Baptized but Not Converted

By Fred Shewmaker

Years ago in a home Bible study, the couple with whom we were studying complained that the words I was using were too big. Being somewhat inexpe­rienced in home Bible studies, I was sur­prised by their complaint. The words about which they were complaining were all words found in the Bible. I offered to try to explain any word I had used which they did not un­derstand. One of the words they asked me to define was conversion.

That very week the local newspaper had reported the construction of a sea-water conversion facility to begin near San Diego, California. I asked if they had read that arti­cle. They had. They understood the facility was to remove the impurities from the sea-water entering it and produce pure water. Working from this understanding, I pointed out that the facility was called a conversion facility because it converted impure water into pure water. Returning to biblical usage of the word, we noted that conversion in­volves the removal of the impurities of sin in one's life thereby leaving that one's life pure in the sight of God.

By comparing the parallel between Acts 2:38 - "Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins,..." and Acts 3:19 - "Repent therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out,..." it is easy to see that by means of baptism God removes the impurities of sin from one's life and con­verts a sinner into a saint.

Experience and observation have forced me to the conclusion that a good many people who are baptized are not converted. Certainly this is not God's fault. He has not lost His power to convert through baptism. It is not the fault of Christ. His blood has not lost its strength to cleanse the sinner. The fault cannot be laid on the preacher who has preached the truth. The fault lies with the one baptized, but not converted.

The reasons why some who are baptized are not converted are many and varied. We wish to examine a few of these reasons.

The reason some are baptized, but not converted is their desire to please men rather than to obey God. Children have re­quested baptism in order to please their parents and parents have sometimes been baptized in order to please their children. Husbands sometimes, desiring to please their wives, request baptism and wives are sometimes baptized to please their hus­bands. Boy friends have been baptized to please a girl friend and girl friends have been baptized to please a boy friend. In some communities where the church is large in numbers merchants have been baptized to please their customers.  This list could be continued, but it already is long enough to make the point. Those who have been baptized for such reasons have been baptized, but not converted.

One day my telephone rang and when I answered it, a sis­ter asked me to baptize her neighbor. I was acquainted with her neighbor and this request caused me to wonder if she was really being converted. I agreed to baptize her upon her confession of faith in Jesus as the Son of God. As it turned out, after her baptism, my fears were confirmed.  She had merely been convinced that only immersion is baptism. She had not conceded her false religion to accept im­mersion. Her false religion allowed sprin­kling, pouring or immersion; but did not practice immersion. Some of the preachers of that persuasion refuse to administer im­mersion. She simply did not bother a preacher of her false religion with her de­sire to be immersed. When the sister was kind enough to volunteer my services, she was glad to accept. She was baptized, but not converted.

A few years back my wife and I engaged in a rather lengthy home Bible study with a lady. She had a quick mind and was able to see and express biblical truths quite easily. Because we desired that she understand what the Bible teaches about the unique­ness of the church, we made an extensive study of Ephesians 1:22 & 23; 4:4-6 & 12; showing that the church is the body of Christ ("His body") that "there is one body" and that the "one body" has only "one faith." during the study she indicated that she un­derstood these things. We expected such a willing and capable student to desire to be baptized and true to our expectations, when asked the question Ananias asked Saul of Tarsus, she was ready to be baptized. With joy and great expectations, I baptized her. My expectations were short lived. She never attended another service of the church. When we asked her about this, she then in­formed us that she did not accept the teaching that God only approves of one church. She had been baptized, but not converted. &

Religious Debates

By Bob Myhan

It is often argued that reli­gious debates are seldom profit­able and, therefore, of no value. While there may be a kernel of truth to the premise, the conclusion is a non sequitur—it does not fol­low.

This writer believes there are, basically two reasons why some religious discussions are not profitable. One is that so many dis­cus­sions are nothing more than occasions of 'strife" and "contention," and involve “the expres­sion of enmity," or hostility. This kind of "debate" is condemned in such verses as Rom. 1:29 and 2 Cor. 12:20. If two men merely tear one another down, personally, people will leave in disgust. And so they should, for such debates are, indeed, un­profitable as well as unbecoming of two men who claim to be Christians.

Another reason religious debates are un­profitable is that some people do not attend out of a concern for whether what they be­lieve is true. These people manage to com­pletely separate their beliefs from their con­cept of truth with the attitude that "it makes no dif­ference what one believes.” In short, they are going to believe what they believe, re­gardless of what may be said in the dis­cussion. Those of this per­suasion who may be reading this article should be reminded that Paul wrote of those who “did not re­ceive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should be­lieve the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleas­ure in unrighteous­ness" (2 Thess. 2:10-12).

On the other hand, the Jews of first-century Berea “were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they re­ceived the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so” (Acts 17:11).

Religious debates, when prop­erly con­ducted, give people the op­portunity to do this very thing. Should we not provide and take advan­tage of such opportunities? &

Arriving at the Truth

By Bob Myhan

We begin with the premise that the truth can indeed be arrived at for Jesus said, “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32). If the truth cannot be known, it cannot make us free! The truth, of which we speak, of course, is the word of God (John 17:17). If we cannot arrive at the truth, then God has not revealed it. If God has revealed it we can arrive at it! But how does one arrive at truth on a Bible sub­ject?

Four things are required. First, one must “receive the love of the truth” (2 Thess. 2:10-12). Second, one must have a desire to know and obey the truth (John 8:32; 7:17). Third, one must have an investigative spirit (2 Tim. 2:15; Matt. 7:7). And fourth, one must exercise his mental faculties (Psalm 1:1-3; Heb. 5:12-14).

Consider the Jews of Berea. “These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalo­nica” (Acts 17:11). Their fair-mindedness was illustrated in two ways: (1) “they re­ceived the word with all readi­ness,” indicat­ing a love of the truth and a desire to obey the truth and (2) they exer­cised their men­tal faculties as they “searched the scrip­tures daily to find out whether these things were so.” This also demon­strated an inves­tiga­tive spirit.

As a result of these attitudes and actions the Jews of Berea were able to arrive at the truth, for “many of them believed, and also not a few of the Greeks, prominent women as well as men” (Acts 17:12).

Do you have a love of the truth, a desire to know and obey the truth, and an investi­gative spirit? And are you willing to exer­cise your men­tal faculties in an unbiased assess­ment of what God has revealed? If so, you can discover the truth on any Bible sub­ject. Why not search the scriptures yourself to see whether what you have been taught is the truth? &