Why No Date of Birth?

We do not use a date-of-birth on a Kingdom of Heaven driver license because it is an invention of the State. The date-of-birth is the day that a baby comes forth from his mother's womb. The doctor and parents, being citizens of the State, witness the birth and register the child in the State inventory records. Through the filing of a birth certificate, the State aggressively claims ownership over this new human resource. Whatever the State creates, the State controls. Even if no papers are filed, the child is still a citizen of the State because the baby's parents are citizens.

To those who have been born again from above, a date-of-birth is meaningless. In Christ's government, baptism is the important event. This new date takes precedence over the State-created date-of-birth. When an individual is baptized, he is a new creature, old things have passed away, the new has come (2 Corinthians 5:17). Through baptism, the new creature is automatically removed from the State's claim.

Unfortunately, the State does not respect the loss of jurisdiction when an individual is baptized. This is because most people are baptized by State churches. State churches are religious organizations that have gained permission to exist through State incorporation. These churches are just another agency of the State. They have lost their authority under the Kingdom of Heaven to perform true baptisms. When they baptize a repentant soul, they keep him under the realm of the State. They do not baptize him into the Kingdom of Heaven. Therefore, the status of the individual does not change. He is still viewed as a State citizen, not a citizen of Heaven.

True baptism is a cleansing or purging of the old. You can be baptized by water, fire, or the Holy Spirit. Water baptism is also a public declaration of your new allegiance to Jesus Christ. As you pass through the waters, baptism symbolizes the drowning of the Old Man, born of the flesh, and the emerging of the New Creation, born of the Spirit.

The waters of baptism represent the escape from the world system, which is under divine judgment. When we are baptized, we are baptized into Christ's death. Death puts an end to our relationship with the world system, but baptism also represents a new birth into Christ Jesus as Sovereign Lord.

With the churches in the pocket of the State, baptism loses its political significance. The State does not fear that their citizens are joining another government. Even if the new converts say, "Jesus is Lord," they mean Jesus is Lord under the State.

The True Church is not to be yoked with unbelievers (2 Corinthians 6:14). Its life comes from Jesus Christ by eating His body and drinking His blood (John 6:53-58). The Church cannot serve both the State and the Kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 6:24).

In order to overcome the State, we must come out (2 Corinthians 6:17) and be baptized into the True Church (Matthew 28:19). This causes the State "date-of-birth" to become obsolete and removes us from State citizenship. Let us therefore go forth as new creatures. The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand (Matthew 4:17).