Do I need to be baptized before I am saved?

I am seriously considering baptism but not sure in (or into0 which church. I go sometimes to a baptist church here and sometimes to AG church or pentocostal/ non-denominational chruch near here. But i just found out that in order to be saved or born again or filled with the holy Ghost I must be baptized. Baptized in the Name of the Father Son and the Holy Ghost? whats the difference? Then how do I receive or know I have received the Holy

But i just found out that in order to be saved or born again or filled with the holy Ghost I must be baptized.Who has told you this, and what verse did they use to validate this point? They are in error. All that must take place for salvation or eligibility for the indwelling of the Holy Spirit is for you to receive Jesus Christ as Lord. "that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation."That's Romans 10:9-10 from the New King James, by the way.I realize it is confusing, but don't worry. Christianity isn't nearly as complex, formulaic, ritualistic, or legalistic as most Christians think it is. There's only two commandments to follow, and there's always mercy when you fall. You may ask what baptism is for since it's not required for salvation. Baptism is an outward sign of your salvation. It shows the world, "Hey, I'm saved!" It's certainly not required, but most people do it anyway. I have-- it was certainly an awesome experience with God.

But i just found out that in order to be saved or born again or filled with the holy Ghost I must be baptized. Baptized in the Name of the Father Son and the Holy Ghost? whats the difference? Then how do I receive or know I have received the HolyAnd this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment. And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us. (1 John 3:23-24)The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: (Romans 8:16)You can know you have received the Holy Ghost by two things, there will be the fruit of the Spirit evident in your life(love for God and man) and there will be an inward personal testimony of a clear conscience, heavenly peace and joy. By His power He works; by His light he makes both Himself and His work known. The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit. (John 3:8)In Christ,Ron

Shazbot is right in what he says,if i may add my two pennies worthBaptism in water, communion bread and wine are commands left by Jesus for his diciples,observance of these must be born out of relationship.Yes,baptism in water is an outward sign of an inward transaction.Some folk have only recieved a John Baptist type of baptism ie Repentance,But Gods longing is for many sons being born from above whereby we cry out Abba Father,hope that adds to your enquiry :-)

Amen to Eagleswings post the timeing seems to have come at the same momemnt thanks Ron :-)

Thanks for your responses. I am particularly concerned about these Bible verses:MARK 16:15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.MARK 16:16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.If Baptism is not as important then why did Jesus give this commandment to His disciples? Need a scriptural answer!AlsoACTS 2:38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. ACTS 2:39 For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, [even] as many as the Lord our God shall call. It looks like Paul in the verses above is requiring baptism of the Holy Ghost as a condition for receiving the Holy Ghost?Then compare with CTS 19:1 And it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper coasts came to Ephesus: and finding certain disciples, ACTS 19:2 He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost. ACTS 19:3 And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John's baptism. ACTS 19:4 Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus. ACTS 19:5 When they heard [this], they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. ACTS 19:6 And when Paul had laid [his] hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied. Again Paul seems to say that the lack of Baptism in the Name of the Lord Jesus is the reason why the Holy Ghost is missing!Okay if fruits will show that I have the Holy Ghost then what fruits?). It looks like I must wait for a while since a tree takes a while to bear fruit. Is there a way to know right away if I have the holy Ghost?From your answers i may have the Holy Ghost already? without knowing?I really need your help and prayers! I want the RIGHT way to surrender fully to GOD. John

