BibleDefender
New Member
In Christian Doctrine, Is baptism essential to salvation??
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Is baptism essential to salvation??
- Thread starter BibleDefender
- Start date
For those old enough to understand it's significance, Christian baptism is necessary for salvation. Baptizing infants is not authorized in the Bible and has no value.
Jesus commanded that his disciples be baptized. (Matthew 28:19,20)
1 Peter 3:21 speaks of baptism as saving us. Once baptized, a person must continue in a course of faithfulness to God. "present your bodies a sacrifice living, holy, acceptable to God, a sacred service with your power of reason." (Romans 12:1)
Villager
Active Member
Baptism in the Holy Spirit, or conversion, is essential. Conversion comes from accepting that only Christ's righteousness is enough to justify a person before God, and by accepting that righteousness as one's own, after repentance. To rely on anything else as a means of satisfying God is to tell Jesus that his righteousness is not enough which is to destroy one's salvation.
Water baptism was originally the means used to witness to one's faith in public. It is now considered useless, because all and sundry get baptised without conversion. Continued witness to one's faith is anyway necessary, though is more difficult than water baptism.
You say that as if "Christian doctrine" is only one thing.
Villager
Active Member
The assumption is that Christ was not a committee.
A. T. Henderson
R&P refugee
Depends on which doctrine the Christian in question follows. Strictly speaking, there's no reason why it should be. It is, after all, only a symbolic ritual: the supposed "cleansing" which it represents occurs internally (as in: within the mind/spirit of the believer).
And that Christ defines what is "Christian", apparently. I don't think this is the case; I think his followers do that.
A
angellous_evangellous
Guest
Villager
Active Member
Not what John said.
Villager
Active Member
That leaves the door wide open for all and sundry, then.
Of course.
A
angellous_evangellous
Guest
Baptism was popular before John.
Villager
Active Member
It wasn't. It developed in the intertestamental period. John used it for his particular purpose, which was to get people to at least admit that they were light years from the ethos of the patriarchal and Mosaic periods. It has no inherent 'magic' quality, as was made out from about the fourth century onwards.
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Villager
Active Member
Wolves 'n all.
I've never seen any shortage of wolves (or goats, or sheep) in Christianity.
Villager
Active Member
Wolves in sheeps' clothing, anyway. Quite.
I was wondering if something was missing because Jesus is always quoting from the OT. And when he tells John he has to be baptized to complete all things I was wondering where in the OT it talks about the Messiah needing to be baptized. Or that anyone needs to or why Jesus was inclined to do it.