Have you ever woken up with a very real, very clear question on your mind? I mean besides "what time is it?", "Where am I?", or "Was that paper due today?".
No, I'm talking about a bigger, more important question. At least I think it's important....but maybe it isn't...and THAT may be another question in and of itself.
But I'm getting ahead of myself. Let's back up. I woke up Thursday morning, without any recollection of having dreamed this, with this question burned into my mind. I'd like to ask it of you. Don't pass this off as an absurd question, or one comparable to many we in the church have been asked like, "Can God make a rock that He Himself can't lift?". This is a what would you do question. And it requires a straightforward answer without finding a loop hole.
So here it is:
You are in college. You are in your dorm. It is past curfew. The doors are locked. The alarms are on. You aren't leaving this building tonight. You are studying the Bible with your non-christian friend. You have been studying for awhile now. He looks at you and says, "I want to be baptized."
You are elated. You love this man like a brother, and it lifts your soul at the thought of his impending salvation. But then comes the question. How? There are no bathtubs in the men's dorm of course. You think and think but only come up with a few possibilities. You could pour water of his head perhaps? Or somehow use the shower? Either way it wouldn't be the "full immersion" that has been pounded into some of our heads by the Church of Christ.
So what is your answer? Your brother is looking to your maturity for guidance. Will you use a cup or the shower for a makeshift baptism? Or will you take the chance of waiting until the next day where you can perform it "properly"?
DO NO PROCEED WITHOUT ANSWERING.
So what did you decide? Was it easy? Did you even make a choice? Could you? Because I'm going to tell you I didn't. And I haven't. And it's bothering me. Let me just tell you my thoughts if you care to listen.
At first it doesn't seem that difficult. Especially for those of us with a certain view of God. I don't think the Bible portrays God as an avid rule keeper who grades you on your life and either passes or fails you. God wants obedience. God wants the heart. There is nothing "magical" about the waters of baptism. It's just tap. So why would the way in which you baptized make any difference? It's here I want to make something clear. This IS NOT a question of salvation for me. This question is not, "Does a non-immersion baptism save someone?" I am personally sick of humans trying to decide the fate of other humans. God is righteous judge. He will make the correct decision. Thank God for that.
No, this is simply a question of my response based on what I believe. If I choose to pour water over his head, and deem him baptized how does that effect my other beliefs? Does that mean I don't believe in a "proper" way of doing it? Is it only about the heart? If it is, how does that translate to everything? God had explicit instructions for how everything was done in the Old Testament. Read Numbers and Deuteronomy if you don't believe me. Has this changed? Can we worship, pray, baptize, fellowship any way we choose as long as we love God? I've known many people who have the view of God that would say Yes! And I know many more "Conservative" (I hate that term) brother and sisters who would say absolutely not!
So what is the answer? Opinions are great but they are what they are. Just opinions on something I believe is greater than all of us. I want to know the answer. God's answer.
I'd love feedback on this. Give me your thoughts, give me why you feel like that, or just simply tell me I'm getting bogged down in something that doesn't even matter. I'm open to all. If you kept up with me through that you have my thanks.
Peace be with us all.
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4 comments:
Taters...I preface this by reminding you that I grew up in the Southern Baptist church...so don't hate me in the morning!
I think that the first issue here is the purpose of baptism. Why is it important for us to be baptized? The great commission tells us to go and make disciples and to baptize them in the name of the holy trinity. Obviously baptism is important! I do not think, however, that it is "essential" to salvation. If you happen to die before you are baptized, God is not going to disregard your salvation. Jesus told the sinner on the cross next to him that he would see him in heaven. That man had not been baptized. What if you were saved and then had a heart attack within moments of that salvation? Do you think that God would punish you for that? What if a person received salvation in a hospital bed...or a prison and couldn't be baptized? The baptism is not what saves you. It's the attitude of your heart. The purpose of baptism is to make a public profession of faith. It's going through ritual to tell those around you of the new life you've found. Can you do that in a dorm shower? Yeah! Can you wait and do it in front of your church and friends? Yeah!
As far as the laws of Leviticus and other such books...when Jesus died on the cross, our obligation to those strict laws was released. This is tricky, however, because then where do you know where to draw the line. I don't think any of us think that cutting your hair is sinful like it was in OT law. But do the 10 Commandments not apply anymore because they are OT law? This is something that I haven't worked out either. I do know, however, that we are not bound by that law. Read Hebrews 8. It explains the new covenant. It says that God will put his will on our minds and hearts.
So for now, I say that it would depend on the person. If his closest friends, those he wanted to tell, were there in his dorm...then by all mean baptize him with a cup of water. If he belonged to a church, or his closest friends were in other dorms...then go ahead and wait. Wait until you can invite them and it can really be a special experience, not just a ritualistic tradition.
Now...after I've said all that, I have to say...by no means do I have all of this figured out for myself, and I could be really wrong in my interpretation of the Word. I trust only the mind and heart that I've given to God. I think that if a difficult situation like this happened to you in real life, then God would put it on your heart what was right.
This comment was way longer than I anticipated...sorry!
Loves!
oh...and i'm super proud of you for posting more than once to your blog :)
y name is Joe and I must also preface this with letting you know that im from a church of christ back ground (i'm still recovering). the simple truth is how important to deem the actual word of God. Yes he wants your heart very much; however, he requires your obedience. Everyone in the Bible has been saved in the exact same way, from Adam to the Apostles, through an active obedient faith in the redemptive power of Jesus (heb. 11). so it comes down to what does Jesus say about baptism, and i'm going to assume that we all know the countless verses that speak directly to the necessity, meaning and reason for baptism. If the LORD of creation and the savior of man told you that you must be baptized in order to receive the forgiveness of sins, who would be crazy enough to argue semantics? Are you going to be able to stand before God and tell him that you disregarded the "ritual" of baptism because it wasn't convenient. I'm not going to condemn or say he is still going to hell, as you said that is for God to decide, but he has given us CLEAR instructions on how to get to heaven, right? when the young Christian grows in his faith and he sees that his baptism doesn't match the immersion that Christ instructed, what will you tell him? I don't mean this reply to be mean or in any away offensive. I, like all people are on the same road to discover truth, so please take this in love. God Bless
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