When you read the Bible, usually the focus is on function over form. The “what” seems to matter more to God than the “how.” Why do Christians get so particular about how people are baptized then?
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baptism
It must have seemed odd. As crowds of people were responding to the preaching of John, they came forward to be baptized by him. But as one person came to do so, John tried to stop him. Is he beyond hope? Is he too sinful to be forgiven by God? Is his heart not in the right place?
Hopefully, you’re not reading this because you want to start a cult. But I think it’s important that we understand the ingredients of Christian cults so that we can recognize them when they come. Here’s how you might start a cult that taught that you have to be baptized to be saved.
I was asked to debate baptism with a Christian Reformed pastor. As we talked back and forth for more than two hours, it was clear how much we shared in common but also how Christians from our traditions can often misunderstand each other on this issue.
The command to be baptized needs to be treated with healthy caution toward all people but particularly with younger children who are highly motivated to please parents and Sunday School teachers whether they grasp the implications of biblical faith or not. The fact that the child threw up their hand in response to the question, “Who wants to follow Jesus?” doesn’t really settle anything.
Many Protestants assume that Catholics teach that you need faith and works to be saved. Catholics, similarly, often assume that Protestants teach that works are irrelevant to salvation. The reality for both is more nuanced.
Over time, things that initially shock us don’t anymore. I think something similar happens with the strangeness of baptism. It’s weird, right? If I asked you about your first day at work or your first time at a photography class and you said that they gathered everybody around to see all the new people dunked in a pool or a lake before they got started, I’d be pretty surprised. That would seem like a really strange company or club to me! So why have churches been doing that for the last 2,000 years? Let me give four reasons.
In one sense the question of whether you should get baptized or not shouldn’t be a question. The fact is that baptism is commanded in Scripture. To ignore a command of God is a rejection of God’s will for your life. If there was anyone who might have been able to say, ‘I don’t think I need to do that,’ it would have been Jesus. When He came to John the Baptist to be baptized, He was refused at first. Understandably, John said that he should be baptized by Jesus instead! But in Matthew 3:15, Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Jesus’ baptism takes away all excuses. Baptism is a non-negotiable for anyone who wants to walk in the will of God. But the Bible actually gives conditions. There are three questions you should ask to see if you’re ready to be baptized.
Last time, we considered the practice of infant baptism. And we said that since baptism in the New Testament is an expression of a believer’s faith in Jesus and a powerful reminder of vital truths about what happened when they trusted Him, it’s inappropriate and misleading to baptize someone who hasn’t yet put their faith in Jesus for salvation. But the question remains about what to do when a person does come to believe. Should a person who was baptized as an infant be baptized again when they understand and respond to the gospel?
There are so many things that churches of different backgrounds agree on. But baptism is one of the areas where there’s disagreement and the average person is often left confused. To say that churches disagree on baptism is an overstatement. Even churches with historic disagreement largely agree on the symbolism and meaning of baptism. You could quote many sections of the Roman Catholic Catechism on baptism and think that you were reading a baptist discipleship text. And the same could be said for the baptismal teaching of other denominations. There’s a lot of agreement. But one significant disagreement is with the baptism of infants. Some church denominations do it. Others don’t. Let me try to explain why.