bornagain2011 Posted July 11, 2012 Group: Senior Member Followers: 6 Topic Count: 82 Topics Per Day: 0.02 Content Count: 602 Content Per Day: 0.14 Reputation: 233 Days Won: 0 Joined: 04/15/2012 Status: Offline Share Posted July 11, 2012 Having a nice little debate with my boyfriend and his friend. This is what we are talking about, Is baptism a REQUIREMENT for salvation? Even if we have accepted Christ as our saviour and repented and are filled with Holy Spirit? Should we be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, or in the name of the Father, Son, Holy spirit. Our friend believes you will not be saved UNTIL you are baptized, and that it has to be in the name of Jesus Christ. What are your opinions? God bless! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest man Posted July 11, 2012 Share Posted July 11, 2012 Is baptism a REQUIREMENT for salvation? No. Our friend believes you will not be saved UNTIL you are baptized, Ask your friend what happened to the thief that died next to Christ. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stan53 Posted July 11, 2012 Group: Junior Member Followers: 0 Topic Count: 1 Topics Per Day: 0.00 Content Count: 63 Content Per Day: 0.01 Reputation: 3 Days Won: 0 Joined: 07/10/2012 Status: Offline Share Posted July 11, 2012 (edited) It is NOT a requirement, but it is a command or instruction to do so as soon after we confess Christ as possible. Edited July 11, 2012 by Stan53 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ayin jade Posted July 11, 2012 Group: Worthy Ministers Followers: 44 Topic Count: 6,178 Topics Per Day: 0.88 Content Count: 43,794 Content Per Day: 6.22 Reputation: 11,241 Days Won: 58 Joined: 01/03/2005 Status: Offline Share Posted July 11, 2012 Romans 10 8 But what does it say? "The word is near you, even in your mouth and in your heart"; that is, the word of faith which we proclaim; 9 Because if you confess the Lord Jesus, and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with themouth one confesses unto salvation. 11 For the Scripture says, "Everyone believing on Him shall not be put to shame." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ayin jade Posted July 11, 2012 Group: Worthy Ministers Followers: 44 Topic Count: 6,178 Topics Per Day: 0.88 Content Count: 43,794 Content Per Day: 6.22 Reputation: 11,241 Days Won: 58 Joined: 01/03/2005 Status: Offline Share Posted July 11, 2012 Ephesians 2 8 For by grace you are saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Patriot21 Posted July 11, 2012 Group: Worthy Ministers Followers: 28 Topic Count: 338 Topics Per Day: 0.05 Content Count: 15,696 Content Per Day: 2.46 Reputation: 8,515 Days Won: 39 Joined: 10/25/2006 Status: Offline Birthday: 02/27/1985 Share Posted July 11, 2012 One could make the argument for baptism being required, primarily from two verses, Mark 16:16: Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe shall be condemned, and from Acts 2:38 that says repent and be baptized, every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Now, bare with me, Im not saying that baptism is required for salvation, but I am bringing a point here, jade has brought forth a very very key verse which I will get to shortly. I have been in many baptist churches which puts salvation on the confession (romans 10, several other verses) but I have also been a member of a few Church of Christs, as well as attended a Armenian Bible college, which puts the salvation on the baptism like your boyfriend. And the funny thing is, the argument they use most agaisnt each other, is that the other "method" is a work, i.e. the CoC argues that confession is a work, and therefore doesnt save you, but many baptists argue that the baptism is a work, which doesnt save you. So which is right? The answer is both, and neither. Jade hit the hammer on the nail-confession doesnt save you, and neither does baptism, You are saved by grace, through faith. If you put salvation on one thing, say do this, and your saved, and it becomes a work. Now, does that mean you dont have to confess, or be baptized? not at all-because the Bible tells us to do both, and they are interrelated. You can't show your faith in Christ, without saying it. faith without works is dead (james 2:17) You back your faith up with your words, by confessing, and with your actions, by baptism. In other words, you become baptised because you are a christian, not the other way around. In any case, thats my .02 cents on the matter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gdemoss Posted July 11, 2012 Group: Royal Member Followers: 8 Topic Count: 59 Topics Per Day: 0.01 Content Count: 4,402 Content Per Day: 0.99 Reputation: 2,154 Days Won: 28 Joined: 02/10/2012 Status: Offline Birthday: 04/26/1971 Share Posted July 11, 2012 Is baptism a REQUIREMENT for salvation? Yes and No. Man is correct in saying No and referring the thief on the cross who there is no record of a water baptism having taken place. But this argument falls short of the truth for all believers. Is it possible that it is a requirement for some