Five Questions for Doctors
Those who are leading the church astray do not generally launch a frontal attack against baptism as taught in the New Testament. Few of them would dare to say, “I no longer believe baptism is for the purpose of removing one’s sins.” They simply do not include that concept when they discuss the subject. They will talk about baptism being involved in the new birth, which it is. They may refer to it in connection with putting on Christ. They may even talk about it being essential to salvation, which it is. But for some reason they are reluctant to say it is for the forgiveness of sins. So, the following five True – False questions are designed to give them an opportunity to clarify their views on baptism.
True – False. Baptism is a ceremony. Ceremony is defined, according to The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1969) as: “1. A formal act or set of acts performed as prescribed by ritual, custom, or etiquette. 2. A conventional social gesture or act without intrinsic purpose” (220).
True – False. A mentally competent adult can be saved without being immersed (baptized).
True – False. In baptism, sins are not actually washed away.
True – False. Baptism (as taught by Peter on the Day of Pentecost) did not have, as its purpose, the forgiveness of sins.
True – False. I can fellowship as Christians those who have only had water sprinkled on them.
The Biblical answer to these five questions is, “False!” If baptism is merely a ceremony, then it has no intrinsic value. In other words, it could be “an outward sign of an inward grace.” It would just stand as a symbol of what had already been done—the removal of sins. This fits in perfectly with Baptist theology. The second question clarifies one’s true position on this subject: If a mentally competent adult can be saved without being immersed in water, then baptism is not necessary in order to be saved. Third, if sins are not washed away in baptism, then when are they forgiven? If baptism, fourth, is not for the forgiveness of sins, then what is its purpose? Fifth, if we can fellowship as Christians those who have been sprinkled, then immersion is obviously not necessary.
Furthermore, one cannot be immersed simply because it is a commandment of Jesus. Obedience is commendable, but in this instance, one must also know that baptism’s purpose is to wash away sins.