This may sound a bit unusual.
My daughter and her fiance are getting married in 4 months.
They are both saved but have never been baptized.
They are thinking about having a combined wedding/baptism to start their new life to gether and are wondering of how to go about doing this.
Do they get dunked before the vows or after?
Are the vows recited from the tank?
Any thoughts on the subject are appreciated.
Hello wheredaluv, good question. Dunked!? Hmm. I am afraid there is a big misconception here as to what is going on in regards to baptism as this is not a game or some passing event to do at our own whims. They need to be Baptized now not in 4 months as they are both in disobedience to the first command that any believer is given. Why would they think that God is going to bless their marriage if they play with His command for Baptism and do it when ever they want? Every person in the bible who gets saved and baptized does it right away, not weeks and months after salvation. Plainly put they are currently in sin and need to take care of this now and make sure the rest of their lives are in order if they want the blessing of God on their marriage and in their lives. Pass this link on to them.
http://www.gerald285.com/web_media/BirthmarksofaBeliever.32.mp3
Using your system. Are we commanded to love our brother- Yes
Does the bible give reason to believe it is immediate- Yes
Does the bible command it to be done immediately, NO So just do it any old time you want to. Now if that system is not from the pits of hell I don't know what is.
One final aspect of water baptism
SHOULD a Christian be baptised to fulfll the scriptures YES
MUST a Christian do such in order to be saved by grace of God NO
Refusing to be baptized gives evidence they are not saved and putting it off shows they have no clue what it is about and should raise a red flag as if they are saved. If there is anything about a new believer it is they diligently seek to obey all they are called to do. If that is not present then they need to question the reality of what they claim.
No one said a person can be unsaved, but if they refuse there is no reason to believe they are saved just like refusing to stopping any sin. If it is refusal there is no reason to believe they are saved..
He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
I don't think that I would like to be married in a church (with all the traditional fluff) AND baptized at the same time.
To each his or her own, but that's just me.
If they are having a church wedding, then the ceremony will be their outward sign of a commitment together with Christ.
Their individual baptism should represent something else - their own personal faith in Christ.
The Bible says that a married man and woman are one flesh.
That means that TWO separate individuals comprise one flesh.
Why can't they be baptized now - as individuals - showing their own and individual commitment to Christ (that's what salvation is, is it not? - an individual and personal relationship between ONE person and Christ?) and allow the marriage ceremony to represent the two individual Christians uniting in Christ?
I'm having a dickens of a time uniting the two rites.
But, they are free to do whatever they want to do.
The main problem I see is logistical.
How do you get it done?
Do you have the wedding ceremony before the baptism, or vice versa?
One other thing is on my mind.
If you have two people who profess to be believers, but have never been baptized, maybe they should explain why to the pastor.
Further, do they have any connection to the church (such as family), or did they simply pick the church out of the phone book?
It certainly appears that some pre-marital (and pre-baptismal) counseling is in order.
Although the marrying couple needs permission from the church to use the building, it requires a vote of the church for their baptism.
I'm not sure we have enough information to give a flat yes or no answer to the question.
Don't think I agree with that!!!
Do we need a vote of the church for someone to be save? I think not.
Baptism is an ordinance - that is a commandment -
and when done - does not need approval of the church or anyone else.
As a minister I did about 25 weddings this past year. This question actually came up. A couple who came through our prep for marriage ministry got saved, he moved out, and they wanted to be baptized close to their wedding date. So I encouraged them to get baptized, together, at the end of our of services on Sunday morning and change their wedding ceremony to later that day.
Worked out great. I discouraged them from doing a joint wedding/baptism because a wedding is so special you want it to be an amazing moment. They did it as recommended and loved it.
I've also baptized a couple the Sunday before their Saturday wedding. Both work.