Baptism Reservations, Part 1: Theological Objections

Introduction: Questions That Remain

As we near the end of our series on baptisms, this sermon will focus on some reservations—some questions that remain—about baptism. I have some reservations about whether “reservations” is even the best word to use; other words might be uncertainties, concerns, skepticism, objections, hesitations, confusion, fears, or worries.

If you have reservations about baptism, those reservations will depend on your experience with baptism—your past, your upbringing, your disposition, and most of all whether you are baptized or not baptized. (By “not baptized,” I mean you’ve never been baptized or you have only experienced what others call infant baptism.)

Baptism can be a very sensitive and controversial topic. Conversations about baptism in the context of church membership can be especially sensitive. Some who had an experience with water as an infant (I would not call this event “baptism”) may feel offended that they would be asked to be rebaptized as believers before joining a church.¹

There are two main categories of reservations: theological and personal. Some reservations include a combination of both; after all, theology isn’t impersonal, and personal reservations typically have something to do with theology. The chief questions stemming from any type of reservation are these:²

Should I be baptized?
Should baptism be necessary for church membership?

In this sermon, we’ll take up the topic of theological reservations. Next sermon, we’ll conclude our series on baptisms and take up the topic of personal reservations. We’ll also celebrate the conclusion of our series by baptizing.

The theological reservations I’ll discuss both come in the form of objections: (1) Baptism is not necessary for salvation; and (2) baptism shouldn’t be required for church membership. Let’s discuss both of these in turn.

Theological Objection #1: “Baptism Is Not Necessary for Salvation”

First, let’s modify this objection to clarify what people mean when they make this statement: Baptism is not necessary for “eternal” salvation. In other words, baptism isn’t necessary for someone to be born again, to become a Christian, to enter the family of God (all fine ways of putting it). If that’s what is meant, then the statement is correct. Outside of trusting in Jesus for eternal life, literally nothing else is required for eternal life.

But given this truth, why pick baptism as the thing you’ll avoid—the thing you won’t participate in?

Church attendance isn’t required for becoming a Christian. I think I’ll stop going.
Loving my neighbor isn’t required for becoming a Christian. I think I’ll be done with other people.
Rejoicing isn’t required for becoming a Christian. You know what? I’m taking up sadness from here on out.
Prayer isn’t required for becoming a Christian. God, I’ll talk to You when I see You face to face.
Growing in the knowledge of Jesus isn’t required for becoming a Christian. I’ll refuse to learn.
Being transformed by the renewing of my mind isn’t required for becoming a Christian. I think I’ll settle for what I have.

Outside of trusting in Jesus for eternal life, literally nothing else is required for eternal life. But … why pick baptism as the thing you’ll avoid?

Let’s talk about our commitment to justification through faith and how we live out our faith. We must be wholeheartedly committed to the message that we are eternally secured through faith alone. But we can run into unfortunate errors in this commitment. We should find peace in the concept of being saved simply by faith, but the attitude adopted toward simple faith all too often shrinks the horizons of our faith when it should broaden them.

The attitude adopted toward simple faith all too often shrinks the horizons of our faith when it should broaden them.

Here are two principles to build on—each is a caution for those of us who embrace simple faith:

Simple doesn’t always mean singular.
Simple doesn’t always mean finished.

Here are the answers to the objection that baptism is not necessary for salvation:

The person who says that baptism is not necessary for salvation has an incomplete view of Christian salvation.
The person who says that baptism is not necessary for salvation has an inadequate view of Christian obedience.

Let’s work toward a more complete and adequate view in each of these areas.

Toward a More Complete View of Christian Salvation

A more complete, mature view of Christian salvation understands that we have been saved from the eternal wrath of Hell, but also understands that we are delivered from the curse of a godless existence in our present life. Salvation in this sense is synonymous with prospering. The term is used this way because the opposite of prosperity is destruction. We’re saved from having our lives destroyed.

We see the term salvation used in this sense (meaning prospering) by the pillars of the New Testament church: James, Peter, and Paul.

I’ve covered the book of James on the topic of faith and works in the past and won’t repeat those sermons. In summary, James is writing to believers, and he tells them in James 1:21 that they are able to “save their souls [lives]” if they humbly embrace the Word of God already implanted in them and put aside wickedness. This isn’t a message of evangelism. Those in the audience had already received God’s message to an extent, but they needed to let it grow in their lives. Why? Because that combination of receiving the Word and putting aside the filthiness of wickedness, according to James, “saves your soul.” I thought these people were already saved—they’re already believers. Yes, they are in some sense. But there’s more that can prosper their lives.

