At the end of the Gospel of Matthew, the risen Jesus commanded his disciples to go out into the world and to make disciples and to baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Churches disagree on virtually every aspect of how a baptism is done and what it means but one of the areas of agreement is that it is something which is important for all Christians.
Tag: theology
-
The case for believer’s baptism
Baptism is a subject that has a rich tradition within the church and which has, at times, been the source of heated division.
The importance of baptism is almost universally agreed upon within Christendom. But from that common starting point, churches have diverged on nearly every aspect of baptism. Questions which have been at the forefront of the historical debate have included:
Who can be baptized?Is it for believers or for believers and their children?
Who can do the baptizing?
Does it have to be an ordained minister or can others from within the church or the biological family baptize?
How should the baptism be administered?
Should a person be dunked in water? Or sprinkled with water? Or should water be poured?
Is there special about the water itself?
The first church I ever attended was a Presbyterian Church and someone had taken a trip to Israel and this church had water that was from the River Jordan. The pastor always poured a little bit into the baptismal.
What is said during baptism?
I read a story earlier this year about a Catholic Priest who realized that he had said the wrong words for over 20 years. He was supposed to say “I baptize you in the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”
What he actually said was “We baptize you.”
In the eyes of the Catholic Church, those baptisms are not considered valid.
Is there any formal preparation for the baptism?
Throughout history, some churches have had various requirements such as fasting, or confirmation classes before being baptized.
What does the baptism signify?
Is it the cause of our being born again? Does it wash away sin?
What happens spiritually when a person is baptized?
Does it save us? Does it help save us? Do we receive the Holy Spirit in baptism?
What does someone wear during a baptism?
In some churches, people wear white. In the early church, there are accounts of people being baptized naked!
Is baptism necessary for salvation?
And there are many other questions.
Just about the only thing that all churches agree on is that baptism involves water.
GENERAL OBSERVATIONS
I want to begin with a couple of general comments on baptism.
Baptism is important.
At the end of the Gospel of Matthew, the risen Jesus commanded his disciples to: Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:19-20).
Baptism is important to Jesus and it should be important to his Church.
At the church I pastor, we teach and practice believer’s baptism – sometimes also called credobaptism. Credo comes from the Latin word for believe. That is the idea that in order to be baptized, a person must give a profession of faith that Jesus Christ is their Lord and savior in whom they have placed their faith.
The other major side of the baptism discussion are churches who practice infant baptism. I know many people in this church were raised in churches that practice infant baptism.
The believer’s or infant baptism discussion is an important subject. While we don’t teach infant baptism, there are churches that do who are faithfully preaching the gospel who love Jesus, who love the Word of God. There are faithful brothers and sisters in Christ who agree on the importance of baptism but disagree not on if but when it should be done.
And while I affirm believer’s baptism, I can sincerely respect the arguments for infant baptism.
I read those arguments, and it’s not like I come away thinking “well how could someone believe that?” I don’t think it involves in crazy leaps studying your Bible to come down on that side.
No, they have legitimate points, but I think the Biblical reasons for believer’s baptism are simply stronger.
CHURCH INTERVIEW STORY
I’ll tell this quick story. A few years ago, before we had ever interviewed with this church, I interviewed at another church and the subject of baptism came up. They too believed in believer’s baptism but as people started talking, some of them were really mocking the idea of infant baptism and churches who practice it.
I didn’t appreciate that.
I do think that disagreements on that subject should be done in a Spirit of grace and respect within the church.
It wasn’t the only factor but when that church invited me to candidate to be their pastor, I turned them down.
In this post, I want to make the case for mwhy I favor believer’s baptism. Again this is an expansive debate and I can’t begin to answer every aspect of the baptism discussion in one blog post, but I think this is a helpful starting point.
THE CASE FOR BELIEVER’S BAPTISM
Why should we believer believer’s baptism?
There is not one single text in the Bible which explicitly calls for the baptism of newborns.
I’ll say that again.
There is no text in the Bible which explicitly says that babies ought to be baptized or for that matter, that anyone who cannot profess to believe in the gospel should be baptized. .
