ELEMENTARY THINGS

Go on to maturity
Some of the most common questions asked about being a Christian are akin to Hebrews list of foundational teachings: “repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, instructions about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment” (Heb 6.1-2). I had often wondered why these were so elementary since they seemed like important decisions that Christians must make in their walk with Christ. Do I believe in Jesus? How do I repent of sins I can’t avoid? How, when, and why should I be baptized? What happens when we die? Then it came to me: these are elementary because they are first steps and not the staircases themselves.

We usually envision these elementary practices as “acts” and not “works.” That is, they occur once and are complete (products), unlike works which are ongoing “processes.” When we think of repentance, we see ourselves committing a sin, asking forgiveness, and then pledging not to do it again (an act) rather than the gradual changing of our mind that comes from continual repetition of the process. Faith is a confession of belief and not a faithful commitment. Baptism is a ritual washing and not an immersion into a new being. And death is the end of life and not merely a part of life’s process.

Looking at three of these things—baptism, repentance, and judgment—as “works” (or processes) rather than “acts” (or products) might help us understand what it means to go on to the meat of maturity, leaving behind the milk that is the “elementary truths of God’s word.” I hope you will forgive my rudimentary look at what we so often immaturely take for granted.

Baptizing in His Name
“Make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you” (Mt 28.19). Baptizo means “immersion” which when taken literally causes divisions in our Church—“You can’t be sprinkled!” “You’ve got to be fully immersed when you are of full age!” But what if it wasn’t the act of water dunking but rather immersion of a different sort to which Jesus was referring? John “the Baptist” even said, “I baptize you with water for repentance, but the One who is coming after me… will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire” (Mt 3.11). Like faith, baptism is more than an act—it’s a work that must last a lifetime.

Peter writes that “baptism, which… now saves you [is] (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the pledge of a good conscience toward God” (1Pet 3.21). Just as there is a faith that professes Jesus is Lord and one which endures the test of trials, so is there the baptism by water that Jesus underwent in order to “fulfill all righteousness” (Mt 3.15) and the baptism that comes by an everlasting fire. The act of water immersion is a sign that the Spirit’s work is ongoing but it is not a substitute for it. That is, we shouldn’t think water baptism will save us without a faith through the Spirit that endures the trials of life. So how do we “go therefore and… baptize?”

Though Jesus was baptized by water and commanded His disciples to baptize others, we must realize that His words always meant more than what was actually said. Though some believed that Jesus “was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John,” the fact was that “it was not Jesus who baptized, but His disciples” (John 4.2). Since Jesus did not baptize others by water and yet commanded that His disciples be baptized, He must have meant something far more permanent than a dip in the Jordan River. Paul writes that he was “thankful that [he] did not baptize any” except two and told the Corinthians “For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel” (1Cor 1.14-17). Either both Jesus and Paul did not practice what they preached or baptism means more than we usually preach. Perhaps a look at repentance will immerse us more fully into understanding.

Baptism of Repentance
“For it is impossible to renew to repentance those who were once enlightened, who tasted the heavenly gift, become companions with the Holy Spirit, tasted God’s good word and the powers of the coming age, and who have fallen away” (Heb 6.6). If repentance is a singular act such as is stated here: “Biblical repentance, in relation to salvation, is changing your mind from rejection of Christ, to faith in Christ,” then those who fall away can never repent again (that is accept Jesus after they’ve rejected Him). If repentance is merely turning from a path of sin to our one way—Jesus—then wouldn’t that one act of receiving Him as Lord through faith coupled with a dip in holy water be enough to ensure I’ll never face the impossibility of being renewed to repentance if I fall away?

The word “repent” means to change your mind. Preachers like to add that “in the Bible, repentance results in a change in behavior,” meaning that a change of mind is not enough for salvation. We must also change the way we live. But they are quick to remind us that “repentance is not a work we do to earn salvation,” for it is God who grants us repentance (2Tim 2.25). For the average Christian sitting in a pew or reading an online devotional, repentance is a work given to them by God that allows them to change the way they live. These are likely the same Christians who believe that a clothed bath accompanied by Scripture reading can save them.

How does God change our mind? “For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man's spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us…. we have the mind of Christ” (1Cor 2.11-16). God doesn’t just “change our mind,” He gives us His! Repentance is the process whereby my mind becomes transformed by His as I discern His will by training my senses to distinguish right from wrong (Rom 12.2; Heb 5.14).

Judgment of God
What could be better than salvation? After discussing these elementary things, the writer of Hebrews adds, “We are confident of the better things connected with salvation” (Heb 6.9). If we have faith in order to be saved, are baptized to openly acknowledge our commitment, and repent by changing our mind about what is right and wrong, then what could be better than that? Most of us believe that judgment ends the day we receive Jesus Christ. God only sends those who reject Jesus to Hell, after all, right?

I’ve been explaining that baptism is a process: we immerse ourselves into His Spirit by being transformed into His way of thinking. Repentance is the process whereby this baptism occurs. But judgment isn’t a process; it’s the final act of God for all the cumulative processes that make up our lives. As Christians, we do not escape judgment. As a matter of fact, we will be judged for those “better things” that accompany our salvation. Thus Hebrews admonishes us not to “become lazy, but imitators of those who inherit the promises through faith and perseverance” (Heb 6.12). Peter, one of those we ought to imitate, tells us, “For the time has come for judgment to begin with God’s household; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who disobey the gospel of God” (1Pet 4.17).

Paul tells us that the reason he fears God is “the judgment seat of Christ, [where] each may be repaid for what he has done in the body, whether good or bad” (2Cor 5.10). Most of us think that at judgment God will simply pull out a checklist and ask: “Did you say the prayer? Were you immersed in water? Are you a church member?” In reality, those who go to Hell are those who “don’t know God and… don’t obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus” (2Thes 1.8). It’s unacceptable today to not believe that my eternal life is dependent upon singular acts done for salvation, but it’s an elementary thing to figure out the truth. The mature know they will be held accountable and live each day with this knowledge motivating their obedience.