Perrydox.com is devoted to the pursuit of truth, whether plain or paradoxical, whether simple or sublime, or simply absurd yet absolute.
Don’t Get Baptized
Don’t get baptized if all you are focused on is getting past sins forgiven so you can have a future eternity in Heaven. That’s not enough. That’s not biblical. That’s not the gospel. Don’t get baptized if that is what you are thinking.
What’s missing? You’ve got the past right, forgiveness of sins. You’ve got the future correct, eternal fellowship with God. What’s missing is the present – becoming a disciple. Jesus did not come just to free us from sin, but to free us from sinning!
Scot McKnight warns against only making “decisions” to be saved, versus making “disciples” of Jesus. The gospel is far more than being saved, because the gospel is not just about eternity.
Jesus spoke about counting the cost. But what do we know about that? Do we know what the gospel really is, in depth? The sad state of Christianity says we don’t. That’s a goal of mine, to get a better understanding of the gospel. That way when I teach about baptism, people will be taught discipleship to a greater degree (Matthew 28:18-19). That will include Jesus has all authority over all of me which is why I need to be taught more about what Jesus teaches. Baptism means nothing if it doesn’t include living for Jesus in the present. Let’s make sure we aren’t practicing our own form of “almost infant baptism” by baptizing children without commitment.
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