While baptism does not nor cannot save you it is perhaps the first step in conforming to Christ who Himself was baptised to " fulfill all righteosness.
There are only two forms of righteousness in the Bible .
The righteousness that is of the Law .
The righteousness that is of faith .
Jesus fulfilled the Law .
And His righteousness was of God .
Hen we are baptised we are baptised " into His death" thus we " uphold the law " for the old man is by faith crucified " with Christ" you do not bury the living ,but the dead . So in baptism we testify of our faith in Christs death and are buried with Him .
The law is upheld .
And we through faith in Him are " raised together with Him" and so live a life of faith and are counted righteous in Him .
Our sin imputed to Him and His righteousness imputed to us .
The Holy Spirit imparting that righteousness so we can live such a life pleasing in Gods sight .
And we progressively exhibit that righteousness of God .
For " He who knew no sin became sin that we through Him might become the righteousness of God through Him .
While we are not saved by baptism it is an act of obedience and love o be inconformity with Him and identify ourselves with Him nd are now by faith crucified not the world and the world to us .
Christian baptism is one of two ordinances that Jesus instituted for the church. Just before His ascension, Jesus said, "Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age" ( Matthew 28:19-20). These instructions specify that the church is responsible to teach Jesus' word, make disciples, and baptize those disciples. These things are to be done everywhere ("all nations") until "the very end of the age." So, if for no other reason, baptism has importance because Jesus commanded it.
Christian baptism is the means by which a person makes a public profession of faith and discipleship. In the waters of baptism, a person says, wordlessly, "I confess faith in Christ; Jesus has cleansed my soul from sin, and I now have a new life of sanctification."
Christian baptism illustrates, in dramatic style, the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. At the same time, it also illustrates our death to sin and new life in Christ. As the sinner confesses the Lord Jesus, he dies to sin ( Romans 6:11) and is raised to a brand-new life ( Colossians 2:12). Being submerged in the water represents death to sin, and emerging from the water represents the cleansed, holy life that follows salvation. Romans 6:4 puts it this way: "We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life."
Very simply, baptism is an outward testimony of the inward change in a believer's life. Christian baptism is an act of obedience to the Lord after salvation; although baptism is closely associated with salvation, it is not a requirement to be saved. The Bible shows in many places that the order of events is 1) a person believes in the Lord Jesus and 2) he is baptized. This sequence is seen in Acts 2:41, "Those who accepted [Peter's] message were baptized" (see also Acts 16:14-15).
A new believer in Jesus Christ should desire to be baptized as soon as possible. In Acts 8 Philip speaks "the good news about Jesus" to the Ethiopian eunuch, and, "as they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, 'Look, here is water. What can stand in the way of my being baptized?'" (verses 35-36). Right away, they stopped the chariot, and Philip baptized the man.
Baptism illustrates a believer's identification with Christ's death, burial, and resurrection. Everywhere the gospel is preached and people are drawn to faith in Christ, they are to be baptized.
Acts 2:38 states to repent and be baptized for the remission of sins; and then you will be filled with the Holy Ghost. On the surface it may seem that not only is baptism required; but also it along with repentance is needed for forgiveness. Clearly; this is not the case as is seen from John the Baptist himself who told the Pharisees to repent BEFORE the baptism was given. At that time the Spirit did not dwell with us permanently after salvation after it did after Pentacost and the upper room experience.
This could be compared in a way to confessing with our mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord to be saved. ( Romans 10:9-10). Believing in the heart is a necessary condition; lest we simply have a mantra that is some intellectual acceptance of Christ as Lord; who He actually is to every person; whether or not they have been given a new heart post conversion or are still unregenerate.
The clear example is the thief at the cross. ( Luke 23:39-43). He didn't have time to be baptized; but clearly Christ was going to be with him in paradise. Therefore; baptism is as an outer confession; it demonstrates our public affirmation of becoming part of the Body and Christ and symbolizes in some ways the death; burial and resurrection in our own lives mirroring that of Christ; our head. It is clearly a command; hence it should be done ASAP after conversion. One could say that if a person does NOT seek to be baptized and goes on a long time without it it is likely there is no evidence that they have truly repented. If we love Him; we obey His commands. ( John 14:15). Obviously we should test ourselves to see if we are in the faith ( 2 Cor. 13:5-6); or as a Pastor see if there are any fruits indicating true repentance ( Matthew 3:8; etal). Matthew 5:19 shows if we break the least of the commandments and teach others to do so we shall be least in the Kingdom of Heaven. That should be a sobering warning of losing rewards for disobedience for elders and laypersons alike
Baptism in water is a testimony of the believer that he has turned to Jesus for forgiveness of sins and is now trusting Him for salvation. It has been an acceptable testimony of a person's born-again experience since the days of the foundation of the church but is not a conditional act required by God for salvation.
