THE STATE OF THE CHURCH: Part 4 - Baptism

Baptism Defined

Imagine that four people have entered an abandoned coal mine and are trapped by falling rock. They have no avenue of escape and face certain death unless outside help comes. Imagine further that the four went into the mine earlier that day for different reasons. Brian, a thrill-seeker, was well aware of the potential danger but could not resist the lure of excitement. Judy, a victim of innocent curiosity, came upon the mine entrance during her morning walk and decided to investigate its interior. Peggy, a teenage rebel, blatantly disobeyed her mother’s orders to stay out of the mine. Kevin, an experienced underground miner, saw the other three go in and followed to help.

Think for a moment about the dire plight of these four trapped individuals. Consider their helplessness. Think of the mixture of fear, regret, and dread inside each of them. Pretend that you are one of them, desperately in need of release. Now imagine hearing a knocking and a rumbling coming from the outside, the sounds of a potential rescue. Think of the swell of hope inside you as this is heard, the crescendo of anticipation as the sound gets nearer, the sheer relief and joy when a man arrives to lead you to safety.

Can you predict the reaction of these four people when they reach the surface? What would they do and say when safe and sound? I guarantee that every one of them would tell and retell the horror of their entombment and the ecstasy of their release. And they would publicly praise and thank the man who rescued them from certain death. Trapped below for different reasons, the four would be unanimous in testifying about their salvation and their savior.

This, in essence, captures what baptism is supposed to be. Men and women, hopelessly trapped by sin but rescued by God through Jesus Christ, joyfully consent to be baptized to testify of their salvation and to pay tribute to their Savior. Baptism is thus a powerful statement that a person has believed, repented, and been converted.

Baptism Debated

There is no evidence in the New Testament of any controversy surrounding baptism. In the first century, baptism was via immersion and always occurred after repentance and conversion. Disagreement about it abounds today, however, usually following denominational lines. These differences of opinion tend to revolve around two areas. One is the method of baptism which, in my opinion, is not a crucial distinction. The other is the meaning of baptism, which I contend is vital to Christianity and must be preserved by the Church.

The Method of Baptism

Baptism today comes in various forms. Some churches still baptize by immersion, while others sprinkle. Some denominations do not baptize at all. In some churches, baptism is reserved for adults. Others allow school-aged children to be baptized. Still others sprinkle or immerse tiny infants. Some denominations believe that baptism is purely a symbolic act and has no saving properties. They believe that you can be saved without being baptized. Others believe that salvation comes to the individual during the ritual. They believe that you must be baptized to be saved. To say the least, this can be confusing, even to churchgoers.

In regard to the method of baptism, my personal preference is immersion. Part of the reason is denominational. As a Southern Baptist, I am well-acquainted and comfortable with baptism by immersion. As a seven-year-old pastor’s son, I was immersed by my father after my conversion. Another reason is historical, the fact that immersion was practiced exclusively by the New Testament Church. A third reason is symbolic. Of the various methods of baptism, immersion gives the clearest picture of Jesus’ death and resurrection and of the believer’s dying to sin and being raised to new life.

My next statement may surprise you. In spite of my bent toward immersion, I do not consider this method of baptism to be essential. It is my opinion that sprinkling is an acceptable alternative, differing from immersion only in the volume of water used and the size of its container. Anyone who claims that sprinkling is worthless should consider the manner in which the Lord’s Supper is administered in his or her own church. Almost every congregation today uses miniature cups and small wafers or crackers, a far cry from the meal-sized servings that were partaken in the first century. If the sacraments are reduced in size today yet still accepted, then reducing baptism to sprinkling should not be considered off-limits. Simply put, I prefer immersion but don’t have an argument with a different method of baptism, as long as the New Testament meaning of baptism is preserved.

The Meaning of Baptism

In the New Testament, baptism was always a believer’s public testimony of his or her salvation. In agreeing to be baptized, the person was proclaiming that Jesus is both crucified Savior and resurrected Lord. He or she was telling everyone present that they had experienced repentance and conversion.  There is simply no evidence in the Bible that baptism ever preceded the experience of salvation.

This is where I, too, draw the line. There should be no room in today’s Church for baptism before belief. When liturgical churches baptize or sprinkle infants, they violate the very essence of baptism. Similarly, it is an abhorrent practice when evangelical churches quickly and flippantly baptize new converts without first making sure they have “confessed with their mouths that Jesus is Lord and believed in their hearts that God has raised him from the dead.” We don’t give the unmarried, including little children, wedding bands in anticipation of their future matrimony. The ring ceremony follows the vows. The wedding ring is a symbol that a couple has been married. So it is with the Bride and the Bridegroom. The marriage (salvation) should always precede the symbol (baptism). No exceptions should be allowed. Churches today must make the correct but difficult decision to restore baptism to its New Testament meaning.

I would much rather see a believer sprinkled with holy water than an unbeliever immersed in a baptismal pool. Of course, I personally would prefer seeing a believer immersed, for that is the method with which I am most comfortable. But, given the choice between method and meaning, I will choose meaning every time.

Baptism Defiled

Consider again the four people rescued from that abandoned mine shaft. Imagine the mass of reporters straining to hear the testimony of Brian, Judy, Peggy, and Kevin. What if the reporters also gathered around a fifth person, a man named John, who did not go inside the mine and had not been saved? What if John gave the reporters a made-up story, saying that he was also trapped with the others and miraculously rescued? What if John gave the reporters vivid details of his hopelessness inside the mine and his joy outside it? What if the reporters believed him and printed his story but later discovered that they had been duped? What would their reaction be? What would their readers think of John when the fallacy of his experience was exposed?

You know the answers. The outcry against John would be loud and clear. You and everyone else would call him an imposter. He would be strongly criticized for taking the focus away from the four who had truly been saved.

Baptism is a believer’s testimony of his or her salvation experience. When the Church baptizes someone who has not experienced salvation, the testimony is bogus. Baptism is defiled and, to make matters worse, the Church is an accomplice. God, forbid!

NEXT WEEK
Part 5 – Discipleship