If Baptism is not as important then why did Jesus give this commandment to His disciples? Need a scriptural answer!Any time someone presents you with something you must "do" for salvation remember that the work of salvation has been "done" by Jesus Christ.The following is a comment on water baptism from John MacArthur, This may be of some help to you;"First, it is quite clear from such passages as Acts 15 and Romans 4 that no external act is necessary for salvation. Salvation is by divine grace through faith alone (Romans 3:22, 24, 25, 26, 28, 30; 4:5; Galatians 2:16; Ephesians 2:8-9; Philippians 3:9, etc.).If baptism were necessary for salvation, we would expect to find it stressed whenever the gospel is presented in Scripture. That is not the case, however. Peter mentioned baptism in his sermon on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:38). However, in his sermon from Solomon's portico in the Temple (Acts 3:12-26), Peter makes no reference to baptism, but links forgiveness of sin to repentance (3:19). If baptism is necessary for the forgiveness of sin, why didn't Peter say so in Acts 3?Paul never made baptism any part of his gospel presentations. In 1 Corinthians 15:1-4, Paul gives a concise summary of the gospel message he preached. There is no mention of baptism. In 1 Corinthians 1:17, Paul states that "Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel," thus clearly differentiating the gospel from baptism. That is difficult to understand if baptism is necessary for salvation. If baptism were part of the gospel itself, necessary for salvation, what good would it have done Paul to preach the gospel, but not baptize? No one would have been saved. Paul clearly understood baptism to be separate from the gospel, and hence in no way efficacious for salvation.Perhaps the most convincing refutation of the view that baptism is necessary for salvation are those who were saved apart from baptism. We have no record of the apostles' being baptized, yet Jesus pronounced them clean of their sins (John 15:3--note that the Word of God, not baptism, is what cleansed them). The penitent woman (Luke 7:37-50), the paralytic man (Matthew 9:2), and the publican (Luke 18:13-14) also experienced forgiveness of sins apart from baptism.The Bible also gives us an example of people who were saved before being baptized. In Acts 10:44-48, Cornelius and those with him were converted through Peter's message. That they were saved before being baptized is evident from their reception of the Holy Spirit (v. 44) and the gifts of the Spirit (v. 46) before their baptism. Indeed, it is the fact that they had received the Holy Spirit (and hence were saved) that led Peter to baptize them (cf. v. 47).You want to take Acts 2:38 in the context of the whole of Scripture and it is very obvious and very clear that the whole of Scripture teaches that we are saved by grace through faith. If you read Ephesians 2:8-9 it says just that, "For by grace are you saved, through faith--that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God--not of works, lest any man should boast." You also have in Acts, chapter 8, the illustration of Simon, you remember, who wanted the Holy Spirit. He was baptized, and then Peter said to him, in effect, you are an unbeliever, you are in the gall of bitterness and the bond of iniquity--obviously baptism didn't save him. Obviously, the lack of baptism didn't damn the thief on the cross, because Jesus said to him, "This day you will be with me in paradise," even though that was of course a pre-church situation. So, the whole of Scripture teaches salvation by grace through faith, but at the same time, the first and initial act of obedience in the early church, the first and initial act of obedience was the public confession of that faith. I believe that public confession of that faith came forth in baptism so that baptism is linked with repentance. "Repent and be baptized" is to say, "Repent of your sin and make public confession." It may be very much like Romans 10:9-10, "If you believe in heart God raised Him from the dead, and confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' you will be saved." So, I believe that baptism was God ordained as a first step of public confession of a repentant, believing heart. It was so inseparably linked to salvation as to be spoken of, if you will, in the same breath. I believe, for example, in Ephesians 4, when it says, "One Lord, one faith, one baptism," it's talking about water baptism, because that water baptism was such an immediate, visible expression of a heart of faith that they were tied together. So, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of sin," simply takes the confession and the faith and puts it together--one is the heart and the other is the outward acknowledging and I think it puts them together.Some would take the word "for," the preposition "for" and translate it "because." I have gone through that myself and that is a possibility, in other words it would read, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ, because of the remission of sins"--adding that "baptism" is there because you sins have been remitted, but I don't really think that you need to force it to say that. It is simply that baptism was so inextricably linked to the inward attitude of the heart as the way that the confession was made that they are tied together, and you see it in verse 41, "They that gladly received his word were . . ." What? "baptized." Now, you don't want to come up with a "Baptismal Salvation" because that would strike a blow at the doctrine of salvation by grace through faith which is pervasive in Scripture. So you want to see baptism for what it is--the outward confession of the inward belief."

