A Matter of Baptism
The entire ministry of John the Baptist was a prophetic statement, a “type” that pointed to the one who would provide the way to be saved. This is not difficult to understand because John explained his purpose and the prophetic message embedded in his baptism. So why has the signpost become the event itself and evolved into little more than a religious sacrament?
John's baptism in water symbolised a baptism to come, one that replaced it, one that it pointed to. This baptism brings salvation, but salvation is the work of the Holy Spirit, for those who believe in Jesus Christ. The symbolism of water pointed to repentance, not to salvation. In other words, only through the redemptive action of the Holy Spirit can believers die in Christ and be raised with Christ. God saves us through HIS grace and by HIS authority. We drag the imagery of the Old Testament into the present even though we have clear testimony that it was only a type. We should have moved on in faith, believing in the testimony of our words, and faithfulness of God. Still, we cling to the imagery, symbols and traditions because though we recognise faith we haven’t enough to dispense with the images of it.
Jesus Christ died for ALL humanity, not just those who believe in him. Those who make that choice are justified, set apart, and “sealed in Christ”. Sin and its consequences are excluded from that point on. John’s baptism in water didn’t do this! It was an act of repentance in keeping with the Law. John’s baptism embodied truth under the law, but its primary function was prophetic, it pointed to a baptism that was coming. Yet, in all our enlightenment many Churches continue to teach full water immersion, as a sign of salvation itself. More surprising is that the witness account makes it abundantly clear; that the two were not the same (Jn 3:4-7). The baptism of John (Acts19:3-5) was NOT about salvation at all, because the means of salvation (through Christ) hadn’t yet come to pass. The prophetic imagery foreshadowed, and pointed to Christ, as the person through whom, the Holy Spirit would baptize believers into the Body of Christ (Matt 3:11).
Just to be clear I’m not against water baptism, it can be a meaningful expression of faith for the person who chooses to make a public declaration, but only if it’s done for the right reasons. If teaching about salvation is defined in “the act of water immersion", it’s cradled in false doctrine. In other words, this teaching suggests unless you are baptised in water, you are not saved. Further, the point argued in this letter is not saying that water immersion, and spiritual baptism, can’t occur at the same time; it’s stating that water immersion is not required for salvation and should not be taught as such, and should never form any part of Church doctrine or “Statement of Faith”.
The following example of a Church statement of faith demonstrates the contradictory nature of many common beliefs today. This is a current statement of faith, and while it means well, it doesn't stand up under scrutiny. That any Church sees a need for statements of faith is concerning in the first place, because quite frankly, they're open to manipulation, and as evidenced, install a false doctrine as a religious sacrament. The sacrament then decides who is saved, who is not, and who will be recognized in the Church. In essence, the Church becomes the judge of its doctrine. We often see this in who has the authority to vote about decisions, who can serve as leaders, who can speak, who decides on doctrine, and so on. I might add that this is how democracies move into totalitarianism.
Church Statement of Faith:
The atonement made on the Cross by our Lord for the sin of the world.
The person of the Holy Spirit is the one who sanctifies and who sets apart empowers and imparts spiritual gifts to the church.
The inspiration of the Bible and its authority in all matters of faith and practice.
Salvation is by faith in Jesus Christ alone.
Membership of the church is for those who have received salvation.
The immersion of believers as the only scriptural form of baptism
Points 1-4 are core tenets of Christianity but points 5 and 6 have implications for points 1-4. If we want an example of how a little yeast leavens the whole dough then here we have it. This statement of faith is absolute, and therein absolutely contradictory, because it claims authority by making absolute truth statements. Point 6 contradicts point 2 because the Holy Spirit was not setting anyone apart under John’s baptism in water, and point 6 is essentially telling the Holy Spirit that water immersion is the only means through which his sanctification will be recognized. Point 5 contradicts point 4 because membership is determined by those saved under point 6 alone. Point 4 contradicts point 6 because salvation by faith will not be recognized without water immersion. Membership is thus decided by the evidence of water immersion, not faith. If salvation is by faith (point 4), water immersion (point 6), is unnecessary. Point 6 contradicts point 3 because water immersion in the New Testament is not stated as the means of salvation. Lastly, the wording of point 6 embeds a religious sacrament, which contradicts point 2. It can be argued that the tension in these statements, undermines and blasphemes, the work of the Holy Spirit. Now I could carry on with this deconstruction, but these are some of the difficulties created when we install false doctrine, as sacraments for the Church.
