Baptism: What and Why?

I often receive questions about salvation, faith, baptism, ministry, and how they’re all connected.  Below is a short summary of my answers to a recent email.

 

I remember you guys saying you had to be baptized because it calls us to in the Bible, well what about the thief on the cross. I don’t recall him being baptized yet he then became a follower of Christ.

Christian Baptism was established as the entrance into God’s New Testament Christian church (keep reading below for explanations on that). That New Testament church was built on the death, burial and resurrection of Christ. Until those events occurred in their entirety, the world was living under the Old Covenant (aka: the Old Testament/Old agreement/Old “will”).

Hebrews 9:16–17 (ESV)
¹⁶ For where a will is involved, the death of the one who made it must be established. ¹⁷ For a will takes effect only at death, since it is not in force as long as the one who made it is alive.

In other words, baptism is completely Christian in nature. The man on the cross died before Christianity started.

1. The Christian Church wasn’t inaugurated yet, so neither was Christian Baptism.

2. Jesus said the guy could go to Heaven, so he gets to go to Heaven.

And even Paul (Saul) it says the scales fell from his eyes, he got up, and was baptized. It doesn’t reference submersion in water.

Actually, it does. The word “baptize” means “immerse/put under water.” It was simply a Greek word with a very narrow meaning. The Bible writers didn’t pick an already spiritual word and use it for their purposes. They used a common, regular word and gave it a spiritual meaning. In other words, a 1^st Century Greek-speaking person would have used “baptize” in their everyday conversations anytime they wanted to communicate “dunking” something. It never meant sprinkle or pour; there are entirely different words for that.

So, the question is: if the Bible tells us to be “dunked,” why would we do anything else? Answer: we shouldn’t. God could have picked another process if he wanted (like sprinkling, pouring, shaving your hair off, doing jumping jacks, whatever), but he picked immersion in the name of Jesus Christ.

Over time, some portions of the church began to allow/substitute sprinkling or pouring instead of baptizing/immersing. In some areas it was a matter of convenience (not enough water), and over time it was changed/allowed in the event of infant baptism. You wouldn’t dunk (i.e. baptize) a baby, so they would sprinkle it instead.

A few problems here:

1. You have to believe in Christ to be baptized (see below).

a. Babies can’t believe, so baptism has no effect on them.

b. It’s also worth mentioning that we never see a baby baptized anywhere in the Bible.

2. Given that the word only meant “dunk,” substituting our preferences doesn’t change God’s original command.

a. It’d be the same today as substituting “boil or bake” for “fry.” If the directions say “fry,” and you boil instead b/c it’s more convenient, you’re not doing what the chef commanded and, consequently, you’re not getting what the chef intended.

So could you tell me a little more about what you believe please?

Our church’s doctrinal statement on salvation:

“We believe salvation from sin comes from a right relationship with Jesus Christ.  That relationship comes by grace through faith, produces repentance, and begins with the immersion of Christian baptism.” [see also: http://www.billmesaeh.com/beliefs.html]

The Bible doesn’t teach baptism as a saving work. Some churches (though not ours) believe it to be so, mainly b/c of this verse.

1 Peter 3:21 (NLT)
²¹ And that water is a picture of baptism, which now saves you, not by removing dirt from your body, but as a response to God from a clean conscience. It is effective because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

This verse does teach the extreme importance of baptism, but it tells us baptism only “works” b/c of the resurrection of Christ. If we don’t believe in that, there is nothing magic (or even spiritual) about baptism that will save you. Faith only; only faith.

It also teaches us that baptism is our response to God b/c we know He cleanses us from our sin. Infants and the spiritually immature can’t respond to anything b/c they don’t have the mental abilities to (1) believe, and (2) comprehend what God has done. You can only respond “from a clean conscience” if you understand what it is you’re responding to, what sin is, what God did, etc.

The Bible does teach baptism as something commanded to us throughout the New Testament though. Notice Peter’s commanding, Holy Spirit-inspired response to the question about how one responds to the truth of the gospel:

Acts 2:37–38 (NLT)
³⁷ Peter’s words pierced their hearts, and they said to him and to the other apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?” ³⁸ Peter replied, “Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Paul equates baptism as the time one identifies with Christ. Reading through Paul’s theology (the writer of 13 of our 27 NT books), we see our necessary identity with Christ starting at baptism.

