The Big Deal about Baptism
Should you get baptized?
This question is very significant primarily because our Lord Jesus told us if we love him we will do it. He actually says “if you love me, you will keep my commandments” (John 14:15) Jesus gave the command to all his followers to be baptized (Matt 28:19; Mark 16:16; John 3:5). Our obedience to the commands of Christ is one way we know we are saved. 1 John 2:3 makes clear that we can know that we are followers of Christ if we “keep his commandments.” “Baptism, then, is not necessary for salvation. But it is necessary if we are to be obedient to Christ, for he commanded baptism for all who believe in him” (Wayne Grudem)
Perhaps the first questions should be “Are you a follower of Jesus Christ?” If the answer is yes than the answer to if you should get baptized is clear: YES, you should!
What is baptism?
A Public STATEMENT and SYMBOL signifying what Jesus has done for us.
What it symbolizes:
- WASHING of sin
- “Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.” (Isaiah 1:18)
- DYING to sin
- “Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? We know that our old self was crucified with Him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.” (Romans 6:3, 6)
- RISING to new life
- “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” (2 Corinthians 5:17)
- IMMERSION into Christ
- “For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.” (I Corinthians 12:13)
