“Think Again”

Wednesday, February 21, 2018

Baptism needs to be rethought.  If that is a condition, then Moses, David, Samson, and a host of others needed to be baptized.  The thief on the cross needed to be baptized.  If we use Scripture to prove Scripture, then you can't account for any child, including David's child out of sin, to enter heaven.  You must correct yourself now and share this with all who lean on you for correct information.  Just as communion is a physical act that helps us spiritually, so baptism is a physical act because we are physical beings hoping to become more spiritual – and we do with maturity.  Some can't even be baptized.  Do not lay this burden on people. God bless and do so soon.

Sincerely,
Very Dry

Dear Very Dry,

We would never want to lay a burden on someone that isn’t found in the Bible, but we also want to make sure that we don’t take away a command that God has given us.  We should never add or subtract from God’s Word (Rev 22:18-19).  Having said that, baptism is definitely a command and requirement for salvation (Mk. 16:16).  There are dozens of verses that reinforce this teaching (1 Pet 3:21, Acts 2:38-41, Matt 28:19-20, Acts 8:12, Acts 22:16, Rom 6:3, 1 Cor 12:13, Gal 3:27… just to name a few).  The verses requiring baptism for salvation are many and clear – so now let’s deal with your concerns.

1. Moses, David, and Samson didn’t need to be baptized because they lived under the Old Testament law.  They didn’t need to be baptized, just like christians don’t need to be circumcised and don’t need to make animal sacrifices.  They lived under a different contract (‘testament’ means ‘contract’).  Under the Old Testament, baptism wasn’t a requirement.  Under the New Testament, it is.
2. The thief on the cross didn’t need to be baptized because he didn’t live under the New Testament law either.  Jesus’ church didn’t come into existence until the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-6 and Acts 2:38-41).  For more detailed information on the thief on the cross, read “The Thief On The Cross”.
3. Children aren’t saved by baptism because they aren’t old enough to be held accountable for their sins; every child goes to heaven.  Read “Baby Bath” for specifics on the spiritual purity of children.
4. Communion is a physical act that has spiritual consequences, just like baptism is a physical act that has spiritual consequences.  The apostle Paul specifically said that if someone doesn’t take the Lord’s Supper properly, they will be guilty before God (1 Cor 11:23-27).  We live in a physical world, and the choices we make here have eternal ramifications.  Baptism is exactly like communion – if we don’t do it right, we will be guilty before God.

Hopefully, these verses give you some comfort that we are preaching and teaching exactly what the Bible says.  It is our goal here at AYP that no one will ever miss out on heaven because we failed to properly preach the whole counsel of God – and that includes the requirement of baptism.

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