Baptism

Baptism

I arrived at Bible College as I was turning twenty-one. I’d been a Christian for four and a half years and I was desperate to build on my ‘vast wealth of knowledge and experience.’ I was teachable, but probably not aware of how much I had to learn (some things are only obvious in hindsight). In that first class of the first intake of students at the then ‘South Pacific School of Biblical Studies,’ sat another man—one Roger Kennedy. He had been a Christian but weeks. He had come from a totally non-religious background and, when taught the gospel, he grabbed it with both hands and never let it go. At thirty-three, good natured, and wired for Christ, he took no prisoners. I would mock him as he ‘ranted’ about the evils of the denominational churches. I would suggest that he shouldn’t lump them all together as believing the same things and then write them all off. He would counter: “I believe that the devil is using them all to pervert the gospel.” Roger’s words should ring hard in our ears when we discuss the subject of baptism.If there is one doctrine that the devil has united the denominational world in perverting, it is the Bible teaching of ‘baptism for the forgiveness of sins.’Even in the Lord’s church there are preachers and teachers who proclaim that a person does not have to be baptised to be saved. I assure you, that is a gospel OTHER than the one preached to us in the pages of the New Testament. Thus, it is anathema!When preaching the New Testament text, you would have to deliberately distort each and every passage dealing with baptism to conclude that a sinner is not saved by being baptised into Christ. The apostles, starting from the Great Commission, were told to baptise “in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit” (Mt.28:19), and that “he who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved” (Mk.16:16). Peter, when asked by the penitent crowd, “What must we do?” Replied, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins…” (Acts 2:38). And this is just the beginning of the subject.A quick reading of the Book of Acts will convince the honest heart that “Baptism saves!” Feel free to test the Holy Spirit on this. It is all in His Book.John StaigerIf you have been blessed by this message, please feel free to: Like, Comment or Share it with your friends.