My name is Geoff Smith.
I accidentally helped start the Under Christ’s Archy project.
I’m currently a teacher of math, rhetoric, and Bible at a small Christian high school.
As you can see in my profile, I am scheduled to be married on October 15, 2011.
I hope to contribute a to this project in a few ways, especially a biblical appropriation of the spiritual disciplines while living under Christ. I also want to encourage those in traditional or non-traditional church services to live as disciples of Jesus outside of the church service. This is incredibly important to me because Jesus spends much more time teaching people how to live than teaching people how to have a church service (a though I’ll expand on in future posts).
Blog
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New to the Project: Geoff Smith
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Sincere but Unfortunate
by Dr. Robert LaRochelle
Earlier this week, a piece of writing was brought to my attention which has caused considerable reaction out there in the blogosphere. In his Parchment and Pen blog, C. Michael Patton published an entry under the rather intriguing title of ‘Embracing Doubt’ or Why ‘Roman Catholic scholarship‘ is an Oxymoron.’ Mr. Patton’s position, developed and corroborated in numerous other entries, is that one cannot be a real theological scholar and also be truly Roman Catholic because Catholics must always yield to the authoritative teaching of the church, a teaching which can be invoked as ‘infallible.’
To be honest, I consider this entry to be highly sincere but most unfortunate. In my view, it is important for Roman Catholics and Protestants to engage in respectful, ecumenical dialogue and to look for ways in which we can learn together, pray together and serve together, in Jesus’ name. It is also my conviction that we must search for an ‘ecumenical center’ while recognizing that individuals, in conscience, will make their own individual decisions regarding their own church affiliation. It is my preference that both Catholic and Protestant theologians, educators, and writers look for ways to focus on what we share in common, even to the point of making clear that what we have thought really must divide us, under the scrutiny of closer examination, in fact, actually need not!
The issues Mr. Patton raises are personal ones for me. I am an ordained clergyperson and have served as a pastor for over ten years in the United Church of Christ. For the first forty five years of my life, I was a member of the Roman Catholic Church. Over the course of my professional life, I worked in Catholic parishes and a diocese in such capacities as Theology instructor, Youth Minister and Director of Religious Education. For nine years, I served as a Permanent Deacon, a member of the Roman Catholic clergy, and in that capacity baptized nearly three hundred individuals and officiated at a rather large number of weddings and funerals as well.
My wife, with whom I will be celebrating our thirty first anniversary in just a few days, remains a member of the Roman Catholic Church, as do our three children, one of whom works at a college as a Catholic campus minister. I am the beneficiary of a wonderful education in Catholic schools which includes exposure to magnificent Catholic teaching and scholarship in two excellent Jesuit institutions, Holy Cross and Boston College.
My eventual decision to leave the Catholic Church and my service in a Protestant denomination has really deepened my passion for that ecumenical center I have mentioned. As a matter of fact, I explore this in detail in my forthcoming book Crossing The Street, which will be released this coming Spring by Energion Publications. In my book, I explain my own decision to leave Catholicism, one that did, for me, center on the issue of authority. After much struggling with the multiplicity of issues involved, I made the decision that I am really a Protestant and thus felt deeply that it was time for me to move.
Yet, having said this, I also realize that other people who struggle with some of the same issues I did have decided to remain within the Catholic Church. Where I differ with Mr. Patton is in my strong belief that one can harbor doubt and question authority within Catholicism and yet remain a Catholic. Some of the Catholics whom I most admire are those who either have or do!
In his sweeping assertion that one cannot be scholarly and a faithful Catholic, Mr. Patton, in my view, misses three very important realities:- Many changes in the Catholic Church were as the result of theologians questioning what was current and historic church teaching. The major changes in worship, ecumenism, Biblical understanding, the priesthood of those other than the ordained, the church’s understanding of the relationship between religion and science, among many others, teachings promulgated at Vatican II and in the workings of the church in subsequent years, came as the result of ‘cutting edge’ work by theologians within the church, individuals such as Teilhard de Chardin, Yves Congar, Karl Rahner and others whose theological positions truly ‘pushed the envelope’ of Roman Catholic convention.
