Do I Have To Be Baptized?

Mark 16:16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.

Jesus expects us to be baptized. He said so Himself in the scripture above. What does “baptize” mean? A simple search online for the definition of baptize gives this: 1. to immerse in water or sprinkle or pour water on in the Christian rite of baptism: 2. to cleanse spiritually; initiate or dedicate by purifying. 3. to give a name to at baptism; christen.

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance is a great study tool!

That sounds simple enough, but we have to remember that the Bible was not written in English. It was translated into English. The Old Testament was written in Hebrew. The New Testament was written in Greek and Aramaic. To find the meaning of an original word in the Bible, we need to use a study tool, the Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance. This is my favorite aid when studying the Bible. I plan to do a post just on the Strong’s Concordance and all the different ways it can be used to help us study God’s word.

But for now, let’s see what the meaning of the original word for “baptized” is. One definition says to “dip repeatedly, to immerse, to submerge (of vessels sunk).” You can check out the full definition here. The definition of the English word includes “to sprinkle or pour water…” but the Greek definition only lists “dip, immerse, to submerge.” I’m including this because I firmly believe that baptism is done through full submersion in water. I don’t believe baptism was ever performed by simply sprinkling/pouring water on someone in the Bible. I also don’t believe in infant baptism. I think baptism must be a result of repentance and salvation. It is something we choose to do.

You may be wondering, “do I have to be baptized to go to Heaven?” The short answer is no. The only requirement for salvation is faith, belief, trust in Jesus, and true repentance of our sin. Jesus was crucified with two other men. They were sinners. One mocked Jesus, but the other was repentant. Jesus promised the repentant sinner that he would be in Paradise with Jesus that day. There was no baptism performed here.

Jesus showed mercy even in the midst of His death on the cross

Luke23:39 And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us. 40 But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? 41 And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss. 42 And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. 43 And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise.

Why should we be baptized then? That’s a good question. There are a couple of different reasons why we should get baptized if we’re able to. Jesus was baptized, so we should try to follow His example. Jesus commanded us to be baptized, so we should try to be obedient. Getting baptized is a way to show our faith. And baptism is symbolic of what Jesus did for us. Let me explain each a little more:

Jesus was baptized

Luke 3:21-22 Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass, that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened, And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.

Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist. When He came up out of the water the Holy Ghost, like a dove, landed on Him. God said, “I am pleased in you, Son”. Jesus didn’t have to be baptized. Baptism is a showing of repentance. Jesus didn’t have anything to repent of, but He still was baptized. We ought to try to follow Jesus’ example whenever we can.

Jesus commanded us to be baptized

Matthew 28:19-20 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.

Jesus gave His disciples instructions before He went back to Heaven. He wants the Gospel “taught” in all nations, i.e. the world, and He wants all nations, i.e. believers, to be baptized and taught to observe (pay attention to) everything He commanded. He then promised He would be with them (us too) until the very end of this age.

Peter taught the same thing when the Church was getting started, not long after Jesus went back to Heaven.

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.

Baptism shows our faith

Galatians 3:26-27 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

When I was baptized, I was showing that I had faith in the salvation that was being promised to me. It was an outward act to show an inward change. The Bible says that faith without works is dead:

James 2:17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. 18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.

I want to be clear on this verse in James. We are not saved by works. We can never do anything to earn our salvation. It is a free gift from God. We put our faith in what Jesus did for us, in His sacrifice, in the divine trade He made with us. But, when we have that kind of faith, then good works are a direct result of that. When I believe (have faith in) that I am saved, this produces good works. It’s never that good works produce salvation. When I was baptized, it was a result of my belief (faith) Jesus had saved me. I did not get baptized hoping that baptism would save me. Make sense?

Baptism is symbolic

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. 5 For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:

Baptism is symbolic of what happens when we get saved. By going under the water, we are demonstrating that we are dead to sin, dead to ourselves, and dead to the person we used to be. When we come up out of the water we are showing the resurrection. Just like Jesus rose from the grave, we too will rise again at the end of the age. Every believer in Jesus will get a brand new, glorified, body. If we are in the grave when He returns, we will bust that grave wide-open. If we are alive, then we will be changed immediately, in the twinkling of an eye:

1 Corinthians 15:51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

I said all of that to say this. If you can get baptized, you should. If you are able to be baptized, why wouldn’t you? As far as I can tell, this isn’t a black and white subject. Not every person, situation, or circumstance is the same. Some people are bed-ridden and can't be baptized. Sometimes salvation happens when a person is on their deathbed. Some people have an absolute phobia of going underwater. God can help them overcome that fear. He’s God. He can do anything. He’s also compassionate and merciful. He didn’t require the thief on the cross next to Jesus to be baptized. God understands our humanity way more than we give Him credit for.

Until next time. Keep on Keepin’ on for Jesus!