Is Baptism Necessary for Salvation?

IronSharpensIron

A Critical Analysis of the Doctrine of Baptismal Regeneration

What are your thoughts and refernces to baptism?
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FFT · Posted: Sun Sep 24, 2006 9:12 pm Post subject:

Six threads down, in this very forum, there is a thread started by HolyGhostPower insisting that "Water Baptism is ESSENTIAL to salvation!"

My response was simply a list of verses.

John 3:16.
Romans 6:23.
Matthew 6:14-15.
Romans 10:9-10.
Romans 10:13.

"Critical analysis" (absolutely hilarious when it comes to a religion which falls on its face when critically analyzed) isn't particularly necessary when the Bible itself says otherwise. I guess that's a form of critical analysis but real critical analysis would examine where the idea came from in the first place.
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lone-traveler · Posted: Wed Sep 27, 2006 6:11 am Post subject:

was Jesus, the disciples, and Apostles baptised?
who doesn't require baptism?

gentiles?

lone
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nana · Bear Cub Joined: 01 May 2006 Posts: 625

Greetings,

Yes, Baptism is absolutely essential to salvation.

Matthew 20:23, "And he saith unto them, Ye shall drink indeed of my cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with:..."

Romans 6:4, "Therefore we ARE buried with him by baptism into death..."

Ephesians 4:5, One Lord, one faith, one baptism,..."

When Christ went to the grave we went with him and when he rose we rose with him new creatures in Christ Jesus. We were baptised into his death and raised in newness of life. IT WAS SPIRITUAL BAPTISM and was done for us by our precious Lord and Savior.

Colossians 2:12, "Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him for the dead."

In Christ, Judy

Zathrus · Posted: Wed Oct 04, 2006 8:10 am Post subject:

dispen4ever · Sea Monkey Joined: 23 Nov 2006 Posts: 13 Location: USA

Water baptism essential? No. Do it if you have the opportunity? Yes. Why do it? To identify with Christ, for yourself and others; let others know (church, family, friends, others), through a public committment, that you intend to follow Christ. To do "all of the above" one has to be old enough to understand what one is doing.

For those who simply never have an opportunity to be immersed in water, not to worry. God isn't going to slam the door in your face!

John 3:16-17, John 14:6, Romans 10:8-13

Very Happy

FFT · Posted: Fri Nov 24, 2006 6:23 am Post subject:

SealedEternal · Posted: Fri Dec 29, 2006 6:19 pm Post subject:

The word "baptism" in our English Bibles has not been translated, but is rather a transliteration of the Greek word "baptizo." It began that way to intentionally deceive the masses as to what the Greek word really means by the Catholic, Anglican, and other offshoots of these false so-called "Churches" to promote the false doctrine of baptismal regeneration. To this day, most people have water on the brain when they read these scriptures because of the lack of translation.

The word "baptizo" in Greek actually refers to something being immersed into something else. It could be a person, and it can be in water, but there is no reason to assume that this is what scripture is referring to in a particular verse unless the context specifically dictates that. When it says for example "baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit" or "baptized in the name of Jesus Christ" it is not referring at all to water. It is saying to immerse people in the name, or in other words who He was, what He stood for, what He has done, etc. That commission is telling people to preach the Gospel, and water has nothing to do with the Gospel.

Also, if it says "baptized into Christ Jesus" it literally means to be immersed into Him spiritually:

John 17:20-26 "I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word; that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me. "The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one; I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me. "Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world. "O righteous Father, although the world has not known You, yet I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me; and I have made Your name known to them, and will make it known, so that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them."

Romans 8:1 Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

Baptism of today is of the Spirit not the washing of the flesh with water, or in other words we must be immersed with God's Spirit who washes and regenerates our wicked sinful hearts:

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

Ephesians 1:13 "In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation -- having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise,"

Titus 3:5-7 He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

The water baptism of John was symbolic of the baptism to come, and although the apostles performed it at first they soon realized that it was unnecessary and missed the real point as well:

Matthew 3:11 "As for me, I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

Luke 3:16 John answered and said to them all, "As for me, I baptize you with water; but One is coming who is mightier than I, and I am not fit to untie the thong of His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

Acts 11:15-18 "And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them just as He did upon us at the beginning. "And I remembered the word of the Lord, how He used to say, 'John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.' "Therefore if God gave to them the same gift as He gave to us also after believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could stand in God's way?" When they heard this, they quieted down and glorified God, saying, "Well then, God has granted to the Gentiles also the repentance that leads to life."

Acts 19:1-6 It happened that while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed through the upper country and came to Ephesus, and found some disciples. He said to them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" And they said to him, "No, we have not even heard whether there is a Holy Spirit." And he said, "Into what then were you baptized?" And they said, "Into John's baptism." Paul said, "John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in Him who was coming after him, that is, in Jesus." When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking with tongues and prophesying.