- Even in some traditional ‘authoritative’ documents, the influence of dissenting Catholic theologians is clear. The great church authority test in the late twentieth century was the reaction of Catholic theologians and ordinary Catholics to the church’s teaching on birth control as expressed in the 1968 encyclical Humanae Vitae. It should be noted that prior to writing the encyclical, the Pope appointed a commission to study the question. One could argue that, though Pope Paul VI reiterated the traditional position in this Papal decree, the document also included a theological perspective expressed by those ‘ on the other side’ of the Pope’s conclusion. This same dichotomy is notable in the 1976 Vatican Declaration on Certain Questions Concerning Sexual Ethics. Even more telling, this ‘dissent’ on these questions and others is operative in both the behavior and attitudes of Catholics today who remain members of the church while holding positions different from the ‘magisterium’ on such issues as well as on others, including, yet not limited to, women’s ordination.
- Most importantly, in the personal sense, Catholic teaching has clearly held to the concept of the primacy of the INDIVIDUAL CONSCIENCE in decision making. Church documents, including those of Vatican II, speak eloquently of this reality. I think it is fair to say that there are Catholic theologians who would see their dissent on particular teachings and interpretations as an exercise of their consciences.
So, in summary, as one whose movement into Protestantism and practice of my faith has been deeply enriched and enhanced by bold and exciting Catholic scholarship, I find Mr. Patton’s argument unconvincing. I do admire, however, his strong advocacy of the importance of theology within the Christian community of faith. It is my firm belief that true ecumenical dialogue between Protestants and Catholics really suffers when theological ‘indifferentism’ is seen as the norm. The idea that ‘it makes no difference’ and that all belief systems are ‘really the same’ is both inaccurate and does no justice to the cause of deeper understanding and shared contribution to both Christ’s church and to God’s world.
While I applaud Mr. Patton for his passion for theology, so obviously born of a love of God and a passion for truth, I see this blog entry as both falling short and also doing unnecessary collateral harm to the necessary cause of Christian unity!
Rev. Dr. Robert R. LaRochelle holds a Doctor of Ministry from Chicago Theological Seminary. He is pastor of the Congregational Church of Union, Connecticut, UCC, and is the author of Part-Time Pastor, Full-Time Church (Pilgrim Press, 2010) and the forthcoming book Crossing The Street (Energion, 2012). He writes a blog at http://wwwpastorbob.blogspot.com -
Process Theology: A Guide for the Perplexed – Review by Bob Cornwall
[The following review is by Bob Cornwall, author of Energion titles Ultimate Allegiance: The Subversive Nature of the Lord’s Prayer and Ephesians: A Participatory Study Guide. The book reviewed is by Bruce Epperly, author of Philippians: A Participatory Study Guide.]PROCESS THEOLOGY: A Guide for the Perplexed. New York: T&T Clark, 2011. Ix +177 pages.Christianity is one of the more complex faith traditions, with its embrace of doctrines such as the Trinity and the divinity of Christ, so even on a good day enquirers can be left perplexed. Process Theology, which takes much of its inspiration from the philosophical musings of a British mathematician/physicist, can leave even those acquainted with and comfortable with basic Christian doctrines perplexed and confused. Thus, a primer that would translate and explain for the uninitiated the intricacies of this theological system is most welcome. This is especially true at a time when many Christians are looking for a system that makes sense of the world of the 21st century, especially concerning the relationship of faith and science. Although many people continue to embrace premodern religious beliefs, many others find these beliefs, especially relating to a divine being that supernaturally sweeps in and adjusts things from outside the universe to be incompatible with reality as they know it. Of course, it’s not only science that poses challenges; it’s the problem of evil as well. Process Theology, with its sense of openness to the future and its rejection of an all powerful divinity seems to offer a more compelling vision – if only we understood the vocabulary! -
Hallelujah: The Soundtrack of Life
We are in the process of releasing a new book under our EnerPower Press imprint, which will be available at First United Methodist Church of Pensacola starting August 21, and should soon be available in major online retailers. It is edited by Rev. Geoffrey Lentz, and includes contributions by many members of First United Methodist Church of Pensacola.