We saw this concept in our study of Peter more recently (see those sermons here and there). Peter writes that difficulty accompanies Christian salvation (1 Peter 4:18), and that, even in the face of the difficulty of persecution and death, baptism is part of Christian prospering as we direct our consciences toward God. This is why he says, in 1 Peter 3:21, that “baptism now saves you.” Peter likened this to the way in which Noah was saved not by the waters of the Flood but through the waters (the same waters that destroyed the rest of the world at that time), because of the ark. In the same way, as we live in the midst of a godless generation, if we enter through the baptismal waters, publicly professing Christ, it might cost our physical lives; but we’re to do it anyway, because those waters are a salvation to us—a prospering.

For his part, the apostle Paul writes that salvation is a thing to be worked on. Free-grace Protestants (as we are at GraceLife Church) are allergic to this concept of work and salvation, but we shouldn’t be. Let’s look at Paul’s instructions in the book of Philippians. He sets the tone as follows, referencing the process by which we grow subsequent to first trusting Christ:

… in view of your participation in the gospel from the first day until now. … I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus. (Philippians 1:5–6)

Based on that confidence expressed earlier in the letter, Paul goes on to write:

So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure. (Philippians 2:12–13)

In all of these examples from James, Peter, and John, if you were to go back and consider the context, you would discover that there exists for us a salvation—salvation in the sense of a richer life, a prospering. Jesus says,

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. (John 10:10, italics mine)

There exists for us this abundant life, this richer life, that God desires for us. And the context of this rich salvation is a context of obedience to Christ.³

Toward a More Satisfactory View of Christian Obedience

When we talk about obedience and baptism, it invites the question, Is baptism commanded? And, this, in turn, invites the question, How is it that we ascertain what is commanded in the Bible?

If you’re looking for the Bible to say, “John Doe of 123 Main Street, go get baptized,” you won’t find it. And even if the Bible were as explicit as saying, “All Christians, go get baptized,” you’d have someone say, “Well that was just for the Christians of that time—it’s not for today.”

We can safely anchor this command that everyone should be baptized because of what we see in Matthew 28:

But the eleven disciples proceeded to Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had designated. When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some were doubtful. And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:16–20)

Jesus commands His disciples to go and make other disciples. And He commands them, specifically, to baptize and teach obedience. Furthermore, we see this pattern followed in the book of Acts (sometimes called Acts of the Apostles): People believe in Jesus, and then they’re baptized. And then more believe in Jesus, and more are baptized. So what do we conclude? The first prescribed act of Christian discipleship is baptism; it is a command of Jesus to His disciples that was and is to be continued until the end of the age.

The first prescribed act of Christian discipleship is baptism.

To recap the first theological reservation:

The person who says that baptism is not necessary for salvation has an incomplete view of Christian salvation.
The person who says that baptism is not necessary for salvation has an inadequate view of Christian obedience.

Now, let’s synthesize what we’ve discussed: An incomplete view of Christian salvation and an inadequate view of Christian obedience results in an unhealthy view of Christian community. This unhealthy view of Christian community also results in an objection. That objection is the next theological reservation about baptism that we’ll cover.

An incomplete view of Christian salvation and an inadequate view of Christian obedience results in an unhealthy view of Christian community.

Theological Objection #2: “Baptism Shouldn’t Be Required for Church Membership”

There’s another objection or reservation about baptism that is common—that it should not be required for church membership. (At my church, GraceLife, we do require it.)

One example argument from someone who makes this objection goes like this: If God doesn’t require baptism for entrance into heaven, how can it be required for entrance into church membership? Well, in case you haven’t noticed, this isn’t heaven! In all seriousness, we can fall victim to some bad thinking that disguises itself in clever sound bites.

As with the first theological objection, this objection about baptism being required for church membership invites another question: Should there even be such a thing as local church membership? And that’s another interesting question that causes us to again ask, How is it that we discover whether something is a command in the Bible?

Why Church Membership?

There’s no biblical command that says, “Make a list of your members.” But there are Scriptures that talk about lists—the widows list for example (see 1 Timothy 5:3–11). And the moment you begin to ask, “Well, which widows?” you begin to realize something important: The work and mission of the New Testament church would be impractical if not impossible apart from church membership. Elders, deacons, financial commitments, property assessment—every administrative task of the church is built upon some level of assumed membership.

The work and mission of the New Testament church would be impractical if not impossible apart from church membership.

