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QUESTION: Could you please tell me
all about baptism?
STEPHEN'S
ANSWER: If you have believed in Christ Jesus and accepted
Him as your Lord and Saviour, the Scripture says you have been
baptized by the Holy Spirit (see Mark 1:8 and Acts 1:5) and have
passed out of death into eternal life (see John 5:24). Paul in
2 Corinthians 5:17 further tells us that "if anyone is in
Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold,
new things have come". Baptism through immersion in water
thus is a beautiful reflection of our belief in the death, burial
and resurrection of Lord Jesus Christ and our new life in Him.
Romans 6:4 says:" 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." I guess your next question
would be: as a believer of Jesus Christ, do I have to be baptized?
Well, everyone can choose to do or not do things according to
his or her own conscience. But the Bible does give us reasons
why we as believers of Jesus Christ should participate in Baptism
through immersion.
First, it is an
act of commitment to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Lord
Jesus Himself was baptised by John the Baptist before He began
His earthly ministries, although it is John who needed to be baptized
by Jesus, who is the beloved Son of the Living God (see Matthew
3:13-17). Jesus did this in order to 'fulfill all righteousness'
(Matthew 3:15). So we who have accepted Jesus as our Lord and
Saviour should follow His step and be baptized. Second,
it is an act of obedience to the teaching of Jesus Christ.
Just before ascending to heaven, Jesus commissioned His disciples
to "go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing
them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit
..." (Matthew 28:19). Therefore, we as disciples of Jesus
Christ should obey His teaching and participate in baptism. Last
but not least, it is an act of geniune repentance and faith in
Lord Jesus Christ. When Peter preached to the people
in Jerusalem: "Repent, and each of you be baptized
in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins;
and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit" (Acts 2:38).
The Scripture tells us that: "So then, those who had received
his word were baptized; and that day there were added
about three thousand souls" (Acts 2:41). Geniune repentance
of sins and faith in Lord Jesus Christ is expressed in one's eagerness
and willingness to be baptized through immersion in water. The
book of Acts shows us that the new believers in the early church
were all baptized immediately after they believed
(see Acts 2:41; 8:12, 36-38; 9:18 and 10:47-48 for examples).
In a word, water baptism
is a symbol and expression of our geniune faith and new life in
Lord Jesus Christ. If you have not done so, I encourage you to
contact your pastor, get into a baptism class if there is one
in your church, and be baptized. May the Lord in His infinite
mercy grant you grace and peace to the fullest measure.
Scripture quotations taken from the
New American Standard Bible.
Further questions or comments on this
answer may be sent to Stephen at here.
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