I really need your help and prayers! I want the RIGHT way to surrender fully to GOD. Don't worry about things too much. Since it appears you are so earnest, you will find God. 1 Samuel 16:7 says: But the Lord said to Samuel, "Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; F39 for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." If you miss God, He'll find you. He looks at your efforts, not your adherence to any strict set of rules. He examines your motives, not your actions. InTheLight has done an excellent job of explaining. If you have further concerns, we're always here.

Hope all this is a help to you and not a cause for more confusion. I agree with what has been posted, certainly in line with John MacArthur.I was a bit confused over the whole issue for awhile myself. Though I had been saved for a number of years, I had put off water baptism, primarily because of the church I was attending at the time. Not exactly sound doctrine there.But it was something that I felt I really wanted to do, less for any particular slant or demand or that it had some kind of bearing on my salvation.But primarily because Jesus said to do it and because of the symbolism of burying the old life and representing the new. That outward expression.I said all that to say this.Last year I finally was baptized, full immersion at my most recent church.It was wonderful!You couldn't wipe the smile off my face the rest of that day.It did seem strange to have the pastor go over the "Do you believe that..." and so forth, in fact he even said "We know that you do" :-)since he was familiar with me...but it was just great to say it out loud, publicly.A very memorable day.

Just another simple thought that might be worth mentioning. Though I don't believe the Bible teaches that baptism is a condition for salvation, I feel that it does indicate that baptism is a command of Christ to be obeyed. In Mark 16:16 and Matthew 28:19, we can see that Jesus expects His disciples to be baptized and to go and baptize others. (That this was understood by the disciples to be water baptism is seen in the story of Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch.) And, of course, all the commands of Christ are to be approached by true believers as serious and applicable to their lives. Though baptism doesn't save, it is important. And the person who claims to follow Jesus - and is aware of His command to be baptized - will joyfully follow through and be baptized as evidence of this claim to the Lordship of Christ. (Then - as crsschk expressed so well - the fruit of such obedience is a smile you can't wipe off your face for the rest of the day.) Bless you as you step out in obedience to Him!

Its quite similar to the breaking of bread and drinking of wine, we do it not to be saved in and of themselves but as a simple act of obedience to God.Along these same lines, Art Katz has some enlightening comments on baptism;At the River: Lydia and the Word of GodAnd a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, which worshipped God, heard us: whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul. (Acts 16:14)How many times have we truly attended to the things which have been spoken by the teachers whom God has sent us? Has there ever been a generation more indulged, spiritually speaking, than this one? With all the knowledge pouring in from speakers, tapes, and literature, where is the accompanying maturity and growth?It almost seems as if we should call a moratorium and let there be no more speaking until we have caught up in our experience to what we have already heard. We think that the whole purpose of our Christian existence is to be called together in meetings, that we might hear more "teaching." It was not so from the beginning.Lydia, whose heart was opened by he Lord, attended to the things which were spoken by Paul. I know she attended, because her hearing eventuated in her acting: in the very next line we read, "And when she was baptized ?" (verse 15a). If you say, "Well, big deal, what?s baptism?" maybe you need a Jewish guy to remind you of its enormous profundity; it is the ultimate act of separation and commitment.Unsaved and benighted Jewish people often have, in a real sense, a greater grasp of the meaning of baptism than many of those in the faith; somewhere in the depths of their souls, they know that it is truly a burial unto death. A dear friend of mine was raised in an Orthodox Jewish home in Sweden. When he became a believer in Jesus, the news was not well received, but those repercussions were nothing compared to the family?s reaction to the news of his baptism. Although he had been a beloved son, his parents conducted the traditional burial service for him.After ten years, my friend called his father on the phone; the father asked who it was and my friend said, "This is your son." The older man answered, "My son is dead," and hung up. May that old Jewish man come to a complete knowledge of what happened to his son:Know ye not, that so many of us were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized unto His death?Therefore we are buried with Him by baptism unto death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. (Romans 6:3, 4)I am so in love with baptism that you might well call me Art the Baptist. If I can?t find a pool in which to immerse you, I?ll plunge you into your own bathtub, or into mine. Recently, after a meeting in Germany, eight believers went into the bathtub, one after the other. I did not come with any intention of doing such a thing, but they knew, after the Lord had spoken to them, that there was something required from them, an act of radical separation that could only be accomplished by going under the waters of judgement and death, and rising to newness of life in Him.In the baptism performed in spirit and truth, we are called not to a mindless religious ceremony, but to an unconditional commitment to the living Christ. Lydia knew that Paul and Silas would be leaving town in a couple days, and that she would remain there with the stigma of public baptism upon her. May God raise up Lydias for our generation, precious children of the Lord who hear His way and do it, despite the cost.

