Sacraments October 26, 2004
Posted by BatWeasel in : General , trackbackTwo serious posts in two weeks from the batweasel? What is the world coming to? This one may not be very coherent, but I need to get this out because I’m going to need help…
So, my husband and I met with our pastor tonight about becoming members of the church (Shelby Christian). We’ve been attending for about a year and a half now. It’s such a wonderful church, and really couldn’t have a nicer pastor. I’ve been taking discipleship training classes and we both just feel like we need to take the step towards membership so we can be more involved. Sounds easy huh?
Unfortunately it’s not so easy…. and let me preface this with the fact that the pastor broke the news to us as nicely and diplomatically as a guy could have… but the long and short of it is that I can’t join the church, at least not as I am. I was baptised as a baby (strike one) and was “sprinkled” and not “dunked” (strike two, and doesn’t that make me sound like a donut?). In the eyes of this church, I’m not truly saved and actually all this time I should not have even been taking communion because they believe only IMMERSED believers should do that. In order to become a member I will have to be re-baptised. Or not even RE-baptised… if I decide to do this I have to decide my first doesn’t count or at least wasn’t good enough. And while I had wondered if my baptism might be a problem it had never even occured to me to question whether I ought to take communion!
So a little too much of what I’ve taken for granted got turned upside down today! The pastor did say that he would never presume to judge in God’s place whether a person is saved or is OK to take communion, he truly was very nice about it all. But if I do decide to become a member I’ll have to agree that I NEED another baptism, which is like invalidating my first… which is rough and I don’t know yet how to work that out. And then what do I do Sunday? Do I take communion? Do I pass it by? And how the heck will I know whether I’m doing ANY of this for the right reasons?
I’m befuddled.
Comments»
What I have come to believe is that baptism is a choice made after one accepts Christ into their life. I see nothing wrong with a baby being sprinkled as long as it is realized that a conscious decision was not made to do it so it is more like being blessed.
As to not being saved unless you have a full immerssion baptism sounds extremely legalistic to me. I see baptism as a proclamation of ones faith in Christ and a way of making a promise to God that you are going to follow him. In my Study Bible there is a little note by 1 Peter 3:21 thats says, “Some say baptism is a necessary element of salvation. Others disagree, pointing to those who received the Holy Spirit before baptism (Acts 10:47). This verse describes that baptism is a pledge–a sign of your commitment to Jesus Christ.” It is the heart of the matter that is most important. One reason for people saying that full immersion should be done partly relates to symbolizm. When somebody is dunked under the water they leave their sins behind as they come up. They have been washed completely clean. Another thing is that baptism doesn’t necessarily have to be a one time thing. My dad was rebaptized a few years ago. It is much like rededication, where one may have realized that they drifted from the calling or haven’t been following Christ like promised and so one can rededicated their life to Christ.
Jesus is adament on one thing baptism is a matter of obediance. Matthew 28:19 says, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” John 3:5 states, “Jesus answered, ‘I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is bor of water and the Spirit.’” This could speak of baptism (repentence symbolized by water) or life in the Spirit.
I do not mean to sound judgemental of your church or anything like that but I feel that it is not right for a church to say that someone can not be saved without full immersion baptism. Let me be a cynic and ask, If they have a problem with this might there be some other discrepancies in the church. I have come to believe strongly that churchs in general get too caught up in doctrine that they miss the heart of Christ. Stuff like this can turn into the divisions that Paul spoke of in 1 Corinthians. “Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized into the name of Paul?” A couple verses later Paul says that he was sent to preach the gospel, “Not with words of human wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.” As a church are we reducing the power of the cross?
My suggestion, Pray. Seek God’s will for you and get into what the Bible has to say about baptism and churchs preaching a doctrine that is not necessarily founded in Scripture. Jesus never said someone had to be completely dunked in water to be saved.
Thanks Jax, I do feel better hearing what you said. In fact, it’s printed out for me to have as reference when I do my Bible study tonight! I do believe that I am saved, I made my decision for Christ when I confirmed my baptism in 8th grade. And if He wants me to be rebaptised I am willing to do it - obviously what God wants takes precedence over my feelings and thoughts. It is good to know too that your dad was rebaptised. My husband was as well. I’m just having trouble thinking of a reason for me to do it. I haven’t strayed away - I’m closer to God than I ever have been. I am saved. I believe I have the Holy Spirit (although I suppose one can never know that for sure?). I still believe in the validity of my first baptism (in light of my confirmation) - I guess that’s the sticking point isn’t it? It’s got to mean something more than just “adding water”… God and I have a lot to discuss… but thank you for your input, I can tell you put a lot of thought into it and I do feel better now.
Salvation cannot come through any act of our own. Only through the saving grace and blood of Christ. Because of this, I don’t think that baptism is required to get into heaven. I was baptized as a child some years after I came into an understanding of faith (what limited understanding I had at the time). My parents had me and my then infant sister baptised at the same time. To the church I grew up in, baptism was not a symbol of your choice to accept Christ, but a symbol of Christ’s grace and love. We took baptism as a covenant between the child, the family, the church and God to raise the child and support him in a Christian manner.
When churches start pushing certain actions on us that we must perform, I think that is hypocritical. The Bible is clear that only Christ’s grace can save us, not some traditional ritual. What is important is to be transformed through love, not to jump through the right hoops and dance the right steps.
Huzzah and all of that.