I went to another funeral, and yes, they make me think(Eccl. 7:1-2) about a lot of things.  I’m just going to examine one of those things today.

When I was perusing the itinerary for the funeral, there were several passages of scripture that were to be read.  One of them was Eph. 4:9-10.  That passage starts with the statement that we are buried with Jesus by baptism.  I found this odd because the person whose funeral I was attending did not believe in baptism as a burial.  The entire church did not believe that baptism is a burial, as they merely sprinkle or pour some water on a person being “baptized.”

Now, I understand that the Greek word(this is one of the few times I will ever make reference to the Greek language that the New Testament is written in) that is translated into English as “baptism” means immersion or burial.  My question is, “why would someone who does not believe that baptism is a burial mention baptism as a burial in their funeral?”  It’s like a deceased atheist mentioning how wonderful God is in their funeral.  It is contrary to their beliefs.

And although I am certain that there is some way of explaining away the idea that baptism is a burial, it just seems odd that you would mention something so blatantly contrary to what you believe.  Is there that much of a disconnect that you don’t even see the word “burial” in the text when reading Eph. 4:9-10?  I hope not, but I don’t see too many other alternatives.

Now, before you come to the conclusion that I am merely attempting to discredit someone else’s beliefs, I am not.  I am certainly critical of someone’s inability to see the 800 lb. gorilla in the room, but I also like to look for other examples of the same problem.  And not just in others, but in myself as well.  Is there anything that I read in scripture and just gloss over or ignore, as it contradicts what I believe?  I sincerely hope not.  But it certainly is something to be mindful of.

There are a lot of errors in the religious world, and there have been almost since Jesus died on a cross almost 2,000 years ago.  No small part of Romans through Revelation deal with errors that were being corrected in the first century church.   But sometimes, we see error, and in an effort to refrain from following in that error, we go so far away from the error that we are also going away from the truth as well.  This is something we need to avoid, as well.  Let me explain with an example.

Some people worship Mary, the mother of Jesus.  This is clearly a contradiction of the Bible, as only God is to be worshiped, and Mary is not God.  However, some people try to distance themselves so far from this error that they almost completely ignore Mary, so as not to do anything that might seem like worshipping her.  And this is unfortunate, because the gospels elevate her as someone to look up to, even emulate, although not worship.  She would be similar to Sarah(Abraham’s wife) or Hannah(the mother of Samuel), as they are similarly lauded for their faith.  Mary is a great study when it comes to observing someone else’s faith, and attempting to emulate that dedication and desire to learn more about God’s plan.

I suppose there are countless other ways that people to go “too far the other way on the pendulum,” but that is just one example.  The main point is that we need to avoid trying to get so far away from error, that we also go away from truth.

 Conclusion

We need to make sure that what we are doing is what God wants us to do, not just what we want to do or what we are comfortable doing, or used to doing.  We need to avoid being in a rut, if it is a rut and only a rut.  Doing the right thing might seem like a rut, but in reality it’s just a good practice, emphasis on “good.”  So let’s search diligently, I mean really search, God’s word to find out what He wants us to do.  And when we find something different in God’s word from what we are used to, let’s embrace it.  Don’t be afraid of it; it’s what God wants from us.  So enjoy it.