Baptism Builds the Church

I'm not talking about numbers. I'm talking about edification.

On Sunday I had the great privilege of baptizing two adults at Chevis Oaks Baptist Church. This is the church near Savannah, GA where I have been preaching on-and-off since mid-February.

I was overjoyed to assist one man and one woman in being obedient to our Lord's command to be baptized. Both of these have been saved for some time, but were now inspired to be baptized. I'm not sure why this happened now, but I'm certainly happy I was able to be a part of it.

Prior to Sunday, I had primarily thought of baptism as being for the individual being baptized. My focus, regardless of whether or not I had anything to do with the act of baptism, was almost always on the experience of the person being immersed. I thought about their joy, their obedience, and their commitment to Christ.

On Sunday I saw something else. I saw what the ordinance of baptism can do for a church. Prior to the baptism, several people at the church told me that there had not been a baptism there for a while. They were excited to have two people be baptized. It was not some sort of thrill-seeking they were after; instead, they were joyful for what God was doing there.

During and after the baptisms, I could see that the church was being edified. The people were so happy to see what was happening. They were thankful to God for what He is doing there. They were joyful for the two who were baptized. They seemed to feel an expectancy for what God would do next.

After the service, when I was greeting the people at the church door as they exited (yes, I did stand by the door this time), many of them told me how happy they were to see the baptisms. They seemed absolutely thrilled that this had happened. I was happy for them. I'm not sure what this will lead to or what God's plans are for this church, but I'm sure that on Sunday many more than two people were edified.

What happened reminded me of I Corinthians 14. In that chapter, the gathering of the church in Corinth is described. In chapter 14 alone, the word "edification" is used four times (more than any other chapter in the bible). The most important verse is probably verse 26. Paul writes, "How is it then, brethren? Whenever you come together, each of you has a psalm, has a teaching, has a tongue, has a revelation, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification." (emphasis mine)

This past Sunday I fully realized that baptism is practiced both for those baptized and for the building up of the body.

What is a Reformed Baptist?

What is a Reformed Baptist? Why am I one?

I fall into that small, unique group of American Protestants who are Reformed Baptists (I'm Southern Baptist, too). I refer to this occasionally on this blog, but haven't addressed the issue directly - until now.

If you asked various Reformed Baptists what makes them distinctive, you might get several different answers.

I believe there are six primary characteristics of Reformed Baptists. These are positions I hold, and I think the vast majority of Reformed Baptists do also. No one of the six characteristics is unique; rather it is the combination of the six that makes Reformed Baptists what they are. Additionally, Reformed Baptists believe much more than what follows. These six are mentioned, as I just said, in order to show what makes Reformed Baptists unique.

1. Reformed Baptists believe in the authority, infallibility, inerrancy, and sufficiency of scripture. The bible is how we primarily know God. His word guides our belief and practice.

2. Reformed Baptists hold to the "5 Solas of the Reformation." In English, these are faith alone, scripture alone, Christ alone, grace alone, and the glory of God alone.

3. Reformed Baptists think that believer's baptism is what the bible describes and commands. This is a huge issue that I am not going to tackle here. I'll just mention (again) that in the bible we always see people submitting by faith to the Lordship of Jesus Christ prior to the ordinance of water baptism.

4. Reformed Baptists hold to the Doctrines of Grace. These are commonly referred to as either "T.U.L.I.P." or "the Five Points of Calvinism." The primary issue in the Doctrines of Grace is the sovereignty of God. Reformed Baptists believe that the bible teaches that God is completely sovereign and completely within His rights to do whatever He desires with His creation.

5. Reformed Baptists believe that the local church should be independent of any authority other than Christ. The church should have an elder/pastor-led, congregationally ruled polity. In other words, it is the local church that makes its own decisions, which ought to be guided by the Holy Spirit. The congregation has authority over who its human leaders are. Those leaders (pastor/elders) guide the church by godly-example.

6. Reformed Baptists believe in a strong separation of church and state. The government should provide religious liberty to all its citizens. The church, then, will be free to believe and practice as it sees fit. The church should not become unduly involved in politics. However, Christians should try to influence society through the political process to live according to the laws of God.

The confession of faith that most Reformed Baptists hold to is the Second London Baptist Confession of 1689. If you are wanting to know more about what Reformed Baptists believe, I encourage you to go to the 1689 Confession.


There are also a few important things that Reformed Baptists do not believe:

1. Reformed Baptists do not agree with all Reformation-era teachings. Just because we use the word "Reformed," this does not mean we agree with everything Martin Luther or John Calvin taught.

2. Reformed Baptists do not agree with the practice of infant baptism (it's not in the bible).

3. Reformed Baptists do not believe that there is any authority above the local church other than Jesus Christ, who is its head.

4. Reformed Baptists do not believe in a mixing of church and state.


I hope this helps explain and/or clear up what it means to be a Reformed Baptist. You'll see that Reformed Baptists have much in common with many other Baptists. The primary difference lies in the Doctrines of Grace. Most Baptists reject the "ULI" of "TULIP."

You also see some commonalities with the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA). The two main differences between Reformed Baptists and the PCA are baptism and church polity.

To look at a great Reformed Baptist Church near Savannah, click here. To look at the Association of Reformed Baptist Churches of America, click here.


So, why am I a Reformed Baptist? I am one because I believe Reformed Baptist doctrine is closer to biblical teaching than any other I have seen.

Why am I a Southern Baptist? That's an easy one. The answer is simple: international missions (I'll discuss this in an upcoming post).

I guess I'd refer to myself as a Reformed Southern Baptist.

Does Mode Really Matter?

When it comes to the ordinance of baptism, does the mode really matter? In other words, is it really critical how the baptism takes place? Is there any significance to whether or not the mode is immersion (submerging the entire body in water), affusion (pouring water over the head), or aspersion (sprinkling water over the head)?

