Baptism
Submitted by Jules on January 30 2000 at 13:22:12
In reply to I am concerned that although I consider myself Chr Submitted by Sheesh! on January 30 2000 at 00:26:03
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Hey 'Sheesh', Relax, you don't need to be a bible scholar to post here! Welcome! Christians do have different beliefs about salvation and baptism, and we can't all be right. So listen to as many views as you can! But here's mine: Getting baptized isn't going to earn you a place in heaven. You need to trust God for salvation through Christ. If you already do, then there's no need to rely on baptism. But if you trust in Christ, God also wants you to live as part of the church, not just as a Christian on your own. The full experience of salvation includes living in a loving community now, not just in the next life. And of course baptism is meant to be the way of joining the church, whether from birth, or later in life. The New Testament presents complete, 'community' Christians as people who trust in Christ, have his Spirit in them, have been baptized and are members of the church. But I do believe that where the church fails to accept or baptize people, God accepts them as individuals on the basis of their trust in Christ. If God wants you baptized (and I'm sure he does because it's in the bible), then it should be as a sign of trusting in Christ and joining the church, not as an attempt to earn your place in heaven. Baptism is not 'red tape'. We are saved by grace, not by baptism. An ideal church should accept you, as God does, and also baptize you. If the churches you have known haven't accepted you, then of course they haven't baptized you either! That's their fault, not yours, and not something that God will hold against you. So, as Bach says, try to find a church that does accept you and, if you believe the gospel they preach, have them baptize you, and settle in! If there really is no church in your area that accepts you for who you are, then it would be up to your own conscience as to whether you got baptized by a church you weren't going to attend, simply as a sign of belonging to the wider church, even if not to a local church. But either way, it's your trust in God that comes first. Post again if you want to talk about this more, or please feel free to email. And as I said to start with, please listen to everyone else's views as well. None of us have got it all right! With love, Jules |