Our passage this morning comes from the Book of Acts and it’s an important passage because it takes place on Pentecost. That’s the day that the Holy Spirit was first poured out on the disciples and the new followers of Jesus.
I often talk about the ordering of the life, death, resurrection of Jesus. But then after that, you have his ascension, when he ascended into heaven. That’s in Acts chapter 1. And then you have Pentecost which is when the Spirit was poured out on the Church in our passage in Acts 2.
In Acts 2:14-36, the Apostle Peter gives his Pentecost sermon. In that sermon, Peter is talking about the death and resurrection of Jesus, and his exaltation which was prophesied in the Old Testament. Peter also talks of how the Old Testament looked to a time when God’s Spirit would be given to God’s people.
Verse 37 picks up with people’s response to Peter.
37 Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”
The people are asking how they should respond to the gospel that Peter has just preached
38 And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
REPENT AND BE BAPTIZED.
That order is important.
It’s not be baptized and then maybe in a few years, you’ll hopefully repent.
Now the Book of Acts chronicles the activities of the early church and the pattern we see in Acts is that a response of faith precedes baptism.
Acts 8:12-13, the Apostle Philip has preached the gospel and people have believed:
12 But when they believed Philip as he preached good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. 13 Even Simon himself believed, and after being baptized he continued with Philip.
Acts 9:18, following the conversion of the man we know as the Apostle Paul:
18 And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he rose and was baptized
In Acts 19:4-5, the Apostle Paul is sharing the gospel in Ephesus:
And Paul said, “John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, Jesus.” 5 On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
And there are other examples but that’s the pattern and I would argue that’s always the pattern in the Bible.
A person has faith, believes in the gospel and baptism is a response to the inward faith.
At Pentecost, Peter said to repent and be baptized.
True repentance is something that we do because of faith. Repentance is looking to our sinfulness and turning from that. That requires both faith and awareness of our sins.
WHAT ABOUT HOUSEHOLD BAPTISMS?
One of the common arguments for infant baptism is that in the Book of Acts, there are household baptisms. There are four such household baptisms in Acts and we hear one referenced in First Corinthians. In those passages, a person comes to faith and they are baptized and the passage mentions that their household was too.
The argument assumes that there must have also been babies in some of those homes and so that is demonstrating infant baptism.
None of those passages specifically say that there were infants or children. A person could counter argue, that those passages also don’t say that there weren’t any children or infants.
That’s true. But I think the more significant point when considering household baptisms is the fact that none of the passages point to one person coming to faith and the rest of their family also getting baptized against their will as unrepentant and unregenerate nonbelievers.
I’ll show what I mean.
In Acts 16, we learn about a Philippian jailer who asks Paul and Silas what he must do to be saved.
Acts 16:30-31: “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” 31 And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.”
So does that mean if this man comes to faith, his entire household will also come to faith?
Is the text saying that if this man believes, then his whole family will believe because he believed?
No.
Next couple of verses: 32 And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. 33 And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds; and he was baptized at once, he and all his family (Acts 16:32-33).
A person could still look at this and argue that the whole household got baptized because the father became a Christian.
But the key is verse 34:
34 Then he brought them up into his house and set food before them. And he rejoiced along with his entire household that he had believed in God.
The most plausible interpretation is that his household believed and that was the source of their rejoicing. It was not because he had a family of unrepentant people who opposed the gospel who received a no faith baptism that they’re rejoicing in a gospel that they don’t believe in.
Acts 18:8 talks of the household of a man named Crispus being baptized.
8 Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed in the Lord, together with his entire household. And many of the Corinthians hearing Paul believed and were baptized.
Once again, the passage says that his household was baptized but it also said that his entire household had believed in the gospel.
That’s the pattern that we see in Acts. In our primary text of Acts 2:41, we see believers responding to the gospel in faith: So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.
Acts 10 talks of the household of Cornelius coming to faith and as a response to that faith, they are baptized.
Acts 10:46-48: they were hearing them speaking in tongues and extolling God. Then Peter declared, 47 “Can anyone withhold water for baptizing these people, who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?” 48 And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.
In 1 Corinthians 1:16, Paul mentions having baptized the household of Stephanus.
