Unbiblical Baptisms
 
 
Tell us your name and why you’re being baptized.
 
“Hi, I’m Crystal. I just know that God is calling me to be a warrior for His animal kingdom and that I’m to lead an army of angels to protect animals across the world and I just know I can’t do it without God.”
 
That’s endearing…But, what does this have to do with baptism? Other side notes: 1. If you think I’m singling out an “extreme case” of unbiblical baptism at Bethel Church, I’m not. You can lookup their baptism videos on YouTube where they ask everybody who gets baptized the same question, and 9 times out of 10, the person getting baptized gives an unbiblical reason to be baptized.
 
Here’s a few more examples:
 
A woman who had fibromyalgia was prayed for by Bethel church leaders to be healed, and the woman on stage told her that when she steps in the water that her healing will come into alignment (15:33-16:02) https://youtu.be/YV0kX0hhCYg
 
Why this isn’t biblical: Baptism is not a mystical experience. There’s no healing power in baptismal water and there’s no power in baptismal water to make a healing “come into alignment.” This is mysticism, not Christianity. Also, getting baptized to get healed is not a biblical reason for baptism.
 
“Hi my name is Skylar. For the longest time I didn’t want to be baptized because it felt like a ritual, but now it feels like the next step of a romance.” (16:17-16:29) https://youtu.be/YV0kX0hhCYg
 
Why this isn’t biblical: This is ambiguous “Jesus is my boyfriend” theology. Starting a “romance” (not sure what that means), is not a biblical reason to be baptized.
 
“Hi my name is Kelly, and I’d like to baptize myself to purify my sense of being.” (16:52-16:58) https://youtu.be/YV0kX0hhCYg
 
Why this isn’t biblical: We don’t get baptized to get purified. We get purified by trusting in Christ and THEN we get baptized as a symbol of our cleansing from sin, and being raised into spiritual life with Christ.
 
“Hi, my name is Sonny and I want to get baptized so that I can get to know God more.” https://youtu.be/Zq7ykvSMulc
 
Why this isn’t biblical: We don’t get baptized to get to know God more. We get to know God more through studying who He has revealed himself to be in His Word. Baptism is a symbol stating that we have COME to know Christ, but isn’t a mystical act that enables us to know God more.
 
“Hi my name is Laura, and I want to get baptized, because 9 months ago I had a double lung transplant and I want every cell of my DNA to be one with the Trinity.” (13:08-13:24) https://youtu.be/Zq7ykvSMulc
 
Why this isn’t biblical: Again, BAPTISM ISN’T A MYSTICAL ENABLEMENT THAT CAUSES ANYTHING TO HAPPEN. We don’t become one with God through baptism. We are reconciled to God through trusting in Christ’s work on the cross.
 
“My name is Kendall, and I want to get baptized because this morning at church while we were SOAKING God gave me love, and I want more love.” (11:20-11:44) https://youtu.be/Zq7ykvSMulc
 
Why this isn’t biblical: – Soaking is a mystical practice. – We don’t get baptized to receive more love from God. This is a false works based mentality. 2. Yes, these people are responsible for coming to a biblical understanding of Baptism through Gods Word. But, even more so, the Pastors and leaders of Bethel Church are accountable for their flock. They are ultimately responsible for ALLOWING people to get baptized for completely unbiblical reasons. They are responsible for encouraging people to believe that baptism creates mystical experience.
 
Biblical purpose of baptism?
1. Christian baptism is one of two ordinances that Jesus instituted for the church.
2. Christian baptism is the means by which a person makes a public profession of faith and discipleship. In the waters of baptism, a person says, wordlessly, “I confess faith in Christ; Jesus has cleansed my soul from sin, and I now have a new life of sanctification in Christ.
3. Christian baptism illustrates the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. At the same time, it also illustrates our death to sin and new life in Christ. (Pre-baptism) When the sinner confesses the Lord Jesus, the “old man” dies (Romans 6:11) and is spiritually raised to a brand-new life (Colossians 2:12). When the person gets baptized, they are submerged in water which represents death to sin, and then are emerged from the water representing the cleansed, holy life that follows salvation. Romans 6:4 puts it this way: “We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.”
4. Baptism follows salvation. We are not baptized in order to be saved or to experience something mystical. Please pray that God would grant repentance to the leadership and any lost congregants at Bethel so that they may come to truly know Christ, teach the truth of His Word and biblically shepherd their congregation.