At the same time the church is holding a Summer in the Psalms series. The embedded video is Geoffrey’s first sermon in that series. It begins with the 9th grade male chorus singing.
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Welcome!
I’m Henry Neufeld, owner of Energion Publications, and I want to welcome you to Under Christ’s Archy.
To find out more about what will be happening on this site, please read the home page. Writers will be gathering here and introducing themselves over the next few days.
I won’t be writing here except for this introduction, but I’m excited about the folks who have said ‘yes’ to the call to provide practical suggestions and resources for those who want to put the rule of Christ first—above all other archys! -
What Does a New Testament Church Look Like?
We get this question frequently from readers of The Jesus Paradigm by David Alan Black. The easiest answer is to link to his essay with the same title.
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What Oppression Looks Like
(The following post is cross-posted from CPR – FIERCE CHRISTIAN LIVING, and was written by Renee Crosby. Renee is author of Energion title Soup Kitchen for the Soul. The post is copyright and is used here by permission.)
That is a picture of a home in my neighborhood in Denver, CO. where an eviction notice was executed May 10, 2011. Ever really thought about what oppression is? Well, the Webster definition of oppression is listed as, “Unjust or cruel exercise of authority of power.” But have you ever really wondered what oppression looks like? Well the above picture is worth a thousand words. One key word comes to my mind, oppression.
I offer my opinion on a relevant and sensitive topic regarding the state of our afflictions. These afflictions are part of our American culture and trends that require us to take a stand and take action. I am reminded of the quote we used to use in typing class in high school, “Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of their country.” Forget about the government aiding the people of our country. We need to rise up as the people of this country and aid the government. So what exactly am I rambling about? That picture is the picture of a person’s former home, now under eviction- executed. This picture is not staged. It is real. If that isn’t an unjust or cruel exercise of authority of power, I don’t know what is.
OK, so your counterpoint on the topic may be that they deserved it, they defaulted on their loan. Or, they had plenty of time to get their things out for they knew it was coming. All I’m asking is for a moment to put that aside, especially if you have never been close to anyone who has gone through this process. If you have never known anyone to go through this, let me paint a picture of their lives. As a culmination of people I have met along the way, a summary of their story and their state of economy might look something like this; a single mom with at least one child, no spousal support, no job, or a job, but with the cost of day care, not making enough to make ends meet. I have met people who have lost both parents and fallen into depression, lost jobs, and can’t function because of their illness, and can’t obtain adequate resources for even medicine. I have met a couple that work in construction and one broke her ankle, so they both are now homeless as they cannot maintain a residence with one income.
These are just everyday people struggling to make ends meet. Upon eviction, many often secure smaller housing, or secure shelter housing in which they have to place belongings in storage. They often live precariously with another family or extended family till they get back on their feet, again, placing belongings in storage. Or, they become homeless, living in a hotel, again, with no place to put any belongings. These families are challenged in securing food, heat, hot water and other basic necessities. Their choices center on paying for a truck rental, gas, and storage rental or buying basic needs like food. The choices center on taking time off of work to move their own belongings because they can’t pay movers. Many have only part time jobs that offer no benefits of paid days off from work. So, the end result is they either leave their belongings in the evicted house, or put some or all of their things in storage.
So, what exactly is my issue with this cruel use of power when executing eviction notices of emptying the house of all belongings? Let’s be clear here, it is shameful, strips all dignity, humiliates, degrades, pours salt on wounds, kicks them when they are down, embarrasses, and oppresses. It also is a safety issue for the neighborhood and children playing. It is also a property value issue for the neighborhoods vying for new buyers or renters. NO ONE deserves this kind of treatment. No one should be so stripped of their dignity. No one should have to have this happen in their neighborhood. No parent should be at risk of a child getting hurt or injured from curiosity playing in a mound of belongings. It is unethical. It is not a liberal or conservative problem. It’s a social justice problem. It has to be stopped.
