God Did Not Send Us to Baptize, But Make Disciples

We must be careful to distinguish between the commandments of God and the traditions of men. Jesus warned of the danger of binding human traditions upon others as though they are matters of doctrine (Mark 7:7-8).

It has been a long standing tradition among many congregations to offer "the invitation" following almost every assembly of the church. The preacher is expected to enumerate the "five steps of salvation" giving a rehearsed recital of key passages that teach that one must (1) hear (2) believe (3) confess (4) repent (5) and be baptized. Sometimes I wonder if such a rote repetition of these steps can become a vain repetition that Jesus warned about (Matt. 6:7). So many times, when people sense that the invitation is coming they start fidgeting and reaching for songbooks. I have often felt awkward offering the invitation to a small assembly where I know everyone there is a Christian, yet I am expected to go through the motions anyway.

I understand that there are times when the plan of salvation needs to be clearly and concisely brought to the attention of the assembly. Sometimes there will be unbelievers that come into the assembly of the saints (1 Cor. 14:23-25). However, New Testament teaching makes clear that the assembly is not the place for evangelism of the lost, but rather for the edification (spiritual uplift) and instruction of the saved (cf. 1 Cor. 14:23, 26). The place for evangelism is outside of the assembly, as Christians "are going into the world" (Matt. 28:19-20).

When I went to India on a three week mission trip, I worshipped with my Indian brothers and sisters in Christ. Never once did they close a sermon with an invitation, yet they are converting many more than most of us. Clearly "the invitation" is a tradition of men. Traditions are neither morally good or bad. Some traditions, if they are effective and useful, should continue. However, Jesus made clear that some traditions are forced upon people as though they are the commands of God and such a stance is wrong.

I think that we all recognize the danger of baptizing people who have never really been converted to Jesus Christ. Baptism is an essential part of conversion, and without it one cannot be saved (Rom. 6:3-5; Acts 22:16; 1 Peter 3:20-21; Acts 2:38; et al.). However, baptism is not some magical religious ritual that saves a person apart from their turning to God. In the words of Jesus, "Unless you are converted...you will not enter the kingdom of God" (Matt. 18:3). Perhaps in our rush to baptize people, we have not taken the time to do the necessary teaching that will truly convert someone to Christ.

For this reason, I am beginning to think that offering an invitation at the end of every sermon is actually counter productive (Perhaps our "invitation" originated from the "altar-call" of some denominations?). I have no desire to baptize lots of folks. My desire is that people be converted to the Lord (of which baptism is a part). In the words of the Apostle Paul, "For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel" (1 Cor. 1:17). I know of some churches that are actually opposed to offering the invitation, because they don't want people coming forward to be baptized who have not been sufficiently taught in an intensive personal Bible study. Such seems to be much more in harmony with the commandments of God.

Rather than requiring the preacher to offer a general memorized invitation at the end of every sermon on the chance that an unbeliever might be present, would we not be better served to be meeting people and asking them about their spiritual condition? Rather than depending upon the preacher, should not individual Christians be meeting visitors to the assembly and finding out whether they are in need of Christ and setting up person-to-person studies with them?

Rather than meeting the status quo and following the dictates of church-tradition, I had rather follow the teachings of Jesus Christ. Let us take seriously Jesus' warning, "Neglecting the commandment of God, you hold to the tradition of men" (Mark 7:8).