.
The so-called great commission per Matt 28:16-20 was given to the eleven
original apostles, but Paul's commission was somehow different, e.g. "Christ
sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel" (1Cor 1:17)
For example: at Rom 10:9 he says:
"If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in
thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
. . . For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the
mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever
believeth on him shall not be ashamed.
. . . For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same
Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon
the name of the Lord shall be saved."
And at 1Cor 15:1-4 he says:
"Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto
you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; by which also ye
are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have
believed in vain.
. . . For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that
Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that he was buried,
and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures."
That's it. Not one word about ritual baptism in water; whereas Peter, one of
the original eleven, typically concluded his sermons with a call to baptism;
which is curious because Paul himself was called to baptism (Acts 9:18) and
is known to have been involved in some. (Acts 19:1-8 and 1Cor 1:14-16).
It's as though Christ's commission via the original apostles was old school,
and in time, Christ's commission via Paul became the new school. I realize it
seems impossible; but I'm hard pressed to think of any other reason why
Paul's message would de-emphasize ritual baptism unless the Lord
instructed him to.
• Gal 1:11-12 . . I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached
of me is not after man. For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught
it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.
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