The Baptism Of The Bible
There is much disagreement today between what many people say and what the Bible says about baptism. Baptism as commanded in the Bible is a believer’s immersion in water for the remission of sins so he can be saved and go to Heaven.
One must first be a believer to be baptized. Infants and small children have no sin and no need to be baptized. In Acts 8:36-37 it was asked, "What hinders me from being baptized? Then Philip said, If you believe with all your heart you may". Infants and small children cannot believe and are not subjects for baptism. If one was baptized as an infant it did him no good. When he becomes accountable he becomes lost. Infant baptism is another ploy of Satan to cause people to be lost.
Baptism is immersion, which is a burial in water. Romans 6:4 says, "Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death". The original Greek word which is translated baptize is BAPTIZO and only means to dip, submerge, or immerse. It does not mean to sprinkle or pour. If God wanted people to be sprinkled He would have used the Greek word RHANTIZO in His inspired word or if He wanted people poured He would have used the Greek word KATACHEO, but He didn’t. The Bible says, "Now John also was baptizing in Aenon near Salim, because there was much water there" (John 3:23). Here we see that the baptism required by the Bible requires much water. Sprinkling or pouring require very little water, thus they are not the baptism required by the Bible. If one is sprinkled or poured, he has not been baptized and has every sin he has ever committed and is still lost.
Most of the denominational world laughs at God’s word when it says that baptism is for the remission of one’s sins so he can be saved and go to Heaven. But God’s word says to "Repent and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins" (Acts 2:38). And Jesus says, "He that believes and is baptized shall be saved" (Mark 16:16). When people say that baptism is not for the remission of sins and not necessary for salvation, they are contradicting what God says to their own eternal destruction. Baptism is a command of God. Acts 10:48 says, "And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord."
Baptism is the new birth of a Christian. "Jesus answered, Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot see the kingdom of God" (John 3:5). Romans 6:4 says, "Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we should walk in newness of life". At baptism one is born again and becomes a child of God (Galatians 3:26-27) as he begins to "walk in newness of life" when he is raised up out of the waters of baptism.
It is only by the grace of God that one is saved (Ephesians 2:8). One can never do enough to earn his salvation. Salvation is a free gift of God. But God has chosen to use baptism to wash away all of our sins so He can give us that free gift. God’s word says, "And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized and wash away your sins" (Acts 22:16). Jesus is only "the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him" (Hebrews 5:9). There will be no unsaved people in Heaven.
It is Jesus "who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood" (Revelation 1:5). God’s word tells us how we come into contact with the cleansing blood of Jesus which was shed in His death on the cross so we our sins can be washed away. Romans 6:3 says, "Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into His death". Since Jesus shed His blood in His death, when one is baptized into Jesus’ death he comes into contact with His cleansing blood and all of his past sins are washed away. Also this verse tells us how we get into Christ by being "baptized into Christ". Baptism is the only way to get into Christ where "all spiritual blessings" (Ephesians 1:3), "redemption" and "forgiveness of sins" (Ephesians 1:7), "salvation" (2 Timothy 2:10), and "eternal life" (1 John 5:11) are located. Those who have not been baptized into Christ have none of these blessings and are still lost. One has to have help to misunderstand what the Bible says about baptism, and Satan supplies that help.
Satan doesn’t care how much truth of God’s word people accept as long as it is not enough to save them. It is all right with Satan if people "accept Jesus as their personal Saviour" as long as they are not baptized (immersed, Romans 6:4) for the forgiveness of their sins (Acts 2:38) so they can be saved (Mark 16:16). Satan knows that people are still lost until they are baptized for the forgiveness of their sins. Satan uses "accepting Jesus as your personal Saviour" to give people a false hope of salvation. Many people after they "accept Jesus as their personal Saviour" are usually baptized later to join that particular denomination, but not for the forgiveness of their sins so they can be saved because they think they are already saved. Since their baptism was not for the forgiveness of their sins in order to be saved, they still have every sin they have ever committed and are still lost. They have not done what God says, the way God says and for the reason God says for one to be saved. Satan has just won another soul to be with him in the eternal torments of Hell.
Revelation 20:15 says, "And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire." Is your name in the Book of Life? Are you sure? This is something about which you cannot afford to be wrong. There will be no second chances. If one is lost in the eternal fires of Hell, he will only have himself to blame.