On November 29, 2011, Imago Dei Church held its first baptism at the former sanctuary of Wake Crossroads Baptist Church in Raleigh, NC. We began the evening with a pot-luck meal and time of fellowship, including a brief celebration of the “older” elder’s 40th birthday. We then gathered in the church sanctuary for worship and the baptism of one of our new members, Danny Anderson.
It was a sweet time of worship that included song, teaching on baptism and Danny sharing his testimony. The service concluded with Danny’s baptism and a closing song. The remainder of this blog are Danny’s reflections on his baptism and the events and convictions that led him there.
From Danny:
As Pastor Tony briefly mentioned to the group gathered for Imago Dei’s first baptism, ‘Daniel came from a different tradition’. This is true, for most of my life I have either attended or been a member of Presbyterian churches (PCA). I even worked for a time at a Presbyterian Church in New York City. So then, how did I find myself about to partake in baptism by immersion? Why was I standing in front of a large group of (IDC) Baptists giving my testimony? The answer is both convictional and complicated: I’ll try to answer them in a succinct manner.
What ended my time with the PCA was eventfully with the issue of baptism (Presbyterians believing in infant baptism). There was not a big dust-up of theological confrontation; rather it was a gradual process of speaking with one another in brotherly love as believers in the gospel. I knew that because of my conviction in baptismal immersion I needed to find a denomination, Church, and seminary where this was also a strong belief. For this reason as well, as in many personal circumstances, did I find myself that night ready to publically proclaim where the Lord had brought me in obedience. My hope is for the person reading this brief account not to see a clearly defined path, but rather a gracious and faithful God leading a sinner through the many complexities of life in such a way as to make His accomplished work more glorious.
Beyond this short synopsis, I would also like to briefly mention three reasons (there are many) why I hold to baptismal immersion, which are also held among our elders and the church covenant:
- The word used for baptize in the Bible means “to dip” or “immerse.”
- Historically the early church used immersion as a primary mode of dispensing baptism.
- Baptism also signifies our union with Christ in both his burial and resurrection (Rom. 6:4; Col. 2:12). Therefore the symbolism for the believer is expressed in the sacrament of the person sinking in and coming up out of the water. We see this beautifully illustrated in the gospel of Matthew where Jesus is being baptized by John the Baptist (I wonder if John was SBC?), “16And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him” (Matthew 3:16). Jesus’ substitutionary atonement through his life and death is clearly identified with the sinful people he came to save. Even though Christ not only needed no repentance or cleansing he still link’s his mission to John’s and subsequently for the church.
Let me finish by first thanking all the volunteers seen and unseen who helped make that night go so well. It was an absolute blessing to be shown so much encouragement and love from a church family only formed a few mere months ago! The dinner, fellowship, and worship were true times of how much grace and love the Lord has bestowed upon our church and the individual blocks that have been built upon Jesus Christ the cornerstone.