Baptism

Can we get to heaven without going through water baptism? Yes, remember Jesus telling the thief on the cross”Assuredly I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise”? (Luke 23:43) The thief did not come down off the cross and be baptized with water. He accepted Jesus as the Son of God who willingly gave His life to pay for our sins.This is proof enough that nothing is an absolute requirement for salvation,aside from accepting Christ as our Savior to get us into heaven. Baptism by water symbolizes the death, burial and resurrection Of Jesus. When we descend towards the water, it symbolizes the death, as we pass below the surface it symbolizes the burial, and when we emerge from the water, it symbolizes the resurrection of Jesus. I believe everyone who is able should be baptized. We are to follow the example of Jesus who was baptized by John the Baptist and at that time Jesus explained to John that, “It is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness”. (Matt.3:15). No it is not strictly necessary in order to obtain salvation, but as Christians, we should want to please God and follow all of His commands.

My own personal experience with those who have accepted Christ as their Savior, but not followed in water baptism, is telling. To a person, theyare bothered by it greatly.On the other hand, I have never met anyone who accepted the Lord as their Savior and then followed in obedience in water baptism who regretted it. Obedience to the Lord offers peace and harmony. It will be well with your soul to obey your Father’s commands. Those who refuse, or put if off, do not find the same peace. It is an easy thing to be baptized, simply call your local church and schedule it. Schedule it for the night service,if you fear crowds. As an important aside, any church worth its salt will want to sit down with you and thoroughly discuss God’s plan of salvation with you and ensure that you have accepted Jesus as your Savior before they agree to baptize you.If you have not accepted Jesus as your Savior, they should not perform the baptism.The reason for this is that according to the examples set forth in the Bible, we should be baptized “after” we are saved, not before.

This holds true for infant baptism practiced in several denominations, it is not Biblical. It is fine to dedicate a baby to the Lord, but no one should assume that it makes any difference towards eternal salvation, or that this is a substitute for accepting Jesus as our Savior and following in water baptism.Church ritual will notget anyone into heaven, nor willchanting prayers, living a good and moral life will not do it; only the blood of Jesus will atone for our sins and bring reconciliation with our Father in heaven once again; HOWEVER, remember faith is demonstrated by obedience. I’m sure the thief on the cross would have been the first in line to bebaptized, if given the opportunity. You on the other hand have the opportunity, so demonstrate your faith by obeying the Lord and following Him in Baptism. You will not regret it… ever!.In fact when you draw your last breath and face your almighty Creator, you will be exceedingly glad that you were faithful toJesus Christ who did far more than we do withour symbolic gesture of remembrance, by actually giving His life to be crucified on a cross by cruel men, being buried and three days later resurrected to glory forever..

_________________________
John 14:6
Jesus said to him, “I am the
way, the truth, and the life. No
one comes to the Father except
through Me.
__________________
How well do you know the Bible?
Jesus made it exceedingly clear with the foregoing passage that there is but one way to get to heaven and that was through Him. To whom was Jesus talking?








———————————-