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NASB | Romans 6:4 Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Romans 6:4 We have therefore been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory and power of the Father, we too might walk habitually in newness of life [abandoning our old ways]. |
Bible Question: What if you don't obey that command? |
Bible Answer: Dear The Bible Is Right: "What if" questions always make me jittery, because they are usually somewhat hypothetical, and hypothetical questions don't invite concrete answers. Even so, I will rush in, this once, where neither angels nor wise men should tread, since I can lay no just claim to being either.... I have been a Christian for more than five decades and have known hundreds, perhaps thousands, of other Christian men and women and not once have I ever met a regenerate believer who did not obey the command to be baptized. Anyone who claims to be saved and continues to lead a life of sin and rebellion in open and willful disobedience to God's commands is a liar, a fake and a fraud. Now I don't believe for a moment in salvation by works -- salvation is an unmerited gift of God (grace) that is obtained through faith in His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. But I do believe most definitely in the new birth [regeneration], and that that regeneration brings about a profound change in the life of the new believer, not the least of which is a yearning to please God by living a life of obedience to His will. Following your "what if" one step further: If a regenerate believer were unable to be baptized because, for instance, he dropped dead before he had the opportunity to be baptized, the regenerate believer, by definition, would be saved because of what Christ accomplished on the cross..... Again, let me emphasize: Baptism is a command and I would never attempt to detract in any way from its importance. But it is an act of obedience, not a fact of salvation. But an outright, willful refusal by one who claims to be saved to obey such a clear command as baptism is not the hallmark of a truly born-again believer. --Hank |