But then later in the letter, Paul talks of the faith of the family of Stephanus when he says in 1 Corinthians 16:15:
15 Now I urge you, brothers—you know that the household of Stephanas were the first converts in Achaia, and that they have devoted themselves to the service of the saints—
Acts 16 talks of a woman named Lydia coming to faith and being baptized along with her household. That is the one text where there is not quite as much elaboration but given the pattern we’ve seen elsewhere, I think the best argument is that her household was baptized because her household were believers in the gospel.
I return to my premise from the beginning that there is not one single text in the Bible which definitively points to infant baptism.
Even the household baptism passages point to household being baptized after having responded to the gospel by faith.
All of the passages we’ve discussed I would argue point to a consistent pattern in the New Testament of having faith in the gospel and being baptized as a result of that faith.
Thanks for reading! If you liked this post, please share and subscribe!
-
The hardest commandment: love your neighbor
Throughout the Bible, there are lots of commands to love people. Why?
Obviously because it’s important. But it’s also interesting that the command keeps coming up.
The fact that it has to be told to us over and over again points to the fact that it’s actually hard for us to do. The Bible doesn’t call us to do things are super simple and which come naturally to us.
There’s no command to love chocolate in the Bible.
Loving people is hard. And part of why it’s hard is because we don’t think it’s hard.
It goes back to how we use the language of the things we love. If we will throw around the word “love” for things we don’t actually even love, then we believe in an idea of love that’s pretty easy.
The Greek language actually had four words for four different types of love. I’m not going to get into all of those this morning, but even to know that fact is interesting. That there are different ideas of love, different types of love.
And we probably all understand that but we only have one word for love. We don’t think it’s hard to love people because we think love is easy.
Real love is hard.
Sometimes when we say “love,” what we really mean is tolerance. Let and let live is not love. That’s easy. Anyone can do that.
We do love our families. That’s usually pretty easy, at least for most of them. They’re our family. But we’re called to love everyone.
Now, that’s easy to do in that aggregate. It’s easy to love humanity as a human race and want what’s best for it. And that’s fine. But that’s also pretty easy because that’s so big and broad that we can also still get away without having that really needing to impact how we live.
But what about loving the people who are hard to love.
Jesus and love
We see that from Jesus throughout his ministry.
We see him associating with those his society most despised. We see him visit lepers, people who were viewed as inherently unclean and who were outcasts in their society. We see him show grace to a woman who was a prostitute.
One of his disciples was a tax collector. Tax collectors were hated in their society. For the Jewish people, they were looked at as being traitors to their people. Taking money from Israelites to give to Rome. We see Jesus show grace to those who hated him, personally. Pharisees who plotted against him, guards who beat him, officials who crucified him.
Jesus loved the groups who were hard to love.
Every society has its groups it looks down upon. We see how Jesus showed love. Who are the groups with whom our society struggles?
Criminals. People who struggle with addiction.
People who have hurt us. And that can be hard. There’s incredible damage people can inflict. Forgiveness can be hard. Let alone saying that we love that person.
People who have different political views than us. The division right now in this country is incredible. Some of us can really struggle with not being judgemental on those who have some different political views.
You still have to love them.
How do we love people? It begins not with the people, but with the God we serve. Loving others is, and especially loving those who are hard to love is a reflection of our love for God.
We are to love others because we have a savior who loves us when we were unlovable.
Knowing the love God has for us. Knowing the need others have for grace and the gospel. Knowing that every person we meet is created in the image of God and is worthy of value and dignity.
How do we love people?
By praying for a person, by sharing the good news of Jesus with someone, by showing kindness to someone, by serving someone. By stepping into a person’s life.
Jesus stepped into our world to show love for our world.
Jesus went out and found the people who were hard to love. We actually can have pretty good control of our surroundings to avoid people we don’t want to be around. And I’m not saying that we all need to make a checklist of every difficult group. But let me ask you this: when is the last time you’ve had to regularly interact with someone who challenged you? When was the last time you’ve been around someone where you’ve had to turn to God and ask you for strength to love that person?
For some of us, maybe it’s been recent.
