“Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.” ( Acts 2:38-39 )
Baptism in the Mennonite church is a rite of passage for young and old alike. Normally it occurs during the high school years, but sometimes a person will wait until young adulthood. Those who come to faith later in life may chose to be baptized at that point. But whatever the age or circumstances, belief and usage of baptism remains pretty constant.
The “Mennonite confession of faith” says, “We believe that the baptism of believers with water is a sign of their cleansing from sin. Baptism is also a pledge before the church of their covenant with God to walk in the way of Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit. Believers are baptized into Christ and his body by the Spirit, water, and blood. Baptism is a testimony to God’s gift of the Holy Spirit and the continuing work of the Spirit in the lives of believers. Through the Spirit we repent and turn toward God in faith. The baptism of the Holy Spirit enables believers to walk in newness of life, to live in community with Christ and the church, to offer Christ’s healing and forgiveness to those in need, to witness boldly to the good news of Christ, and to hope in the sharing of Christ’s future glory. Baptism by water is a sign that a person has repented, received forgiveness, renounced evil, and died to sin, through the grace of God in Christ Jesus.”
We do not baptize children because we believe that baptism is an important passage and the beginning of a new life in faith. But we do not believe that postponing baptism until one is “sure” is the correct approach either. While the description of baptism the confession of faith has complete and all-encompassing, it is the beginning of the faith journey and not the culmination.
When I was around 10 years old, a particularly effective summer bible school class convinced me that I wanted to/should embrace faith and pledge myself to God. I had a good friend who felt the same way. My pastor at the time did not think we were old enough to appreciate the magnitude of our decision. He may have been right about us, but even now I am not completely convinced. I talked to one of my seminary professor about coming to faith, and she was surprised to hear that there was never a “turning point” in my life when I turned from worldly/secular pursuits to following God. She said that the majority of faith experiences are “twice-born”; first being born into life, and then second re-born into a life of faith. People like me just grow into faith smoothly and seamlessly without breaking stride.
But, back to my childhood story. So my friend and I were not baptized; but instead we had a service of recognition, that we were growing into faith and recognizing that we needed to be accountable before God and the church. And the church congregation paused in their church life to affirm us and pledge to support us. It was a good experience, but it did not give me the release from the “training wheels” of faith that I wanted. But again, that did not come about in a “turning the corner” dramatic act, but a slow realization that my faith continued to grow and was affirmed by the Spirit.
That is the three-fold nature of baptism. The anointing of water cleanses us from sin. The baptism of blood is that acceptance of Christ’s life, death, and resurrection. And the baptism of the Spirit where the Spirit begins to dwell within us.
May you gentle reader receive the three-fold blessing of baptism. Selah!