We have to rise up and take action now because this epidemic of evictions is not even close to being over. “Data from the Mortgage Bankers Association shows that about 3.7 million properties are in this seriously delinquent stage.” This stage refers to home loans that are in foreclosure, pending some action like loan modifications, short sales and possibly other disposition alternatives. That is only the current properties on a list that may well end up in eviction. That doesn’t include the mass numbers of evictions already executed since the mortgage crash, and future homes entering the foreclosure process. And, I might add these figures don’t capture the number of people who don’t own homes, but rent and have been evicted or will be evicted in the near future.
However, the up side of the story about this oppressive action is that we can do something about it! I was always taught that if you identify a problem, also offer a solution. So, what do we do? I believe there are many transitional solutions to alleviate the problem that can be done, such as one sheriff in Hamilton, OH is doing. It is reported that he ordered deputies to ignore eviction orders when people have nowhere else to live. Or find support money to locally fund vouchers for assisting with truck rentals, gas and storage units. But in the long-term, the solution perhaps is to push for a law to forbid such oppressive action. The law might even look like stating that all processing evictions must safely and responsibly remove belongings by securing items in a dumpster. That seems reasonable to me. Or, perhaps the belongings could stay in the facility until a new owner is secured, and the new owners are somehow compensated for the cost of removing the belonging (again safely and responsibly removing).
FIERCE topic- well that goes without saying. But how about some FIERCE action? I implore you, please don’t just read this and do nothing. But, you ask, “What can you do?” Well, right now like me, you can raise awareness of this issue and talk about it. Share this article. I will be contacting the Metro Organizations for People, the Denver Homeless Coalition and others to see how I can help change this. When I get some activity on a resolution, I will let you know, and hope the media will as well.
Be FIERCE ya’ll. Be FIERCE. Help pass the blog on…email friends, “like on facebook. -
Missions – What about It?
(Today’s post is from Pastor D. Kevin Brown. Pastor Brown is author of the book Rite of Passage, forthcoming from Energion Publications. He blogs at, you guessed it, D Kevin Brown’s Blog.)
Last year in the association in which the church I pastor is a member, there was reported 200 people baptized with total receipts of almost $8 million. Do you know what that tells me? That tells me we as an association spent almost $40,000 per person to get them baptized and brought to Jesus. This is well above the per capita family income of a typical family in our county! That’s an amazing statistic! If you think we spent $40,000 on evangelism and missions per person to reach them, you would be mistaken. We spend our money tithing to ourselves. We spend money on our “fun.” Most churches (and ours is no different and we’re working on it), spend as much money on literature, supplies and utilities as we do on missions. God help us for our misplaced priorities!
The Bible says in 2 Chronicles 7:14:If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
It’s up to us, the Church, to start reaching this nation again. I read recently in the NC Baptist “Connect” magazine that a church that has been around for 10-15 years or more gains nearly 80% of their new members by transfer growth (that’s swapping members), while a church that is a new church plant will gain nearly 60-80% of their new members from folks that have never attended church anywhere and are most likely lost. Why? Because the older churches get lazy!
You see, we have to pay off our buildings, in which we see less than a couple handfuls of people saved each year. We have to pay for our buses and our vans, as they cart us to and fro from activity to activity that reaches few if any with the gospel. We must pay for our burgeoning staffs (because the lay people don’t want to do much of anything anymore.) It seems we’d rather pay to have it done than get our hands dirty. It’s almost like people are saying: “Don’t try this at home—let the professionals do it, because it may be dangerous for our health.”
We continue to fund a myriad of programs (of which, many are so ineffective for reaching people with the gospel that we’re afraid to ask why we still have them), yet we hang on to these sacred cows because we’re afraid of a little blood just so we can keep the flock happy. And all the while, the new church plant is nimble enough and may I say hungry enough to “seek and save that which is lost,” because they “don’t know any better.” They aren’t burdened down yet with all the stuff that a “good” church is supposed to have.
