Why do you believe?

I had a conversation with someone the other day who disagreed with my comments regarding Baptism by immersion vs. sprinkling. He stated that the Bible does not state that. Hmmmm.well please show me where it states otherwise and I will gladly change my opinion, because my opinion on this subject is formed strictly from the Bible and I definitely do not have an “immersion” agenda.

Today’s WFTD is not about this issue, it is about belief systems and how I suggest they should be formed. I base my belief system in the Bible. I believe it to be the holy, unerring word of God almighty. Although He used human resources to put it down in writing, it was inspired by Him and I just cannot accept that an all-powerful God would let one comma get into His word without His ordaining it.

I came to Christ by reading the Bible completely through for myself. Since that first reading I have read it through cover to cover numerous times. More than once I have read the King James Version, the New King James Version, the International Version, the Living Bible, and others. In an effort to understand it further, I sometimes supplemented my Bible study with commentary from others. I studied the “Through the Bible with J. Vernon McGee” series for five long years whereby he writes a dissertation on virtually every verse in the Bible, often explaining the different definitions of verses and words in Greek and Hebrew as well as the customs and belief system of the various tribes and people mentioned in the Bible.

My belief system is therefore based upon my Bible study, not on some denominational dogma that my grandmother instilled in me at the age of nine. I often disagree with commonly accepted dogma within an entire host of religions. I disagree because the Bible simply does not state what they believe. If it did, I would readily adopt that into my belief system just like sprinkling vs. immersion. What is important is what “God” says, not some preacher, or some denomination, or just a hunch from within ourselves. I believe the Bible to be the holy word of God. It is how God has chosen to communicate with us. If you have not personally read it through cover to cover you have no choice but to take other people’s word for what you should believe regarding spiritual matters, and in so doing you base your belief system on flawed “fallen” human beings. I would not want to trust my eternal destiny with anyone else. Determining one’s eternal destiny is the most important mission of every person on this planet!

I come away from my study with my personal interpretation of what the Bible means and God helps me to understand its content and I pray often for better understanding. I feel very strongly that the Bible is not reserved for some Ivy League intellectual, Bible thumping preacher, or Latin speaking priest to read and interpret for me. I believe that we all have been given enough intelligence that after reading and studying a passage that we can come away from it with an understanding.

With that said the Bible is complex and some parts were written and were more meaningful for people at different times of civilization. In short some of it, such as prophecy and establishing Messianic lineage are difficult to understand. Other parts are easy. Honest and sincere people can read the same passage and come away from it with varying understandings and thus denominations are not necessarily bad, provided the Bible and their interpretation of it is the ENTIRE basis for their doctrine.

Finally God warns us, (born again Christians), about not getting hung up on dogma and arguing among ourselves about relatively trivial points. It is distracting to trying to win people over to Christ, but it is important to understand God’s commands.

Baptism symbolizes the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We are immersed down into water symbolizing the death and then underwater symbolizing the burial and then we come up out of the water symbolizing the resurrection. Jesus our shining example was baptized by John the Baptist. Read the passage below and determine for yourself if you think He was immersed or sprinkled. To my understanding one cannot come up out of water without first going down in water, thus it is clear at least to me that He was immersed in the water as described above.

One can easily see how Biblical disputes can easily be settled by using the Bible. Now a very bright person might find a verse or two to make their point and contradict the foregoing. If so, and their evidence is convincing I will change my belief on the subject, but after looking at it in context if I am not convinced, then I will stay with my own interpretation. That is how I believe these matters should be settled. Think about it

Matthew 3:16
When He had been baptized, Jesus
came up immediately from the
water; and behold, the heavens were
opened to Him and He saw the
Spirit of God descending like a dove
and alighted upon Him.
And suddenly a voice came from
heaven saying, This is My beloved
Son, in whom I am well
pleased.