Baptists do not baptize converts scripturally 'for the remission of sins,'" complains a preacher who is not of that denomination. "The Baptists I know baptize only to join their local church." * * * I don't know what your Baptist neighbors do, but Baptist brethren of my acquaintance (whether Southern, American, National, Conservative, General Association, Free-Will, Missionary, Hard-shell, Seventh-day or Reformed) baptize for various biblical reasons, including: (1) Baptism follows Jesus' own example. (2) Baptism obeys Jesus' command for his disciples to baptize new converts. (3) … [Read more...]

A long-time friend who preaches for a Church of Christ responds to my expressed convictions that gospel baptism is by immersion and for believers, but that I accept as brothers and sisters those who trust Christ for salvation and follow him as Lord, although their conclusions and consciences concerning baptism differ from mine. He calls the popular "sinner's prayer" a "false take," asking whether I "so desperately want more to be saved" that I "water down" gospel teaching. "We won't save souls by diluting the obedience that saves us," he cautions, but "will only make matters worse." * * … [Read more...]

A preacher from my own faith heritage of Churches of Christ asks, "What about those who actually and deliberately give false directives, such as the evangelicals who deny that baptism is essential?" * * * We should take care not to misrepresent other Christians in this matter. With the exception of Quakers (Society of Friends), Salvationists (The Salvation Army), and certain Pauline dispensationalists, all evangelicals of whom I know believe, teach and practice the Great Commission as Jesus himself gave it. They neither actually nor deliberately give "false directives," and they certainly do … [Read more...]

A gracEmail subscriber in the Far East writes, "My study convinces me that the doctrine of baptism 'for the remission of sins' is biblical (Acts 2:38). Yet when someone hears the gospel of Christ in many evangelistic campaigns and responds by praying to receive Jesus into his heart, he is declared saved. Should I congratulate him as a brother or should I say to him, 'Wait a minute, don't be happy so soon. You've not yet been saved?'" * * * If Acts 2:38 were the only text in Acts that mentioned baptism in a larger sequence of events, or if all other texts had the same sequence, we might … [Read more...]

A gracEmail subscriber asks, "How can you teach baptism by immersion for believers, yet enjoy Christian fellowship with those who were baptized as infants or by sprinkling or pouring?" *          *          * I always instruct new believers to express their repentance and faith by being baptized, in obedience to Jesus Christ himself (Matt. 28:18-20). And, based on my personal study of the Greek language, of early Christian history, and of New Testament teaching concerning baptism's meaning and significance, I always baptize by immersion. That said, I must also respect the individual … [Read more...]

Two couples who were baptized as infants by sprinkling wish to join a congregation that baptizes only believers and always by immersion. The congregation's preacher, a gracEmail subscriber, regards these people as fully Christian and wonders if he can rightly refuse them fellowship although they have not been immersed. * * * Part 1 Let me respond to this in three gracEmails. I begin in this gracEmail with some undisputed observations, specifically about the various understandings of baptism that exist within the universal church. Those differences involve the action or form of baptism, … [Read more...]