Quote:"...I am particularly concerned about these Bible verses:"MARK 16:15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.MARK 16:16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned."....Need a scriptural answer!"I really need your help and prayers! I want the RIGHT way to surrender fully to GOD." John,Perhaps this might be of use to you. It is a link to the third chapter of Watchman Nee's book, "Love Not the World". The chapter is titled "A World Under Water". Nee speaks to your request for a scriptural answer, as well as your longing for an honest and truthful surrender. In the final analysis, only you can decide whether Nee as a teacher has "rightfully divided the word of truth" for you.http://www.worldinvisible.com/library/nee/lovenottheworld/chapter%203.htmThere is some additional amplification of the whole matter in chapter 5 of Nee's "The Normal Christian Life". The chapter is titled "The Divide of the Cross".http://www.worldinvisible.com/library/nee/nchrlife/normal05.htmIn Christ's love,Roger

Do you need to be baptized before you are saved? NO. Should you get baptized? YES.MARK 16:15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.MARK 16:16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.Look carefully, he that believeth not shall be damned. Baptism is just an outward sign of an inward transaction. Just like a holy and godly life is a outward sign of the inward transaction of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit.Listen, forget the theology lesson. You say you want to surrender? Then surrender already.You sure sound repentant....do you believe?Do you really believe? If not, ask the Lord to help you believe. The good Lord has you right where He wants you: right in the palm of His hand.If none of this makes sense to you, PRAY, and ask God to explain it. HE will.Psalm 145:19 He will fulfil the desire of them that fear him: he also will hear their cry, and will save them.

When we read the bible, we tend to find scriptures we have never heard. You seem to have found some of these. When the bible says something, we must follow. Baptism is something the early christians did if you look through history and the account of the beginning of Christ's church (Acts). I can give you some references if you are interested from The Ante-Nicene fathers.

Thank you soo much for all the different angles you have brought to this question. The Bible verse below makes it clear WHY one should be baptized."ROMANS 6:3Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? ROMANS 6:4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. ROMANS 6:5 For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also [in the likeness] of [his] resurrection: ROMANS 6:6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with [him], that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. ROMANS 6:7 For he that is dead is freed from sin. ROMANS 6:8 Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: ROMANS 6:9 Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. ROMANS 6:10 For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. ROMANS 6:11 Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. I just found a pastor that will baptize me according to ACTS 2:38 "Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost."I am looking forward to the expeerince.God BlessJohnnekaras wrote:When we read the bible, we tend to find scriptures we have never heard. You seem to have found some of these. When the bible says something, we must follow. Baptism is something the early christians did if you look through history and the account of the beginning of Christ's church (Acts). I can give you some references if you are interested from The Ante-Nicene fathers.

thevoice,That's awesome! I'm curious where you live and the pastors name and what church it is. I have not run into many churchs who baptize for the forgiveness of sins.

I agree with Big Dave, "Do you need to..No...should You...Yes.." Two thoughts on the matter, my pastor frequently uses the illustration of baptism and burial. He says, "When sin comes to tempt me, I can say, 'You see that grave, over there? The old Craig Anderson (his name) is dead. You've got the wrong guy.'"Another thought, the guy who repented on the cross. Did they pull him down to "baptise" him before he could "be with (Jesus) in paradise"? Mmmmmm...