Why Not Do it God’s Way?
There are all kinds of strange views of the Bible and various doctrinal teachings. None is more bazaar than the absurd ideas that exist about baptism. Some ideas are old, and some are recent. Following are some of these ideas:
Sprinkling for the immersion taught in the scriptures. This originally started out as pouring. A man was on his sick bed, and could not be immersed, so they poured water on him. Later sprinkling was introduced.
Using rose petals. Several years ago I lived and preached in Decatur, Illinois. There was a group there that practiced sprinkling rose petals on people when they wanted to be baptized.
The fire hose. Eddie Parrish, writing in the bulletin where Maxie Boren preaches, quoted a Charlotte, North Carolina newspaper article about the practice of a group called the United House of Prayer for All People: "When two thousand people want to be baptized, that’s a lot of dunking, and a lot of time. Clearly, baptism by fire hose is more efficient." The article explained that the yearly baptisms needed to take place (the building was being renovated), and so the people stood in the church parking lot, and a fire hose was hooked up to a hydrant, and those people desiring to be baptized were hosed off. The hose was set for a fine mist so that no one would be hurt.
Regardless of inconvenience, numbers, or other circumstances, or even renovating the church building, would it not always be better to do it God’s way? There are three Bible teachings that clearly show that baptism is a burial in water:
1. The word baptism means immersion, a dipping in water. If we actually translated the word for baptism, we would have Jesus saying, "he that believeth and is immersed shall be saved." (Mark 16:16)
2. The scriptures, as a matter of fact, say, "Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death:...." (Rom. 6:4; Col. 2:12)
3. In every instance of baptism described in the Bible, they went down into the water, or came up out of the water, or both, indicating an immersion. (Mat. 3:16; Acts 8:38, 39)
Why not do it God’s way? Is it because we think our way is better than God’s? Paul warned that we need to learn "not to think of men above that which is written." (I Cor. 4:6)
We are told that we will be judged by the word of Christ in the last day, not by some cheap and convenient way of man. (John 12:48) Good people, take heed!!!
– Max Patterson, 4438 South 89th Road, Bolivar, MO 65613-8012
