On The Meaning Of Baptism

“But we’re all one in Christ Jesus, right? You baptize your way, we baptize His way....” - Baptist Preacher Tony Campolo to a United Methodist Assembly


Funny, isn’t it? OK, maybe that depends on your perspective.

I live in the same small community I grew up in. It’s a suburban, almost rural, church-on-every-corner kind of community. One of my best friends was Pentecostal. I also had Presbyterian and Freewill Baptist friends.

Looking back I’m amazed that given the amount of time we spent together at school, we didn’t talk more about the differences in our beliefs. Then again, we were kids. Why would it have come up? We were too busy talking about other stuff. I don’t even recall asking my Pentecostal friend why she always wore dresses. Maybe I wondered sometimes, but when we were together it was a non-issue.

All I knew about the other denominations in our community, was caught in bits & pieces from overheard adult conversations.

“Freewill Baptists believe you can lose your salvation”.
“Presbyterians baptize babies.”
“Pentecostals believe women and girls should wear only dresses and grow their hair long”.

And for some reason, it never occurred to me to ask…..

Why DO they believe you can fall from grace?
Why DO they baptize babies?
Why DO they believe women shouldn’t wear pants?

And if we’re all reading the same Bible…… why don’t WE believe those things?

It never once occurred to me to ask.

Then, as I grew into adulthood, I would occasionally think about other Christian faiths and what little I knew about them.
I knew there must be some reason other denominations believe differently than us about this thing or the other. And I had the nagging feeling that maybe it was a little presumptuous of me to just blindly believe Southern Baptists are the only ones who have it right.
But that’s really as far as it ever went.

Until last week, when I was reading a book on church history. I was supplementing my reading with internet research when I wanted more detailed information than the book gave. Consequently I wound up dizzy and confused from chasing my tail around in circles, forgetting which article I had read where, until I arrived at the erroneous conclusion that practically all Christians except Baptists recognize the ordinance of baptism as an essential part of the salvation of the sinner, with some faiths believing that repentance should come first, but that baptism is still a non-negotiable part of the deal.

Like all good Baptists, I’ve always believed that baptism is not necessary for the remission of sins. Baptism, I’ve always been taught, is an act of obedience by the believer, for whom salvation has already been given by God’s grace through faith in his son Jesus.
I even know Scripture passages that confirm it.

But I had never been put in the position of defending that belief, until I read Scripture quoted by those who believe baptism is necessary for salvation.

Mark 16:16 and Acts 2:38 were the most frequently cited passages by those who support “baptismal regeneration” … the washing away of sins through baptism.

Mark 16:16 - He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.

Baptismal regeneration believers say that because the Jesus says “believeth and is baptized”, both are necessary for salvation.
This doesn’t explain, however, why the second part of the verse doesn’t include those who’ve believed but haven’t been baptized in the damned. It says only those who “believeth not shall be damned”.


Acts 2:38 – Then Peter said unto them, Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.


This verse would also seem to suggest that both repentance and baptism are necessary for the remission of sins.

There are so many debates out there about this. One has to do with the translation from Greek of pivotal words like “for”, which could also be interpreted to mean – “because of”.

Really, I could spend weeks reading different arguments for the interpretations of those verses, by those who support the idea of baptismal regeneration, and by those who reject it.

And the truth would still be this.

I don’t know what Peter meant.

And I don’t know why Jesus said “he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved”.


Here’s what I do know.

The following passages speak clearly about salvation, and not one of them mentions baptism.


John 3
16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him, should not perish but have everlasting life 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world ;but that the world through him might be saved.
18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

Acts 16: 30-31 Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved , and thy house.



Romans Chapter 3
22.Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe : for there is no difference:
23.For all have sinned , and come short of the glory of God;
24.Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
25.Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past , through the forbearance of God;
26.To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.
27.Where is boasting then? It is excluded . By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith.
28Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.

