Jeremiah 32:27 - Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh: is there any thing too hard for me?
~ WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE BAPTIZED? ~
WHAT IS BAPTISM?
Baptism is simply a way of saying: "God I dedicate my life to you". It is done by sprinkling a person with water or immersing them in it. According to Peter, it is an appeal to God for a good conscience.
1 Peter 3:21 - 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,
Baptism is a religious rite, but it is also a sense of dedicating yourself to God, consecrating, or setting yourself apart for his service, being initiated into, or bringing yourself under obligation to. To what? To Christ! The kingdom, God, etc..
~ THE TRUTH ABOUT BAPTISM ~
If you are smart, "Yes" you should! Why? For all the reasons I just stated above. It would be your way of saying: "Lord, I am making a commitment to you this day". It is also a further proclamation of your faith. By doing so you are making the statement "I believe in you! I believe in your son and that he died on the cross for me, and I am making a commitment to be pleasing to you from now on"
~ SHOULD YOU BE BAPTIZED? ~
Personally, I don't believe it is necessary. On the same token, I don't believe it hurts anything either. Children, (especially babies) are incapable of making a commitment to God, or dedicating their life to him. If you choose to have a child baptized, I highly recommend that they get baptized again after they have reached an age to make that kind of statement.
~ SHOULD CHILDREN BE BAPTIZED? ~
Because, Jesus said you should! He further states what will happen to you if you "are" baptized.
Mark 16:16 - "He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned.
Like many scriptures in the bible, this one can be read differently. On one hand, Jesus says: "The one who has believed "and" has been baptized, shall be saved". On the other hand, he only states that if you have disbelieved, you will be condemned, Here, he left out baptism. (which would perfectly line up with his other statements.)
John 10:9 - "I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture".
Romans 10:13 - for "WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED."
~ WHY SHOULD I BE BAPTIZED? ~
So, should you be baptized? I personally don't believe that you'll spend eternity in hell if you don't, but would it make any sense not to? After all, if some big wig on Wall Street gave you a tip on the stock market, wouldn't you invest? Or if someone notorious for winning at the track gave you a tip on the winning horse, wouldn't you bet?
Jesus was "God in the flesh". If you want to be saved, consider it inside information from the top! At the least, he recommends it. You'll never get advice that good from your stock broker. (I recommend taking it)
~ WILL I GO TO HELL IF I'M NOT BAPTIZED? ~
I don't see a huge problem with whichever you choose. After all, baptism is symbolic. According to Peter, it was also symbolic of Noah and his family being brought safely through the water.
1 Peter 3:20 - who once were disobedient, when the patience of God kept waiting in the days of Noah, during the construction of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through the water.
1 Peter 3:21 - 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,
Again, when God parted the waters, with Pharaoh's army pursuing them, the Israelites were considered Baptized after going through. They were probably sprayed with a mist, if they even got wet at all! At any rate, they passed through the waters.
1 Corinthians 10:1 - For I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that our fathers were all under the cloud and all passed through the sea;
1 Corinthians 10:2 - and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea;
~ SHOULD I BE COMPLETELY IMMERSED IN WATER, OR JUST SPRINKLED?? ~
Well, in my typical unorthodox way of explaining, it means: "You publicly signed up" and "You joined the club". It also means you have followed the instructions of Jesus Christ. It means you have made a commitment to follow him.
God Bless You
Dan Douglass
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