“This is the essence of faith — dying to an old existence characterized by disobedience to God through complete identification with the obedience of Jesus. Paul both defines this complete identification with Jesus’ death (co-crucifixion) as faith and states that it occurs in the public expression of that faith known as baptism (Rom 6:1-11). Moreover — and this is crucially important — the act of co-crucifixion is not a matter of human effort; it is a graced response.”

“Reconciliation with God, then, is by God’s own initiative, or faithfulness, expressed in the faithfulness of Jesus, to which we respond by sharing in that faithful death in the act of saying ‘yes’ to God and expressing that ‘yes’ in baptism.”

“The person who says ‘yes’ to the gospel and is justified by co-crucifixion with Christ in the experience of faith and baptism makes a spiritual and sociological move from being outside Christ and the covenant people of God to being inside Christ and God’s people. Using what is sometimes called ‘transfer language,’ Paul can speak of ‘believing into Christ’ (the literal meaning of a key phrase in Gal 2:16) or being baptized into Christ (Rom 6:3; Gal 3:27). More vividly, he calls this being clothed with Christ (Gal 3:27), an experience that must be renewed day by day (Rom 13:14). Christ envelops the individual and the community that lives in him, beginning a long-term process of shaping both believers and churches into his image (Rom 8:29; 2 Cor 3:18), a process also of having the mind of Christ within (Phil 2:5).”

Most of us don’t like paradox and tension. We like our theology nice and clean. We like to know who’s in and who’s out.

Growing up, it was easy. You had to have the RIGHT position on baptism: the right amount of water, the right age (accountability), the right reason (”for remission of sins” — usually nothing mentioned about “to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit”), and the right prerequisites (hear, believe, repent, and confess). You also had to have the right understanding of the church (date of origin, organization, etc.), the right kind of worship (five “acts” involving weekly communion, and acappella singing), and so on.

Readers of this blog who aren’t from the Churches of Christ won’t understand all that. But trust me, you have your own version!

The borders were clear. We were right; others were wrong.

Now, I don’t believe that. I don’t believe people are lost just because they don’t share my understanding of various passages. We are saved by the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus — not by our ability to exegete texts. Thank God for that! No wonder so many people went to their deathbeds worried about going to hell.

So some have assumed I don’t believe in baptism any longer. Far from it. I love the things written in a recent booklet from ACU Press by Jeff Childers and in a recent book by John Mark Hicks and Greg Taylor.

But here’s the catch: I don’t think you have to agree with me on everything in order to follow Jesus. He is clearly working in the lives of people who drastically disagree with what I believe on some issues.

I’m not an agnostic about their faith, either. I’m not saying, “Well, maybe God will be merciful on others.” Nope. I’m saying, “These are my brothers and sisters in Jesus.” People in whom the fruit of the Holy Spirit is clearly being produced. We have some differences of opinion–even on things that are very important to me–but we are part of the one body of Christ.

It is the height of arrogance (often fueled by fear) to believe that WE got it right and in order to follow him you must follow US.

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It is important for you to control your own drawbridge. There must be times when you keep your bridge drawn and have the opportunity to be alone or only with those to whom you feel close. Never allow yourself to become public property, where anyone can walk in and out at will. You might think that you are being generous in giving access to anyone who wants to enter or leave, but you will soon find yourself losing your soul. – Henri Nouwen