Is Baptism Necessary to be Saved?

Please answer the following question; "Was Jesus Resurrected before or after His death?" Does this sound like a foolish question? There isn't much difference in asking this or in asking if one is made alive through Christ before or after their burial in baptism. If you understand this, you understand baptism according to Paul in Romans 6:3-6 Jesus died before he was buried. He was buried before he was resurrected. It simply is impossible to resurrect the living since they are already alive. We must bury the spiritually dead in baptism before they can be raised alive. Outside of this misleading teaching, who ever buries the living! The majority of people who call themselves Christians have not participated in a baptism for remission of sins. They believe that a prayer or faith that Jesus can save, will save them at that very moment. They usually
are baptized a few weeks later. Some honestly believe that it is correct to take the person who, in their opinion has become alive, and then bury them. Did they learn this from scripture of God or teachings of men? In the Bible you never see a saved person baptized in the scriptures. Pause, don't say Jesus. Jesus was not saved because He had never been condemned. In other words, to be saved, you have to first be condemned. During our burial of baptism ( Romans 6:3-4) the Lord performs a spiritual surgery (spiritual circumcision) without hands ( Colossians 2:11-12). At this time God removes the guilt of our sin. The dead are buried, the living are raised - just like Jesus! Any other way is a perversion of what Jesus did and taught. You don't have life without The Great Physician performing surgery. Where does He say He will perform this surgery
( Colossians 2:11-12)? In baptism. When is one forgiven, resulting in spiritual life ( Romans 6:3-4)? In baptism. When the apostles were asked on the first day of the church "what shall we do," they did not say, "Repent and ask Jesus into your hearts" or "repent and say this prayer confessing you are a sinner." These things simply
aren't taught in the Bible. "Repent and be baptized" is what Peter told them in Acts 2:37-38. Every conversion story throughout Acts shows believers submitting to the apostle's doctrine taught to them by Jesus. What were the apostle's taught? "And Jesus came
and spoke to them, saying, "And He said to them, 'Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned'" ( Mark 16:15-16).
Also one needs to consider Jesus' teaching that baptism is the entrance "into Christ." This phrase "into Christ" is only used two times in all the Bible. Read Galatians 3:27 and Romans 6:3 and see the phrase "baptized into Christ." If you want to leave the world
and live "in" Christ, there MUST be a point of entrance. Is it during a prayer? repentance? simple belief that a God exists? No - God says you enter "into Christ" through baptism. If people who claim to be Christians love talking about Christ's death, burial and resurrection, why do they not teach the same truth of our death, burial,
and resurrection? Beware as Jesus warned; "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven" ( Matthew 7:21). Please, let's all be humble enough to follow scripture and not men who have conjured up a sinners prayer that is never once mentioned in the scriptures
and omit Christ's baptism that is to resurrect the spiritually dead!

August 15, 2010



Is Baptism Necessary to be Saved? Please answer the following question; "Was Jesus Resurrected before or after His death?" Does this sound like a foolish question? There isn't much difference in asking this or in asking if one is made alive through Christ before or after their burial in baptism. If you understand this, you understand baptism according to Paul in Romans 6:3-6 Jesus died before he was buried. He was buried before he was resurrected. It simply is impossible to resurrect the living since they are already alive. We must bury the spiritually dead in baptism before they can be raised alive. Outside of this misleading teaching, who ever buries the living! The majority of people who call themselves Christians have not participated in a baptism for remission of sins. They believe that a prayer or faith that Jesus can save, will save them at that very moment. They usually are baptized a few weeks later. Some honestly believe that it is correct to take the person who, in their opinion has become alive, and then bury them. Did they learn this from scripture of God or teachings of men? In the Bible you never see a saved person baptized in the scriptures. Pause, don't say Jesus. Jesus was not saved because He had never been condemned. In other words, to be saved, you have to first be condemned. During our burial of baptism ( Romans 6:3-4) the Lord performs a spiritual surgery (spiritual circumcision) without hands ( Colossians 2:11-12). At this time God removes the guilt of our sin. The dead are buried, the living are raised - just like Jesus! Any other way is a perversion of what Jesus did and taught. You don't have life without The Great Physician performing surgery. Where does He say He will perform this surgery ( Colossians 2:11-12)? In baptism. When is one forgiven, resulting in spiritual life ( Romans 6:3-4)? In baptism. When the apostles were asked on the first day of the church "what shall we do," they did not say, "Repent and ask Jesus into your hearts" or "repent and say this prayer confessing you are a sinner." These things simply aren't taught in the Bible. "Repent and be baptized" is what Peter told them in Acts 2:37-38. Every conversion story throughout Acts shows believers submitting to the apostle's doctrine taught to them by Jesus. What were the apostle's taught? "And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "And He said to them, 'Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned'" ( Mark 16:15-16). Also one needs to consider Jesus' teaching that baptism is the entrance "into Christ." This phrase "into Christ" is only used two times in all the Bible. Read Galatians 3:27 and Romans 6:3 and see the phrase "baptized into Christ." If you want to leave the world and live "in" Christ, there MUST be a point of entrance. Is it during a prayer? repentance? simple belief that a God exists? No - God says you enter "into Christ" through baptism. If people who claim to be Christians love talking about Christ's death, burial and resurrection, why do they not teach the same truth of our death, burial, and resurrection? Beware as Jesus warned; "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven" ( Matthew 7:21). Please, let's all be humble enough to follow scripture and not men who have conjured up a sinners prayer that is never once mentioned in the scriptures and omit Christ's baptism that is to resurrect the spiritually dead! August 15, 2010	Mt. Juliet Church of Christ 1940 N. Mt. Juliet Road P.O.Box 248 Mt.Juliet, TN 37122-0248 (615)758-2274 Fax:615-754-2351 Email Worship Services: Sunday Early Worship: 8AM Sunday Bible Study: 9:15AM Sunday Late Worship: 10:15AM Night Worship: 6PM Wednesday Bible Study: 7PM