Let me go back to my previous post for a minute. In my post, I DID portray anger due to the judgement people have poured on myself and others I dearly love over drinking alcohol. I had felt judged and have seen my friends and family be judged over a matter that was, in my opinion, ignorant and tainted the message of the Gospel. That's where these posts are coming from- growing up in the south, I DID feel like following Christ meant a very strict lifesyle. You know, no dancing at weddings and CERTAINLY no drinking at weddings. Don't listen to secular music. Don't watch these cartoons. GO TO CHURCH EVERY SINGLE SUNDAY. Or else..... That's it. That's what I'm trying to say. I always felt the "Or else...." threat in my life. My parents did NOT teach these things, by the way- they were the ones constantly assuring us that our God UNCONDITIONALLY loves us.
But after I posted my blog about alcohol, my sweet sister reached out to me because she was afraid my blog was entirely too harsh. She did this out of protection for me, not because it made her mad. In response, I gave her an example. Not that long ago, she posted a facebook status that was so light-hearted and silly about a certain subject matter. The day after she posted this status, someone related to us wrote a status about the same subject matter, only it was meant to be condemning. And I know it was meant to be condemning because (I won't use the exact words) it was a status that lead you to feel guilty if you took part in that certain subject matter. I said "Erin, doesn't that anger you? Aren't you SO TIRED of being made to feel like you're doing something bad, and that you are being judged over something that YOU KNOW DOESN'T MAKE YOU ANY LESS OF A BELIEVER???" She agreed. She said it made her sad to know the way people feel about her because she knows that she is so in love with the Lord, but these people in our lives think we flirt with hell. She couldn't have said it better!
I could go on and on with examples from friends and family from right here in town to across the country who have given such unfair dissapproval both in the past and recently. But these are the reasons why I portrayed such anger and sarcasm and shameless honesty in my previous post. We are taught as believers in Christ that He loves us unconditionally and nothing we could ever do will separate us from that love, however, because of people's ignorance, we are judged on matters that steal the joy from His unconditional love, His grace, His salvation- matters that, I'm now being repetative, have NOTHING to do with the message of the Gospel.
Ephesians 3:16-19 says:
16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge--that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
This verse reveals the depth of God's love for His children. When believers attempt to condemn and degrade their fellow brothers and sisters, they are robbing us of Christ's love that He so greatly wants us to know. Imagine ourselves a plant. In order to grow, our roots have to be strong and healthy and in order for them to be healthy, they have to be living in good, rich soil. Like this verse says, God wants our roots to grow deep down in His soil- so we are rooted in His love. Going to church every sunday, having a glass of wine or a beer, watching a certain movie or reading a certain book, listening to "bad" music, not being baptized..... those things are not what makes our roots grow as Christians. It's His love. And He's clearly not going to NOT love us and we're not going to be any less of a man or woman of God if we take part in these things that really won't come between our relationship with the Lord. These things are so minute in the bigger scheme of things! I am so, so tired of people's constant criticism over ignorant matters that the Lord probably really just laughs about.
Now I'm going to talk about baptism. I was baptized when I was fifteen. It was a turning point in my life because I declared my faith in Christ. I realize the symbolic beauty in baptism and the command to be baptized in the New Testament, but I do know that it is NOT my ticket into Heaven, in which I've been made to feel. As I mentioned before, I've been told on more than one occasion that I was going to hell if I did not get baptized, one of these persons was one of my best friends sophomore year. Me and another close friend had gone to youth camp with her and one day she proceeded to tell us that we would go to hell if we never got baptized. I challenged her on this by saying I didn't believe you could find that to be biblically true. She disagreed, yet couldn't tell me where in the Bible it said that, but she DID promise that somewhere in the New Testament, it said "You will not enter the gates of Heaven if you do not get baptized......."
bible-truth.org says:
BAPTISM DOES NOT SAVE NOR IS NECESSARY FOR SALVATION.
"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast." (Ephesians 2:8 9)
The Lord emphatically teaches that salvation is given by God's grace when a person by faith believes and stresses that salvation is not merited by any work which would include baptism. Baptism is an act or work and the New Testament teaches that rituals and works do not save or have any saving merit. (Also see Romans 4:5, Titus 3:5).
Baptism, church membership, nor any good works does not merit or impart salvation. Salvation is an act of God's grace which means unmerited favor. Salvation is received when one by faith acceptS the free gift of salvation. A performed work offered to God for Him to accept for our salvation is in fact asking God to accept our works- not Christ's sacrifice for sin on the cross. Christ died on the cross and paid the sin debt of the world (1 John 2:2). The debt is already paid by Christ and He is offering to forgive our sins if we believe and put our trust in His provision of our salvation. No man is righteous and has no righteousness to offer for his sins.
"As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one." (Romans 3:10 12)
Saying that baptism saves or has saving properties is saying that we are adding to what Christ did in suffering for our sins and providing in part our own salvation. Of course man is a sinner and cannot offer anything for his sin. God's word says,
"Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus." (Romans 3:24 26)
The Apostle Paul explained this to the Colossians saying,
"Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead. And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it." (Colossians 2:12 15)
A man who believes in Jesus Christ by faith is accepting Christ's suffering and sacrifice for his sins. It is Jesus who paid for sins and only He can justify the man lost in his sins and trespasses. No church or religion can add to the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross.
Some believe that baptism imparts some special status with God. That too is not found in the Bible and is a false belief. Baptism is a prerequisite for church membership in a local congregation. By submitting to believer's baptism and joining the local assembly the new convert is showing they are in agreement with the word of God which their assembly believes and practices. Some churches practice infant baptism. Yet in the Bible there is no record or mention of anyone being baptized who had not already professed Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. No infants were ever baptized according to God's word. Every example of baptism in the New Testament plainly states those that were baptized had first believed in Jesus Christ. An infant has no capacity to believe. This false practice comes from the unbiblical idea that their church is the means of salvation. In other words, you have to join, and be a member of their church to be saved and go to heaven. Infant baptism then makes a child a member of that church, thus the child is under the protection of that church and is assured they will eventually go to heaven. That simply is not taught anywhere in the Bible. A true New Testament "church" is an assembly of baptized believers who join together and meet, worship, are taught God's word, and to honor the Lord.
Believers are baptized into His death (Rom. 6:4). It is Christ's sole act of redemption in dying for sin that saves. Christians are a part of his death.
"Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage." (Hebrews 2:14 15)
1 Corinthians 10:2, states that the children of Israel were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea. ( read verses 3-4) They were identified with Moses who was a servant of God. Because of their belief in God they went down into the Red Sea and their action of following Moses showed their faith. It was their faith in God and the miracle of God's parting the Red Sea that saved them.
Baptism is to be done in the name of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Matt. 28:19-20. In this passage, called the "Great Commission" Jesus commanded that believers were to go into the world and preach the Gospel and baptize them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Both the evangelism of the world and baptism were to be done in the name of the Trinity. Biblical baptisms are those that are done by true Bible believing assemblies that follow the New Testament as its sole rule and authority for its faith and practice. God has not given any church or individual the right to change what He put in place and instructed.
Baptism is the first act of submission or obedience to Christ after one is saved. (Matt. 28:19-20) Those who recognized themselves to be sinners and by faith in Jesus Christ believe the word of God....are saved, have their sins forgive and receive eternal life.
"That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed." (Romans 10:9 11).
