Q&A with Pastor Charlie #1
I told you last month that for the rest of the year, I intend to answer questions from the body concerning things like faith, doctrine, and life according to the Bible. You can submit these questions via email at questions@firstmoore.com. The first question that I am going to address has to do with baptism. There were many questions attached to this, and since I have such limited space, I will share our church’s belief regarding baptism.
Simply put, we believe that baptism is an ordinance of the church (the other being the Lord’s Supper) by which one publicly declares their faith in Jesus Christ for salvation by identifying themselves with Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection. It is important for me to state that we do not believe baptism is necessary for salvation, as we believe that our salvation is through grace alone and received by faith alone (Ephesians 2:8-9). This means that salvation is not something we earn or work for but rather is a gift of God that we receive through faith in Jesus. This is one of the things the reformers fought for, and it is important for us to understand lest we believe that salvation is a work or ritual. This does not downplay the importance of baptism, as we see that Christ commanded it after His resurrection and before His ascension in Matthew 28:19-20 (also known as the Great Commission). If Christ commanded it for His disciples, we should see it as important and obey it. However, it does make a clear distinction between what is necessary for salvation (faith, apart from any work) and what is an act of obedience following salvation.
We need to understand several other things about baptism if we are to apply it properly. First, baptism in the Bible is always by immersion. We know this because the word for baptism in the Bible, baptizo, means to immerse, dip, or plunge. Second, every description of baptism in the Bible speaks to immersion. When the Bible describes someone being baptized, it includes phrases like “in the river” (Mark 1:5) or “he came out of the water” (Mark 1:10). These all describe baptism as immersion rather than something like sprinkling. Third, because the picture of baptism is an identification with Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection, symbolizing our own death to sin and new life in Christ, then immersion is the mode that most clearly tells this story. Going into the water and coming out is the clearest picture of what baptism symbolizes (Romans 6:3-4, Colossians 2:12).
The next thing we need to see is that baptism is for believers only. Only those who profess faith in Jesus, have a biblical testimony of salvation and have a clear understanding of what salvation is (and isn’t) and what baptism is (and isn’t) should be baptized. This safeguards us against baptizing unbelievers or those who may put their faith in the wrong thing.
The final thing that I think we should see is that since baptism is an ordinance of the church when there is a local church available, it should be conducted by and with the gathering of the church. It is the church that is to bear testimony to one’s faith, it is the church that should celebrate with the new believer, and it is the church that is welcoming one into their fellowship. This is not to say that baptism must happen within a church building, but rather with the gathered body when able, affirming and celebrating God’s work in their life.
If you are a believer in Jesus who has not followed in baptism following your salvation, please reach out to us so we can discuss the next steps for you at firstmoore.com/baptism.
For His glory and your joy,
Pastor Charlie