Historically, the most obvious explanation for the beginnings and continuation of water immersion was to control the religious enterprise. Over time it became a right of passage into the Church, and subtly implied authority resided in the water. Because a sacrament has certain key requirements for it to be validated, and only the Church could perform them, the early Roman Church decided for and maintained control over those under its authority. The spirit behind this is idolatry, and it's been passed down in its various forms through many denominations. It continues to illustrate that after 2000 years the Church is still subject to rules and laws that find no justification in the biblical corpus. While salvation theology has evolved, the same spirit undermines the heart of Christianity through statements such as this. We love elders to lead us, and authority figures to be God's voice for us. We love the church as an institution, a building, one that’s often described as holy ground. The human condition behind this reverence is not significantly different from the situation Samuel confronted at the end of his life:
1 Samual 8:4-8, “So all the elders of Israel gathered together, and came to Samuel at Ramah. They said to him, "You are old, and your sons do not follow your ways; now appoint a king to lead us, such as all the other nations have." But when they said, "Give us a king to lead us," this displeased Samuel; so he prayed to the LORD. And the LORD told him: "Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king. As they have done from the day I brought them up out of Egypt until this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are doing to you”.
Over the years I’ve observed the actions of many leaders who've manipulated the simplicity of salvation. The focus on water conflates the occasion to such an extent that it’s often difficult to see the work of the Holy Spirit. From my observation, the evidence of real change is not evident and many drift into a form of religion without its power, and this gradually fades and dies. The decline of the Western church should be a wake-up call, but this doesn't seem to stir a seared conscience. In recent years some Churches have attempted to replace older leaders with younger leaders to grow the Church. Again this is not a biblical approach to Christianity and smacks of a corporate-like approach to success. We apply mathematical equations to justify spending large sums of money as if this will grow the Church, and in doing so, deny the power of God.
As far as I can tell many of today’s young Christians are spiritually immature and reliant on peer-driven significance. Their faith is like a seed that falls on rocky ground (Mk 4:4-5), and many are grieving their parents. Indeed, if we open our eyes, there’s little evidence of spiritual growth following water baptisms. This is more consistent with lives absent the power of God. It appears more like the evidence of those who never received the Holy Spirit because they never had “saving faith” to begin with. For those who may doubt the veracity of this statement, look around, and read the biblical stories about the weeds and the wheat. The truth might be worth considering. This situation is not peculiar to our generation either; many examples are illustrated in the New Testament.
The scriptures clearly state that a person is saved by the grace of God, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, AND BY OUR CHOOSING TO BELIEVE in HIM, by faith. The subsequent baptism of God’s Spirit follows the decision WE make. There is no biblical evidence to suggest that a person is saved by any form of water immersion, including the baptism of the Ethiopian in Acts 8:27-40. A study of vs 8:35 is inherently subjective, and the meaning of vs 36 is dependent on our interpretation of the former. On top of this vs 8:37, which might have held some argument, is being left out of newer translations because earlier manuscripts suggest verse 37 was added to the narrative as late as the 6th century. This brings the reason and motive into question. Therefore, at best the text “might” suggest the Ethiopian was saved, but equally it could suggest he received only the baptism of John (repentance). Either way, the narrative is not sufficiently conclusive to be used as a rebuttal in its own right.
We know, that the scriptures suggest a person who exercises "saving faith", receives salvation at that point, and often before any formal expression, not as a result of the public expression. Abraham did not become a friend of God through circumcision, but because he believed, and THEN it was credited to him, as faith. The Apostle Paul was saved without water, and the evidence was in his actions. No one becomes a child of God through a ritual, without first believing in faith, and no one needs a ritual, to justify acceptance in faith. The purpose of Jesus Christ was completed at THE RESURRECTION. Salvation is entirely down to what we do with it, it’s our choice to believe. The ultimate deception of a religious sacrament is that WE DO NOTHING, and perhaps this is the problem.
Reading
John 3:1-15, Matt 3:11-12, Acts 9:1-18, Acts 19:1-6, 1 Peter3:21-22 and Romans 6:1-3
