Some of you may be aware of a situation that I am going through with my church. I am being charged with “believing another gospel.” I’ve also been called a sacerdotalist. Rumor has spread that my family and I believe in works-salvation. Slander is a cruel, hurtful thing. I wonder why there is so much rejection of brethren among the church today. I wonder why everyone has seemed to have forgotten about John 13:35, which says, “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” Or have the Reformed changed the translation to, “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have a perfectly precise and accurate understanding of the gospel of Christ, as outlined in the Westminster Confession and 5 points of Calvin.” Why have we forgotten about love? Why must we be divisive about doctrinal issues that do not separate the bond of unity that we all share in Christ? It is truly difficult to comprehend.
My first reaction to the attackers of my family and myself is this: I want to shake them a little, tell them how ungodly they’re being, tell them that they must accept me as their sister in Christ … or else!
But Rick helps me to put things into perspective. By nature, I’m a hasty, reactionary person, ready to pounce on anyone who attacks a family member of mine or questions whether I am truly a child of God. Rick, however, is much wiser than I will ever be. When I’m ready to tell so-and-so what’s what, he tells me, “Pray. Wait. Turn the other cheek.”
Man. It’s a hard thing to do. It’s hard to watch people who still refuse to see that I am only believing what the Bible says. The only beliefs that I’ve expressed are ones that can actually be found in the Bible. Why can’t they see that? Well, I don’t know. But I do know that God tells me to love them, suffer long, be kind, gracious, sacrificial, and always a servant to them. It’s a difficult task, but it is a beautiful one. In this case, I do not even want to consider it a “love your enemies” scenario, since the people that are hurting me are truly part of my family, and are my friends. I don’t want to call them my enemies or consider them as such. “Pray for those that persecute you” may apply, though.
Having said that what I’ve expressed is in line with the Bible, I will have to back it up. Here are a list of Scriptures that led me to my belief regarding holy baptism. Also, in response to those who have charged me with believing in works-salvation, since baptism is obviously a work, I’ll respond how Martin Luther did: It is undeniably a work, but not our own. It is the work of God, the only work on which we can depend.
“He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.” – Mark 16:16
“Jesus answered, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.” – John 3:5
“Then Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” – Acts 2:38
“Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.” – Romans 6:3-4
“For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body - whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free – and have all been made to drink into one Spirit.” – 1 Corinthians 12:13
“[You were] buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.” – Colossians 2:12
“There is also an antitype which now saves us, namely baptism (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.” – 1 Peter 3:21
“For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.” – Galatians 3:27