Among all the reasons I could give for church membership, let me emphasize this one: church membership is for the protection of the flock.

Church membership is for the protection of the flock.

As pastor, I cannot do my job of protecting the flock if I don’t know who the flock is. And the flock could have little assurance about the integrity of the church if the church doesn’t have certain membership requirements. A few examples at GraceLife:

You have to be a member to serve on committees that make important decisions for our church.
You also have to be a member to vote on the people who make those decisions.
You have to be a member for the majority of our teaching or leadership roles.

This church is distinguished from another church by what we believe. If we don’t restrict membership to those who agree to a set of core beliefs, then you won’t know what church you’re coming to from week to week, or who to hold accountable if we drift from mission, or whether there even is a discernable mission for some identified people to carry out. And you’ll drop your children off in a class where one week they might be taught one thing about who God is and who they are, and the next week they could be taught the exact opposite (thus destroying their faith).

We can argue over what the requirements for membership should be, but we have included believer’s baptism for good reason: As already stated, we believe baptism is the first step in Christian discipleship. And so we conclude that if anyone is unwilling to participate in the first step of discipleship, then we do not count on them to be committed to the unity of this local body. And if anyone is not committed to that unity, it is a risk we will not subject the body to.

If anyone is unwilling to participate in the first step of discipleship, then we do not count on them to be committed to the unity of this local body.

We don’t restrict attendance to non-members; we welcome their worship alongside us. We love our faithful attenders, and we want them here even if they do not ever officially join our church. (Non-members can still eat breakfast here each Sunday; they just can’t vote on how crispy the bacon should be!)

Practically speaking, church membership also protects the members from poor stewardship among the leaders—that is, from me failing to be a good steward of my time. There are more daily ministry needs than there are ministers. More often than most churchgoers know, church leaders must make decisions on who the church will serve based on who is a member.

Well that seems awfully exclusive, you may think. It is. But boundaryless ministry is a recipe for disaster. Without such boundaries, GraceLife would be without a pastor because (1) there would be no discernable GraceLife body; and (2) I wouldn’t last (no minister would) under such circumstances.

You should know that by no means does membership guarantee the mutual commitment we hope that it does. But even in those painful moments in which a member makes it clear that he or she does not support the decisions of the leadership or wishes to disrupt the unity of the church, even then we (ministers) at least have a clear directive as to whether this is a person we simply let go (which we sometimes have to do) or attempt to return the sheep to the boundaries of the home pasture.

As a pastor, I have a specific covenant with the members of my church. To everyone else (i.e., non-members), I have a general commitment to Christian love and community, and to cordiality.

Take It Seriously: Obey But Don’t Rush!

In consideration of baptism and church membership, I want to appeal to something from my previous two sermons (rooted in 1 Peter): The apostle Peter took baptism so seriously that he urged the public confession of one’s faith (through baptism) even if it meant persecution—even to the point of death. It is a serious act for the believer, and as stated, we believe it is the first act of Christian discipleship.

But there is mercy. As we saw in Matthew 28, Jesus’s 11 closest disciples (all except Judas, who betrayed Him), who spent their lives with Jesus, in the moment of the resurrection, went to worship even though some were doubting (v. 17). And so, be assured, there is mercy—at GraceLife and among believers in general⁴—for those who are doubting or are thinking things through still. I do not condemn you if you have not been baptized, or if you have reservations still about baptism or church membership. It is good to think through these matters carefully and seriously, to wrestle with them. Those who rush into a commitment to follow Christ or to join a local body often leave as quickly as they enter.

It is good to think through these matters carefully and seriously … Those who rush into a commitment to follow Christ or to join a local body often leave as quickly as they enter.

At the same time, we at GraceLife will not in good conscience admit members to this (visible, local) body of Christ if there has been no public confession of inclusion in the universal (invisible) body of Christ. We believe this is faithful to what the Bible instructs regarding obeying Jesus by following in baptism.

Conclusion

Baptism is to be celebrated. Much of what I’ve said regarding reservations or uncertainties about baptism has been cast in the negative. I have mentioned:

an incomplete view of Christian salvation
an inadequate view of Christian obedience
an unhealthy view of Christian community

Instruction often demands correction and warning. But although I think those statements were necessary, I conclude with statements not of insufficiency, but of opportunity:

Baptism is an opportunity to experience the fullness of Christian salvation.
Baptism is the opportunity to experience the joy of Christian obedience.
Baptism is the opportunity to experience the belonging of Christian community.

Be baptized.

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