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NASB | Matthew 18:6 but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a heavy millstone hung around his neck, and to be drowned in the depth of the sea. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Matthew 18:6 but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble and sin [by leading him away from My teaching], it would be better for him to have a heavy millstone [as large as one turned by a donkey] hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea. [Mark 9:42; Luke 17:2] |
Bible Question:
Last night I was asked by the 27 year old son and 30 year old soon to be daughter in law of a friend to explain my thoughts on whether they should be allowed to be baptised right away. I have been a Christian for 30 years and work with Youth and believe that I am a very loving and accepting person. However, I do believe that God expects certain standards from us and that we answer truthfully to our best ability when others need answers to questions even if the answer is not obviously what they are looking to hear. This young couple explained that while they still live together, they do not live as husband and wife any more. My counsel was that we should avoid the appearance of evil and that their baptism could be interpreted by the youth in particular as an endorsement for living together prior to marriage. They became quite discouraged about this opinion and felt that people who would conclude such a thing should mind their own business. The family has suffered many tragedies in recent years and my friend is overjoyed that her son is now considering coming back to the church he grew up in. I encouraged them to continue coming to church and that it was a place for all people to come to regardless of their sin but baptism is a public demonstration of a greater personal commitment to renounce our former life. I have been troubled ever since that I may have discouraged them and caused them to rethink their stance on joining the church. The thoughts of other Christians on this issue would be most welcome? Lillian |
Bible Answer: Hi, Lillian. In this instance, it sounds like the appropriate question would be "Why do you want to be baptized?" You'd have to work through all of their assumptions. Somewhere along the line you will find an error. Clearly they do not fully understand what baptism means. They probably do not understand what it means to be a disciple of Christ. Clearly, if they are saved at all, there first step would be to set aside this behavior for the glory of God. I'd take threm through a careful exegite of Baptism, with an emphasis on the Gospel and what it means to lay down our lives for our Lord. My own "denomination" often tends to get people baptized and then worry about their commitment to obedience later on. I think this is an error. Its also why 3 out 5 of our "members" are not in the pew on Sunday morning! I'll be praying about all of this for you. |