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Friday, March 25, 2011“Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
-Matthew 28:19
Water baptism can be described as an outward declaration of an inward transformation. It represents not only the death and resurrection of our Savior Jesus Christ (Romans 6:3, 4), but the fact that we have crucified the flesh with its affections and lusts and now walk in newness of life with our Lord (Galatians 2:20). While the Scriptures clearly emphasize the importance of every Christian being baptized in water, many have been falsely taught that, if you haven’t been baptized yet, you are not truly saved at all. This is an attack against the very core of the Gospel (i.e. salvation by grace through faith), which I’d like to address in this post by examining the essence of what the Gospel truly is. After all, as Paul wrote, “…it is the power of God unto salvation.” (Romans 1:16)
In 1 Corinthians 15 Paul defined the Gospel as the death, burial and resurrection of Christ (v. 1-4). 1 Corinthians 1:17 makes it even clearer that, though it’s certainly important, baptism and the Gospel are two different things and should not be confused. If it is true that salvation is impossible apart from baptism, then it must also be true that the Gospel is not enough to save you and that the shed blood of Christ does not hold full redeeming power. Think about that. By suggesting that only those who have been baptized are saved, you are doing more than just saying faith is not enough; you are saying that what Christ did on the cross is not enough and that we must perfect our own redemption! Isn’t the fact that we can’t do that the whole reason Jesus died on the cross?
Nevertheless, I believe it’s important for us to remember that there is a very good reason for all those other verses that seem to tie salvation and water baptism together: they should always accompany each another! Asking whether you can be a Christian without being baptized is like asking whether or not you can live for Christ and disregard the beatitudes or the 10 Commandments. To neglect baptism is to neglect the commandment of the Lord and, when you neglect the Word of God, there will always be serious consequences. You might be forgiven of your sins at an altar of repentance, but rest assured that you are placing yourself right back under the wrath of God by disobeying the Lord - especially when you do so after being shown the truth (Hebrews 10:26, 28-29). The point of my writing this is not at all to diminish the importance of being baptized, but to show that faith, not baptism, is what saves a person from sin and an eternity in hell (see here for an explanation of saving faith). You should be baptized as soon as possible after receiving salvation, but you can be sure that, if you die on your way to the church, you will still go to heaven, as will your friend who was reconciled to God while lying on his or her deathbed. It’s not about what we can do, but about what He has already done for us!
14 comments:
You know, when I read the post title, I thought 'Oh boy! Here's a debatable issue!' You explained this very well and I'm glad you did a post on this as I believe that this is a very important issue in today's society. So many people think that if they are baptized, then they are now saved; but this is not true! "For by GRACE ye are saved through FAITH and that NOT of yourselves, lest any man should boast." Great post!!!
Amen brother. Great post. :)
Dakota,
I'm so glad you decided to follow my blog, and even more that I found the chance to read your most recent post! It was wonderful! I remember hearing all of the wonderful truths you wrote about this past August when I was baptized, and it was great to have them refreshed in my mind.
It gives me great joy to know others spend time studying the Word of God, and are not afraid to proclaim it to the world.
I look forward to reading more of your posts in the future!
Hey Dakota,
Thank you SO much for posting this...what's really interesting(wait, no....more like Providential :) ) is that we are discussing this in one of my online AP classes right now. Sometimes I'm not sure how to explain my thoughts and this did it just perfectly! Thank you so much for searching the scriptures and sharing what God has revealed to you on on this blog.
Ephesians 1:2,
Melanie
Good morning~
You've hit the nail on the head again here by reading and understanding God's word. In the world of ideas and opinions it is good to be reminded of the truth and those who know it should tell it. GOd's truth never changes in spite of changing opinions, of which there are many. ;) Have a good weekend.
Great post. As a previous commenter noted, the topic is debatable, but I think I agree with you on most points. :)
Just wondering (and the verse you started with on this post jogged my memory), what are your thoughts on Christian missions?
This was a great post!!! It teaches things from God's Word that I have believed for oooh about45 years now, having been saved for 57. Baptism is the first thing to be done after salvation in obedience to His command.It is a picture to the world of what has happened in our hearts and to show that we are a follower of Christ.
Keep up the good work, young man and may God bless you.
Hi Dakota, great post. Well said. I agree.
Good defense of the Gospel, brother!
Dakota,
I enjoyed reading this post. I thought you explained the importance of baptism in a very truthful and thorough way. I agree - salvation is by faith alone - only the work of the Savior was necessary.
But yes, as you so pointed out so well - then we begin the life of obedience. Our pastor calls baptism, "The Rebel's Yell" - because it's declaring to the world that we believe in the One who finished it all on the cross.
GOD BLESS!
I agree!
Thanks for sharing, your posts are always thought provoking!
Thanks again.
In HIS service,
Rebecca
I agree totally. Thank you for sharing.
Dakota,
It's a joy to find a young man whose heart is set towards Christ. Always walk according to His Word and you will not stumble (Ps 119:9).
May God guide and direct your paths as you are entering such an important time in your life where you will be faced with many important decisions.
God bless you!
ps. Noticing that you're a hunter, my hubby is a muralist for primarily big game hunters. He has painted many of the murals for Cabela's Sporting goods and also for Bass Pro too - I'm guessing one of your favorite places :)
Maybe the Infant Baptism debate has been approached from the wrong direction. Instead of starting with our disagreements, let's start with what Baptists/evangelicals and orthodox Christians AGREE upon: All persons who believe and have faith in Christ as their Savior should follow his command and be baptized as soon as possible. Agreed?
So the next question is: Can an infant believe and have faith?
Dear evangelical/Baptist brothers and sisters in Christ: If I can prove to you from Scripture that infants not only can but DO believe and have faith, would you accept infant baptism as Scriptural?
http://www.lutherwasnotbornagain.com/2013/09/the-bible-says-that-infants-can-have.html
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