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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]. |
Subject: What if you don't obey that command? |
Bible Note: Greetings the Bible is Right! 1) Your challenge then is to present a single Bible verse which commands a person to be baptized within a certain time frame! Notice that I said 'commands', not simply records a baptism taking place quickly. If you can do that, then I will agree with you that a person must be baptized immediately after conversion. 2) You said: "God can save us any way He chooses, and by the words of Jesus God chose baptism as part of his plan, John 12:50; Matt 21:24,25 and it is impossible for God to lie." Yet, none of the verses you list for support say that baptism is part of God's plan for salvation. Why did Jesus ask the Pharisee's about John's baptism? Verses 25 and 26 provide the answer. Jesus had asked them a question which they could not honestly answer. If they said from heaven, then why didn't they believe John. If they said from man, then the crowd would get them. Nothing in this passage supports the view that baptism is necessary for salvation. 3) From God or man? Wasn't the Law also from God? By your reasoning, since the Law was from God, then obedience to it should have been necessary for salvation. 'Works' in the New Testament is simply synonymous with anything done to 'earn' salvation - 'anything'. In other words, a 'work' is something 'done'. Anything which MUST be DONE to be saved is a 'work' and thus is ruled out by Scripture as something which is necessary for salvation. So, if baptism is something which we must 'do', then it is a work. All you have done my friend is the same thing that the Judaizers in Paul's day did. You even use the same arguments as they used. But, instead of circumscision, you are promoting baptism as necessary for salvation. They argued the same way: "Circumscision is from God", "We must be obedient to God to be saved", and "Our obedience demonstrates our faith." Yet, Paul consistently argued that they were adding works to salvation. So are you my friend. You are quite simply preaching another gospel which isn't a gospel at all. You are adding things which we must do to be saved. By doing so, we get to earn our salvation through our obedience to this or that command. But, this is contrary to everything the New Testament says. Trust in God alone my friend. His grace is sufficient. We don't need to go through live being afraid of whether or not we have been good enough or whether or not we have followed every rule exactly, because our salvation is not based on, earned by, nor kept because of anything we DO. It is all based upon what Christ did - ALONE! Having said all of this, I am not saying that baptism is unimportant. It is one of many things which we have been commanded as Christians to do because we are saved. It just doesn't save us, nor is it necessary for salvation. Your Brother in Christ, Tim Moran |