We are involved in a war—a war for the hearts, souls, and minds of our children and our families. The Church in the last 50 years has failed to transmit its religious heritage to the next generation. Sermons, in many of our churches across America, are now more “therapeutic” than instructional; our worship services have become grounded more in what we “feel” than in what we think and know about Scripture.
Why is it that the Church, by and large, no longer represents the power of the “action” of God in the world?” I’ll tell you why. Because we have compromised the gospel. The Church has quit training and evangelizing. The church is literally dying a slow death in America; that is imperceptible to most, but nonetheless is happening simply because we are not reproducing ourselves. Church attendance continues to drop in America and we’re down now to around 30% of Americans attending services on a given Sunday. You see, the goal of Christianity must be to advance God’s kingdom on earth. Let me be very clear. The purpose of the Church is to be God’s “missionary people” in the world. We are to be adding to the flock…not just fattening those that are already in the flock, those who are already safe and sound.
Isn’t it time to seriously look at all of our programs and ministries and ask if they are effective and if they’re not…then, let’s pull out the butcher knife. I am firmly convinced there is no partnership in Christ without partnership in missions. Are we mission-minded? Is it really our TOP priority or just “one” of many priorities in our churches?
Oh have we forgotten our mission? If we are going to be relevant to this “lost and dying” world, we are going to have to remember what our purpose is and what our mission is to be. We’ve got to care about and love what Jesus loved. What did He love? Not a “what,” but a “who.” People, people, people! He said, “I have come to seek and to save that which is lost.” That’s our mission! As congregations, we must intentionally live as God’s missionary people. It’s only then that the church will emerge to become what Christ created it to be and it’s only then that we will truly be salt and light and see dramatic changes within the cultural fabric of our churches and thus, this nation. The purpose of the body of Christ is to make Jesus visible to the world Monday through Saturday…not just to ourselves on Sunday. Are we on mission at our jobs in our schools on the ball fields and dance studios? You don’t have to be a preacher or missionary to be in the “ministry.” We are all ambassadors of the Gospel…remember?
But, if we’re going to be on mission then we must overcome a significant hurdle. What is that? The great American Dream? Has the Church in this nation become like the church of Laodicea. Rev. 3:17 shows us this type of church: “We are rich, having acquired great wealth and are in need of nothing? But we don’t realize that we are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.” Jesus called that church lukewarm and it makes Him sick to His stomach to the point of vomiting. Is that what He sees when He looks at us? Oh, please forgive us Lord!
You know when you boil it down; it all comes down to priorities doesn’t it? We must remember who we are and what we are to be about as the Church. After all, aren’t we the body of Christ? We must remember we are to be His hands and feet. The Apostle Paul tells us so in Ephesians 3:11-12:It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up…
So, it’s my job as a pastor to equip. Right? That’s what we just read…yet…churches expect the pastors to do everything in many cases. And do you know what else? People like me, (pastors and preachers), have made things this way. We’ve spoiled our people. Think about it. The average pastor puts in around 15-20 hours a week in message preparation. He gets paid on average a salary of around $45,000 a year, (I’m estimating here), and there are somewhere around 310,000 churches in the U.S. Add all that up, and you’ll see that every week American churches invest right at $140 million in preaching. That’s a major investment, and what’s the return on that investment? Church attendance is on the decline. The percentage of people claiming to know Christ is plummeting, and the moral fiber of our culture is ripping apart. Can’t we see that we’re missing the boat as Christians and as churches?
Preaching alone is good, but it won’t save the masses. We must personally be ambassadors for Christ as we daily “take up our crosses and follow Jesus and bear fruit for Him.” We must be paramedics with the Gospel (take it to them), not just ambulances (trying to get them to a building). Once we lead them to Jesus, we must disciple them. But, discipling is hard. It’s time-consuming and not easy because we have to roll up our sleeves and invest in other’s lives.
