Why Be Baptized?

There are two main points of view about why a person should be baptized. One view holds that baptism is a purely symbolic act which should be done in order to show that we have recently been saved.

The other view says that, while baptism is symbolic of the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ, that it is more than just a symbol. This view holds that baptism is a direct and vital command of the Lord which must be obeyed in order to receive salvation.

If you have been baptized, think back for a moment about why you were you baptized. Was it because you felt that you had recently been saved, or were you baptized in order to be saved? And now with this question in mind, let’s turn to the Bible to see what God really says about why a person should be baptized. In Acts Chapter 2, verse 38, the Apostle Peter in his great sermon on the day of Pentecost said, “Repent and  be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit”. The Bible says in this passage that both repentance and baptism are equally necessary for the remission of sins. When we remember that Peter was speaking by the inspiration of God, this verse should forever settle this question in our own minds. Baptism, according to the Bible, is not  because we have already been saved, but in order to save us by washing away our sins. Does baptism really wash away sins? Some say no. The Bible says yes!

In other related scriptures we read that “Baptism doth also now save us” (1 Peter 3: 21). The Apostle Paul adds that we are not even in Christ until we have been scripturally baptized. We read this in Galatians 3:27, and in Romans 6:3-4.

If you have never obeyed the Lord by being baptized for the remission of sins as the Bible requires, I encourage you to do so today before it is everlastingly too late.