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.
Some people live in denial about death. They just don’t want to think about it. Others have decided that it’s impossible to know and so they’re just going to wait until it happens. Those who care about what the Bible teaches, look to the Scriptures but can often be confused. This week, a person asked me to reconcile the verses that speak of death as “sleep” with those that describe other things going on after death. What really happens when die? And did Jesus teach that we just go to sleep?
There are as many views of what the church is today as there are people. For some, the church is a historical building. For others, it’s a place the community gathers for weddings, funerals and potlucks. For others, it’s a hub of volunteer activity. Some people see it as a religious service provider where they can get their spiritual boost for the week – a little bit like a movie theatre highlighting Christians topics. But how did Jesus think about the church? You may be surprised to learn that the word, “church,” only appears three times in the gospels. But what it teaches about Jesus’ vision for the church is profound and is at odds with how we typically understand it.
One of Paul’s favourite metaphors for the church was the body of Christ. And it’s an image that’s attractive to many Christians today. It helps us remember that we’re part of something bigger. It helps us to see ourselves as the hands and feet of Jesus in our world. It helps us to understand our diversity while celebrating our unity. What’s intriguing to me is that people can enjoy the idea of being a member of the body of Christ without ever seeing the implications for becoming a member of a local church. So, I want to pose the question, “Can you be a member of the body of Christ without being a member of a local church?”
