Bible Questions and Answers

 

Thank you for your question.

Romans 6:33 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?

4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

Paul is saying that by baptism in water a believer undergoes, in symbol, the death, burial and resurrection of Christ.

It is a public confession that we believe that the death, burial and resurrection of Christ did in fact happen and was necessary for the forgiveness of our sins.

By being totally immersed in water a believer has all past sins washed away and begins a new life.

·         Death - When we are baptised we go down into the water to wash away our sins and our past way of life. This is a symbolic death of our old selves.

·         Burial - When we are baptised we are for a few seconds completely covered by water. This is a symbol of the burial of the person we were.

·         Resurrection - When we arise out of the water we begin a new life to be lived by the commandments of Christ. This is symbolic of resurrection.

Below are some scriptures which show that baptism in water is necessary for ALL believers.

1.    Jesus was baptized.

Matthew 3:13 Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him.

14 But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?

2.    Jesus said it was necessary to fulfil all righteousness.

NIV Matthew 3:15 Jesus replied, "Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfil all righteousness." Then John consented.

3.    The disciples were commanded to baptise.

Matthew 28:19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit:

4.    Jesus didn’t say ‘he that just believes shall be saved’; he said:

Mark 16:16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved...

5.    Jesus (via his disciples) baptised.

John 3:22 After these things came Jesus and his disciples into the land of Judaea; and there he tarried with them, and baptized.

26 And they came unto John, and said unto him, Rabbi, he that was with thee beyond Jordan, to whom thou barest witness, behold, the same baptizeth, and all men come to him.

John 4:1 When therefore the Lord knew how the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John,

2 (Though Jesus himself baptized not, but his disciples,)

Jesus would not have had his disciples baptise people if it is not necessary to be baptised.

6.    At Pentecost Peter didn’t say ‘repent and believe’. He said:

Acts 2:38 ... Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins...

Peter wouldn’t tell them to be baptised if it wasn’t necessary.

7.    They that received his word were all baptised, all 3000 of them.

Acts 2:41 Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.

8.    Philip baptised the Samaritans.

Acts 8:12 But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.

9.    The Ethiopian eunuch asked Philip to baptise him. For the Eunuch to request baptism infers that during Philip’s preaching he had been told that it was necessary.

Acts 8:36 And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?

10.Philip didn’t say ‘It’s OK, you don’t have to be baptised, your faith will save you’ He said:

Acts 8:37... If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.

11.Philip baptised the eunuch.

38 And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him.

12.Paul (Saul) had to be baptised.

Acts 22:16 And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.

Acts 9:18 And immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales: and he received sight forthwith, and arose, and was baptized.

13.Cornelius was told to send for Peter who would tell him what he ought to do.

Acts 10:5 And now send men to Joppa, and call for one Simon, whose surname is Peter:

6 ... he shall tell thee what thou oughtest to do.

14.Cornelius was baptised.

Acts 10:47 Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we?

48 And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord.

Water baptism was necessary even though Cornelius had been baptised with the Holy Spirit. This indicates the importance of baptism.

15.Lydia was baptised

Acts 16:15 And when she was baptized, and her household...

16.The Philippian gaoler was baptised.

Acts 16: 29 Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas,

30 And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?

31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.

Having been told that if he believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, he would be saved, he still had to be baptised.

32 And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house.

33 And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway.

17.Crispus and the Corinthians who believed were baptised.

Acts 18:8 And Crispus, the chief ruler of the synagogue, believed on the Lord with all his house; and many of the Corinthians hearing believed, and were baptized.

18.Disciples at Ephesus having been baptised by John the Baptist had to be re-baptised when Jesus was fully explained to them.

Acts 19:3 And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John’s baptism.

4 Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.

5 When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.

19.Paul speaks of the Corinthians being baptised - some of them by Paul himself – Paul would not have baptised any if it wasn’t necessary.

1Corinthians 1:13 Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul?

14 I thank God that I baptized none of you, but Crispus and Gaius;

15 Lest any should say that I had baptized in mine own name.

16 And I baptized also the household of Stephanas: besides, I know not whether I baptized any other.

20.Paul tells the Galatians that being baptised into Christ is to ‘put on’ Christ. The clear inference is that we cannot ‘put on’ Christ without baptism.

Galatians 3:27 For as many of you (ie all of them) as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

21.Paul tells the Ephesians that there is:

Ephesians 4:5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism,

22.Paul speaks of the Colossians being buried with Christ in baptism.

Colossians 2:12 Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.

23.Peter speaks of baptism saving us.

1Peter 3:21 The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ:

Only the thief on the cross was promised an entrance into the kingdom without water baptism but we must remember that he was ‘dying with Christ’ for real. He had confessed that he was receiving a just reward for his sins from which we might infer repentance. His belief in Christ being the Messiah who would come into his Kingdom was remarkable when all his disciples had forsook him because they didn’t understand. [The coma before ‘today’ has been placed in the wrong place by the translators (there is no punctuation in the Greek) and the thief will not enter paradise until the resurrection.]

The principle is simple BELIEVE, REPENT and BE BAPTISED for the remission of your past sins. Baptism allows us to begin afresh.

Acts 2:38 ... Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins...

Acts 22:16 And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.

After baptism we will still sin but once we are ‘in’ Christ, having ‘put on’ Christ by baptism, we can confess and ask for forgiveness and receive it.

1John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

1John 2:1 My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:

 

I hope this helps

Glenn Smith