1 Corinthians 1:13-17 Has Christ been divided? Paul was not crucified for you, was he? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, that no man should say you were baptized in my name. Now I did baptize also the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized any other. For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not in cleverness of speech, that the cross of Christ should not be made void.

The apostles themselves realized that the symbolic water baptism of John was primarily to lead the Jewish people to repentance, and to symbolize the washing and regeneration of the Holy Spirit, and the immersion of fallen man into Christ Jesus.

SealedEternal

theseldomscene · Banned Joined: 17 Mar 2005 Posts: 7817

you are one mixed up dude...but not all the time...just most of the time... Very Happy

SealedEternal · Posted: Sat Dec 30, 2006 4:41 pm Post subject:

Typical ad hominem attack without any substance. If you believe me to be "mixed up" aren't you at all concerned about preaching the word and being ready in season and out of season to reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction? That would be the Biblical response.

SealedEternal

TheWord · Big Hamster Joined: 26 Dec 2006 Posts: 96

Seldomscene has a potty mouth. Razz

theseldomscene · Banned Joined: 17 Mar 2005 Posts: 7817

....

and seal...

the only word you used has been twisted to perversion and rewritten to say what you wish and not what it does, in order to support doctrines of devils that it was never intended to support....

have a nice day... Very Happy

daviddale3 · Kitten Joined: 02 Aug 2006 Posts: 146 Location: georgia

The only way to find the "road home" to heaven is to follow God's directions EXACTLY. There are numerous things God has commanded that a person DO in order to enjoin the "obrdience of faith" and thereby receive the free gift of salvation. According to God's Word, in order to be saved a person MUST do the following.

First, the sinner must HEAR God's Word (Romans 10:17). Obviously, one cannot follow God's commands if he has not heard them, so God commanded that people hear what He has said regarding salvation.

Second, one who is lost cannot be saved if he does not BELIEVE what he hears, So, God commanded that belief ensue (John 3:16; Acts 16:31)>

Third, one who is lost cannot abtain salvation if he is unwilling to REPENT of his sins and seek forgiveness (Luke 13:3)> Without repentance he will continue in sin; thus, God commanded repentence.

Forth, since Christ is the basis of our salvation, God commanded the penitent sinner to CONFESS Him before men as the Son of God (Romans 10:9-10).

However, this is not all that God commanded. Hearing, beleiving, repentence, and confession will not rid one of his sin. The overriding question is this: HOWDOES ONE GET RID OF SIN? Nunerous times within the pages of the New Testement, that question is asked and answered. The Jews who had murdered Christ, and to whom Peter spoke on the Day of Pentecost when he ushered in the Christian age, asked that question. Peter's sermon had convicted them. They were convinced that they were sinners and, as such, desperatly in need of salvation at the hand of almighty God. Their question then became; "Breathern, what shall we do?"(Acts 2:37). Peter' response could not have been any clearer. He told them: "Repent and BR BAPTIZED everyone of you in the nam of Jesus Christ FOR THE REMISSION OF SINS" (Acts 2:38). Saul, who later would be known as Paul, the famous apostle to the Gentiles, needed an answer to that same question. While on a trip to Damascus for the explicit purpose of persecuting Christians, Saul was blinded (Acts 22). Realizing his plight, he asked: "What shall I do, Lord?" (Acts 22:10). When God's servant, Ananias, appeared to Saul in the city, he answered Saul's question by commanding: " And why tarriest thou? Arise, and BE BAPTIZED, AND WASH AWAY THY SINS"(Acts 22:16.

What, then, is the correct biblical answer regarding how one rids himself of soul-damning sin? The biblical solution is that the person who has heard the Gospel, who has believed its message, who has repented of past sins, and who has confessed Christ as Lord must then-in order to recieve remission (forgiveness) of sins-be baptized.

Further, it is baptism that puts a person "in Christ." Paul told the first-century Christians in Rome:

Or are ye ignorant that all we who were baptized into Crist Jesus
were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him
through baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised from the
dead through the glory of the Father, so we also might walk in
nweness of life (Romans 6:3-4).

Paul told the Galatans: "For as many of you as were BAPTIZED INTO CHRIST did put on Christ' (3:37). Little wonder, then, that Peter spoke of baptism as that which saves (I Peter 3:21).

