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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: The problem as I see it with many professors of Christianity is that many think that they are born-again because they have subjected theirselves to water baptism. If subjecting oneself to water baptism makes one born again as some claim, then that would mean that salvation is by works. However the truth is that being born-again is from above. Before regeneration we were dead, and a dead person does not have any power to raise itself to life. The life giving power comes from above. In the Bible John said: " Mark 1:8 - I indeed have baptized you with water: but he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost. So even John the Baptist announced a baptism different and more important that his water baptism. Today many are trusting that they have been born from above because of something they did. We had no part in our physical birth, and we likewise play no role in our spiritual birth. There is a huge difference between baptism and birth. That is why I believe it is so important to debate this baptism issue. It is possible that many who profess to have born again truly have not. And if not, then they need to know, because without being born again you cannot enter the kingdom of heaven. (see John 3:5-7) By this I am not trying to dimish the importance of water baptism, because it certainly is of utmost importance for the believer to be baptised. I don't believe in baptismal regeneration. A person does not get water baptized to become saved, he gets water baptized because he has become saved. It's an act of obedience. |