7 REASONS WHY A BELIEVER SHOULD BE BAPTISED ?
- Jesus issued believers baptism as a command to be obeyed.
Go make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I will be with you always, to the very end of the age. Mth 28.19
- Jesus didn’t need to be baptised yet He was. Why?
JB . Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfil all righteousness. Mth 3.15
God, the Father was pleased with Jesus ‘ obedience to be baptised for He said, This is my son whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Mth 3.17. So saved sinners especially should be baptised of all people if they want to follow Jesus all the way.
- There was no such thing as an unbaptised believer in the NT.
Apart from the thief on the cross, all the believers in the NT were baptised.
A large number of Samaritans (Acts 8.11-13) were baptised by Philip.
Paul was baptised by Ananias after meeting Jesus on the Damascus Road (Acts 9.10-19; 22:12-16)
Cornelius and his friend were baptised by Peter, following the gift of the Spirit (Acts 10.44-48)
Lydia, the dealer in purple goods (Acts 16.13-15) and the Philippian jailer (Acts 16.25-34) were both baptised by Paul as part of their response to the Christian gospel as were Crispus and many Corinthians (Acts 18.8).
Paul baptised the Ephesian disciples of John the Baptist after they had come to a clearer understanding of Jesus.
- Baptism is a symbolic declaration of our union with God. Why?
Don’t you know that all of us who were baptised into Christ Jesus were baptised into his death ? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that , just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. Rom 6.4
- Baptism is an outward, public, demonstration of faith.
If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. Rom 10.9
- Baptism is the “normal” way of entering the church.
(though few come through a normal route)
For we were all baptised by one Spirit into one body. 1 Cor 12.13
- Baptism implies an encounter with the Holy Spirit.
You were washed , you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of God (1 Cor 6.11)