Posts Tagged ‘baptism’
Where is God’s love, mercy, and compassion if baptism is necessary for salvation?
Question: My question concerns the role of baptism and whether it is necessary for salvation. I have heard explanations of how it is necessary to get baptized to be saved, yet they both make sense and don’t make sense to me. I have heard some people from the Church of Christ preach about water baptism…
Read MoreDo you need to be baptized again after falling away and returning?
Question: I trusted Christ as my Savior when I was a teenager, but I wasn’t baptized. Then I read Mark 16 and was scared, so I got baptized at a Pentecostal Church. However, they taught that baptism didn’t save, and I wasn’t sure if it did when I was baptized. A couple of years ago,…
Read MoreObervations on the Significance of Baptism
by Nathan Smelser I have a few observations on the oft-overlooked significance of baptism in the New Testament. When Paul writes to the saints and faithful brethren in Colossae, he repeatedly contrasts their formerly dead state with their present life in Christ. For example: “…having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were…
Read MoreShould baptism be refused?
Question: Hi Jeff, Greetings to you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. I would need your insights on two questions. We are currently studying baptism, which may seem an unlikely topic for members of the Church of Christ. However, we aim to target some young people who may have lost interest in becoming…
Read MoreDoes falling back into sin make a baptism invalid?
Question: This idea has come up many times in Bible studies. It concerns sin before baptism and the process of repentance. The Scriptures teach that one must repent before baptism and that Christians will sin after baptism. I don’t know of anyone who would think that a Christian can live sinless. I also believe that…
Read MoreNot Every One Should Be Baptized
by Terry Wane Benton Babies should not be baptized. They haven’t sinned, don’t disbelieve or believe, don’t know what repentance is about, and can’t confess Jesus. Dunking such persons in water only gets them wet. Calling it baptism does not make it “in the name of the Lord” (Acts 2:38). The Ethiopian Eunuch asked Philip,…
Read MoreJustified then Sanctified?
by Perry Hall For those who don’t consider baptism the point at which God grants us His grace but rather an outward sign of inward grace, some propose moving baptism from the justification column to the sanctification column. Here are two problems with that. First, the scriptural problem considering Scripture is our authority. Notice how…
Read MoreWhat if I am afraid to be under water?
Question: Hi, I have a question. I am talking with someone who has not been baptized but has a fear or phobia of being underwater. How could I biblically answer this? Thanks! Answer: I know several people who fear being underwater, including my own mother. I’m not minimizing the fear, but understand that courage is…
Read MoreIs Baptism a Symbol?
by Terry Wane Benton “Jesus’s blood saves us. It has nothing to do with baptism. Water baptism is symbolic of what happens to us when our sins are washed away by His blood.” Answer: Why do we need a symbol? If the real thing happened, it happened. How does baptism have any value if it…
Read MoreWhy didn’t Jesus mention baptism to Nicodemus?
Question: Why didn’t Jesus mention baptism to Nicodemus in the gospel of John when he asked? Answer: Great question. I love Nicodemus’s story, and I believe it can help us understand the need for water baptism. Firstly, I would like to say we don’t see the whole story of Nicodemus played out. All we see…
Read MoreBaptism, Grace, and Works
by Andy Belknap There are many people today who believe that baptism (immersion) is not essential to being saved. I truly believe this is one of Satan’s grandest lies that he has successfully spread throughout the ages. What greater way is there to snatch souls away from God than to sow deceit and confusion around…
Read MoreCannot!
by Don Hooton When Nicodemus came to Jesus, the chat was pretty brief. Nicodemus: “You must be from God because of the signs!” Jesus: “Seriously, you cannot…” Tilting the religious world upside down, Jesus said that some cannot. In our world, where possibilities are said to be behind every impossibility, we sometimes imagine wrongly that…
Read MoreDo I not have enough faith?
