"What if I am not sure?" - True conversion story! - Joey Ferrell
One of our viewers recently emailed this question:
I felt pushed into baptism when I was young. I am 75 years old, and most of my life I have wondered if the baptism “counts”. Should I be baptized again, or continue to ask for the remission of my sins as I have been doing for years. I want to go to heaven.
Mrs. Beverly forwards most of the emails that we get with questions or comments like these to my email as well as Ben’s email. When I saw this question, I wanted to reach out to this person and let her know how intriguing that this communication was to me.
I immediately emailed her in hopes that she would reply…sometimes our email goes to spam folders or goes unanswered. I asked permission to continue discussion with her by telephone. She replied and asked if we could just discuss via email due to the emotional nature of the question being troublesome to her. I can highly respect that request and we did just that.
Over the course of a few days, we emailed back and forth about a half dozen or more times. The questions that she had were fantastic questions, and when I would ask her questions (so we could meet in the middle on knowing where she may be on spiritual ground), she would be very forthcoming and candid in her response.
To share just a bit, this kind lady said that her father was an elder in the church and she had felt pressured into being baptized at a very early age. As was mentioned, she is now 75 years of age and the length of time that she has been “unsure” of her salvation has been quite great. We studied through several passages together about the surety of salvation (making your call and election sure), the desire that all “men” be saved, and what to do when one may realize that they may not be in a saved condition.
The lengthiest email included a discussion of the validity of “re-baptism” and how that stacks up to the bible. In Acts 18, there is a record of Apollos being taught a “more excellent way,” when it was discovered that he had not been teaching Christ fully. He had been teaching of John’s baptism but nothing of the baptism of remission of sins in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. Just one chapter later, we find a very interesting passage that shows what happened when Paul came across some of the men that could have possibly been taught by Apollos, or someone that Apollos had taught. There is not an exact scripture to state this; however, it does seem that Paul was on a “mission” to fix this confusion.
What happened with those men? There were 12 of them that Paul discussed with…and verse 5 gives the answer…
“when they heard this, they were baptized.” When they heard what? They heard that they were not saved in the proper manner. What did they do about it? They were baptized! The text doesn’t call it “re-baptized” as sometimes we like to call it; however, they were baptized for the remission of sins…the right process…the right reasons…the right baptism!
What did this lady that wrote in to The Gospel of Christ program do after our discussion on Acts 18 & 19? She went to visit a preacher that she was familiar with…and was BAPTIZED into Christ…the right way…the right reasons…the right baptism!
All glory to God for our new sister in Christ! We are so thankful that God was patient with her.
When I emailed her to check on her earlier this week, her reply was…”all is really great!” I asked her about using this discussion in this article, and her reply was “yes! Maybe it will help someone else that is in a similar situation.”
That is our hope and prayer too! If you need to be baptized for the remission of sins, please do not put it off. If you have been baptized; yet, you are not sure of your salvation, study with someone. Eternity is too long to miss heaven…and just like she stated…I want to go to heaven!
If we can be of any help at TGOC, please reach out by phone or email. No matter where you live, how old you may be, or your spiritual background…if you want to go to heaven, make things right!!
A couple of neat things happening in the field rep and media world…
We are getting back in churches!!! That is one of the greatest things that has happened in the past several weeks. Our field reps are anxious to come and give you an update. Please see if you may have an opening and contact us today.
Secondly, we re-launched on DTC TV in Middle Tennessee thanks to the Alexandria church of Christ!
Thirdly, our website has hit another all-time number of visits! Over 650 every single day!
We hope you are all staying well and our prayer is for you to be blessed in all things!