Galatians 3:27 (NLT)
²⁷ And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes.

Romans 6:3–8 (NLT)
³ Or have you forgotten that when we were joined with Christ Jesus in baptism, we joined him in his death?⁴ For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives. ⁵ Since we have been united with him in his death, we will also be raised to life as he was.⁶ We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin.⁷ For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin.⁸ And since we died with Christ, we know we will also live with him.

Colossians 2:12 (NLT)
¹² For you were buried with Christ when you were baptized. And with him you were raised to new life because you trusted the mighty power of God, who raised Christ from the dead.

See also: Mark 16.16 and Matt 28.19

I feel compelled to be baptized but i want to make sure i know biblically its meaning and importance.

Good for you! Some people want to rush into this decision without properly reflecting on what they’re doing. It is a huge decision (the biggest one you’ll make), so you do have to know what you’re doing and why you’re doing it.

Jesus & Allah

Do Christians and Muslims worship the same God?  The question has been asked many times, including in a recent discussion between a good chaplain friend of mine (Jim) and a colleague of his.

Jim and I seem to think with the same brain when it comes to issues such as these.  In fact, I have never heard Jim teach or preach anything with which I disagree.  If he did, I would simply advise him of his errors, knowing that a full repentance was forthcoming :).

Plagiarized in its entirety, here is his excellently argued answer to this most contemporary question:

(Written by Jim B., PhD; Jim is currently serving as a US Army Chaplain in Afghanistan)

[Colleague’s name], here is the answer to your question, as to how I answer the question of whether Christians and Muslims worship the same God.
First, I admit that both Christianity and Islam believe that God has some of the same attributes, including:
- omnipotence
- omniscience
- omnipresence (in the sense that God's influence is present everywhere)
- spoken through prophets
- words recorded in a book (however, Muslims believe that the Koran is eternal, which brings up the logical problem of two eternal realities, God and the Koran)
I then ask, "In order for two entities to be the same, in how many ways to they have to be alike?"  The obvious answer is "In every way."  This is usually the answer that I get, though some try to wiggle out of it.
I then ask, "In order for two entities to be not the same, in how many ways to they have to differ?"  The obvious answer is "One."  If two entities differ in even one way, then they are not the same. 
I then ask, "Are there any ways in which the god of Islam is different from the God of Christianity?" and of course there are:
(1)  The New Testament makes clear that Jesus Christ is the God of the Old Testament.  This is clear from many verses, just a few of which I will mention here:
- Colossians 2:9:  "In Him [i.e., Christ] dwelleth all the fullness of the godhead bodily."  That is, if you have Jesus, you have the Father and the Spirit also.  If you do not have Jesus, you have neither the Father nor the Spirit.
- John 8:58, "Before Abraham was, I am."  This is an obvious reference to God's words out of the burning bush to Moses in Exodus 3:14, "Tell them that I AM has sent you."  Jesus' enemies clearly understood His meaning, they immediately tried to stone him for blasphemy.  By the way, in the same conversation, Jesus makes the shocking statement in John 8:24, "If ye believe not that I am, ye shall die in your sins."  Notice that most if not all major translations mistranslate this verse.  The KJV is closest, adding an italicized "he" to the end of it, obscuring the meaning.  The NIV is far worse, adding the words "the one I claim to be" in little L-brackets.  In fact, in both 8:24 and 8:58, the "am" is not a grammatical copulative.  Jesus was clearly stating in 8:24, in light of 8:58, that he who knowingly denies that Jesus is the God of the Old Testament is eternally lost.  This applies not only to non-Christians, but also to so-called "Christians" who deny this connection.
- In summary, Muslims deny that Jesus is God, therefore their god and our God are of a different IDENTITY.
(2)  The God of Christianity is triune, a complex Unity.  Islam explicitly denies the Trinity.  The god of Islam is a simple monolithic unity.  Therefore their god and our God are of a different NATURE.
(3)  The God of Christianity sent His Son to earth to die for sinful men and women.  The god of Islam does not have a son, and he certainly did not die for us.  Therefore, their god and our God are different in their ACTIONS.
Remember, in order for them to be the same, they have to be alike in every way.  In order for them to be not the same, they have to differ in only one way.  In fact, they differ in at least three fundamental ways, and more differences could be found.  Therefore, they are NOT the same.  Because God is sovereign, there can be only one God.  They cannot both be true and at least one must be false.
Two common objections need to be addressed:
(1)  The first is the argument from cognation.  That is, because "Elohim" (the Hebrew Word for God) and "Allah" (the Arabic word) are supposedly cognate (i.e., related) words, it is claimed that they must be referring to the same God.  However, cognation is an unreliable guide to meaning.  Some examples:
- German "Tisch" is cognate with English "dish," but "Tisch" means not "dish," but "table."
- French "regarder" is cognate with English "to regard," but "regarder" means not "to regard" [i.e., to think about], but "to see."
- A particularly striking example:  Spanish "blanco" is cognate with English "black," but "blanco" means not "black," but "white."  Here we have an example where cognates have exact opposite meanings!
In summary, cognation is an unreliable guide to meaning, much less to identity.  Cognation in no way proves that the god of Islam is the same as the God of Christianity. 
(2)  It is also objected that these arguments would also mean that Jews worship a different god.  In fact, other than non-Messianic Jews (who heartily endorse that Jesus is the God of the Old Testament), this objection is valid.  The New Testament makes clear on many occasions that the the Old Testament is about Jesus.  This includes Jesus' own words, "they [i.e., the Old Testament scriptures] are they which testify of Me."  If Jewish people have missed the fact that the Old Testament is about Jesus, then they have completely missed the point of their own Scriptures.  Now one can obviously refuse to believe the New Testament, but the fact remains that either contemporary Judaism and Islam are completely wrong about the identify of the God of the Old Testament, or else the New Testament is completely wrong, but both sides cannot be right.
One more thing.  The Koran clearly states that "people of the book" (i.e., Christians and Jews) worship the same god as that of the Muslims.  Koran 29:46 instructs: ". . .say [to the people of the book], 'our god and yours is one.'"  Here is the final issue:  If the Koran clearly states that the Muslim god and the Christian God are the same, but the facts clearly show that they are not, then what does that say about the truth of the Koran in particular, and the truth of Islam in general?

