The Bible clearly teaches baptism saves us (1 Pet. 3:21). The gospel is God’s power to salvation for all (Rom. 1:16). Jesus said when the gospel is preached, those who believe it and are baptized shall be saved (Mk. 16:15, 16). God’s power to save may be accessed by following His instructions. When Naaman was told to wash in the Jordan river to be healed of his leprosy, the power was not in the water of the Jordan river but in God (2 Kgs. 5:10, 14). When Noah and his family were saved by water (1 Pet. 3:20), they were in fact saved by God (2 Pet. 2:4, 5). Water was simply the means God used for salvation in these examples, and it is how God saves people today.
Baptism is God’s operation to cut away sins, forgive, and give spiritual life (Col. 2:11-13). Baptism is a burial of the old man of sin and the resurrection of the new man in Christ (Col. 2:12; Rom. 6:3-7). We are servants of sin until we are buried with Christ in baptism (Rom. 6:6). If not removed, sin results in death (Rom. 6:23). Baptism results in the remission of sins (Acts 2:38). Instead of waiting on the Lord to save us, we should recognize He has provided the way to be saved and be baptized to have our sins washed away (Acts 22:16).
Baptism is a water birth into the kingdom of God (Jn. 3:5). We become children of God by faith when we put Christ on in baptism (Gal. 3:26, 27). Titus 3:5 refers to baptism when it states God “saved us, by the washing of regeneration.” When a child is born into a family, they are part of the next generation. To regenerate means to bring new life. It is equivalent to being born again (Jn. 3:3, 5).
Several examples in the book of Acts show that baptism is an essential part of coming to Jesus for salvation. Those on Pentecost, who heard Peter preach, wanted to know what to do to be saved from their guilt of crucifying the Lord’s Christ (Acts 2:37). When Peter told them to repent and be baptized for the remission of sins (Acts 2:38), about 3,000 of them did so and were added to the group of saved people, the church (Acts 2:41, 47). When the Samaritans believed the gospel of the kingdom, they were baptized (Acts 8:12). When the Eunuch heard Philip preach Christ, he saw water and asked about being baptized (Acts 8:36). He went down into the water; when he came up, he was rejoicing in his salvation (Acts 8:37-39). Saul believed (Acts 26:18), called Jesus Lord (Acts 22:10; 26:15), and prayed (Acts 9:11), but he still had to have his sins washed away by calling on the name of the Lord in baptism (Acts 9:18; 22:16). The jailer at Philippi asked what to do to be saved (Acts 16:30) and was immediately baptized when he believed the message of salvation in the Lord Jesus (Acts 16:31-34).
Baptism places one into Christ (Rom. 6:3; Gal. 3:27). All spiritual blessings are in Christ (Eph. 1:3). There is no hope outside of Christ (Eph. 2:12). If you have not be baptized into Christ, or if you think you were saved before baptism, we plead with you to honestly consider these verses listed in the article. We stand ready to help you understand and be baptized for the salvation of your eternal soul.
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