Lapsed Baptism?

The early Church, until about the time of the Emperor Constantine, experienced periods of persecution.  I’m not talking about “Starbucks won’t put Merry Christmas on my cup” persecution, I’m talking about persecution that could cost you your life if you professed “Jesus is Lord.”  Of course the profession “Jesus is Lord” implies that the emperor (or president, or governor) is not, and this did not go over well with the Romans.

During these times of persecution some went bravely to their martyrdom, others did not.  Some lapsed, or renounced their faith in order to avoid death.  But then, a new emperor would come to the throne who was tolerant of Christianity, and these “lapsed” Christians would show back up to church.  They would pick up their bulletin and find their way to their old pew and happen to sit by a widowed woman who’s husband kept the faith and lost his life.  This did not go over well.

And to make it more complicated, there were church leaders (pastors, elders, etc) who lapsed.  And then the question came up about being baptized by a pastor who later renounced the faith in order to save his life?  Was this baptism, by a person who would deny Christ, valid?  Or, did it need to be “redone” by a pastor who did not “lapse?”

It was a complicated problem, as you can imagine, but the Church finally made the decision that being baptized by a clergy person who later lapsed did not mean that the baptism was invalid.  On the human side of things it may have been imperfect, but God got it right.

I was baptized when I was young.  There was a lot I did not understand.  I don’t know that I had my reasons exactly right for getting baptized.  If I did it today I would understand more what was happening and why I was doing it.  But as I look back on it, God got it right.  I was claimed by God, I professed my young faith, and I was initiated into the Church.  If I am blessed to live until I am 80 or older, I will look back to my 47 year old faith and see how I have grown to that time.

We profess our faith when we are baptized, and we are claimed by God in those same waters.  But we never get anything exactly right.  Because we are human.  Our stories and lives are complicated, and often messy.  We are the ones lined up on the riverbank when Jesus shows up and gets in line with us, demonstrating his solidarity with us that we may be more like him.