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NASB | Mark 16:16 "He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Mark 16:16 "He who has believed [in Me] and has been baptized will be saved [from the penalty of God's wrath and judgment]; but he who has not believed will be condemned. |
Subject: Is BAPTISM a SYMBOL? |
Bible Note: I have considered your position with great interest, but must say that I respectfully disagree. God's promise is not dependent upon us. It is made unilaterally. Jesus died and rose at the will of God, not because we first had faith, but because God chose to offer His gift of grace to us. Thus, baptism is a sign of God's promise to us, not a sign of our promise to God. When we repent, accept the gift of grace and receive the Holy Spirit, it is then that WE have accepted God's gift. Baptism is like the Christmas card that comes with the gift. It expresses the love of God for us in His unilateral grace. Just as salvation is not dependent upon grace plus works, neither is baptism (which points to God's grace) dependent upon our actions. A person (child) can be baptized as a sign of God's promise to us, and their will has nothing to do with that promise. Acts 16:33-34 At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his family were baptized. |