Dear Zachary:
Ten years ago your grandfather wrote you a letter soon after your birth. You probably have never read that letter, but I trust your parents put it with some keepsakes and someday you may want to read it. It was not a private letter. It was printed in the Religious Herald in the column which your Papa writes and it has been the most requested column for reprints. It chiefly was about what it means to be a Baptist. Since you come from a long line of Baptists and since your parents are Baptists, I just naturally assumed that such a topic might someday apply to you.
Fred Anderson
I also wrote you a second letter. It was written on your first birthday and it chiefly concerned some heady topics for a 1-year-old. It was about mortality and immortality and again it was read by grown-ups who eavesdropped when the letter appeared in the Herald. Some health issues in your Papa's life prompted the topic; and although nearly 10 years have lapsed, I still remember the concerns and lessons from that experience.
Now, I am finally writing a letter which you just might read at the time you receive it. I am writing in response to the telephone call the other evening. Your Dad called to say that you had “walked down the aisle” at your church. And although there are several ways to express it, you had “accepted Jesus as your Savior” or maybe it was that you had “taken Jesus into your heart.” However expressed, we understood; and we were happy to hear your own voice tell us about your decision.
We will look forward to your baptism at Franklin Heights Baptist Church in Rocky Mount, Va., just as we witnessed your sister's baptism a few months ago. Whether you fully realize or not, the decision which you made has several dynamics.
First and foremost, you have acknowledged the impression which Jesus Christ has made in your life. You have heard about him. You have read about him. You have listened to Sunday school teachers share about him. And you have been doing this week by week since you were born. You have heard them speak the primary line: “God is love.” You probably were taught John 3:16 which states the depth of God's love.
The decision which you have made was freely your own decision. Of course, your parents and your church teachers wanted you to make such a decision; but they could not compel it. It had to be your decision and from your own mind and heart.
It can come at any age, but it is always good when it comes at an early age because it can be the defining course for your life. I was 12 years old when I “went forward” —just two years older than you. On the very same day, my grandfather also made a statement of faith and together we were baptized. He was 77 years of age.
You already are starting “a Christian life,” that is, a life which models as much as humanly possible the life of Jesus. You have heard people say, “What would Jesus do?” It is a fair question to ask at times. But you are still a little boy. Even if you were a grown man, you might sometimes do things that are not just as Jesus might have done them. Do not be too overly concerned. We have two great answers to those times when we are not all that we might be—God's grace to forgive and the annual Baptist revival meeting.
There is another dynamic. It is your approaching baptism. It will be public; that is, in front of the people in your church along with your family and friends. It will be public because even Jesus desired to be baptized and his was done in front of others. It will serve as a witness. It will be in a pool of water where your pastor will gently take you under the water (while holding your nose) and quickly take you back up. There is nothing magical in the water or in the act. Some say that it is a symbol of leaving an old way of life and coming into a new.
There is yet another dynamic. You will become a member of your church with all the rights and privileges and, in time, the responsibilities associated with membership. You will be joining into a community of fellow believers. They already love you and they will want to help nurture you in all the years ahead.
When you join a church it is far different from joining a club. The church is Jesus Christ's way of having “a spiritual kingdom” here on earth. It is a place of worship, witness and work. You probably already give some of your money when opportunities are there. In time, you will want to give regularly. You will not be “paying dues” like you might in a club. You will be giving to God's work as your heart and your mind prompts you to give.
There is even another dynamic. You may have noticed that there are many Christian churches. You may have noticed that they have different names. In your county, I suspect there are churches with the name of Methodist or Presbyterian. I know there is a lovely little stone church building in Rocky Mount that has a bright red door. It has the name of Episcopal. There may be Catholics, Pentecostal Holiness and many others. Sometime it will be interesting for you to learn about these Christian churches.
But you have accepted Jesus in your heart and in front of a congregation of people who have the name of Baptist. You will be joining the Franklin Heights Baptist Church. There are good reasons why these people years ago chose to be known as Baptists. It is a good name. There have been Baptists for a very long time and there have been thousands, even millions, of people who were proud to say that they were Baptists.
It is too much in this one letter to explain “why Baptist,” but one day we will have to talk about it. You already have made the best and wisest decision of them all and everything else will be just fine.
I love you,
Papa.
Fred Anderson may be contacted at [email protected] or at P.O. Box 34, University of Richmond, VA 23173.