So, will we do it? Will we do the hard things and make our churches mission-minded? Will we brandish the knife and slaughter some sacred cows and stop tithing to ourselves? Will we become more concerned about what is happening outside the walls of our churches instead of paying for our own comforts inside those walls? I pray we will. And I pray that missions will once again become our top priority just as it was our Savior’s. -
The Word on the Street – Is It the Bible?
(Energion author Nick May (Megabelt) posted the following on Facebook, and it is reproduced here with his permission. For his Facebook friends, the post is here.)
Several years ago, I learned about something called “The Word on the Street” which is a take on the Bible whose modernized terms make The Message read like T.S. Elliot. This is how the author, Rob Lacey, tells the story of Peter walking on water (in beautiful, scripturally appropriate italics):
Sometime, three maybe four in the morning, Jesus walks out to them across the waves. Freaked out, they scream, “Ghost!” as one man. Before they’ve time to scream again Jesus shouts, “Whoa! Don’t panic! It’s me.” “If it’s you, Boss,” shouts Pete. “give me a go?!” “Come on, then,” says Jesus. So Pete swings his leg over the boat and tests out the water – and his foot doesn’t go under! The other leg joins it. It takes his weight. Seconds later he’s walking across the lake towards Jesus – on the water! He’s doing fine till a face full of wind slaps him back to normality. He freezes, loses focus and starts going under, screaming, “Grab me, Jesus!” Jesus does and holds Pete there saying, “Chicken! Why’d you bottle it?”
Lacey refers to his own rendition of the story as a paraphrase–saying on the back cover, “This is not THE Bible.” I can appreciate that (though I think it’s a bit of a cop-out). Whereas Lacey takes all kinds of liberties with chopping things up, cutting things out and mixing things around, he never attempts to do anything it shouldn’t by claiming it is something it isn’t. Listen, it’s okay if you were thinking, “Dang, it’s too bad the Bible can’t speak to me the way a friend would at a urinal.” That’s a normal reaction to experiencing something simple; however, despite the striking resemblance the story bares to it’s more widely accepted translations, you’re probably still a little apprehensive about some of the language. What if a chunk of divinity got left out when Lacey switched some of the adverbs around?! Give me a break. If it’s root words you’re worried about, get a Strong’s Concordance or a Greek & Hebrew Bible and go nuts just like you have to do with all the other translations which don’t include any words ending in the suffix, -os.
I’m sure I’m just now joining a debate that’s nearly a decade old, and this isn’t me arguing for The Word on the Street’s inclusion into The Family Christian Bookstore’s Biblical canon (not yet anyway). I just have a hard time believing that a translation like The Message deserves to be treated any differently than ones like the NIV or NASV did when they first came on the scene. It both sickens and comforts me to think there are probably still those who believe the New International Version is merely a paraphrase of the almighty King James Version–commissioned under and named for King James I who was a real tool (in case my holiness audience didn’t know). There’s not an inch of me that believes I’m only getting an abbreviated dose of inspiration when I read The Message. The story is what it is. We’re all kidding ourselves if we think anything we read that doesn’t come in a scroll is anywhere close to accurate. That doesn’t worry me. The Council of Nicaea worries me. If Rob Lacey decided to ever write a Street version that didn’t leave anything out or include personal commentary, I’d read that thing like it was infallible too, and I wouldn’t apologize for it.
My musical friends always rag me for not accepting the gospel of Jack White. They say the guy is worthy of being counted among the ranks of guitar greats despite his age and length of time spent in the sphere. I say different. I say old Jacko hasn’t paid his dues, and therefore, doesn’t deserve to be showered with praise and glory just yet (regardless of his undeniable skill)–sharing DVD features with dudes like Kieth Richards and “The Edge” (that pompous tool). It’s this way of thinking that leads people to believe that a translation like The Message hasn’t earned it’s place amongst the pews. Anyone still go to a church with pews? Yeah, I didn’t think so. Sorry for the outdated imagery. It hasn’t paid it’s dues yet, so it doesn’t deserve to be counted with the rest, right?. It’s like that pocket New Testament Message came dribbling along back in ’93 or whenever, and all the other Bibles were like, “Woah there, LeBron! Not so fast. We know you’re a star, but we’re still going to bench you for a few seasons, just so you know your place.”