1 Corinthians 1:14
I thank God that I baptized none of you, but Crispus and Gaius;
1 - Not required for salvation or entrance into Heaven.
2 - It is a public proclamation of your salvation.
God's Love, Peace and Comfort be with all.
There are only two forms of righteousness in the Bible .
The righteousness that is of the Law .
The righteousness that is of faith .
Jesus fulfilled the Law .
And His righteousness was of God .
Hen we are baptised we are baptised " into His death" thus we " uphold the law " for the old man is by faith crucified " with Christ" you do not bury the living ,but the dead . So in baptism we testify of our faith in Christs death and are buried with Him .
The law is upheld .
And we through faith in Him are " raised together with Him" and so live a life of faith and are counted righteous in Him .
Our sin imputed to Him and His righteousness imputed to us .
The Holy Spirit imparting that righteousness so we can live such a life pleasing in Gods sight .
And we progressively exhibit that righteousness of God .
For " He who knew no sin became sin that we through Him might become the righteousness of God through Him .
While we are not saved by baptism it is an act of obedience and love o be inconformity with Him and identify ourselves with Him nd are now by faith crucified not the world and the world to us .
Christian baptism is the means by which a person makes a public profession of faith and discipleship. In the waters of baptism, a person says, wordlessly, "I confess faith in Christ; Jesus has cleansed my soul from sin, and I now have a new life of sanctification."
Christian baptism illustrates, in dramatic style, the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. At the same time, it also illustrates our death to sin and new life in Christ. As the sinner confesses the Lord Jesus, he dies to sin ( Romans 6:11) and is raised to a brand-new life ( Colossians 2:12). Being submerged in the water represents death to sin, and emerging from the water represents the cleansed, holy life that follows salvation. Romans 6:4 puts it this way: "We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life."
Very simply, baptism is an outward testimony of the inward change in a believer's life. Christian baptism is an act of obedience to the Lord after salvation; although baptism is closely associated with salvation, it is not a requirement to be saved. The Bible shows in many places that the order of events is 1) a person believes in the Lord Jesus and 2) he is baptized. This sequence is seen in Acts 2:41, "Those who accepted [Peter's] message were baptized" (see also Acts 16:14-15).
A new believer in Jesus Christ should desire to be baptized as soon as possible. In Acts 8 Philip speaks "the good news about Jesus" to the Ethiopian eunuch, and, "as they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, 'Look, here is water. What can stand in the way of my being baptized?'" (verses 35-36). Right away, they stopped the chariot, and Philip baptized the man.
Baptism illustrates a believer's identification with Christ's death, burial, and resurrection. Everywhere the gospel is preached and people are drawn to faith in Christ, they are to be baptized.
Courtesy of GotQuestions. Used with permission.
This could be compared in a way to confessing with our mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord to be saved. ( Romans 10:9-10). Believing in the heart is a necessary condition; lest we simply have a mantra that is some intellectual acceptance of Christ as Lord; who He actually is to every person; whether or not they have been given a new heart post conversion or are still unregenerate.
The clear example is the thief at the cross. ( Luke 23:39-43). He didn't have time to be baptized; but clearly Christ was going to be with him in paradise. Therefore; baptism is as an outer confession; it demonstrates our public affirmation of becoming part of the Body and Christ and symbolizes in some ways the death; burial and resurrection in our own lives mirroring that of Christ; our head. It is clearly a command; hence it should be done ASAP after conversion. One could say that if a person does NOT seek to be baptized and goes on a long time without it it is likely there is no evidence that they have truly repented. If we love Him; we obey His commands. ( John 14:15). Obviously we should test ourselves to see if we are in the faith ( 2 Cor. 13:5-6); or as a Pastor see if there are any fruits indicating true repentance ( Matthew 3:8; etal). Matthew 5:19 shows if we break the least of the commandments and teach others to do so we shall be least in the Kingdom of Heaven. That should be a sobering warning of losing rewards for disobedience for elders and laypersons alike
But there are two places that indicate it's not an absolute requirement, = Matthew 25:31-46, Luke 23:32-46,
Why not be baptized? It's an open act of surrender, & obedience to CHRIST. = Acts 22:16, 1John 2:5-6,
Matthew 10:33,
Hopefully these are helpful
1 Corinthians 1:14
I thank God that I baptized none of you, but Crispus and Gaius;
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