Romans 4
(In this chapter, Paul speaks about Abraham, and how Abraham’s faith was apart from works, circumcision, and the law. The chapter ends with Paul proclaiming the same righteousness that was given to Abraham, as available to all those who believe. In the interest of space I pulled out the most pertinent verses regarding faith and the New Testament believer).

4 Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. 5 But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness

20 He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; 21 And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform. 22 And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness. 23 Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him; 24 But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed , if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; 25 Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.

Romans 5

1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: 2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand , and rejoice in hope of the glory of God

Romans 10
9.
That 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 .
10.
For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
11.
For the scripture saith , Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed .
12.
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.
13.
For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.



Ephesians 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.

When I first started looking for the “faith-alone” verses that I knew were there, I couldn’t believe how easily I had become confused.

Now, several days later, I know it was a good thing that I got confused. Confusion sent me searching Scripture. It made me read passages I had been familiar with for years, with a more critical eye.
I came away refreshed in the Word, and more confident than ever that baptism is in no way whatsoever, necessary for the remission of sins.

So what does any of this have to do with Pentecostals, Presbyterians, or Freewheelers?

Nothing. It’s just that all this interdenominational research had me remembering good times with old friends who were my first exposure, even though I barely knew it, to Christianity outside my Southern Baptist world.

And I miss them.
But that’s another post.

Join me next week when I discuss predestination!

Kidding. I am SOOOO kidding.

A Preview of Posts to Come

When I was thinking of what to post today, I realized I have plenty of topics, but they're all so incomplete and unrelated and they're swirling through my head and bumping into each other so much that I don't think I could make a complete, coherent post out of any one of them.

So I just made some previews...... topics that have been on my mind that hopefully will turn up here in full-length form soon.

And now..... coming soon to a blog near you......

Hypocrisy 101 - a satire on the way Protestants like me vehemently reject the adoration of the saints, while simultaneously praying to their own conveniently-accessed-online modern -day saints. Instead of asking God for wisdom on a matter, for example, we seek the counsel of St. James (Dobson), the patron saint of parents, or St. Beth (Moore), the patron saint of women.



Ode to Peanut - a birthday poem to a 7 year old, as yet unwritten on account of the previously mentioned fragmented-thought soup going on in my head

Dutch Girls, Crowns, and Cascades - the fun I'm having learning to do fancy braids on the girls...... pics included!

Sissy Goes to Standardized Testing Will she remember her #2 pencils? Will she be emotionally scarred for life because her mother forgot to send a snack with her and EVERYONE ELSE'S mother remembered?

Dizzying Decisions a homeschool Mom faces a dilemma she never thought she'd have.....
too many choices for outside enrichment classes next school year.

Denominational Crisis a Baptist does some deep reading (a reckless idea), and finds her beliefs have been challenged regarding ...umm.... baptism. Does she really know why she believes what she's always believed? ...... and more importantly, does Scripture support her beliefs?

See you next week. Bring some popcorn.

The Value Of A Good Book is Far Above Rubies.....

.....no wait, that's a virtuous woman. Isn't there a proverb about good books? There should be. :)

I love it when I find a book that's written at exactly the level we need, and it turns out to be beautifully illustrated. Or maybe it's the other way around.

When I'm browsing at the library, an attractive cover and pictures get my attention much faster than the text. That's what happened when I checked out this book about St. Patrick.

The pictures were what made me bring it home. The text however, was wonderfully appropriate for me to read aloud to Sissy and Peanut. Actually, Sissy could have read it by herself with no problem, but I wanted to read it with them.

I read it myself yesterday to get an idea of the content. Not being Catholic, I wasn't sure what kind of theology it would contain. Again, it was exactly right. The story of Saint Patrick is very simply told, using one of St. Patrick's letters to the world as the author's reference. The legends are left out, although they are included in an author's note at the end.

The illustrations are so lovely they're almost distracting. And it was kind of a letdown when I found out by googling, that they're computer-generated. Still, we had a very nice time pointing out the many colorful patterns used on each page.