My desire is that this post be a discussion of this one specific question. We will not be delving into whether or not the person has to be saved prior to baptism; thus, we will not be discussing infant baptism at all. I'm assuming here that the person coming to be baptized is already a believer in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. After this person gives a public profession of faith, does it then matter what mode of baptism takes place?

Is this even an important matter? Is it really worth a blog post, or was there just nothing better to write about? I do think it is important because some folks separate over this issue. Baptists, in particular, require that anyone joining their local church be immersed. So, if this issue is worth separating over for some individuals, then it certainly seems like it is worth blogging about.

As a Baptist myself, my first inclination is to answer the question I have posed here with a resounding "YES!" However, a better method is to begin with scripture as our authority and go from there.

Let's begin with Matthew 28:19-20. These are well-known verses because these are the final words of the book of Matthew and are often labeled "The Great Commission." In these verses, Jesus makes it clear that as part of making disciples, His followers should "baptize" them. This word comes from the Greek word "baptidzo," and is generally accepted to mean "to immerse, dip, or plunge." As we would expect, all scholars are not even in agreement over this definition.

In Mark 1:4-5, we read that John the Baptist was baptizing in the Jordan River.

Later in that same chapter (Mark 1:9-10), we see Jesus coming to John to be baptized. The text tells us that Jesus, "came up out of the water."

In John 3:23, we read of John the Baptist baptizing "because water was plentiful there."

In the eighth chapter of Acts, we read the account of Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch. The text (Acts 8:36-39) tells us that they "went down into the water" and they "came up out of the water."

*Much of this information comes from Wayne Grudem's Systematic Theology (Zondervan, 1994).

In light of all of the above passages, it seems that the method of baptism used in New Testament times was that of immersion. I do not know personally of anyone who would argue this point.

One other important issue is that when a person is immersed, it is symbolic of his union with Christ in death, burial, and resurrection. Romans 6:3-4 makes this clear.

So far we have seen two things. First, Jesus gave a command for his disciples to be baptized. This seems to mean immersion, but there is some disagreement over this. Second, the mode of baptism in bible times clearly appears to have been immersion.

Moving on from there, let's go back to our original question: does the mode of baptism really matter? Without trying to dodge the question, I believe an appropriate answer is "yes and no."

I think the mode is certainly important when we are discussing what we teach within the church. In order to be fair to the biblical text, we need to understand that the weight of the evidence falls on the side of immersion. We should not just tell the church body that they can simply make up their own minds based upon personal preference (like choosing a flavor of ice cream), and imply that the bible does not matter. Beyond teaching, the very mode we adhere to in the local church is important. Due to the biblical evidence, we should encourage immersion.

However, I think that the mode of baptism should not matter when it comes to church membership. Let's say that someone wants to join a Baptist church after having moved to a new town. Maybe he attended a Presbyterian church where he used to live. For this example, let's say that he came to Christ as a teenager, publically professed faith in Jesus, and then was sprinkled in front of the church. Should the Baptist church refuse him membership because he was not immersed? Should the Baptists tell him that his first baptism "didn't count" because he was sprinkled? I do not believe so.

Jesus cared too much about the unity of His body on earth to allow baptism to stand in the way of unity. In John 17:20-23, Jesus clearly states in his prayer to His Father just how much He desires unity for His church. Our Lord uses very strong words in His "High Priestly Prayer" to emphasize the importance of unity.

Baptism should be a celebration of belief in Christ rather than a reason for division. So why should we divide? Is there ever any reason? What is the dividing point? In seems that scripturally the only dividing point is between believers and non-believers (see Galatians 1:8-9, here dealing specifically with false teachers).

So, does the mode of baptism matter? Yes, for teaching and practice in the local church. No, for church membership.

I do not claim to be an expert on this topic. I would like to hear your ideas on this. Do you agree or disagree? Why?

When I see a Methodist, what do I see?

I am a Baptist. I believe that the 1689 London Baptist Confession and the 1858 Abstract of Principles are faithful summations of Biblical teaching.

However, I am also arrogant about being a Baptist. For this, I apologize.

When I see a Methodist (or a Presbyterian, a Lutheran, a Pentecostal, etc.), what do I see? Instead of seeing a brother or sister in Christ, I tend to first see a person whose doctrinal beliefs are not as Biblical as what I consider mine to be. I focus on what makes us different instead of on what should bring us together: our faith in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

I know as well as you do that some people who claim to be Methodists are not saved. However, the same is true for Baptists. In fact, the misapplied belief in "once saved, always saved" may even lead more Baptists than Methodists to falsely believe they are going to heaven even if their lives are bearing no fruit.

I know many people who are godly saints who also attend Methodist churches. So why do I first look to what separates instead of what unites? My only conclusion is that it makes me feel good to be right, and have others be wrong. This certainly does not please Christ.

So if I focus on unity, in what areas (practically speaking) can I be united with folks of other denominations (assuming they believe in Jesus as Lord and Savior)? The answer is simple: in almost every area. I can unite with them in missions and evangelism. I can unite with them in ministry work in the community. I can unite with them in prayer for revival in our community, state, and country. I can unite with them on taking a stand for Biblical authority on social issues. I can unite with them on apologetics-related issues. I can unite with them while participating in in-home Bible studies.

The one place I cannot unite with Methodists, Lutherans, etc. is in membership in a local church. This is mostly because of the key issue of believer's baptism. A church simply cannot have different definitions of what this ordinance means within one body.

However, division should not be my first thought when I see a person from another denomination. My first thought should be, "Hey, there is another follower of Jesus Christ. I'm going to go see how they are doing, and how I can serve them in the Lord."