Question: Hello Mr. Hamilton, I have a question in one of your articles titled: Does true faith mean the command to be baptized does not save a person? You said that: “A person who does not obey demonstrates by his actions that he doesn’t really believe.” I have OCD, and I end up doubting Jesus…
Read MoreCleansing the Soul
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Cleansing-the-Soul.mp3 by Garry Floyd Download Audio
Read MoreDead and Raised
by Terry Wane Benton Paul describes our pre-conversion state as “dead in trespasses and sin” (Ephesians 2:1). We walked like others in the world, but we were spiritually dead toward God. But from our dead state, He “made us alive together with Christ” (Ephesians 2:5). We were “raised up together with Christ” (Ephesians 2:6). This…
Read MorePharisaical Works Salvation?
by Terry Wane Benton One fellow said the following: “Terry Wane Benton, why must you be so wrapped up in your salvation by works just like the Pharisees? Jesus despised the Pharisees for this very mentality that you are showing. Grace and grace alone allow you to enter into heaven.” Grace is the only thing…
Read MoreBaptism in History
by Ed Harrell via Christianity Magazine, December 1984 My reading of the New Testament makes very clear the meaning and intent of baptism — it was a “burial” that put one “into Christ” and resulted in the “remission of sins” (Romans 6:3–4; Acts 2:38). Of course, we should always be willing to examine our reading…
Read MoreThe Like Figure Whereunto …
by Terry Wane Benton The flood water is the figure, the type, and baptism is the antitype, the real thing prefigured (I Peter 3:20-21) by the flood water. So, how was the flood water the figure? It was the chosen means to wash away a sinful world and deliver Noah and his family to a…
Read MoreBy One Spirit
by Terry Wane Benton “For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free persons, and all were made to drink one Spirit” (I Corinthians 12:13 LEB) The “by” tells us the influence that compelled us to be baptized (immersed) into the body of Christ. They were…
Read MoreThe Right to Become
by Terry Wane Benton “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name” (John 1:12). Jesus gave certain people the right to become children of God. Unbelievers are not given this right. But even believers are not automatically in. The…
Read MoreAccording to the Pattern
by Jefferson David Tant An interesting passage in Hebrews 8 contains a statement that has an important message for us today, even as it did when it was written thousands of years ago. It mentions the fact that God has a “pattern” that is to be respected and followed. It points out that even Christ…
Read MoreThe Case of the Philippian Jailor
by Terry Wane Benton He wanted to know, “What shall I do to be saved?” (Acts 16:30). The simple answer: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ…and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31). The details of why believe in Jesus, what to believe about Jesus, and how to express faith in Jesus followed. In other words,…
Read More“Because Of” or “Into”?
by Terry Wane Benton The Argument: “In addition to Acts 2:38, there are three other verses where the Greek word eis is used in conjunction with the word “baptize” or “baptism.” The first of these is Matthew 3:11, “baptize you with water for repentance.” Clearly the Greek word eis cannot mean “in order to get”…
Read MoreFor (eis) the Remission of Sins
by Terry Wane Benton It is argued by some that “for” the remission of sins, as used in Acts 2:38, should be understood to mean “because of” the remission of sins you already have. They say it is like we use the term when saying, “Take some ibuprofen for your headache.” In that case, “for”…
Read MoreBaptismal Regeneration?
by Terry Wane Benton Some teach and believe that the water of baptism is in no way tied to regeneration or salvation. They think it is something you do after salvation as just a symbol of what already happened in your heart. We see no proof of that view in the scriptures. All verses that…
Read MoreSince baptism is a burial, shouldn’t everything be under simultaneously?
Question: Dear Minister, I was recently baptized. The water was not very deep, but the baptizer said it was deep enough. It was deep enough to be immersed in, but still shallow enough to be risky to have part of the body not fully immersed at the same time. The photo of my baptism shows…
Read MoreDid the Catholic Church edit Matthew 28:19?
