Jesus spoke about the importance of faith and baptism unto salvation, and unfortunately, many people disagree with Him. Wow! Really? Disagree with God. Here is what the Lord said, “he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.” (Mark 16:16) So this means that as we believe in Jesus and are baptized, we shall be saved. But you may say, how is that, since Paul said, “for by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” (Ephesians 2:8,9) But could it be that baptism is something that God still requires of us outside of faith? Yes, it is, my friends. If you were to read the next verse, you would know that Paul also said, “for we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:10) One of God’s works in us is baptism. So now we know why Paul was addressing the saints about baptism in Romans 6. That “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. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.” (Romans 6:4-6) In baptism, we die to ourselves, meaning all our false beliefs and our sins. Then we rise up into newness of life as a born again Christian.
Paul continued and spoke about the importance of both faith and baptism, just like Jesus did. He said, “for ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.” (Galatians 3:26,27) So by faith in Jesus, we become the children of God, and through baptism, we put on Christ. This way we can live differently then the world. So by faith alone, you don’t have Christ in you, which is why baptism is so important. First, we have faith in Jesus and then we are baptized. Lastly, Peter said, “repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.” (Acts 2:38) Repentance is very important, since when this is when we come fully to Christ in faith. This is when we desire to be baptized, that our sins may be forgiven. The gift of the Holy Spirit also comes after baptism, that we may have the comforter with us at all times. And having Christ in us allows the Holy Spirit to also be with us, since the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are one. So what is baptism? It is our commitment to follow Jesus from here on out. We don’t just get baptized and then go back to our old life of sin and false beliefs. As we are genuine in our faith, our whole life is now different after baptism. That means the choices we make, things we watch, listen to, and do, will now be conformed into God’s perfect will. This happens as we start looking to Jesus in faith every day. So we read the Bible daily, pray often, love one another, and listen and do as God says.
Let us pray:
Oh Lord, I pray that more people will have faith in You and be baptized. Too many people in our day and age now teach things that go against what You have said in scripture, which is to believe in You and be baptized. Then, we shall be saved. But how is this Lord? How can people who call themselves Christians leave out the importance of baptism and just tell their congregation to have faith? This leads me to believe that they know of the different teachings of the Bible, but only desire to teach the things that jive with their belief system. And so we have the philosophies or traditions of men being mixed in with the church, where really we have man’s own opinion on things, instead of You orchestrated their church. This is so sad and tells me that these pastors need to wake up and repent. I wish these men and even women now, would acknowledge everything in scripture as Your Words and teach on them. I say even women since this is blasphemy. The Bible clearly teaches that only men are pastors. Lord, we are living in a fallen and darkened generation, where even churches are corrupted. No wonder why so many people live just like the world and don’t even think it is wrong. Lord, only Your will power can change this, but I am afraid it is too late for that. I have seen the signs of Your coming and they are here and now. So it is my prayer that more people will come to true faith in You and be baptized. That they will come out of the darkness and into Your light. Give them wisdom, as they start reading the Bible daily and praying often. Doing this will change their entire mindset on things. I love You, Lord. I give You praise and honor, this day and forever. Amen.
