06-27-2008, 02:28 AM
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John 9:35-38 Jesus heard that they had put him out, and finding him, He said, "Do you believe in the Son of Man?" 36 He answered, "Who is He, Lord, that I may believe in Him?" 37 Jesus said to him, "You have both seen Him, and He is the one who is talking with you." 38 And he said, "Lord, I believe." And he worshiped Him. The scripture does not teach a waiting period in order to be baptized. The scripture does teach the principle of "believe and be baptized." Baptists consider that a solemn command and therefore practice believers baptism. But what does it mean to actually believe? Does statement of belief equate to a credible profession? Consider the four year old child who announces to Mommy and Daddy after a bible lesson, "I believe in Jesus." Does it automatically follow that her statement is a confession of true saving faith? Most of us can claim anecdotal evidence to support a "yes" or a "no" to that question. But Josh's OP question is not asking for such experiential accounts. Does the scripture speak of such a thing as a credible profession? If it does, what is required on behalf of Baptists ministers in order to administer baptism?
In the passage that headlines this post, I have taken a portion of John 9, and the story of the blind man that Jesus healed. Although blind, he was a Jew who was in covenant with God. We know this because he was eventually thrown out of the synagogue. This man had a real life encounter with Jesus (vs. 6-7). He was healed of his blindness (vs. 7). He had tasted of the good things of God, even if he had not yet believed. Likewise, the child of a Baptist family tastes of the good things of God, by being exposed to the Christian practice of his/her family and interaction with the local church. As the narrative continues, the formerly blind man is brought before the Jews, and asked to give account for his healing. The words of this man are startling.
This man seems to give reference that he is already a disciple in vs. 27. But it is his cognitive understanding of the work of Jesus in his life that gives power to his statement in verse 38:
How does this play out in the Baptist schema? When a individual (child or adult) makes a profession of faith in Jesus Christ, it is incumbent on the ordained minister(s) of the gospel to ascertain whether the individual understands the gospel. Do they understand it cognitively and also spiritually. I will provide one anecdotal story that hits home with me.
My daughter was five years old and started her early schooling at a Christian school. In kindergarten the school made an effort to share the gospel with all the new students. Bethany came home and told her mother that she prayed to received Jesus in the classroom. My wife was excited but I was a bit more muted in my joy. I wasn't in the classroom and had no idea what she had been told. I was far from being a Calvinist and still steeped in dispensationalism at this time. We contacted the pastor and asked if she could be baptized. An appointment was scheduled with the assistant pastor who asked her a series of simple questions to explore whether she could adequately articulate her faith. She couldn't. It wasn't a matter of being nervous. She simply did not understand the gospel. The pastor declined to baptize her based on the fact that she did not display and adequate understanding of the Christian faith. From that point on I was quite satisfied to have my daughter enjoy the blessings of being exposed to the gospel being lived in our home and in our church. Seven years later she was able to give a credible answer to the faith we were confident she possessed. She was then immediately baptized.
Was my daughters experience a waiting period? No. If she had made a credible profession and then we decided to wait, "just to make sure" then it would have been a waiting period. Once I was convinced she understood the gospel and had professed it, then she went under the waters of baptism.
Josh, when you ask about the Apostles, don't forget that they possessed perfect knowledge. We don't. When Cornelius believed in Acts 10, and submitted to baptism, it was under the apostolic supervision of Peter. The most we can do is make sure a individual understands the gospel. If they later prove their profession was false, that is a totally separate matter that is not connected to their baptism.
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