Question on Sermon from 2.7.2010 (Forgiveness)

http://www.billmesaeh.com/sermons.html

-Question-

Pastor Bill,

In your sermon today you made it a point to say that the forgiveness being referenced in scripture was between believers. Does that mean if someone hurt you and wasn't a believer than you don't have to forgive them? [..........................] I don't understand this whole forgiveness thing; I have struggled with the concept for a very long time. Thought that after I became a Christian I had to forgive which I've yet to do and it's often made me feel like a "bad Christian." You were very correct this morning in stating that holding onto that pain and maintaining grudges makes for a very bitter person. I don't like to consider myself bitter but I'm getting there. The way in which you explained forgiveness this morning, is that the way that it is depicted throughout the Bible? I'm not looking for an excuse to not forgive, I'm just seeking to understand. The example in the Bible In Matthew 18 is only about money. Forgiving someone of a monetary debt pales in comparison to forgiving a murderer or a child abuser. I know that sin doesn't exist on levels or rather one sin is not worse than another in God's eyes but in my humanness I can not fathom how there couldn't be a difference. I'm not sure if I struggle with forgiving God or people. Forgiveness is one of those topics that usually takes hearing a sermon about to give any sincere thought. If you provide a little more clarification on exactly what God wants, I would really appreciate it. Thank you.

[..........................]

-Response-

.............,

Good points and questions on forgiveness.

In Short—are you a bad Christian because you struggle with forgiveness? No. You’re normal. If it weren’t difficult, Jesus wouldn’t have addressed it. But, you are limited in your happiness as long as you carry that burden (which you already admitted).

Sorry that I don’t have time to give you a thorough response before I take off for Israel, but I wanted to touch on it briefly. You question some of the very same things I do. [..........................]. Loving them [the enemy] in the sense that many of us think of love was unimaginable—especially if it meant granting unconditional forgiveness. Biblically, however, I don’t believe that’s what is required.

First: [directly from your question on the sermon] The reference/context of money in Matthew 18 does not in any way mean that this applies only to situations involving money. It was just a medium for Jesus to use to communicate his truth: forgiveness between brothers should be unconditional. Which leads to your next question:

Second: No, this story doesn’t necessarily mean that you don’t have to forgive nonbelievers. But, it most definitely does not mean that you have to. Remember—the context was only between believers.