And I’m not even saying that you need to go out today and go out of your way to find the most difficult person you possibly can. But I think we do need to have some humility that love is actually hard. The love that God calls us to is hard. But Jesus didn’t shy away from us, he didn’t walk away from our world, he entered into it. He loved us when we were unlovable.
We can’t do it perfectly. But we have a savior who loves us perfectly.
And the more we understand God’s grace, and the more we grow in our love for God, the more that is meant to impact our love for those around us.
Thanks for reading! If you liked this post, please share and subscribe.
-
Warning signs of abusive churches
In Paul’s letter to the Galatians, the church had been infiltrated by people who had corrupted the gospel message and were seeking to add law onto grace.
In Galatians 5:1, Paul said for freedom, Christ has set us free.
Sadly, many churches fall into similar problems today with authority that is not Biblical and which brings its own form of slavery rather than the freedom Jesus died to give.
Here are six warning signs, in a list which is by no means exhaustive.
- The leadership is authoritarian
If you have a pastor – or leaders in general – who are not accessible or accountable, it’s creating the conditions for problems. Other signs of authoritarian leaders: a leader who never admits that he or she is wrong, lacks compassion and empathy for others, and is strong-willed to get his or her way.
If all of the power in the church is effectively given to one person, that’s also a sign of authoritarian leadership. The biggest problem with that leadership style is that it’s not Biblical.
There have been some high profile instances of megachurch pastors being forced out because of abusive leadership. But those are just the examples we hear about. It can happen in a church of any size.
An abusive pastor can do tremendous damage. They can hinder rather than help someone’s walk with Christ. They can sour a person on the church.
But the issue isn’t ultimately THE CHURCH. It always comes back to people, and sin, and adding to the gospel, which brings slavery.
2. Secrecy
A church shouldn’t have levels of access. Some churches, people have no idea how that stuff is working. And when churches do that, it can be a symptom of a bigger issue with authority.Because there’s no reason why that stuff needs to be secret.
Again, I’m not saying it’s always because a church is deliberately doing something inappropriate. But it allows for those conditions.
3. Every issue is a gospel issue
Some issues are gospel issues. That’s what we see in Galatians. In Galatians, the gospel itself was being undermined. The way in which we can be forgiven by Christ was being undermined. That was a non-negotiable.
Third warning sign of a church that is bringing slavery over freedom. If every issue becomes a gospel issue, it becomes its own form of intellectual tyranny.
But if you make everything non-negotiable, you basically crush independent thought, you crush honest conversations, and questions. It’s seeking blind compliance.
4. If the church makes the members prisoners
If the church calls your salvation into question if you leave it for another church, that’s a warning sign. Because it’s elevating their church to have influence over your salvation. We’re saved by faith in Christ.
If you’re a follower of Christ, it is important to be part of a church. The New Testament is clear on that. And I’ve before made the commentary that our culture is way too quick to leave good churches for reasons which are not rooted in theology, but which are rooted in personal preferences.
But sometimes there can be legitimate grounds to leave.
5. If they have a culture of shame around doubts and honest questions
Fifth, if you can’t ask honest questions or if you’re afraid to express doubts. Sometimes we go through a spiritual crisis where we’re really struggling. A church needs to be a place where a person can have the comfort to be open and honest about that. Without fear. A church needs to be a place where you can talk about your struggles.
The Bible does tell us to bear one another’s burdens. Not to be forced into hiding.
6. Adding to the gospel
The sixth warning sign, if a church makes you feel guilty and like you’re never doing enough, or they’re adding things to the gospel and tying them to salvation.
If people are led to believe that anyone besides Jesus is their savior, and anything besides the gospel is the means by which they are saved, then it’s a church that has added law onto the gospel.
That’s not to say that pointing out what the Bible calls Christians to do is legalism or slavery. But when we act like doing certain things in addition to the gospel is contributing to our salvation, we have added works to grace.
Thanks for reading! If you liked this post, please share and subscribe.
-
Evangelism Training Podcast #7 Jordan Acer
In this episode, we talk with Jordan Acer about being a minister outside of the church. Most Christians are not pastors or elders, but that doesn’t mean that theyr’e off the hook as far as serving the church in meaningful ways. No matter what a person does professionally, that can be an extension of his or her ministry.
