WHY NEED TO RECEIVE BAPTISM? WHAT IS BAPTISM
FOR?
“I believe that it is enough to have
faith in the Lord Jesus Christ in order to be saved. If so why do we need to
receive baptism? What is baptism for?”
RECEIVING
THE TRUE baptism is very important. The Bible explicitly teaches us the
importance of receiving the true baptism. These are the following:
(1) One needs to receive first true baptism
in order to become a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ:
“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”
(Matthew 28:19, NKJV)
The Lord Jesus Christ
said, “Go therefore and make disciples of
all the nations.” However, in making a man a disciple of Christ, the Lord
did not said, “make them believe only and they are already my disciples.” The
Lord Jesus Christ, explicitly said, “BAPTIZING
them in the name od the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”
Thus, one needs to receive first the true baptism in order to be recognized by
Christ as one of His disciples.
(2) One needs to receive the true baptism to
receive forgiveness of sins:
“Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one
of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you
will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 2:38 NIV)
For one to
receive forgiveness of sins, the Bible did not said to “repent only,” but to “Repent and be baptized…for the forgiveness
of your sins.”
(3) One needs not only to believe but
believe and be baptized in order to be saved:
“And
He said to them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every
creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not
believe will be condemned.” (Mark 16:15-16, NKJV)
Faith is
important in order for us to be saved. However, it is not enough to believe or
have faith. The Lord Jesus Christ Himself said, “He who believes and is baptized will be saved.” But be sure that
you received the true baptism, the baptism commanded by the Lord Jesus Christ and
taught by the apostles.
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© 2013 by THE IGLESIA NI CRISTO
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