This single story isn’t deep enough to fully answer your struggles.

Third: Restoring fellowship in this story (Matthew 18) was predicated on sincere repentance (18.15) of the offender. If they didn’t repent, church discipline (rather than blind forgiveness) was required (18.16-17). The intent of all this: never ban someone from fellowship if they still want to be a member of the church. Insofar as it is up to you, grant the forgiveness necessary to maintain fellowship.

Check out Romans 12.17-21 (esp. 18—notice how many conditionals are in that sentence alone!).

Fourth: Levels of crime/forgiveness—Yes, someone stealing $20 is easier to forgive than the murder or child molester. No doubt.

I think more relevant here is Jesus’ orders that we love our enemies/pray for our persecutors (Matthew 5.44). It is at this point that we [..........................] struggle the most. In the interest of time (which I am out of), it’s probably best to direct you to CS Lewis’ comments on that issue. He will always be able to say it better than me. Reading him write on this issue thoroughly helped me wrestle with exactly how I am supposed to love my neighbor.

--If you only have time for one paragraph, be sure to read the last one from below.--

Hit me up when I get back if you want to chat about this more. Again, I apologize that I can’t respond better right now. Thank you so much for throwing that question out there though. I think many people (if we’re honest) struggle with this issue.

I’m going to sanitize this for anonymity and throw it up on the blog to see what kind of discussion we get.

[From CS Lewis’ Mere Christianity]

Book 3

Christian Behaviour

7. Forgiveness

I said in a previous chapter that chastity was the most unpopular of the Christian virtues. But I am not sure I was right. I believe there is one even more unpopular. It is laid down in the Christian rule, 'Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.' Because in Christian morals 'thy neighbor' includes 'thy enemy', and so we come up against this terrible duty of forgiving our enemies.

Every one says forgiveness is a lovely idea, until they have something to forgive, as we had during the war. And then, to mention the subject at all is to be greeted with howls of anger. It is not that people think this too high and difficult a virtue: it is that they think it hateful and contemptible. 'That sort of talk makes them sick,' they say. And half of you already want to ask me, 'I wonder how you'd feel about forgiving the Gestapo if you were a Pole or a Jew?'

So do I. I wonder very much. Just as when Christianity tells me that I must not deny my religion even to save myself from death by torture, I wonder very much what I should do when it came to the point. I am not trying to tell you in this book what I could do — I can do precious little — I am telling you Christianity is. I did not invent it. And there, right in the middle of it, I find 'Forgive us our sins as we forgive those that sin against us.' There is no slightest suggestion that we are offered forgiveness on any other terms. It is made perfectly clear that if we do not forgive we shall not be forgiven. There are no two ways about it. What are we to do?

It is going to be hard enough, anyway, but I think there are two things we can do to make it easier. When you start mathematics you do not begin with the calculus; you begin with simple addition. In the same way, if we really want (but all depends on really wanting) to learn how to forgive, perhaps we had better start with something easier than the Gestapo. One might start with forgiving one's husband or wife, or parents or children, or the nearest N.C.O, for something they have done or said in the last week. That will probably keep us busy for the moment. And secondly, we might try to understand exactly what loving your neighbor as yourself means. I have to love him as I love myself. Well, how exactly do I love myself?

Now that I come to think of it, I have not exactly got a feeling of fondness or affection for myself, and I do not even always enjoy my own society. So apparently 'Love your neighbor' does not mean 'feel fond of him' or 'find him attractive'. I ought to have seen that before, because, of course, you cannot feel fond of a person by trying. Do I think well of myself, think myself a nice chap? Well, I am afraid I sometimes do (and those are, no doubt, my worst moments) but that is not why I love myself. In fact it is the other way round: my self-love makes me think myself nice, but thinking myself nice is not why I love myself. So loving my enemies does not apparently mean thinking them nice either. That is an enormous relief. For a good many people imagine that forgiving your enemies means making out that they are really not such bad fellows after all, when it is quite plain that they are. Go a step further. In my most clear-sighted moments not only do I not think myself a nice man, but I know that I am a very nasty one. I can look at some of the things I have done with horror and loathing. So apparently I am allowed to loathe and hate some of the things my enemies do. Now that I come to think of it, I remember Christian teachers telling me long ago that I must hate bad man's actions, but not hate the bad man: or, as they would say, hate the sin but not the sinner. ...