Baptism

[Music for God]

Will i not enter the Kingdom of Heaven if i am not baptized?


ps: (Off subject)Has any one watched The truth project series? i just started watching the first teaching today with a small church group. It was very good

 

[drich0150]

We can not enter God's kingdom if we do not Love God with all of our heart, mind, spirit, and strength. Baptism is an expression of that love.. The water only symbolizes what baptism really is, It has nothing to do with the removal of dirt from the body, (or getting wet), but the pledge or response of a good conscience toward God.. It saves you through the resurrection of Jesus.

I look at Baptism like an expression of love in a marriage.. It is technically possible to be married without any expressions of love, but why be married with all of the burdens and none of the perks? A real marriage based on Love, has both partners expressing that love to each other often!

We are commanded to Love God with all of our beings! Heart, Mind, Spirit, and Strength.. With this tremendous amount of honest and genuine love for God, it would be next to impossible not express it!
"Baptism" and all it symbolizes is the Divinely preferred method in which we are to express this love.

This isn't an attempt to earn your way into heaven, baptism should be a pure expression of honest love to your God.

There are those who will tell you "technically" all you need is________ (fill in the blank, it varies.) But I have observed in my studies that Jesus, had problems with people skirting by on technicalities, in there religious practices... True Love is not a "technical" thing. Either you love something/someone or you don't. If you do truly love someone, rarely is that love only expressed through "technical" means. If you are capable of loving God beyond technicalities, then it is your responsibility to do so.

 

[BigNorsk]

Will i not enter the Kingdom of Heaven if i am not baptized?


ps: (Off subject)Has any one watched The truth project series? i just started watching the first teaching today with a small church group. It was very good

I haven't watched that series.

Back to baptism.

Baptism is seen as an essential, but not an absolutely essential thing in the Bible.

For instance, let us follow the first baptism in the Bible, the Baptism unto Moses. This baptism was done by God, when he poured rain upon the nation of Israel as they crossed the Red Sea. In order to be God's chosen people, it was essential that you receive this baptism. It was for those chosen to receive the promised land.

However, it was not absolutely essential. That absolute was faith. When the people who had been baptised did not have faith, they were turned from the promised land and so perished in the wilderness. When Rahab turned in faith to God, she and her family were saved among those in Jericho.

Baptism is important because just as the Bible says, in baptism you are united with Christ in death, and thus you are united with him in his resurrection. A lot of people say this is all symbolic, but the bible never indicates it is symbolic. The bible says baptism saves. Of course people have many times tried to turn baptism then into a work of man that can save people but that's a mistake too. Remember the absolute essential, that's faith. Baptism as a work lacks faith.

Baptism is the Gospel. Now one form of that gospel is presented in the bible. You can read it or hear it and believe. That gospel, is presented another way in baptism. You can believe the gospel there too. It's not really any different.

The danger comes in that rejecting baptism is rejecting the gospel, now hopefully that's through a mistaken idea and that person receives and believes the gospel in another form. But it's a dangerous thing to see how much one can reject and still be saved. Baptism was never treated as some optional thing during biblical times. But neither was it treated as an absolute. That sort of thing seems difficult for people to grasp. It seems they want a law without God's grace so they can have a recipe for being saved. It doesn't work that way.

Marv

 

[Lightkeeper55]

Simple answer....NO!

Once you receive Christ as your personal Saviour, you have been given not only forgiveness of your sins but also an inheritance. That inheritance is a mansion in heaven with Christ.

As I said in another thread; while water baptism is advised, today it is used mainly for membership into a particular church. Baptism symbolized your death to sin, your burial and your resurrection into a new life with Christ.

But not being baptized will not keep you out of Heaven. What you should strive for is a life "Baptized" of the Holy Spirit.

 

[Justaman0000]

Yes you must be baptised, but baptism by water does not save you. Its you proclaming your salvation before your brothers and sisters. You must be baptised by the Holy spirit. Baptism by the Holy spirit sanctifies you and makes you holy. This baptism brings about new life. This new life is you being born again. Jesus said that you must be born again if you want to enter into eternal life.
Although Jesus did command to baptise in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy spirit. This and communion are the only rituals that he has commanded upon us.

 

[Bobinator]

Jesus said you need to be born again of water and the Spirit. The act is more spiritual, but is recommended that you at least go through the prescribed act of doing a physical baptism.

I knew I was born-again at my baptism because I started speaking in tongues during the ceremony. Tongues is one of the signs of Holy Ghost baptism and being born again.

 

[Trial]

Some people take things more seriously than others, I guess.

 

[svl3p]

From what I understand, water baptism is an outward expression of your faith. But it is not needed to get into heaven. Jesus said that He is the Way, the Truth and the Light, we can ONLY get to heaven through him. I think that covers it well; baptism is not mentioned in there. So while it's encouraged to be baptized...it's not NEEDED to get into heaven. I think being "spiritually" baptized, like someone else above mentioned through the Holy Spirit is what counts.

 

[Sketcher]

If you love and are obedient to Jesus, you will be baptized.

 

[childofGod31]

Baptism is a commandment of the Lord for us to do. If you willfully disobey his commandment, then this verse might apply to you:

MAT 7:21 * "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.

We are forgiven for sins that we can't control (like hot temper sometimes, or a slip of a tongue), the grace covers them. But if we know something is wrong and we don't do it, then it's another issue.

HEB 10:26 If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, 27 but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God.

I believe that if you don't get baptised because you never had a chance (like a thief on the cross, or somebody confessing Jesus at their death bed) then they will go to heaven. But if they were living, and they knew they had to do it, and they choose not to, then they willingly disobeyed God. It's not that baptism itself does anything. It's about obedience to God and obeying his commandments.

 

[Radagast]

If you love and are obedient to Jesus, you will be baptized.

 

[Sadiegrl]

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[Bridgit]

Will i not enter the Kingdom of Heaven if i am not baptized?

Baptism has nothing to do with entering the Kingdom of Heaven.

Ephesian 2:8,9

"You have been saved by grace through believing. You did not save yourselves; it was a gift from God. It was not the result of your own efforts, so you cannot brag about it."

 

[Ben013]

What do you guys think about the differences in Baptism in the different Churches, like for example in more traditional Churches like my Church the Anglican Church and the Roman Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church perform infant Baptism. Then a believer re-affirms their faith when they are older through what is called Confirmation. Do you think that a Christian should be baptised again as a believer now I am attending a Church that I have seen this kind of Baptism I can see more physical meanings in the washing away of the sin. But is it essential or do any of you think that someone can still be part of another Church for example if they are Baptised in water in another. As one of my friends who is still an Anglican chose to be baptised in full water to show his faith I didn't think he could still be an Anglican.

 

[TheDag]

What do you guys think about the differences in Baptism in the different Churches, like for example in more traditional Churches like my Church the Anglican Church and the Roman Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church perform infant Baptism. Then a believer re-affirms their faith when they are older through what is called Confirmation. Do you think that a Christian should be baptised again as a believer now I am attending a Church that I have seen this kind of Baptism I can see more physical meanings in the washing away of the sin. But is it essential or do any of you think that someone can still be part of another Church for example if they are Baptised in water in another. As one of my friends who is still an Anglican chose to be baptised in full water to show his faith I didn't think he could still be an Anglican.

I do not believe one needs to be baptised again as an adult.

One of the differences I have noted between infant and adult baptism is that in adult baptism when the person shares there is a big emphasis on what they have done. Baptism is not about what an individual has done. With infant baptism that does not come into it. Of course the problem with infant baptism is that it can easily become a ritual instead.