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The Blue Letter Bible

Don Stewart :: Should a Believer Be Baptized in Water?

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Don Stewart
Once a person trusts Christ as their Savior the next step should be water baptism. Believers in Jesus Christ are commanded to be baptized in water. Simon Peter said to the multitudes on the Day of Pentecost:

Repent and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38)

There are several things the Scripture tells us with regard to baptism.

Believers Only

Baptism is only for those who have received Christ as Savior. It is not for unbelievers. All the accounts in Scripture have believers being baptized. An unbeliever who is baptized does not receive anything from the Lord.

Does Not Add

Baptism does not add to a person's salvation. A person is saved by trusting Christ. Baptism does not make a person saved. It is also wrong to think that a person is not saved until they are baptized. The Apostle Paul wrote:

For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel - not with words of human wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power (1 Corinthians 1:17).

We are saved the moment we trust Christ.

Symbolism

Baptism in water symbolizes burial with Christ in death (water) and rising with him in newness of life:

Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we are 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 also should walk in newness of life (Romans 6:3,4).

Mode Of Baptism

The mode of baptism is not that important. Some people practice immersion where the entire body goes under the water. Others practice sprinkling where the believer is sprinkled with the water. Contrary to what some people teach, the New Testament does not clearly spell out a proper mode of baptism.

Summary

If you have trusted Christ as your Savior, then you should be baptized. While this act, in and of itself, will not save you, it will be done as an outward sign of an inward change.


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The Blue Letter Bible ministry and the BLB Institute hold to the historical, conservative Christian faith, which includes a firm belief in the inerrancy of Scripture. Since the text and audio content provided by BLB represent a range of evangelical traditions, all of the ideas and principles conveyed in the resource materials are not necessarily affirmed, in total, by this ministry.