned up either with flattering speech, (just as you know) or with a false front for covetousness . . . we became gentle in the midst of you, . . . to the end that you should go on walking worthily of God who is calling you to his kingdom and glory.” The desire to give one’s life to God in dedication is developed patiently by the mature ministers, overseers and study conductors of the congregation.

20. (a) What advice is given in Ecclesiastes 5:5, 6? (b) Who in our day speak, in effect, like the apostles, as recorded in John 6:68?

²⁰ Now, before a person decides to dedicate himself to be one of Jehovah’s obedient servants, whatever may happen to him because of that, he must have counted the cost. In the book of Ecclesiastes, or Kohéleth (Ec 5:5, 6), it says: “Better is it that you vow not than that you vow and do not pay.” There is no compulsion from God in this matter. But if one has tasted that Jehovah is good, he will unquestionably want to be on His side, as the apostles answered Jesus: “Master, whom shall we go away to? You have sayings of everlasting life.”—John 6:68.

BY WHOM?

21. By whom should baptism be performed in order to be in accord with the divine will?

²¹ And by whom should he be baptized? Well, in these days of the established kingdom of God, who on earth are publishing those sayings of everlasting life? There is no question about it; it is Jehovah’s witnesses, the people upon whom he has been pleased to place his own holy name and into whose care he has committed the interests of his kingdom. Hence it is proper that immersion in symbol of dedication should be performed by one of these witnesses and by no other men. Arrangements for baptism are always made at every circuit and district assembly of the Witnesses, and may be made occasionally in local congregations when special circumstances call for that.

22-24. (a) Should candidates be asked questions before being admitted to baptism? Why? How should they be answered? (b) What is the substance of the first question? (c) Of the second one?

²² Before candidates are admitted to baptism it is proper that they answer two questions, so that all those assembled with them for the occasion may be witnesses who have heard from the candidates’ own mouths that they understand what they are doing and that they have taken the required steps. Those who can answer the questions in the affirmative should say, “Yes,” after each question, and should say it loudly and in unison, that is, all at the same time.

²³ The first question is: Have you recognized yourself before Jehovah God as a sinner who needs salvation, and have you acknowledged to him that this salvation proceeds from him, the Father, through his Son Jesus Christ?

²⁴ The second question is: On the basis of this faith in God and in his provision for salvation have you dedicated yourself unreservedly to God to do his will henceforth as he reveals it to you through Jesus Christ and through the Bible under the enlightening power of the holy spirit?

25. What should the baptized ones remember?

²⁵ Everyone who has answered “Yes” to these two questions is eligible for baptism and should be baptized at that same circuit or district assembly of Jehovah’s witnesses. The baptized ones should remember the day; it is the day of their symbolizing their dedication because of which dedication they receive an ordination to preach the good news of the kingdom of heaven. They should make a notation of it, the date and the year, lest they ever forget it. And they should remember also that that day of great and deep joy is no time to show hilarity or fanaticism; it is a serious occasion, and the ones undergoing baptism should have a prayerful attitude, just as we read about Jesus, that he prayed when he went up out of the water.—Luke 3:21.

26. What should all who learn the truth and take their stand for God now do?

²⁶ The conclusion of the matter, then, is that it behooves all who learn the truth about Jehovah God and about his Son, the Redeemer and Savior of man, and take their stand by dedication on the side of the Creator to get baptized without fail in symbol of it, according to the divine will, and then continue in loving obedience to that will. For “he that does the will of God remains forever.”—1 John 2:17.

Jehovah Has Become King

Has God always ruled the earth? What will his kingdom mean for mankind?

FOR many years the ancient people of Israel slaved under tyranny to Egypt. Its Pharaoh even embarked on a policy of genocide to wipe them out. What a time of rejoicing it was when, on Nisan 14, 1513 B.C., they marched out of Egypt! Fittingly God commanded them to commemorate this date. Although Pharaoh not long thereafter put them once more in jeopardy at the Red Sea, momentarily, and they themselves had to war to take possession of the land of Canaan, that date did mark the turning point, the beginning of their full deliverance.—Exodus, chaps. 1-15.

In modern times other peoples annually commemorate other dates as turning points in their quest for freedom. For the people of the United States it is July 4, 1776; for those of Brazil it is November 15, 1899; for those of China it is the “double ten,” October 10, 1911.

But the most important date for all human creation is 1914 (about October 1), for that marked the greatest turning point in all human history. It will eventually result in giving all men of good will toward God freedom not only from political tyrants, but from all forms of tyranny, by unseen demons, by economic giants, by powerful religious organizations, and even freedom from sin, sickness, pain and death. How so? Because from that year on the prophetic words apply: “Sing to Jehovah a new song. . . . Say among the nations: ‘Jehovah himself has become king.’”—Ps. 96:1, 10.

JEHOVAH AS KING

But perhaps you will ask, Has not God always been King—from the very time he had at least one subject, his only-begotten Son? Yes, that is true regarding his heavenly dominions but not of his earthly one. While Adam and Eve remained obedient God’s rule did directly extend to this earth, but not since their rebellion. Since then there has been no direct rule of God upon this earth save in the tiny area held by