Baptizing Bradley

Baptism is always a sacred celebration at our church. Watching a new believer publicly profess his or her faith in Jesus Christ by following our Lord in baptism never gets old. And while the testimony of every believer is unique, their experience of baptism at our church is almost always the same. We baptize them in the same baptistry. We give them all the same t-shirt that declares “I have decided to follow Jesus.” We baptize them at the same time in the worship service—after the opening prayer and right before the time of congregational singing. And I always say the same thing as I’m baptizing them. This past Sunday we baptized four individuals. The first three were baptized just as I’ve described, but the fourth was different.

Almost everything about Bradley’s baptism was different on Sunday. We baptized him after the service, outside, in an inflatable pool that was holding less than a foot of water. I didn’t say the things I normally say, and I used a bucket to pour water over his head instead of immersing him under the water. Why was his baptism so different? The world would say it’s because Bradley is different. But I believe his baptism was more than different. It was special, because Bradley is special.

Bradley was born with special needs. He is now 23 years old. He requires a wheelchair for mobility. He needs assistance for all his personal care. He is non-verbal in his communication. And most importantly, Bradley is made in the image of God. Our church holds deep convictions about the theology of Imago Dei. We believe that Jesus Christ is the image of God (Colossians 1:15), and we believe that every human being created by God is made in the image of God. We believe that every person made in the image of God has the capacity to have a relationship with God.

From creation onward, the Bible recognizes full human dignity for all people, including those with special needs (Genesis 1:26–27; Psalm 139:13–16). This undergirds our conviction that people with intellectual and developmental disabilities are not “exceptions” to the gospel, but precious image bearers whom Christ came to save.

We certainly believe that the Bible teaches universal fallenness (Romans 3:23), but we also acknowledge that God judges people according to the capacity they possess (Luke 12:47–48; John 9:41; Romans 1:20). Several texts suggest a category of those who do not yet “know good or evil” (Deuteronomy 1:39; Isaiah 7:15–16), and David’s confidence regarding the eternal destiny of his deceased child (“I shall go to him,” 2 Samuel 12:23) has long been read as hope for the salvation of those without moral capacity. We believe that God grants a protective grace to infants and others, like Bradley, who die without possessing moral capacity.

Bradley loves Jesus, and he desired baptism. He knows enough to respond to Christ with simple uncomplicated faith. He wants the world to know he loves Jesus.

I believe that when Bradley takes his last breath on earth, he will take his next breath in in the presence of Jesus. I believe Bradley will spend eternity in heaven, and that’s why we baptized him. We do not believe that baptism is a requirement for salvation. Baptism is a picture. And for our congregation, Bradley’s baptism was an important picture that they needed to see. I took time before his baptism to reaffirm what we believe about the sanctity of life and the dignity of individuals with special needs. During his baptism I celebrated that we are brothers in Christ. And when I poured the water over his head, I believe we faithfully pictured the sovereign and saving grace of God that has been poured over Bradley’s life by his Creator.

Our church posted a video of Bradley’s baptism on social media. It’s been viewed thousands of times across multiple platforms. And I’m so thankful. Not for the sake of our church. Not even for the sake of Bradley. But for the sake of the gospel. Bradley has never spoken a word. But this week his testimony has been proclaimed to people and in places he would have never had the opportunity or ability to go. Bradley has a smile that will light up a room, and this week his story has lit up the world.