5. Be Baptized
Baptism is Essential to Salvation
Jesus the Lord
"And He said to them, Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. 'He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned'"
Ananias to Paul
"And now why do you delay? Arise, and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on His name"
Apostle Peter
"And corresponding to that, baptism now saves you—not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience—through the resurrection of Jesus Christ"
What is Baptism?
Purpose: Forgiveness of sins
"And Peter said to them, 'Repent, and let each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit'"
Candidates: Believers in Jesus Christ
"And He said to them, 'Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned'"
Command to be Obeyed
"And he ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ…"
Involves water as the element and the candidate is immersed
"And as they went along the road they came to some water; and the eunuch said, 'Look! Water! What prevents me from being baptized?' And he ordered the chariot to stop; and they both went down into the water, Philip as well as the eunuch; and he baptized him. And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away; and the eunuch saw him no more, but went on his way rejoicing"
Correcting A False Teaching About Baptism
Baptism does not nullify the grace of God
Some contend that baptism is a work and being baptized nullifies the grace of God.
"For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast"
When God had the Israelites march around Jericho and the walls fell down (Joshua 6), what caused the walls to fall? Clearly, the walls falling was not as a result of their marching. It was by grace through faith—they did not deserve it to happen, but it was a gift of God that He gave when they obeyed in marching around the city. In the same way, our salvation cannot possibly be a result of being covered by water or any other work. We must never think that we deserve salvation because of what we have done. We trust in the grace of God based on His promises. And He has promised that those who are baptized will be saved!
Baptism is not to enter the membership of a "church"
Some say baptism is required to enter membership into a "church" or denomination. The Bible does not teach this. The Bible does teach that the Lord adds baptized believers to the body of saved people.
"So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and there were added that day about three thousand souls. Praising God, and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved"
Baptism is not a sign that one is already saved
The Bible does not teach this.
Arise, and be baptized, and wash away your sins…
…baptism now saves you…
There is no question in the Bible that we must be baptized to be saved. Sadly, many do not see the connection between baptism and calling on the name of the Lord to be saved. In fact, many do not have the faith in Christ to obey Him in this way. They prefer to put their faith in preachers, pastors, or denominational systems rather than in Christ.
Once I am baptized and Christ adds me to His group of saved people (the church), is there anything we must do after that?