What's Our State of Confusion?

For the Serious only: Today I was reflecting on some things from Bible study this week and especially discussions in various churches around the area...people wondering why it seems that we are losing our ground in our own country (Christians). Well, I really believe we have a problem with some kind of credibility. And I have to wonder if our problem is lack of "authenticity."

"authentic:  conforming to an original so as to reproduce essential features ."  (Merriam-Webster)

I wish I could read my Bible in the original languages....but I have looked into this online  today. To be authentic Christians, we are true to "the original." Jesus was the original. Here's where I see us getting a bit mixed up. We argue about baptism (communion, religious holidays, Bible versions, etc.), whether immersion, sprinking, pouring is 'right.' But we actually were not there when the newly converted went into the water. There is no video, no indepth description even. But we do know for sure that water was used symbolically to cleanse us from our sins, bringing us from death to life.  And in the Bible lands, water was of varying accessability. 

I believe our differences in views of Christian actions and symbols is in their CONCEPT.  Consider these concepts of baptism:

1. to dip repeatedly, to immerse, to submerge (of vessels sunk)

2. to cleanse by dipping or submerging, to wash, to make clean with water, to wash one's self, bathe

3. to overwhelm

Just like the elements of communion are used as symbols of matters that are 'the original.' The use of symbols is all we have and the best we have....

...except in the personhood of Jesus/the omniscience of God/the guiding of the Holy Spirit....in these we can experience the 'authentic.'  Everyday our lives we demonstrate authenticity...by our outpouring of the gifts of the Spirit of God...these gifts cannot be talked about...defined...isolated as just a word study...they are only real when LIVED. And only we can live them. We bring the authentic love of the Christian faith to the world through our daily living.

Personally, looking back on my own youthful, truthful, genuine baptism at the age of 12, I know that I was 'overwhelmed' by the Spirit of God...both as I sat down to worship that Sunday morning in church and suddenly found myself enveloped by something spiritual that led me to say to a friend, "I'm going to be baptized today" and when I came up out of the water. What a difference it made in my life...

So, today I am thrilled that God has reflected with me about the concept of baptism...and I must agree that after 57 years of life after baptism and my confession of faith, I can only say that baptism was the most 'overwhelming' experience of my life and that it has never ceased to be.

Authentic is as Christian does.