Full Persuasion

I was involved briefly in a discussion last night about salvation and what role baptism plays in the believer's life and walk. Most Christians (I think) would be in accord with the notion that the baptism in the New Testament is "believer's baptism," in other words, a baptism which is given when a person repents of their sin and believes in Jesus Christ. That sort of rules out infant baptism if you look at it plainly.

If you look at the Biblical examples provided in the New Testament in Acts 8 and 16, it becomes clear that a believer's baptism should take place as soon as is possible following conversion, just by simple act of obedience to the Lord Jesus Christ. At my own church, we baptize believers in the river, about 4 or 5 weekends out of the year, when the water is warmer. Sometimes when there are enough believers wanting to be baptized in the winter months, we will arrange to use the pool at a local health and fitness facility. The water in the Columbia river washes away little or nothing, but certainly not one's sins.

The person I was talking with was agonizing about whether baptism was a necessary element for salvation. He had heard conflicting opinions, but was centering on Acts 2:38. I simply can't see how anyone can get past the account of one of the two thieves on the cross who gets saved. He obviously hadn't been baptized, and yet Jesus said he would be with that man in Paradise. Scripture tells us that it is God's grace, through faith + nothing, that saves us from His wrath against our sin. For me that rules out the symbolic act of baptism as a requirement for salvation.

Then you have the account in Acts 19:1-7, which gives an example of "re-baptism" so-to-speak. In Ephesus, Paul ran into a dozen men who were versed in John's preaching, and had been baptized with his baptism. John was preaching that Messiah was going to come, and these men had a baptism of repentance in preparation for that coming, but without being believers in Jesus, who knew Jesus as their Savior.

Once the gospel was proclaimed to them, and having heard it and believed it, they were re-baptized in Jesus' name. That might seem to make a case for some of those who would argue that baptism is required for salvation. The truth is, Paul was encouraging these devout men, in the strongest terms, to be obedient to their newfound Savior, and do what He said should be done.

Sometimes, people who have been baptized at an early age in life, wonder later on if they should be baptized again. The passage in Acts 19 may have real significance for them if they are wondering about their spiritual state when originally baptized. If one is uncertain about whether they were actually saved when they were first baptized, maybe they should consider being baptized again, if they believe that obedience demands it.

I would consider a thought though. When new believers are baptized, and often that is pretty soon after their conversion, they are often a long way from being what one could call a mature believer. Even if they have a grasp of the essentials of the Christian faith, they wouldn't have a deeper knowledge of the things of spiritual maturity. So, in a sense, baptism is sort of a symbolic new-believer's celebration in honor of the Lord, showing outwardly what has taken place inwardly, and something that will become more clear in the believer's mind as they mature spiritually.

What I and others tried to convey to this man, was that baptism should come after a change of heart, in obedience to Christ. While baptism is not a requirement for salvation, neither is it merely a physical act. It is also a God-honoring act of obedience that is a witness to unbelievers that one has died to one's sin, and become alive in and through Jesus Christ. It shows that one has placed their trust in Jesus for the life of their eternal soul. He offers newness of life, and if one is alive in Christ, how can one continue to live a sinful worldly lifestyle?

Such a decision, whether to be baptized again, is a matter of deciding in one's heart what God would have them to do. Some will decide to go ahead and do so, and others will not. In Romans14:5, Paul said that every man should be "fully persuaded in his own mind," in regards to different and esteemed holy days. Further on, in verse 23, he said that "...whatever is not of faith is sin." One must be sure that they are doing what they are doing, in obedience to God in faith, not men. When one has made one's mind up that one's personal conviction in keeping with God's will, then their conscience should be clean.