I think we’re all just being a little too nice and a little too respectful of some elusive crowd of traditionalists that we abdicated from a long time ago. Jesus spoke in simple terms–teaching through the vehicles of farming and fishing because of the application value. I don’t think there’s a diagram that shows acceptable Bibles and unacceptable Bibles. It’s more like a gradual time-line where the difference is never the content but the context. It would be one thing if Rob Bell came out with a version where Mary wasn’t a virgin or eternal Hell wasn’t a circumstance…oh wait. -
Is Baptism Necessary for Salvation?
(This question was brought to me recently, and I asked Energion author Elgin Hushbeck, Jr. to write a short response. Elgin is author of Evidence for the Bible, Christianity and Secularism, and Preserving Democracy. — Henry Neufeld)
Some Christians believe that Baptism is necessary for one to be saved. Supporters point to Mark 16:16 “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever doesn’t believe will be condemned” (ISV). Here, they claim, Jesus commands that we be baptized. As one supporter put it,How much clearer must we have it said by the Lord Himself than this… Why would Jesus tell His disciples to baptize if it were not necessary? Don’t you think that if the Lord had intended baptism to be optional that He would not have made such a strict command out of it here.
The problem, however, is that it could have been clearer. Notice that only belief is mentioned in both parts of statement. Thus to be clearer Mark could have written the second half as “but whoever doesn’t believe or is not baptized will be condemned.” That would have been very clear. It would also be clearer if baptism was consistently mentioned as a requirement for salvation, but it isn’t. There are many passages which discuss what must be done to be saved that do not mention baptism.
When Jesus was directly asked in John 6:28-9, “‘What must we do to perform the actions of God?’ Jesus answered them, ‘This is the action of God: to believe in the one whom he has sent’” (ISV). If baptism were required, why didn’t he mention it? If baptism were required for salvation, how could Paul say that Christ did not send him to baptize (1 Cor 1:17)?
But there is a deeper issue here, one that goes to the core of how we are saved. Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “For by such grace you have been saved through faith. This does not come from you; it is the gift of God and not the result of actions, to put a stop to all boasting” (ISV).
Salvation is God’s work in us. We can accept it or we can reject it, but we cannot earn it. The real problem with saying that baptism, or any other work, is required for salvation is that it means that Christ’s death on the Cross is insufficient; that something else is needed. It would hold, contrary to Ephesians 2:8-9, that salvation is not completely a gift but something that must be earned, at least in part, as the result of the action of being baptized. One can believe that baptism is necessary, or one can believe Ephesians 2:8-9. It is not possible to hold both and remain consistent.
Does this mean that we don’t need to be baptized? As the supporter above asked, “Why would Jesus tell His disciples to baptize if it were not necessary?” Jesus commanded a lot of things. If took all of them as requirements for salvation, we truly would be putting ourselves back under the law. Fundamentally this confuses what is important with what is required.
But if they are not required for salvation, why do we follow them? John 14:21-24 lays this out. As verse 23 says, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word.” We are not baptized to be saved. We do not avoid sin to be saved. We do not serve others to be saved. If we do any of this to earn salvation, our works will be as filthy rags. Rather, we should do all of this and more, out of love. We serve our Lord and Savior because we love him. A gift offered to earn something will be judged based on it merit, a gift offered in love, will be judge based on the love in which it was offered.
I have a painted rock sitting on my desk. It has sat there for over two decades now. It is not some expensive piece of abstract art. And for many people, it is just a rock with sort of face on it. But for me it is very valuable. This is because it was given to me by my daughter, and it was given in love.
That is how God looks at our works as well. Not for their intrinsic merit, but for the love in which they are offered.
