Recently, I've been reading more of what Methodists believe i.e. Methodist theology. Well, I got started on this subject of baptism when I asked about joining the church and the response was that I would be "encouraged" to be baptized even though I was already baptized in the Methodist Church. So I've been diving into what baptism is and what the Methodist and Baptist believe baptism is and what it means. For the Methodists, infant baptism is most common, representing God's saving Grace bestowed upon those baptized which is later affirmed through faith later in life. Basically, God's grace comes into the infant's life when they are baptized; God claims the child in his grace during baptism, initiating the spiritual and faithful life of that child but that child must respond to God's grace through faith over time. Also, it is a statement that the child will be taught and raised among his or her Christian parents and the Christian community, i.e. the church. This would explain why Methodists believe that you can fall from grace because being baptized is being in God's grace and when you don't profess a faith for Christ, you don't respond to God's grace, you fall away into sin losing the effect of baptism and thus "falling from God's grace" or losing salvation. Baptists believe that baptism is a profession of faith by the person that is being baptized; a proclamation that they believe in Christ as their Lord and Savior and that they will live their life in faith with the baptism being a representation of the old life dying away and being washed anew and born again. The more I look into Methodist theology the more I disagree with it and the more concerned I get.
You might not think that's a big deal but being raised Methodist it's hard to just toss away what you were raised with. It's something I'm struggling with, that and a theology and religion but i heard a really good sermon about that and a talk with someone about that which I'll describe later but this whole Methodist thing isn't looking good and I just don't know how I feel about it knowing if I change "denominations" or whatever, the rents will feel extremely let down and disappointed. I don't know, but something to think about and pray about. haha, if I did join the church that would REALLY flip their lid. So baptism, yeah, I think I believe in the Baptist view cuz that's how I see it in the Bible but it when it comes to it, I guess it really doesn't matter.
