Do You Feel Different After Baptism?

[His_disciple3]

I would have to say that your right on track and your discernment in this situation has to be coming from God because everything you said about me is true.

I grew up in a fairly legalistic Free Will Baptist Church that was heavy on alter calls etc, I also went to their school for 12yrs where we had a ton of rules to follow. I remember during some of the youth services some of the preachers would try to pressure us by saying things like this..... "if you dont get saved by the time your 20yrs old chances are you will never be saved"


I always understood salvation as something that we must do in order to get it such as praying the sinners prayer to become saved and then doing everything as perfectly as possible after salvation so we dont lose it. Everything was YOU do this and YOU do that yet all I understood was that Christ died on a cross but never really understood or knew why he died? neither did I understand how his death applied to me personally.


So yes your right when you noticed that someone messed me up when I was younger in regards to salvation but at the same time I am still of course responsible for all of my sins, I will not put the blame for my sins on anyone else but me.

I wonder how old Paul was when He met Jesus, or how old was Zacchaeus when He got saved,

and I got some good news about your sins, Jesus has already paid the price of your sins and nailed them to the cross for you

 

[RobertZ]

and I got some good news about your sins, Jesus has already paid the price of your sins and nailed them to the cross for you

So salvation is just me believing and trusting in Jesus death for me? Nothing Im supposed to do like asking him into my heart to be saved?

 

[joey_downunder]

Yep - it sounds too good to be true doesn't it? But God is a God of love and mercy - there is no legal fine print, exceptions, clauses, disqualifications for us sinners.

Nowhere does it say you must say a certain phrase or prayer to be saved. I bet that "sinner's prayer" was suggested to help people say they believed in Jesus and been born again. Over time it has become a formula that people rely too much on.

Seriously Robertz, the Book of Romans would be a great one for you to study. Romans What Must I Do to be Saved

There are plenty of commentaries online and I bet a local christian book store would have a bible study on the Book of Romans e.g. I had this book years ago which helped me through the struggles you're going through right now. Amazon.com: How to be a Christian Without Being Religious (9780830727896): Fritz Ridenour: Books

 

[Hupomone10]

My experience of believer's baptism was very meaningful to me. My salvation experience was more salvation than experience, though. I remember being surprised afterward that I didn't have some kind of profoundly different feeling, that all seemed to be the same.

My outlook proved to be different, though. And this made a gradual difference through growth.

I think the reason my baptism was significant was because I read up on it and studied the passages referring to the meaning of baptism, such as Romans 6:4 and Colossians 2:12, and some writings by godly teachers on it, pointing out its importance as to our walk in this world. I approached it as my statement to the world that I was leaving the world that Christ had crucified me to. I was no longer a part of "the world system" and was making a statement to that effect.

Because of this approach and understanding, my baptism had a profound effect on my entire outlook toward things.

I was baptized two times previously as a child: once at age 6 when I thought I was "joining the church" and didn't really understand sin and salvation at all; and later in the 8th grade after a "rededication" or "reform" where I did so because the preacher's daughter and some others did so simply because their first baptism they said wasn't meaningful. They didn't take. I went into the water a dead man, and came up out of the water still a dead man.

The first two were Old Man baptisms, rededicated-Self baptisms; the last one was a true believer's baptism.

God bless,
H.