Back in my pastor days I occasionally visited with folks interested in joining our (Baptist) church who grew up with a Church of Christ/Christian Church background. Often, these conversations would turn to the issue of the relationship between baptism and salvation. Either someone was unsure about what Baptists believe on this issue, or they doubted whether what they had been taught in the church of their upbringing was correct.
I tended to answer these peoples’ concerns by exploring the question behind their questions about baptism. For example, if someone asks, “Is Baptism necessary for salvation?” there are at least two radically different questions that might lie beneath the surface. They are:
- Is water baptism a non-negotiable part of a normal life of Christian discipleship or is it an optional add-on?
- If someone expressed genuine faith and repentance but died before they had the opportunity to be baptized in water, is their salvation in jeopardy?
If you’re really asking the first question, you might well say that baptism is necessary for salvation since it is necessary for leading a normal (complete, not truncated or abridged) Christian life. In the normal course of events, Christians are baptized. If they refuse to be baptized when given the opportunity, something is wrong.
If, however, you’re really asking the second question, you would instead say that no, baptism is not necessary in the sense that lack of opportunity to be baptized would count against you in the afterlife. (Catechumens in the ancient church were granted a full Christian funeral if they died before being baptized.)
Church of Christ folks generally approach water baptism through the lens of the first question; Baptists through the second. The problem comes when we try to make our answer cover both situations. Baptists can give the impression that water baptism is merely an afterthought or an almost meaningless symbol (which suggests we might be calling the wrong people “Baptists”!). Church of Christers can give the impression that Uncle Jim might not make it to heaven because he died in his hospital bed before he could be baptized.
Different pastoral and theological concerns may call for different answers to seemingly straightforward questions. I think the same is true when people ask about the possibility of apostasy or “losing” one’s salvation—which is why there are words of both assurance and warning in the New Testament.
In light of all this, I would point you to this brief but thoughtful post by Peter Matthews, an Anglican priest, on the doctrine of sola scriptura. (H/T: Kyle Potter.) He affirms sola scriptura, or not, depending on what underlying question the doctrine is meant to address. As a touchstone for continued reformation and renewal within the historic, visible church, sola scriptura is a vital Christian principle. As a blueprint for going off in a corner somewhere and inventing your own church, sola scriptura can be (and often has been) an unmitigated disaster.
Related:
They’re My Fathers, Too!
When Protestants Attack
technorati tag: sola scriptura
