Journey Into The Unknown, part 12

How is it that I came to the position that I might join a church that has a different view of baptism than what I have held all my life? There are two answers. First, I agree with the EPC concerning their distinction between essential and non-essential doctrines. Baptism is not essential for salvation, so even if we hold different perspectives, we can still worship and work together. Second, I’ve been studying and dealing with the issue of baptism for quite a long time.

I grew up and matured in Baptist churches and held a fairly strict Baptist view of baptism—that it should be “believer’s baptism” and that biblically it should be administered by immersion. 

In the Navy, in college, and later as an adult I came to know other strong believers from various denominations who had experienced different modes of baptism either as an infant or an adult. They were Christians just as I was. In some ways, I had the experience Peter had in Joppa (see Acts 10) where the Lord had to show him that others from different backgrounds were also part of the Kingdom.

I pastored a church, baptizing new believers (by immersion) and dedicating the new babies of my church members (asking the parents and the church to help bring up the child in the knowledge of the Lord).

I witnessed babies being “baptized” in a Methodist church, and being “dedicated” in an American Baptist church in almost the same exact manner, but without the water.

To explain the membership requirements for our former church, I wrote a brief article about baptism and the church’s previously adopted policy that it would only practice believer’s baptism by immersion but would accept as valid a new member’s prior baptism from any other Christian denomination. It was similar to the position I had reached a few years earlier in a piece I called “Baptism From A Pastoral Perspective”. [for more on this subject I encourage you to see G.R. Beasley-Murray's book, "Baptism In The New Testament".]

Both of those pieces were written from the standpoint of welcoming a Christian from a different background into a Baptist church where I, as a pastor or leader had some responsibility for helping others see baptism from a Baptist perspective.

Now I am faced with the opposite situation—I am considering membership in a church where I would be the Christian coming from another denomination into a church where “believer’s baptism” by immersion is available but is not the norm. Now “the shoe is on the other foot”, and I am the one who is asked to accept their policy. Importantly, even if that policy involves a "non-essential", that does not make it insignificant to those who believe that entry into the covenantal fellowship via infant baptism is desirable.

Interestingly, in the "Creek Explored" class for potential new members today, the leader asked us to review the pamphlet "The Essentials" for next week. Then she said that most of the problems people have who decide not to become a member are among the "non-essentials", not the "essentials". I'm thinking that baptism is one of those stumbling blocks for many. Indeed, that's why I have done so much thinking, praying, and writing on the issue. Is it something about which I can say affirmatively, "I can live with that difference."

 I am only considering membership though. I’m not thinking of becoming a pastor who would be expected to administer infant baptisms myself. As a member, I can understand their policy on baptism, and since it is a “non-essential” (in their policy and in mine as well), I am at liberty to agree or disagree with it with charity.  I may disagree, but I can say, "I can live with that. It's not something I would do, but I'm not going to make a big deal of it."

If I were a pastor though, my personal beliefs about baptism would be involved, and I wouldn't be able to just say that I disagree. I would be making a non-essential into an essential for me. And that decision would affect others who would also be faithful members of the church. Thankfully, I don’t have to consider that question right now.

Thanks be to God that Jesus in Matthew 28:19,20 said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

Jesus has the authority. He gave the commands. He will be with us to the end. He said baptism is to be “in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. I will leave it to Jesus and the local churches He has established to determine what the policies should be about how and when that baptism is to be administered.

My decision is whether I can agree with a church’s policy. If the matter is significant enough and I can’t agree, then I shouldn’t be a member of that church. I've been through that before on a different policy.

If there are some disagreements, but they are not significant (or “essential” in the case of Cherry Creek Presbyterian Church as an EPC member), then I could be a member as I have been in every church in the past—in agreement on almost everything but still having the right to disagree on non-essential matters.

Happily in this situation, I am not coming without prior experience or study. My study (linked above) has prepared me to fit in well with the EPC’s position:

          In essentials…Unity

          In non-essentials…Liberty

          In All things…Charity

Journey Into The Unknown, part 11

In my last post I said that Cherry Creek Presbyterian Church (CCPC) satisfies the five criteria listed in part 6 for what we are searching for in a new church home. In almost every significant area there is very little difference between Baptists and Presbyterians.

The one major difference is with baptism. I’ll explain the Baptist position later as I outline my own journey (of another kind) regarding baptism.

