by David Gibson<\/p>\n
A tour ad stated, “Have you ever wanted to be baptized in the Jordan River?” Since Jesus was baptized there, is that the best location?<\/p>\n
In the Bible, people were baptized wherever, but all were saved by grace (Titus 3:5-7). Since salvation is so urgent (Acts 8:36-39), is flying 5700-plus miles for a Jordan River baptism a good option?<\/p>\n
And does it matter who baptizes us? Many Corinthians were baptized through Paul’s preaching (Acts 18:8), but he baptized only a handful of them (I Corinthians 1:10-17). Paul delegated the baptizing to keep the focus on Jesus (Colossians 2:12-13).<\/p>\n
If you were scripturally baptized, but not in the Jordan, and your baptizer was not a well-known preacher, what does it matter?<\/p>\n
What does matter-a lot!-is that baptism is that decisive moment when we are born again (John 3:5), we are saved (Mark 16:16; I Peter 3:15), we are forgiven (Acts 2:28), we put on Christ (Galatians 3:27), and we experience newness of life (Romans 6:4).<\/p>\n
It is then that we can go on our way rejoicing (Acts 8:39).<\/p>\n
But if you haven’t been baptized, what’s keeping you? (Acts 22:16)<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
by David Gibson A tour ad stated, “Have you ever wanted to be baptized in the Jordan River?” Since Jesus was baptized there, is that the best location? In the Bible, people were baptized wherever, but all were saved by grace (Titus 3:5-7). Since salvation is so urgent (Acts 8:36-39), is flying 5700-plus miles for…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[20],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-97554","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-answer"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":14999,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/which-baptism-is-referred-to-as-the-one-baptism-of-ephesians-45\/","url_meta":{"origin":97554,"position":0},"title":"Which Baptism Is Referred to as the One Baptism of Ephesians 4:5?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"May 31, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"Adapted from an article by Clem Thurman in Gospel Minutes, Vol. 57, No. 20, May 16, 2008. Question: Which baptism is referred to as the one baptism of Ephesians 4:5? Answer: Some people want to refer to this baptism as a spiritual baptism. I have never been able to understand\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/scan0006-10-300x187.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":89607,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/baptism\/","url_meta":{"origin":97554,"position":1},"title":"Baptism","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"August 21, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"by J. W. McGarvey Since it has been announced that my subject would be baptism, I think it is highly probable that the question has arisen in the minds of some, Why another sermon on that old, hackneyed theme? Perhaps the objection has arisen that this subject has been discussed\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":47430,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/what-does-baptism-have-to-do-with-salvation\/","url_meta":{"origin":97554,"position":2},"title":"What Does Baptism Have to Do with Salvation?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 6, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: II Kings 5:1-14 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Leprosy is a terrible disease. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0It is a bacterial infection that causes skin lesions and nerve damage \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0B.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0It has only been curable since the early 1980's. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0C.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0So it is no wonder that a commander in Syria\u2019s army would go great lengths\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1038,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/what-authority-is-there-for-re-baptism\/","url_meta":{"origin":97554,"position":3},"title":"What authority is there for re-baptism?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 16, 2004","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Where does the Bible authenticate re-baptizing anyone who believed in Jesus and was baptized in His name? Answer: I know of none. Baptism is an act that is done once. \"For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":24862,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-bible-puts-baptism-between-the-sinner-and-his-salvation\/","url_meta":{"origin":97554,"position":4},"title":"The Bible Puts Baptism Between the Sinner and His Salvation!","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"August 17, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"by Dillard Thurman in Gospel Minutes, December 26, 1958, Reprinted in Gospel Minutes, Vol. 57, No. 16, April 18, 2008. I am not responsible for the place baptism occupies in God's plan of salvation. Nor was I consulted in the matter. Had the Lord taken the matter up with me,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Baptism.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":10970,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/notes-on-does-god-think-baptism-is-necessary-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":97554,"position":5},"title":"Notes on Does God Think Baptism Is Necessary?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 30, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Despite having received the baptism of the Holy Spirit, Peter commanded Cornelius and his household to be baptized - Acts 10:48 All, including Paul, were baptized into Jesus and into Jesus\u2019 death - Romans 6:3 They were baptized in order to be able to walk in newness of life -\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Notes"","block_context":{"text":"Notes","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/notes\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97554","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=97554"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97554\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=97554"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=97554"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=97554"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}