MINISTRY / Confirmation leads to a discussion about baptism

One of my grandkids was confirmed yesterday. That made 8th-grade confirmation a topic of discussion with a friend in China.

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Confirmation in China

The bulk of the Christian church in China approaches confirmation differently than we North American Lutherans do. 

Baptism is usually viewed as the sign of an adult commitment to follow Jesus. Unfortunately, baptism is generally not understood as a sacrament, as God's commitment to us to have washed away sins and adopted us into his family through his Son's ministry on earth.  For that reason, most Chinese Christians are not baptized until they are adults. It becomes the day they point to as the start of their full Christian discipleship.

Baptism in the Bible

Our conversation opened an opportunity to talk about the Bible testifying that baptism is a sacrament and the miracle of faith-creation or faith-strengthening that baptism offers us.

My friend did not change her opinion about baptism. But we'll talk again. And the Spirit will continue his work.

Source: Jim Aderman, Executive Director