Dump or Dunk?

A couple years ago a friend of mine asked to meet me for lunch. I was somewhat surprised, as we never had lunch in the past and we typically didn't hang out very much. We sat down, and he mentioned he had some spiritual questions he wanted to talk about. We talked about a number of things, mainly related to the Bible and the difficulty of aligning our wayward lives with the teachings of Jesus. He came from a Catholic background and had never really connected with God in the past. When I met with him he was attending a new church, and for the first time he was really connecting with God. Our conversation went very well and we ended up meeting a few more times after that.

I saw him last week at a social gathering, and he told me he was still attending the new church and that he recently chose to be baptized in a nearby lake. I was thrilled for him and encouraged him in his faith. Another girl who is Catholic overheard us and asked, "Weren't you baptized as a baby?" My friend said that he was, but he chose to be baptized by immersion with his new church. The girl looked a little confused...

It's funny how something like baptism can be seen so differently by different people - people who all consider themselves to be Christian. The issue of baptism has divided churches, friends and even families. It's sad to think that something like baptism can be so divisive. After all, it's just water. Right?

If you haven't heard, Christians are baptized one of two ways: the sprinkling of water on the head (normally as a baby), or immersion in water (normally as an adult). I won't engage in the discussion about which method is proper, because I see it as less about the method and more about the age of the person being baptized. Why? Because in the Bible, baptism always involved a personal decision and babies can't make decisions.

So what exactly is baptism, and why do people do it? In the Bible, baptism symbolizes the beginning of a new spiritual life. It's not magical, it's not a get-into-heaven free card and no special water is needed. It's an outward symbol of an inward reality. After accepting that Jesus is who he said he is and making a decision to follow him, sinking into the water symbolizes the death of our old life, and when we rise out of the water it symbolizes our new birth into a new life with Jesus Christ. I guess at that point we could refer to ourselves as a "born-again" Christian because at that point, our new life begins and sin begins to lose its grip on our lives. As a new creation we will learn to crawl, then walk, and one day run! We may stumble, but God promises we will continue to grow. In Romans chapter 6 it says, "We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life." 

So how did infant baptism get started? Infant baptism had its beginning in the early stages of what is now the Catholic church, which has influenced other denominations such as Lutherans, Presbyterians and Anglicans. Catholics in particular believe that the act of baptism is more than just an outward symbol of an inward condition - they believe that baptism holds power - the power to wipe away the original sin of Adam & Eve. Since everyone is born with a 'sin disease' that they inherit from Adam & Eve, Catholics believe that the act of baptism heals babies of this disease. More specifically, they believe baptism wipes away the guilt of this disease. In other words, they believe babies move from guilty to innocent in the eyes of God. Sadly, there is absolutely no biblical basis for this. The Bible is clear: the only way to be in right standing before God is to believe in Jesus - to trust that He suffered the penalty for our sins - ALL sins (original sin, our past sins, our present sins and our future sins). The Bible says Jesus is the key to being forgiven, not water. Does this mean that babies won't go to Heaven if they die? Absolutely not. Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 19:13-14). He also says, "Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 18:3). God loves your children more than you do!

Also, a Catholic understanding of baptism doesn't work. As children get older, the ugly effects of original sin begin to show. For example, children start to lie. They become rebellious. They are self-centered. Not that this is any of their fault - they are just affected by the disease of original sin. Sprinkling water on their head doesn't change this.

Nor does baptism by immersion change this. The point of baptism isn't the cancelling of sins, it's simply symbolic of new life. It's a point in time that believers can look back on which marked the beginning of their new life with Jesus Christ. To say that baptism wipes away sin discredits Jesus. It discredits his death for us and it discredits his authority over us. It 'takes' the keys to Heaven away from Jesus and throws them into a basin of water.

It's this line of thinking that takes the focus off Jesus, and puts it on things we do rather than things Jesus has done. As this line of thinking progresses, we start focusing on 'religion' rather than the condition of our hearts. This is what led Jesus to say to the Pharisees, "Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean. Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness" (Matthew 23:26-28).

Jesus can't stand it when people 'go through the motions' rather than focusing on letting Him change them from the inside out. "The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart" (1 Samuel 16:7).

Personally, for me it's a constant struggle to remember this. Our spirituality is the only facet of our lives that isn't performance-based. It's counter-intuitive to me. My job evaluates me on my performance, others judge me based on my performance and if I'm honest, I also judge others based on their performance. Isn't it great to know we have a God who loves us unconditionally? What a relief! A loving God certainly wouldn't expect a civilization of fallen ragamuffins to earn their way back to Him by the sprinkling of water, jumping in a lake, eating bread or drinking wine. No way. He wants our hearts back.