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NASB | John 3:5 Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | John 3:5 Jesus answered, "I assure you and most solemnly say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot [ever] enter the kingdom of God. [Ezek 36:25-27] |
Bible Question: Why do people want to prove/disprove the importance of baptism. Some say that baptism is a requirement for salvation and some say that it is not. Jesus was baptised and he is our example. Why not seek baptism for the simple fact that salvation is important in order to please God and if it means being baptised then so be it? Being immersed in water by faith of redemption cannot kill you. It is to make us better. What is the big deal about trying to belittle baptism or try to prove that it is not necessary for going to heaven. If Jesus was baptised, then so should we as well as the Apostles. That is clear and it is mentioned several times in the New Testament. Whether we should get baptised is not the issue. How should we be baptised is the real issue at hand. Acts 2:38 states that we should be baptised in the name of Jesus. Bottom line. |
Bible Answer: Dear NLightNMe, I can appreciate your feelings on this matter, as can many others on this forum. It shows that you truly love God, and want to know and do the truth of God's word. As for the question of why some of us so passionately argue that baptism is not necessary for salvation, I will give you my opinion, for what it's worth..:) Yes, I do believe we should all be baptized. It is a public profession of faith in Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. And it symbolizes the fact that, as our bodies are cleansed by the water, our souls are cleansed by the Holy and Precious Blood of the Lamb. Salvation comes by a changed heart, then once we are saved, the public profession. However, it is not necessary in order to be saved. Yes, when any passage mentions people being saved(Lydia, the Roman jailer, the AEthiopian eunuch), they are then baptized. But, whenever the conditions for salvation are mentioned, they are: repent, believe, confess.(Romans 10:9, Acts 16:29-31). Otherwise(and this is another subject which we have beaten into the ground), Jesus could not have told the thief they would be together in Paradise. Another reason I believe this way is this: If someone accepts Christ as their Lord and Saviour, and crossing the street to be baptized they get hit and killed by a car, are they going to hell? No. When Jesus cried,"It is finished", He meant "It is finished", or from the Greek, "Paid in full." He is exalted, the King is exalted on High!! 2nd Samuel 22 |