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NASB | Acts 10:48 And he ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to stay on for a few days. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Acts 10:48 And he ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to stay there for a few days. |
Subject: Is baptism necessary for salvation? |
Bible Note: I'd like to jump into the fray this question has caused by stating that nothing we do is "required" of us to become Christian except to accept Jesus into our hearts, repent our sins to Him, and ask Him to make us a new person in Christ. Before I get hung out to dry for my statement, let me make my point. Baptism is a public proclamation of Jesus' internal changes, the 'physical' washing away of our sins, as it were. Once we have accepted Christ, we then, through our love and fear of God (fear as in "to have a reverential awe of", not "to be afraid of : expect with alarm" - merriam-webster.com), desire to be obedient to Him in all that we do. Baptism is another way for us to show our obedience, another way for us to more fully accept all that Jesus wants to bestow upon us. Jesus did it, John the Baptist did it, but did the thief? No, however, he was definitely saved through grace by his repentance. Getting caught up with the laws can easily make a person into a Pharisee because the laws then become more important than God (I'm not calling anyone a Pharisee, simply pointing out that it could happen). Baptism is two different things, for we are baptized by Jesus' blood, which, indeed saves us (see I Peter 3:21) and through water which grants us the ability to receive the Holy Spirit (Matt 3:11; Luke 3:16; John 1:33-35; Acts 1:5, 2:38, 11:16). |