I don’t think I understood what I was confessing well enough before my baptism. So am I saved?
Question:
I am wondering if I am saved. I was baptized in a Church of Christ and since learning more about it I have questions. First I don't think I understood the confession part. I thought it was confessing to God that you are a sinner and in need of salvation. Then I recently heard that the confession is confessing that Jesus is the Son of God. My question is am I not saved because I misunderstood the confession part and also since I am terrified of water I did not confess that Jesus was the Son of God loudly I nodded my head and mumbled yes when asked if I believed Jesus was the Son of God because I was standing in the pool and terrified of the water, but I understood that I needed to be baptized. I have since watched others who seemed to understand more and say it loudly. Does this make me not saved?
Answer:
I doubt that anyone fully understands what it means to be a Christian at the start of their journey. We all learn there is more to what God required of us that we realized was there. That increase in knowledge is supposed to happen and comes, in part, through experience. "For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil" (Hebrews 5:13-14). We are babes when we become Christians, not perfect individuals.
But more, you seem to think that confession is a one time act that is never done again. The confession we give at our baptism is the beginning of a lifelong public stance of living for Christ. "Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven" (Matthew 10:32-33). The question you should be asking yourself is are you confessing Christ, not did you say it loud enough one time in the past.
In Jesus' day, the Pharisees thought to make following God's laws more precise. They couldn't leave it at don't journey on the Sabbath day, they defined exactly how far a person could go from their doorpost. That led some to skirt the "law" by sitting down to eat, declaring that this was their new, temporary "home," and then continue their journey. The problem stems from trying to add precision to where God did not. It is tempting for Christians to do the same. It isn't just that you made a confession, you added how much needs to be understood, how many decibels it needs to be declared, and that it was needed to be done just before being baptized. Don't fall into that trap.
You were asked if you believe that Jesus was the Son of God. You said, "yes." If you are like most, you had been saying "yes" for a while. The question at the baptism is just to make sure.
