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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: NLightNMe, You wrote: "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." Water baptism is important as it is an outward display of an inward reality. In true baptism, the Holy Spirit identifies us with Jesus Christ - in His death, burial, and resurrection. Water baptism is a physical picture of that spiritual truth - nothing more. "Being immersed in water by faith of redemption cannot kill you." True, brother. We are already crucified (dead), buried, and risen again in Christ. "It is to make us better." This is where there is a misunderstanding, bro. The only thing that makes us better is Christ's righteous, not water. You are either as perfect as Christ is through union with Him or you are a sinner. There is no in-between. This righteousness is accepted by faith, not by water baptism. "What is the big deal about trying to belittle baptism or try to prove that it is not necessary for going to heaven." Because the truth is that water baptism is not necessary for salvation or for going to heaven. Spirit baptism is but not water baptism. Water can do nothing to cleanse from sin. Without the shedding of blood (not the parting of water), there is no forgiveness for sin - Heb 9:22. "Whether we should get baptised is not the issue." True, the Holy Spirit faithfully baptizes EVERY believer into Christ - 1 Cor 12:13,27 "How should we be baptised is the real issue at hand." Amen, by the Holy Spirit into Jesus Christ. Water baptism is, again, just a picture of that. Food for thought: Is a picture the same thing as that being portrayed? No, it's not. A picture of you is not you. It is a representation of you. Likewise, water baptism is not the reality. It is a representation of spiritual reality. Nothing more, nothing less. But many Christians take the picture and make THAT the reality. Instead of agreeing on the truth that the picture represents, they make the picture a requirement for salvation and, in my analogy, argue over the frame, the colors, who took the picture, is it watercolor or oil?, on and on. We should be water baptized to witness to all that we have been spirit-baptized into Christ. But to make water baptism a requirement for salvation is not part of the gospel. Paul said that he came to preach the gospel, not to water baptize folks. This makes them mutually exclusive and demonstrates that while being baptized into Christ (what the Holy Spirit does) is part of salvation, water baptism (what man does) is not. I hope this helps. McGracer |