Baptism: The Believer's Wedding Ceremony

I was not raised in the fellowship that Dr. Smith hails from, but have become convinced that the churches of Christ who follow in the traditions handed down from the Restoration are on the mark. Dr. Smith makes a very convincing case for baptism as: 1.Performed by immersion 2.A New Covenant seal 3.Necessary in order to obey the Gospel of Jesus Christ 4.A ceremony of significant importance 5.A bone of contention because of man's logical analysis rather than simple faith 6.An indisputably Apostolic ordinance Reservedly, I think he makes a good case for baptism being the "new" circumcision "not made with hands" because the ordinance imparts no permanent mark on the flesh, but rather on the soul. I cannot imagine, and have yet to find a person who claims to be Christian who doesn't believe that baptism is an non-negotiable part of being or becoming a Christian. So, it's hard to comprehend why so many of these same Christians relegate baptism to an organized and scheduled occasion, when performed, or often, make it optional for new believers. Dr. Smith makes a solid case against infant baptism, with the succinct terminology of "baptism without faith, followed by faith without baptism". The order certainly matters and he makes it clear that baptism is NOT regenerative to anyone without the prerequisites of true belief, repentance and obedience. Baptism without any of these is just a matter of getting wet and he uses several examples to enforce this obvious reality. While many have issues with baptism as a work, the good Doctor makes it clear that baptism is a work of God, not man. The person being baptized is submitting to the will of God, not doing anything to "save" themselves. A very good effort and my only complaint is related to the last chapters where Smith seems to want to include the recent Roman Catholic acknowledgment that adult converts should be immersed as evidence of church tradition restored. I wince at that relevance, but overall Dr. Smith represents the whole Gospel very well.

Lagard Smith has taken a subject hotly debated by Christians in water baptism and shows the wonderful picture of it as seen in the New Testament. Smith shows how baptism is not merely a token ritual done for a past experience but he rightly shows how baptism is the moment of confession in the New Testament (Matt. 28:19; Mark 16:15-16; Acts 2:38, 41; 22:16; Romans 10:9-13; 1 Peter 3:21-22). Baptism in water is not powerful without us seeing the grace of God in His Son, Jesus, and then baptism into Christ becomes a lifechanging experience (Romans 6:1-4). Smith uses the analogy of a Western wedding ceremony to show how powerful baptism should be in the life of the disciple. He shows that baptism is not to be delayed but is the experiential act of declaring Jesus is Lord (Romans 10:9) and being indwelt with the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 12:13) until the day of redemption. Overall a great work. Anyone desiring to read more about baptism and its signficance in the disciple's life should read and study this book. For more on baptism see also Jack Cottrell's BAPTISM: A BIBLICAL STUDY and Rex Geissler's BORN OF WATER.