Wet Sinners

I recently met with a man who expressed a desire to be baptized. During our conversation, it became evident that he had little understanding of repentance, he showed no real grasp of turning from sin or what it means to change direction in his life toward God. Honestly, his understanding of baptism itself was also quite limited.

Because he wasn't ready to make that commitment with genuine repentance, I declined to baptize him at that time.

Unfortunately, he simply went to another preacher in our fellowship who baptized him without hesitation.

This experience reinforced my growing conviction: far too many in Churches of Christ today seem to treat baptism as little more than getting wet—as if immersion alone secures salvation, regardless of whether true repentance has taken place.

Repentance, which Scripture clearly presents as essential (Luke 13:3; Acts 2:38; 3:19), is increasingly downplayed or treated as optional.

The tragic result is that we have congregations filled with people who have been immersed but remain unchanged—still living as unrepentant sinners, never truly born again.

Baptism without repentance is not the biblical pattern. We must guard against turning a commanded act of obedience into a mere ritual that leaves hearts untouched.