Should Southern Baptists wash feet?

I recently read a list of commands that Jesus gave Christians. One of the commands was from John 13:14, which says: “If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet.” So the question arises: how literally should we take this?

In Jesus’ day, the people walked on dirt roads and wore open-toed sandals. No matter how clean you were, your feet would get dirty just from walking. It was common for a wash basin and towel to be by the front door. It was also common for the household servant (if you had one) to wash the feet of those coming into the house. So foot washing was the role of the servant. (Not the role of a leader, teacher, lord, master, etc.)

While the disciples were in to the Upper Room, Jesus adopted the role of the servant by washing the feet of the disciples. This act is recorded in John 13:1-11. In verse 12, Jesus asked if they understood what He had done. In verses 13-15, Jesus explains it. Jesus said that He was in fact their Lord and Teacher (vs13) and if He humbled himself and did what a servant should do, they should do likewise (vs14). He said that he gave them an example to follow (vs15).

Here’s the two ways that we are to apply this passage. First, and foremost, all Christians need to be servants one to another as Christ was a servant. Second, literal foot washing ceremonies are great reminders of that command that we are to follow.

“But, wait, foot washing is gross.” “After all, it’s just symbolic, we don’t actually have to go through with it.”

Well, although it may be symbolic, there is nothing wrong with actual foot washing ceremonies. It truly teaches humility and servanthood. It is puzzling to think about this and to think about baptism. Baptism is a step of obedience and one of the things that it does is it announces to the world that you are not ashamed of being a follower of Christ. This could be done by just making an announcement, couldn’t it? Yet, as Southern Baptists, we believe that the way to do this is for the pastor and the new convert to go fully clothed into a body of water, for the new convert to be fully immersed, for both to leave the water, dry off, and change clothes. But then, we don’t want to kick off our shoes and socks and wash each other’s feet?!

To Sum Up: Jesus’ command to wash feet in John 13 is a command for us to serve each other. Foot washing ceremonies are good humbling reminders of that command.

Full disclosure: I was a member of a Grace Brethren Church which regularly practiced foot washing as a part of their three-fold communion service. After becoming a Southern Baptist youth minister, I once demonstrated actual foot washing with the youth group.

Telemarketing, Arguing, and Witnessing

I had a phone call this morning from a telemarketer. He wanted me to hire his company to create, maintain, and advertise a webpage for our “business” (our church, but he kept saying business). He started out on a bad foot with me, asserting things about our website that were not true. I had to ask him twice if he’s ever seen our website before he finally said, “no.”

Well, a long story short, his main attempt to get me to hire him was by arguing with me and almost yelling his points at me to “make” me go with their company. I wonder how many really get treated this way and think, “oh, well this person was so belligerent; I guess I should go for their company”? I doubt any.

This got me thinking about our witnessing. Do we tend to try to argue someone into salvation? Should we argue the gospel with them? Did Jesus argue His points with the lost and dying (apart from the “religious leaders”)?

No. Jesus encountered the woman at the well, who had a few different views/beliefs than Him. He simply shared with her the way of eternal life.

As we go, let us not be argumentative to win the lost. Let’s live like Christians should. As we do, folks will notice and ask why we are different. When that happens, let’s share the reason for our hope. Let’s share what Christ did in our lives. Let’s share the Gospel.

No one comes to the Father...

I was recently handed a newspaper that contained the following question and answer:

Question: "No one comes to the Father except through me." John 14:6. I can't believe that the Jesus I accept as the hope for all humanity would even entertain such a thought. What are your thoughts on the matter?

In the pastor's response, he outright claims that the words of Jesus recorded for us in John's Gospel were not Jesus' actual words. He states that John and others scribed Christian words to Jesus. He even stated that John and others did this to ensure that people saw Christianity as the only way to God.

He concluded with:

"I agree with you that the Jesus through whom I found the way to God and the Jesus you see as the hope for all humanity would not exclude Jews or Muslims, Buddhists or Hindus who have found their way to God and seek to lead a life of love and justice. My salvation as a Christian does not depend on the damnation of others."

Although He is an ecumenical protestant minister, I was surprised that his answer went beyond ecumenicism to universalism (or at least a multiple religion stance).

Secondly, he seemed to take the Holy Spirit's preservation of Scripture out of the equation. In calling into question parts of the Bible like this, one could then reason that perhaps the verses we base our salvation on may not be accurate. I hope for our sake, they cannot.

Thirdly, he concluded that Christianity may not be the only way one can get to God and that the other religions can also lead one to God. His stance seems to be that Christians shouldn't be closed minded in regards to how one can get to God. However, the Jews believe that their way is the only way to get to God. Likewise, the Muslims and Hindus. Oh, and last I checked, Buddhists don't believe in God.

Unfortunately, each religion seems to want to conclude that their way is the only way or that all roads get us to God. However, from my study of the Scriptures, the only way is through a love for God and a relationship with Him (by believing in Jesus), thus the Judeo-Christian way.

Jesus and Horus

I have found that we cannot argue someone away from their religion any more than someone can argue me away from Christianity. Also, one cannot argue for the validity of the Bible using internal proofs (i.e. Bible verses). Nor can other religions argue for the validity of their holy books using internal proofs. That would be like me writing a fictitious story but prefacing it with the statement, “Everything I have written in this book is true.” That statement alone doesn’t make it true.

So, how do we answer skeptics and those who don’t believe in the Bible and Jesus? We do so by using external sources and proper argumentation.

Recently, a man posed the following to me:

“what makes you think any of it [the Bible] is true? The similarities between Jesus and other mythological beings (ie Horus) is undeniable.”

Let’s look at that argument:

Statement:                         Jesus is similar to mythological beings                     P is similar to Q

Correct Presumption:        mythological beings are not real                               Q is not real

Conclusion:                       “What make you think it’s true?”                              Therefore P is not real

First, the similarities do not necessitate equality. A 3x5 card has similarities to a square (90 degree angles, parallel sides, etc), but does not mean it is equal to a square.

Second, the argument will unravel if the conclusion is proven false by some other authority. The authority in this case could be historians, non-christian historians at that. Are there any non-christian historians writing in and around the supposed time of Christ (or writing about His time) mentioning Him as existing? Yes. These include Josephus, Pliny the Younger, and more.

My reply:

“There are some Historians (Pliny the Younger, Josephus, etc) outside of the Bible who wrote about Jesus.”

His response:

“right. but what about the undeniable similarities between Jesus and other mythical beings, ie Horus or Mithra?”

So, he agrees that Jesus is a real person. However, he goes on to argue for the similarities between Jesus and mythological beings. So, let’s take an honest look at this:

He writes:

“Horus was born to a virgin, walked on water, performed miracles, crucified, rose from the dead. Familiar, hey? Explain?”

After a quick search on Google, I have found the following:

1. There is some debate, even among atheists, in regards to Horus’ virgin birth, his walking on water, crucifixion, and resurrection.

2.  Many, including atheists agree that Horus performed miracles, but they were different in scope and nature. Let me add that even in the Bible, Jesus is not the only one to perform miracles. The Egyptian Magicians did, the disciples did, etc.

Yet, my reply was simply this:

“I agree there are some similarities between Jesus and mythical beings.”

“You also agreed that non-Christian historians wrote about Jesus, showing he existed. #atheism”

In closing, let me offer an argument of my own:

Historians have proven that Jesus existed.

Historians even prove some of the claims of the Bible about Jesus.

So, do you therefore conclude that all the claims of the Bible about Jesus are true? And thus you must believe or not believe?

Or do you conclude that the entire Bible is not true, and therefore you don’t have to believe?

The choice is yours.