Christians are Baptized, Part 2

Chuckle: When my grandson Billy and I entered our vacation cabin, we kept the lights off until we were inside to keep from attracting pesky insects. Still, a few fireflies followed us in. Noticing them before I did, Billy whispered, "It's no use, Grandpa. The mosquitoes are coming after us with flashlights."

Quote: “The truth of Scripture is you should be baptized as a confession of faith as soon as possible after conversion.” --O.S. Hawkins

BAPTISM EXPLAINS OUR SALVATION

". . . that Christ died for our sins . . was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures" (I Corinthians 15:3-4 NIV).

Baptism explains how God saves us. That's the good news/gospel - the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. When we are baptized, we are picturing what Christ did to grant us forgiveness of sin and eternal life. That's why the when is so important. We are baptized when we can say "I've trusted Christ to forgive me and save me."

Baptism has no meaning if we do it before we receive salvation through faith. That's why there is no mention of infant baptism in the New Testament. This is not to criticize or condemn those who practice infant baptism. I'm sure these are meaningful experiences to those involved. However, the baptism of the New Testament is always believer's baptism that pictures Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection by which we are saved.

How we are to be baptized is clear in Scripture. The very word, "Baptize," means to plunge, immerse, dip, submerge, or put under. But some don't think it's important to be immersed. However, how we are baptized is important because it pictures our faith - our own death to sin, burial of that former way of life, and our resurrection to a new life in Christ. "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come" (2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV).

Logistically, it is a more convenient to baptize in other ways, however, the picture in Scripture is always immersion. If we say it's not important how we are baptized, we are saying that the instructions in God's Word are not important.

Romans 6:4 says, "We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life." Baptism is a beautiful picture of what Jesus did for us as well as what happened to us when we received Christ as Savior and Lord -- when we were born again by the Holy Spirit.

Love, Jerry & Dotse