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If you haven’t already, you’ll want to download Christian Standard‘s new compilation of articles on baptism. The 14-page resource offers perspectives on this important and sometimes controversial issue from seven authors including Paul Williams, Bruce Shields, and Jon Weatherly. Since these articles all come from current issues of Christian Standard, you can also access them online. But this download offers them as a really attractive, concise package for study and for sharing with others—and at $2.99, it’s a steal.
I love anything Brian Jones writes and his article “What Happened When I Preached on Baptism?” is one of my favorites in the pack. He shares the story of defending the doctrine of baptism at a “101″ class in his then-fledgling church plant, and how the ensuing pushback resulted in all 23 class attendees leaving the church that day. It’s usually churched people who attend these classes, he says, and it’s usually churched people who resist the idea of baptism as necessary for salvation. On the other hand, people learning about Jesus for the first time—the people Jones wants to reach—typically have few of the same concerns.
“In fact, I’ve found that the more we’ve taught on baptism, the more churched people have left, and the more non-Christians have come to Christ and brought their non-Christian friends,” he writes. “Preaching baptism spurs church growth with the right people, it doesn’t impede it.”
As a bonus, CS’s website also offers several photo galleries of these new believers being baptized in swimming pools, oceans, and rivers all over the country. Here are a few of my favorites.
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Jennifer Taylor
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I linked to Brian Jones’ article (as well as Robert Fife’s) on my blog last week. I liked the courage he demonstrated in teaching what he believed even though the entire class left his newly planted church when they learned about his teaching. It takes some guts to say something that will drive potential new members away, especially when you are just starting. He is certainly not a people-pleaser, but someone who is serious about trying to follow Christ.
Jen,
I am curious and don’t want to make an assumption so I’ll ask, do you believe baptism to be a requirement for salvation? Thanks for your time!
Erin
Erin,
That’s a question believers and denominations have wrestled with for centuries. So I’ll put my opinion out there as my opinion–just that. There are lots of things you can read that explore this in more depth, written by people with “Ph.D” after their names.
In the Bible we don’t see babies being sprinkled or christened, so while I think that can be a meaningful, symbolic gesture for parents I don’t believe it’s a substitute for adult baptism. We also don’t see a lot of the “pray for Jesus to enter your heart” stuff. Instead, the New Testament consistently points to examples of adults a)understanding the Gospel; b) repenting of their sinfulness and c) being baptized. Because that is so often given as the model for the early church, it’s why Christian churches (which try to follow the New Testament model) baptize people by dunking them, and baptize only people who are old enough to make the decision for themselves.
Now, having said that, there are also examples where a whole family is baptized, (the jailer’s family in Acts) and we aren’t told how old those kids were or if it was truly voluntary. And of course there’s the thief on the cross who Jesus promises “paradise” after death. Neither of those examples, to name just two, fit the model.
So my take is that we serve a big, big, big God, who knows our inner hearts and minds and can save anyone he wants to regardless of whether they’ve been dipped under the water by another believer. However, I also think the biblical record was given to us for a reason and the consistent examples mentioned there were intentional. So can someone still be saved if he hasn’t been baptized? My opinion is yes. But my follow up question would be if he has read the Bible and seen these examples, why NOT do it?
I hope that’s helpful. I welcome your thoughts.