and not for others? Yes. We are saved by grace through faith, with that faith being evidenced by works. When we enter into the court of our Lord for judgment the only thing that will matter is whether or not our works justify our profession of faith or not. Did we believe God and therefore it will be accounted to us for righteousness. This could include baptism, which is an ordinance, as evidence of the faith one has. The issue is God speaks to each of us independently though he expresses the same thing to many of us equally, one of which is that Jesus is the Christ, the sinless son of God who died to pay for our debt that we could not. Water baptism as found in the scriptures is the natural event that is most generally followed by the spiritual event but not necessarily so. Water baptism is an outward expression of that which is happening inside the person. It is a physical act that declares we are repentant and turning to God the Father by becoming identified with the death, burial and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. The inside change that is apparent when this act is truly internalized can be understood by reading Romans 6 and other various verses which speak to the effect. What is necessary is circumcision of the heart unto God that produces a conscience void of offense toward God and man. While this can be accomplished without an actual water baptism, I don't see why anyone who truly understands what baptism is would not want to get down to the local river or water source and proclaim by this visual declaration that they are in Christ and identified with his death. I would love to see someone getting dunked every time I crossed the river going to town.... In Jesus Name, Gary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest man Posted July 11, 2012 Share Posted July 11, 2012 Is baptism a REQUIREMENT for salvation? Yes and No. Is it possible that it is a requirement for some and not for others? Yes. Show me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTC Posted July 11, 2012 Group: Royal Member Followers: 18 Topic Count: 200 Topics Per Day: 0.05 Content Count: 2,795 Content Per Day: 0.65 Reputation: 1,502 Days Won: 1 Joined: 06/25/2012 Status: Offline Birthday: 07/26/1952 Share Posted July 11, 2012 The answer is No, baptism is not necessary for salvation. I do believe it's something a person should do, if possible, but it isn't necessary. IMO there isn't anything a person can do to be saved. It is a gift from God, and it's also one of those mysteries I mentioned else where. Exactly how it happens is a mystery. One reason I say this is because of how it happened to me. I was born and raised Catholic, and therefore baptized as an infant, but I knew nothing of that. As a teen I gave up Catholicism and even stopped believing God is real. In my 20's, a few friends became Christians and never stopped telling me about God, who I staunchly refused to believe was real. But then at about 28 I became on fire for God, but I didn't know what was happening. I spent the next 2 years reading the Bible and everything else I could get that was about the Bible. At 30 I joined a church and made a formal declaration for God and acceptance of Jesus. After that I had many problems, doubts, became back slidden, until I finally became what I am today. I often still don't know whether or not I'm saved. All I know is I do what James said (and not because he said it. I just do this). I can show you my faith through my works. Based on that, I hope I am saved and will be part of God's kingdom when I die. I actually think salvation is a work in progress, kinda. If we are saved then it's something we have to keep affirming to God, not to man. It has nothing to do with man. It's all between us and God. Water baptism is something we do to show other people we have accepted Jesus as Lord, and it's fine to do. I did it, and I enjoyed doing it. But I knew one women who was very pious and she was just too shy to do it. She used to say she was baptized at birth and she believed it took effect then. But I knew her fairly well, and she was just shy. She's gone now, and I believe she went to be with the Lord. It's good that you, your bf and your other friends discuss these things, because God wants His people to talk about Him. But remember, just discuss God, don't fight about Him. When we fight about Him, we are not in His will anymore. And that's where we want to be, in His will. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gdemoss Posted July 11, 2012 Group: Royal Member Followers: 8 Topic Count: 59 Topics Per Day: 0.01 Content Count: 4,402 Content Per Day: 0.99 Reputation: 2,154 Days Won: 28 Joined: 02/10/2012 Status: Offline Birthday: 04/26/1971 Share Posted July 11, 2012 Is baptism a REQUIREMENT for salvation? Yes and No. Is it possible that it is a requirement for some and not for others? Yes. Show me. I did but you cut out that part of my post and don't seem to understand my point. Gary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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