IF YOU LIKE HIM LET HIM PUT A RING ON IT: #17 Blogging through the Articles of Religion

Article XVII - Of Baptism

Baptism is not only a sign of profession and mark of difference whereby Christians are distinguished from others that are not baptized; but it is also a sign of regeneration or the new birth.  The Baptism of young children is to be retained in the Church.

In every wedding I’ve performed, the groom put a ring on the bride’s finger.  But what happens if there’s no ring?  Can you have a wedding without a ring?

Yep. 

 Three things are required for a legally binding marriage: 

1.      informed, voluntary, verbal assent from both parties (vows);

2.      the appropriate number of qualified witnesses; and

3.      a properly signed and registered marriage certificate.

The wedding ring is a symbol of marriage, not a requirement.

The church is the bride of Christ, and you are the church.  Like the ring on a bride’s finger, baptism tells the world that you have entered into an eternal lifelong relationship with Jesus, your Divine Bridegroom.  

Three things are required to become the bride of Christ: 

1.      Confession and repentance by faith in Jesus as the Son of God (vows)

For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. (Romans 10:10)

2.      The seal of the Holy Spirit as witness to genuine change in your spiritual relationship;

…you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory. (Ephesians 1: 13, 14)

3.      Official registration in the Lamb’s Book of Life.

And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.  (Revelations 20: 15)

On the cross, Jesus told a repentant thief, “Today you will be with Me in Paradise.” (Luke 23:43)

By faith alone that thief met all the requirements for salvation, but he was never baptized.

In Acts 10, God sent the Apostle Peter to see Cornelius, an unbaptized, uncircumcised Gentile and Roman Centurion.  At the conclusion of their talk, Peter said,   “Can anyone forbid water, that these should not be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?” And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. (Acts 10: 47, 48)

Notice that the Gentiles had already received the Holy Spirt BEFORE they received the sacrament of baptism.  The vows had been made, the marriage certificate had been signed, and the relationship sealed by the Witness of the Holy Spirit. They were saved before they were baptized.

You don’t go to Hell for missing out on baptism so don’t let anyone tell you that your salvation depends on a church’s baptismal schedule. As the Lord said to Peter  “What God has cleansed you must not call unclean.” (Acts 10: 15)

On the Other Hand...

If I was performing a wedding and the bride refused to accept the groom’s ring--- then I might have to call  a timeout.  That’d be a strooong indication that they have potentially irreconcilable differences about the parameters of their impending relationship.

Jesus did say that He wants His bride to be baptized, and if you don’t want the ring maybe you don’t want the marriage.*

Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit  (Matthew 28: 19)

The Lord wants to put that ring on your finger.  If you don't want to be baptized, then consider exactly what you expect to be the parameters of a relationship in which Jesus Christ is the head of your life.**

One Ring to Rule Them All, Or Sometimes Two

It’s tradition (a very profitable tradition for the jewelry industry) for men to purchase a very expensive engagement ring for the women to whom they will later give a  much less expensive wedding ring.  Back in the days of arranged marriages, the engagement, or betrothal, was handled by family and also sealed with a gift.

When parents present a child for baptism, we betroth him/her to Jesus fully intending that one day they’ll walk down the aisle of somebody’s church and give Him their hand in salvation.   On behalf of the future bride of Chrst we accept the sacramental gift of baptism and, in the CME Church ritual, vow to “keep this child under the ministry and the guidance of the church until such time that this child will, by God’s grace, personally accept and publicly affirm for self the gift of salvation…”

In the meantime, parents and church family use their gifts to “order and shape our lives, individually and collectively, that we may be a good example for this child to follow and emulate.” (Order for Infants and Small Children, Book of Ritual)

Baptism is Jesus’ ring on the finger of His bride.  Our job is to speak and live so that people see us love Jesus so much,they want to wear His ring--- no matter who or how old they are.

Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning at this Scripture, preached Jesus to him.Now as they went down the road, they came to some water. 

And the eunuch said, “See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?”

Then Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.”

And he answered and said, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.” (Acts 8: 35-37)

---Anderson T. Graves II   is a writer, community organizer and consultant for education, ministry, and rural leadership development.

Rev. Anderson T. Graves II is pastor of Miles Chapel CME Church in Fairfield, Alabama;  executive director of the Substance Abuse Youth Networking Organization (SAYNO);  and director of rural leadership development for the National Institute for Human Development (NIHD).

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*Yeah, I know that a some couples opt for finger tattoos or no rings at all.  That’s cool.  I’m not diminishing the depth of their commitments to one another.  But this hypothetical couple has already agreed to an exchange of rings.   It’s a parable, people. 

**I understand that many people go their whole lives without baptism while still thinking that they will go to Heaven or whatever they call it these days.  For this non-hypothetical scenario, I’m referring to people who actually claim to believe in Jesus and expect to move in with Him for eternity.  It’s scripture, people.