I think it is a great travesty against the first century Christians that we rush believers immediately towards (our modern version of) baptism right after (our modern version of) conversion.
Many denominations, especially the Roman Catholic Church and liberal protestant denominations, have even glamorized it with ceremony and pomp, several sponsors (who may not even be Christians nor good influences to the baptismal candidate), and parties even of the bacchanalian variety. It has become some kind of status symbol, a direct contrast and opposite of what it originally meant.
To add more to this anomaly, even conservative Christians and fundamentalists not only debate but even fight over the mode of baptism instead of emphasizing the life that should be lived as a confirmation of it.
What did baptism really mean to the first century Christians?
First it meant genuine salvation where one does not accept Christ as Savior unless they have first accepted Christ as Lord. Any new believer during the first century was indubitably one to whom Christ is OBVIOUSLY his Lord. It meant a renunciation of self and surrender of rights so as to submit to Christ as Lord and Master and do only his will and not our own.
Accepting Christ as Lord was never an act that came AFTER salvation. It was ALWAYS a PREREQUISITE!
Baptism, therefore, meant identification with Christ where a Christian loses his self-image into the image of Christ. John, the baptizer, actually said, "He must increase while I must decrease" (John 3:30). The baptized Christian lives, talks, behaves like Christ to the rest of the world. The baptized believer IS CHRIST to his immediate world!
Most of all, in tandem and agreement with Paul's description of baptism in Romans 6, we not only surrender our human sinfulness in all its forms because we reckon ourselves dead to sin, but we live in the power and leading of the Holy Spirit being open to obedience to God's direction wherever it leads to.
The above means that the baptized believer will henceforth live ONLY for Christ and be willing to die for Christ if the occasion ever presents itself. In the first century, for a Jew to convert to Christ, he will be either ostracized by his own family, or hunted down like Saul hunted down Christians before he became Paul. When the faith spread to the Gentiles, persecution widened because Rome began to feel the threat of an "enemy kingdom". So the faithful (baptized) believers, were either fed to the lions in the arena for Rome's enjoyment or crucified. Christian parents witnessed their own children being devoured by hungry lions while waiting for their turn. Adult believers became gladiatorial targets or were burned in oil like John the beloved, or burned at the stake like many of the church fathers.
Therefore, true (water) baptism really means:
Many denominations, especially the Roman Catholic Church and liberal protestant denominations, have even glamorized it with ceremony and pomp, several sponsors (who may not even be Christians nor good influences to the baptismal candidate), and parties even of the bacchanalian variety. It has become some kind of status symbol, a direct contrast and opposite of what it originally meant.
To add more to this anomaly, even conservative Christians and fundamentalists not only debate but even fight over the mode of baptism instead of emphasizing the life that should be lived as a confirmation of it.
What did baptism really mean to the first century Christians?
First it meant genuine salvation where one does not accept Christ as Savior unless they have first accepted Christ as Lord. Any new believer during the first century was indubitably one to whom Christ is OBVIOUSLY his Lord. It meant a renunciation of self and surrender of rights so as to submit to Christ as Lord and Master and do only his will and not our own.
Accepting Christ as Lord was never an act that came AFTER salvation. It was ALWAYS a PREREQUISITE!
Baptism, therefore, meant identification with Christ where a Christian loses his self-image into the image of Christ. John, the baptizer, actually said, "He must increase while I must decrease" (John 3:30). The baptized Christian lives, talks, behaves like Christ to the rest of the world. The baptized believer IS CHRIST to his immediate world!
Most of all, in tandem and agreement with Paul's description of baptism in Romans 6, we not only surrender our human sinfulness in all its forms because we reckon ourselves dead to sin, but we live in the power and leading of the Holy Spirit being open to obedience to God's direction wherever it leads to.
The above means that the baptized believer will henceforth live ONLY for Christ and be willing to die for Christ if the occasion ever presents itself. In the first century, for a Jew to convert to Christ, he will be either ostracized by his own family, or hunted down like Saul hunted down Christians before he became Paul. When the faith spread to the Gentiles, persecution widened because Rome began to feel the threat of an "enemy kingdom". So the faithful (baptized) believers, were either fed to the lions in the arena for Rome's enjoyment or crucified. Christian parents witnessed their own children being devoured by hungry lions while waiting for their turn. Adult believers became gladiatorial targets or were burned in oil like John the beloved, or burned at the stake like many of the church fathers.
Therefore, true (water) baptism really means:
- You are willing and ready to live for Christ as your Lord.
- You are willing and ready to die for Christ if the challenge arises and
- You identify with Christ in his death and resurrection, meaning you become Christ personified in the eyes of the world.
It is a crying shame to God for Christian churches to present to the world so-called baptized Christians who are, in reality, highly incapable of representing Christ nor behaving like Christ to a critical world. Most of them are even utterly ignorant of God's Word!!!
No wonder it has become so much harder to win this new world to Christ. The church has so much history that makes the world believe that our faith is fake or distorted or means nothing as far as life transformation or even salvation itself.
In conclusion, I have a radical suggestion that I believe any church or pastor should take to heart.
Suppose we make standard what true (water) baptism really means and ask our baptismal candidates the following questions prior to baptism:
- Are you willing and ready to live for Christ as your Lord?
- Are you willing and ready to die for Christ if the challenge arises?
- Are you ready to identify with Christ in his death and resurrection, meaning you become Christ personified in the eyes of the world?
I have a feeling that there will be only a few takers and fewer baptismal candidates. But it will filter out the fake candidates and it will add to the fold truly committed born-again believers!
Most of all, it will produce believers who are less likely to shame the Name Above All Names...Jesus Christ.
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