Baptism

Does Science Have Room for God

My whole life has been investigations and fact-finding. From all the crimes and crashes I investigated throughout my career to the challenges of understanding the physics of the universe we live in. I believe that the good Lord has provided us with an amazing place to live. Throughout history, and even today, He teases us with how much there is for us to learn. From dark matter and dark energy to why there are 3 generations of quarks when we only need the first generation. Every day, the Lord teases us with how much we don’t know about the universe he has put before us. The most factual saying in science is that we don’t know what we don’t know.

​And the same is true for the Bible; we don’t know what we don’t know regarding what God is trying to tell each of us. That is, the Bible can and will tell each of us more than we can imagine if we simply take the time to read it and ask God questions about what He is saying. And, follow the path He puts in front of us.

​About a year ago, I confessed my belief in God and in Christ as my Savior. I was unwittingly fighting hard against these beliefs for so long. However, the Lord spoke to me in a way that only I could understand, and He showed me how wrong I was. Specifically, He performed multiple miracles in a way that no science could ever explain or account for, leaving the only possible conclusion for me: God is real.

​God is the master of the science of our universe, and just like the science books and writing we all learn from, God gave us a book about Him to learn from, the Bible. And just as when I was learning physics, whenever I have a question about God, I go to the Bible. And over the last year, I have been struggling with understanding baptism. So I have been doing a lot of reading throughout the Bible.

​Baptism is not referenced in the Old Testament. There is some inferred symbolism, but nobody was baptized. The Bible references two types of Baptism: by water and by the Holy Spirit. By water is the ceremonial one performed today in churches. I specifically used the word “ceremonial” here because, in essence, that is how I see baptism. The public aspect of baptism goes back to John the Baptist baptizing in the Jordan River before all who wanted to watch. I was also told that getting baptized was a public acknowledgement of accepting Christ as our Savior. And that getting baptized was something that I would be doing for Christ. These things are true, and that was what I was having trouble understanding.

​I know what my faith in God and Christ is, and I have confidence in my faith. I don’t need public acceptance in order to justify my faith. And this is still my belief about baptism. However, my belief is only part of the picture. And the good Lord knows just how to step up in order to show me that I really need to open my mind to more. Timing is everything, a fact that the Lord used to help me see.

​My baptism was very important to my wife. She has been a Christian for 40 years. And on Monday, the 26th of January, my wife and I celebrated our 50th anniversary. On Sunday, the 25th of January, our church was performing baptisms. The Lord has impeccable timing. I decided that the best 50th anniversary gift I could give my wife would be to get baptized. So I signed up for the ceremony.

​My brother-in-law was already out here, so he would be attending the baptism. His wife found out about my pending baptism, and she flew out from the East Coast for the ceremony. My nieces and nephews heard about the ceremony, and that their mother was coming out, so they came out for it. My local family, along with my wife’s local family, all came. My wife and I decided to let some close Christian friends from the neighborhood and from church know about my baptism, and they all came. I found out that so many of the people who attended to watch me get baptized shed tears of joy.

​Through God’s grace and wisdom, I discovered that what was not a big deal to me was, in fact, a very big deal to many others with strong Christian beliefs. It was humbling and honoring to me to see how much all of these people cared for me. I believe that God put this whole event in motion so He could show me that I need to open my eyes even more to learn and see all that He has to teach me. Proverbs 20:12 tells us, “Ears to hear and eyes to see-both are gifts from the Lord.” God showed me that my family and all those who are close to me are also part of the “public ceremony.” That is, this public ceremony was for my wife, my family, and my dear friends. All the other people in the church were just “hanging out.” Sometimes we all need just a little kick from the Lord in order to understand what He is telling us.

​There is one more very important part to my baptism. My mother-in-law was battling cancer, and she just did not have the strength to make it to church for the ceremony. The Tuesday after my baptism, my mother-in-law was admitted into the hospital. The next day, Wednesday, my wife showed her mother, my mother-in-law, a video of my baptism. Despite all she was going through, her face lit up with happiness, and she told me how proud she was of me.

​Three days later, she passed away. My mother-in-law gave me a gift that I will never forget. The knowledge that a simple action gave her happiness and peace in the most trying time of her life.

​Thank you, Lord, for providing me the opportunity to bring a moment of happiness into my mom’s life. She is with you now.

​I/We miss you, Mom.

*** The New Living Translation version of the Bible and the Life Application Study Bible New King James Version were used as the references for this document.***

Steve Guderian, February 2026