Last week in my Bishop’s Note I addressed the examination
during Baptism that involves the three-fold renunciation of the Devil, the
deceitful promises of the world, and our own personal sin. This renunciation of
evil is done in the face of the increased acceptance of “relativism” (which
argues there is no real good or bad it’s all relative to your perspective.) It
is vital that we name evil and sin and renounce them.
However, renunciation is not enough for baptism. With the
renunciation we have a spiritual vacuum and it is important to fill that with
our faith in the Lord. Therefore, this week the examination continues with the
three-fold confession of faith, which, are literally the most important words
we can or will ever say. It is upon this confession in Jesus Christ as savior
that everything else in our life hinges. For example, our relationships, our
professions or vocations, our relationship with our self and the divine are all
predicated upon how we answer the following questions.
1. Question Do you turn to Jesus Christ and
confess him as your Lord and Savior?
Answer I do.
Note that the question is not “do you accept Jesus Christ as
your savior.” It is assumed that prior to baptism the candidate has had a
personal encounter with the living Lord, said the “Sinners Prayer” or something
similar, and invited Jesus into their lives. The act of baptism is an outward
expression of that inner relationship. In this question the candidate is asked
to publicly proclaim Jesus as Lord! Too often we think of this as a simple and
personal relationship but it’s not simply that. Just as my marriage is not
simply a loving agreement between my wife and me. With my marriage, and all of
our marriages, the foundations of society are undergirded. As both the institution
of marriage and personal marriages deteriorate, so too, we have the
deterioration of society. How much more so with our relationship with Jesus
Christ!
2. Question Do you joyfully receive the
Christian Faith, as revealed in the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New
Testaments?
Answer I do.
We cannot remove the Christian faith from God’s Word as
proclaimed in the Old and New Testaments. It is holy scriptures that reveal
God’s activity in creation and in the holy scriptures that we come to
understand how God works with us individually and collectively. How important
it is to publicly confess that the world doesn’t revolve around me and what I
think but around God!
3. Question Will you obediently keep God’s
holy will and commandments, and walk in them all the days of your life?
Answer I will, the Lord being my helper.
Here the question of submission and authority are clearly
stated. We know God’s holy will and commandments as they are revealed in
scripture, the teaching of the church and through our own reason; in that
order. With this question the candidate is stating that he will submit his will
to the will of God and his actions to those proscribed in scripture. In the
previous questions the response was the affirmative “I do.” With this question,
we recognize that without the assistance of God himself we cannot be submit our
will to God or obediently follow his commandments. Left to our own devices we
will seek to follow our own path and place ourselves before God. However, with
God’s help we can, indeed, submit to God and live godly and righteous lives.
It is in living out our lives as Christians, transformed and
forgiven, that we attract others to the faith. They, in turn accept and confess
Christ as Lord, have their lives transformed, and all of society benefits.
The Bishop continues
Question Do you
turn to Jesus Christ and confess him as your Lord and Savior?
Answer I do.
Question Do you
joyfully receive the Christian Faith, as revealed in the Holy Scriptures of the
Old and New Testaments?
Answer I do.
Question Will you
obediently keep God’s holy will and commandments, and walk in them all the days
of your life?
Answer I will, the Lord being my helper.
The Bishop addresses
the Congregation, saying
Will you who witness these vows do all in your power to
support these persons in their life in Christ?
We will.
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