Question: What baptismal proclamation was used in your baptism? Probably you were baptized, “In the name of the Father and the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” Do you know that this Baptismal Proclamation is not the original text commanded by Jesus Christ as in Matthew 28:19? The Roman Catholic Church has edited and replaced…
Read MoreIf Baptism Was a Work
by Terry Wane Benton The claim is made that baptism cannot be part of the salvation process (the process from lost sinner to saved and justified in Christ) because it is claimed that “baptism is a work” and “we are saved through faith and not of works” (Ephesians 2:8-9). However, this claim is very faulty…
Read MoreAre there qualifications for who performs baptisms?
Question: Dear Minister, May I ask for further clarification? You stated, “There is nothing in the Scriptures listing out a requirement on those doing the baptism” in the article “What is successionist baptism?” My query is, when Matthew 28:19 says, “Go and make disciples,… baptizing them..” doesn’t it imply that saved people are the baptizers…
Read MoreDid I correctly repent?
Question: I can remember on the night before I was baptized, I sinned. After that, I prayed to God, told Him I was sorry, and wanted to live my life for Him. I don’t know if I had time to turn from my sins since I got baptized the next day, but I was so…
Read MoreJesus and Baptism
by Doy Moyer On the third day of creation, God separated the dry land from the waters, and life came through the water (Genesis 1:9-13). This pattern was seen again when life came through the waters after the flood (Genesis 8:6-12). Again, it was seen when the children of Israel passed through the Red Sea…
Read MoreThe Solution for Sins
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: I Corinthians 6:9-11 Sin was a big problem in the church at Corinth. It is a big problem worldwide and throughout all time. But Jesus offers a solution to sin: Washed Sanctified Justified Cleansed Set apart for a holy purpose Made right before the law Justified When we sin,…
Read MoreDoes the type of water matter in baptism?
Question: Dear Minister, Thank you for your website. It has a lot of good stuff. It is really awesome. Thanks. And thanks for being willing to answer questions by email. Is any water type (fresh, chlorinated, salt, a bit muddy, etc) acceptable before God for baptism? As far as I know, no one but me…
Read MoreSuffering in Baptism?
by Perry Hall Amid Peter discussing suffering and judgment, he mentions, “baptism now saves” (I Peter 3:21). Contextually, what baptism saves us from is God’s judgment on a sinful world. The context from 3:14-4:19 is “Suffering and Judgment.” However, there are many ways baptism cannot save us from suffering because baptism is inherently tied to…
Read MoreWhat Must I Do to Go to Heaven?
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/What-Must-I-Do-to-Go-to-Heaven.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Matthew 19:16-22 I. I was asked, “What must I do to go to Heaven when I die? Please no opinions. Please use the Bible, it is all we have that is the truth.” A. I am impressed that this man only wants a biblical answer. Far too many simply want…
Read MoreChrist Sent Me Not to Baptize
by Terry Wane Benton In I Corinthians 1:17 Paul said, “For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect.” The assumption that denominational people make is that Christ did not send Paul to baptize because…
Read MoreDoes baptism give continual cleansing?
Question: Hello, I hope you are well. I have a question for you. I was baptized several years ago and when I was baptized I felt like my heart was not into it completely. I went into the baptism knowing that there were sins that I was not going to give up and was going…
Read MoreIs my baptism invalid because I did it to avoid going to hell?
Question: When I got baptized, I was being baptized not necessarily wanting forgiveness but more about keeping myself from going to Hell. I was sincere in my commitment to God giving Him my life, but I was baptized out of fear of going to hell. This burdens my conscience every day and I don’t know…
Read MoreCan I be baptized if I had sex with my boyfriend?
Question: Hello. I’m thinking about getting baptized, but also I’ve had sex with my boyfriend many times before. I just want to know, can I still be baptized even if I’ve done so? And can I be able to continue after baptism? Answer: “I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise…
Read MoreCan I get baptized while being in a relationship?
Question: I’m a 21-year-old male. My Father is a pastor. I’m in a relationship with my sister-in-law. Now I wanted to take baptism, but I have concerns. Do we need to break our relationship in order to get baptized? She is a very good girl, and I preached the gospel to her and made her…
Read More