Sunday, April 24, 2011
The Right time to receive Baptism
When is a person "ready" to be baptized? After the sunrise service on Easter morning, some of us gathered around the tables in church over coffee and muffins and engaged in some conversations like this. What is essential for a person to be ready for baptism? What were YOU taught to believe about this and what are some factors which have influenced how you view this topic?
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I have always been taught that there is nothing we can do to make ourselves "ready" for salvation - it is something God does by grace, and our part is to simply accept this with gratitude and wonder. "and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also—not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a clear conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ(1 Peter 2:21) Or as Paul puts it in Romans 6:3,4: "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."
ReplyDeleteThis is why in my church we baptize even infants, because it is God who saves them, not anything they have done to make themselves worthy.
I just thought I'd give you a Lutheran point of view to liven your discussion up! By the way, I was baptized at the age of 2 months, and made public affirmation of that baptism at the age of 14, and 20, and 29. It seems to be working! :D
Nancy, thank you so much for your perspective. Traditionally, Anabaptists run as far away from anything remotely implying a theology for infant baptism. One thing many of us have failed to understand is that baptism, whether it be infant or believers, is a symbol of our acceptance through gratitude this magnificent gift God has extended to all...salvation. Us Anabaptists have erroneously contended that infant baptism is somehow supposed to "save" children from hell...or at least historically we have accused people of practice infant baptism of thinking such nonsense. It sounds to me like you do practice infant baptism precisely because it avoids our tendency to "work" for our salvation. That somehow we must reach a certain level of purity before we "choose" to be baptized. Perhaps our individualistic view impedes us more than anything else. WE are the ones choosing EVERYTHING. What has happened to biblical motifs of God having chosen US. Just one other thought.
ReplyDeleteAgain, thank you so much for your perspective. I would love diverse thoughts on the subject.
Andy
Before I got baptized a few thoughts ran through my head such as "am I good enough?" and I felt like I should be at a deeper relationship with God before getting baptized. But then I realized something, "For all have sinned (Romans 3:23a)." I will still be a sinner even after I get baptized. So why would somebody bother getting baptized then? Well, I think baptism is a public representation that you've decided to follow Jesus and symbolic of the rise/fall of Jesus.
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