So many times, I get historical books at the library because they're on a book list I have. I don't have time to wade through all the books there, and I trust my list to recommend the best ones.

Every now and then though, a book that just catches my eye turns out to be a pleasant surprise. This was one of those books.

Tag - I'm It

See, I didn't even last an hour. No really, I forgot about a little blogkeeping I needed to do before I lock up for the week.

Linda at Thoughts of the Heart, recently tagged me to post "7 Things About Me". Now ordinarily, I don't do tags -- I just don't have the time it takes to participate in most of them. But "7 Things About Me" - that's a nice, doable list. Except that I've already attempted 100 Things About Me. Sadly, I found out there are only 75 things about me... and I posted them all already. If you haven't seen them and you're so inclined, click on my link on the right... 100 Things About Me - An Incomplete Work. Read the first seven. That way I'll have participated in this Tag Game. Only I'm not tagging anybody. Does that mean I'm eternally It?

Seasonal Changes

Spring is almost here! Grass is just starting to get a little greener, some trees are budding, the ground feels like it's thawing under your feet, and although I've always been more of an Autumn lover, I love to watch the earth wake up from Winter.
I know it will be a long time before we have consistently warm temperatures. East Tennessee will see several more "cold spells" before warm weather is here for good. But we can see it coming, and that's enough for now.

Another change is taking place around here. My blogging has been less frequent lately for a few reasons.... the main one being that life doesn't come with a pause button. And as I look at the weeks ahead, I'm reminded that Peanut has a birthday, Easter is just around the corner, and I've got to get the girls caught up on History in what's left of the school year. Also, my house is in desperate need of a purging.
Not to mention that when it starts to get warm, but is not yet really hot, we like to spend quite a bit of time outside.

I say all that to lead up to this: My posts are going to be intentionally more spaced out for awhile. My plan for the time being is to make one weekly post, most likely on Monday, but that could change. Actually, the whole "intentionally spaced out posting" could go belly up if the butterflies give me a run of good material. I like to write about things while they're fresh in my mind, which usually gives me less than 24 hours.

So I'm going weekly. Or something like that. But don't hold me to it. Self-governance has never been one of my strengths. :)

Vacation

We just got back from three luxurious days in a cabin in the mountains. For the last few years we've managed to get away around this same week in March. We always look forward to it because it comes on the heels of the busiest time of the year for us - Upward Basketball season.

We rent a cabin near Pigeon Forge, pack a few clothes, stop at a grocery store on the way to stock up on supplies, and then once we're at the cabin, we pretty much stay put. We may make a run to the store for something we forgot (this time it was charcoal), or to rent movies, but that's it.

This particular place had a videogame system. We don't have one at home, so the girls had a good time playing Frogger and Disney Golf. There was also a very nice wide wrap-around porch, which we made good use of on Thursday. It was warm and sunny, and we spent most of the afternoon on the porch playing, coloring, reading,
and just generally doing nothing.

Like most rental cabins in the Smokies, this one had a fireplace and a hot tub. I've always loved the way a fireplace can instantly make a room warm and cheerful, and I love soaking in a hot tub with a good book, but I've come to realize that neither of those things are what I love most about our little getaway places.

We've rented vacation houses several times over the years at the mountains and the beach, and the thing I love most about these places is the lack of clutter that insidiously creeps up on you at home. The stack of newspapers, the junk mail, the important mail, the zillion and one toys, and even more clothes, and all the little things that lay claim to empty horizontal space in your home -- you don't find that stuff in vacation homes.

When you walk in, what you see is what you get . You don't find stuff hidden in overfilled closets, drawers, and cabinets.

On the down side, you don't find a wide variety of cookware either... like muffin pans, for example. But hey, in the name of keeping clutter down, it's worth not having muffin pans. So you add a little more milk and make chocolate chip pancakes instead of muffins. No big deal.

Free open space. That is such a luxury for me. Hot tubs and fireplaces are just gravy.