I believe it was in the 1960s that we began seeing the bumper-stickers on cars which read: “Question Authority.” It symbolized the mood of the day. The stickers may have disappeared from our vehicles but the rebellious mood remains with us. While it is certainly true that there is a time and place to “Question Authority,” it is also true that there is some authority that should never be questioned.
Jesus Christ made a bold claim of authority for Himself. Shortly before His ascension to the right hand of God He said, “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.” (Matthew 28:18) Then, immediately after making this claim, He instructed the apostles saying, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you.” (Matthew 28:19-20)
Would anyone tamper with what Jesus said? Surely not! Yet many evangelicals today do just that – at least in their practice. Consider this: Whereas Jesus said teach… baptize… teach…, the common practice today is to teach…lead in the Sinner’s Prayer…teach… Baptism has been removed from the prominent place Jesus gave it and replaced by the Sinner’s Prayer.
Is it really right to tamper with Jesus’ instruction?
Claude