Have you ever wondered how different people can use the same Bible but come up with different beliefs and practices? In this brief article we will explore some of the main reasons why this occurs. Knowing how it occurs can also suggest how to avoid it.

• Failure To Use God’s Word As One’s Only Authority

One explanation why differences occur is sometimes people elevate a particular teacher’s viewpoint. This was the reason why the church at Corinth experienced divisive quarrels. 1 Corinthians. 1:10-12; 3:3f

God led Paul to correct this problem of religious division by:

1. Steering the congregation away from following human personalities, while focusing their praise and allegiance toward God. 1 Corinthians 3:5-9

2. Warning the congregation that not only is human wisdom empty, but God would judge the quality of one’s message and therefore the teacher must prove to be faithful. 1 Corinthians 3:10-4:5

3. Reminding them of the principle, “Do not go beyond what is written.” 1 Corinthians 4:6

There are many such sources of authority which can lead toward doctrinal diversity: what my church teaches, or my preacher teaches, a book, etc. However, it is perhaps the “unseen” sources of authority which are the most dangerous.

It should appear obvious that if one wants to know what the Bible teaches about baptism one should consult the Bible, not a survey of what people are currently believing about baptism. The fact that somebody today believes or practices something regarding baptism does not necessarily inform you about what the Bible teaches on that subject.

And yet, I recently received from a church their handout on “Biblical Baptism” that began by defining baptism based upon Webster’s dictionary! A dictionary tells how people currently use a particular word in our culture. If people today were using baptism to mean “eating a hamburger,” a dictionary would list it as a valid meaning for baptism. English dictionaries do NOT help us “stay within” God’s Word.

To understand what a Biblical author meant by a particular word one should consult both the word’s usage in the original language during the time in which the author wrote (a Hebrew or Greek lexicon) as well as the various biblical contexts.

• Different Assumptions & Agendas Create Different Interpretations

Another cause for diversity on baptism results when people interpret the Bible through different agendas. To illustrate how one’s agenda can create distinctive and even contradictory perceptions, consider the tangled web of conflicting interpretations that emerge when even a simple story like Little Red Riding Hood is forced to serve a wide variety of goals which are foreign to its original purpose.

For example, let’s suppose that someone interprets Little Red Riding Hood through a pro-environmental perspective. Most likely, the "message" which they will understand will claim that the wolf is good since he is only doing what is natural - eating. On the other hand, the woodsmen are evil because they are chopping down the trees and then they kill the wolf. What was once considered good is now bad and vice versa!

What if my goal were to interpret Little Red Riding Hood as though it were history? Suddenly I am faced with the startling fact that at one time in history wolves could talk! This would lead me to the absurd conclusion that wolves have actually lost their capability of human speech!

Although such interpretations are entertaining, they do not help us understand what the story means. Such interpretations merely utilize the original story as a spring board to demonstrate one’s creativity as that message is processed through filters foreign to the author's intentions.

For the person who places value on understanding what the author intended the reader to understand, such a kaleidoscope of creative interpretations is meaningless. For this same reason it is also misleading to claim, “the Bible teaches ____ about baptism,” if what is being taught is not what the biblical author intended to convey.

The path toward eliminating the doctrinal confusion over baptism is to avoid “going beyond what has been written” by limiting my agenda to discovering what the biblical author sought to communicate.

Here are some agendas some people may assume represent worthy goals, agendas which can distort one’s understanding of the biblical author’s message:

• Some have the goal of making what they believe about baptism conform to a predetermined doctrinal system. For example, many people believe salvation is by faith alone and what they mean by that statement is no obedient action is required. Even if the Bible teaches that baptism is a necessary part of salvation by faith, many would still refuse to acknowledge this in order to defend their understanding of saved by faith.
• There is the goal of “just following the way dad and mom raised me.” Predictably anyone who has this goal will interpret what the Bible says in such a way so that it conforms to their parent’s beliefs.
• In recent years the assumption that “doctrine doesn’t matter” has become popular. This assumption encourages one to filter everything through a filter of "It Doesn't Matter" and thus disregard anything which may appear to be controversial or “doctrinal.”
• If a church leader has the goal of defending a church’s position or creed regarding baptism, conflicting evidence will be ignored or explained away.
• There are a number of theological agendas whose goals are to reinterpret the Bible from a modern perspective. Many of these disregard the author’s originally intended message.

If you are interested in learning what the Bible teaches about Christian baptism, then study your Bible. If you would like help in finding where the Bible addresses the subject of baptism use a concordance. However, be aware that you should also look up verses which deal with "water," "wash," etc.

 Another article which may be of interest is:

"An Initial Foray into Hermeneutics"

Barry Newton, Copyright © 1998 - 1999

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