Numerous New Testement writers made the point that it is only when we come into contact with Christ's blood that our sins can be washed away (Ephesiand 1:7-8; Revelation 5:9; Romans 5:8-9; Hebrews 9:12-14). The question arises; WHEN did Jesus shed his blood? The answere, of cours, is that He shed His blood of the Cross at His death (Hohn 19:31-34). Where, and how, does one come into contact with Christ's blood to obtain the forgiveness of sin that such contact ensures? Paul answered that question when he wrote to the Christians in Rome. It is only in baptism that contact with the blood, and the death, of Christ is made (Romans 6:3-11). Further, the ultimate hope of our resurrection (to live with Him in heaven) is linked to baptism. Paul wrote of "having been buried with him in baptism, wherein ye were raised with him through faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead"(Colossian 2:12). If we are not baptized, we remain in sin. If we are not baptized, we have no hope of the resurrection that leads to heave.

Baptism, of course, is no less, nor more, important than any other of God's commands regarding what to do to be saved. But it is essential, and one cannot be saved without it. Is baptism a command of God? YES (Acts 10:48). Is baptism where remission of sins occurs? YES (Acts 2:38; Act 22:16; I Peter 3:21).

Some, who no doubt mean well, teach that a person is saved by "faith only." That is, people are taught simply to "pray and ask Jesus to come into their hearts" so that they might be saved from their sins. This teaching, though widespread, is completely at odds with the Bible's specific instructions regarding what one must do to be saved.

First, the Sciptures teach that God does not hear9 i.e., hear to respond with forgiveness) the prayer of an alien sinner(Psalm 34:15-16; Proverbs 15:29; Proverbs 28:9). Thus, the sinner can pray as long and as hard as he wants, but God has stated plainly how a person is to be saved. This makes perfect sense, since in John 14:6 Christ taught: "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one cometh to the Father but by me." The alien sinner cannot approach God on his own,and, as an alien sinner, has no advocate to do so on his behalf. That is on of the spriritual blessings reserved for Christians (Ephesians 1:3). Thus, it is fruitless for an alien sinner to pray to God to "send Jesus into his heart." God does not hear (i.e. hear to respond to) such a request.

Second, the Scriptures plainly teach that man CANNOT BE SAVED BY FAITH ALONE. James, in his epistle, remarked that indeed, a man may be justified (i.e., saved), but "not only by faith" (James 2:24). This, too, makes perfectly good sense. As James observed only a few verses earlied: "Thou believest that God is one; thou doest well; the demons also believe, and shudder' (James 2:19). It is not enough merely to believe. Even the demons who inhabit the eternal regions of hell believe. But they hardly are saved (see II Peter 2:4). It is obvious, therefore, that mere faith alone is insufficient to save mankind.

Also, where, exactly, in the Scripures does it teach that, in order to be saved, one should "pray to ask Jesus to come into his heart"? Over the years, we have asked numerous people within various religious groups this important question. But we have yet to find anyone who could provide a single biblical reference to substantiate such a claim.

Salvation is not condition on prayer; it is conditioned on the "obedience of faith." The case of Saul provides a good example. As Christ's enemy-turned-penitent, he prayed earnestly while living in his blind state in the city of Damascus. Yet the fact remains that his sins were removed ("washed away') only when he obeyed God's command (as verbalized by Ananias) to be baptized. Prayer could not wash away Saul's sins. But the Lord's blood could-at the point of baptism (Hebrews 9:22; Ephesians 5:26).

addbicutan · Tadpole Joined: 29 Mar 2007 Posts: 19

Yes, definitely. Water Baptism is an essential part of Salvation.

The bible, the apostles wouldn't talk about if it isn't essential.

The Lord Jesus Christ said in John 3:5,

"Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. "

The Apostles also like Apostle Peter preached about the importance of Water Baptism to salvation. He said in Acts 2:38,

Peter said to them, "Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. "

Just like in Acts 22:16,

'Now why do you delay? Get up and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on His name.'

...

We can see here that Baptism is washing away your sins.

Is it important? No one in his right sense of mind will say that it is not important.

The problem with other people is that they look at one or some verses of the bible and stick to it, not accepting other verses or pronouncements of Apostles and the Lord himself.

If you have a common sense, just knowing that the apostles and the Lord Jesus Christ himself taught of baptism, you wouldn't say that it's not important or not essential to salvation.

It's clearly written in 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,..."

You see that? Baptism is able to save!

Who will then, in his proper state of mind say anything like baptism is not important?

Those who say that have not enough biblical knowledge and understanding.

All of us, must accept the fact that Baptism is essential and we must submit ourselves into it. It is a commandment of Christ and preached by the Apostles.

Fore more information, visit www.angdatingdaan.org and www.theoldpath.tv or www.truthcaster.com

To God be the Glory

RevJP · Moderator Joined: 18 Apr 2003 Posts: 7005 Location: USA

Interestingly, in all the verses quoted in this last post, none of them mentions water....
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