Presbyterians, like a number of other denominations, baptize infants. This rite is seen as welcoming the child into the covenant relationship of the church. It is compared to circumcision as the covenantal rite of inclusion in the Old Testament.

Since this baptism is not seen as a means of salvation, the focus is on the faith and commitment of the parents and the church to raise the child in the knowledge of the Lord. Then later as the child grows, he or she will hopefully profess a personal faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.

At CCPC I understand that sometimes by parental choice the infant is not “baptized” but the rite is instead referred to as a “dedication” and is performed without water. In these cases also, the focus is on the faith of the parents and their desire to raise the child in the church so eventually he or she will make an individual profession of faith in Christ. This “dedication” is no different from what is done in many Baptist churches.

This is where the churches affiliated with the Evangelical Presbyterian Church (EPC) helpfully clarify matters for Christians coming from other denominations. The beliefs shared by churches in the EPC focus on what they call “The Essentials”. Built on the foundational belief that the Bible is the Word of God, the seven Essentials are those core Christian beliefs that the Church has taught for 2,000 years—the ones that are critical if one is to meet the traditional criteria for acceptance into the Christian Church.

Knowing that the various denominations within the worldwide Church differ on some matters, the EPC distinguishes the Essentials from “non-essentials”. One of those “non-essentials” is baptism—how it is administered (i.e. by immersion, pouring, or sprinkling) and when it is administered (in infancy or later when the believer makes a personal profession of faith). The point there is that since baptism is not necessary for salvation, good Christian people can differ about the particulars of baptism and still serve together as brothers and sisters in Christ.

I will outline my own personal journey of understanding about baptism in the next post. For now, I can join a church like CCPC that is definitely not a Baptist church with respect to its practice of baptism (although a youth or adult who accepts Christ will be baptized and may request baptism by immersion) and be confident that I am not sacrificing an “essential” doctrine.

Journey Into The Unknown, part 10

This journey has been “into the unknown” because when we felt it necessary to leave our former church home, we didn’t know where the Lord would lead us. Not being an active church member is not an option. So, we have sought the Lord’s leadership in finding a place where we could be at home and become involved.

Sunday’s experience was a confirmation that the place we’ve been considering is where we will join.

In part 6 of this Journey blog, I outlined the 5 things I was looking for in a church. This one meets all those criteria—it just doesn’t have the name Baptist attached to it.

The music was superb, and sitting close to the choir and singing the hymns in a sanctuary that has great acoustics for music literally gave me goose bumps. It is definitely the “The Language of Music” that speaks to me.

Through the sermon, the Lord spoke to me about what He expects of me. I took notes, and notice that someone in front of me was taking notes as well. I like exegetical sermons. They provide a superb opportunity to dig into the scripture and understand what God said to His people then and to us now.

Then, in the Sunday School hour, we attended the first of five in a series of their new member classes. Looking over the material that will be covered, I am excited to become a member of a church where both the church’s doctrines and its openness about salvation by grace through faith are openly taught.

If someone who doesn’t believe the core doctrines of Christianity and who has never had a time when they personally accepted Jesus as Savior and Lord goes through these classes, they will either have a conversion experience or they will decide this church is not for them.

One resource that is used in the class is “Steps To Peace With God” from the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. The four steps outlined in this booklet are similar to “The 4 Spiritual Laws” that Campus Crusade for Christ uses. The first “law” or “step” is “God loves you and wants you to experience peace and life—abundant and eternal.”  That is a critical place to start sharing the Gospel, but it’s only one of four steps.

What frustrated me in another church was that they wanted to stop there—just tell people that God loves them—leaving out everything about the need for grace (because we are sinners) and God’s provision of grace (the sacrificial death and resurrection of Jesus Christ), and the need to appropriate that grace (by personally accepting the gift God offers in Jesus).

Grace is free, but costly (just ask Bonhoeffer—oh sorry, you can’t ask him. He was martyred for his faith.)

To tell people that all that is needed is love and that to be a Christian is just to “follow Jesus” does people a disservice. They need to hear the truth of the gospel, including the parts where repentance, accepting Christ as Savior, and committing one’s life to Christ are required.

Cherry Creek Presbyterian Church meets the 5 requirements I posted in part 6 of this series. We’ll gladly worship and serve with them in the Lord’s Kingdom.