Baptism: Where do you stand?

 It is an indication of the confusion in which the professing church finds itself to view each group's stand on baptism.

Some do not stand at all, ignoring this command of God altogether. Far worse than the "baptism-isn't-really-important" crowd who finally get around to leading their people to the water, this group is in denial that God ever intended such an "outward" "physical" thing to happen to His kids. To them, the Christian life is all "inner."

Others, mentioned above, take a weak stand, a take-it-or-leave-it stand. Hey, if you feel  "led", then baptism is for you. And while you are choosing, you can choose the mode. "Sprinkling" is more convenient? Go for it! You're in a "dunking" congregation? Then get dunked. No big deal, they say. Some of these folks actually believe in their heads that God's Word is inspired. But what they actually practice is no better than liberal scholarship teaches: only the parts of it that "touch" you are really "the Word." They call it "rhema" these days, but that's another issue.

Then there are the ones who insist that baptism is so essential that it should even come before faith! Just get 'em to the fountain at the earliest convenience! The act itself will save them, even newborns.  Rome and her daughters still hang on to this invention of men.

As to the mode, may I offer, the Greek word means to dip, plunge, or immerse. Ask a Greek. Ask a scholar. It never meant anything else. But how does a good King James Bible translator in the 1600's dare say that, when the Church of his day is sprinkling people? And his conscience will not allow him to say "sprinkle" in the text of Almighty God.

Thius was born the one-size-fits-all hybrid, "baptize." It can mean what you want if you really do not want to know. Those who care a little more know that baptism is a sign, a picture. And the picture is burial. The old man that we were, being buried in a watery grave.

And regarding the motivation, Does baptism save? Catholics and company say yes. Most evangelicals, no. What does God say through Peter the apostle? (I Peter 3:21, paraphrase)

"...baptism now SAVES YOU (yes!), but NOT by putting away the old sinful nature (no!) , but by the fact that the cleansed conscience is now responding to God."

Baptism is a response to salvation. Not a cause of it.

So is it necessary, people ask ? And I ask, Is any command of God to be obeyed, or left up to man? What a horrible question, Is it necessary! God says, Repent and be baptized! (Acts 2:38) and we say, Is it really necessary?

I was baptized three times. At a very young age, my Catholic mom dutifully hauled me over to St. Gabriel Church in Columbus, Ohio. In Catholic eyes, I was saved that day.

Later, the denomination of which I was a part stressed the importance of believer's baptism. I was only about  12, but I wanted to do the "right" thing. My friend said he was going to be baptized on a certain day, so I went ahead too. I was told afterwards that now I was saved (they had taken my public confession of Christ as evidence that I believed in Him) and had the Holy Spirit. All I remember was a little relief that it was over, and a mild gratitude to God that "something" had happened...

My third baptism... I'll have to tell you about that one another time ...

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