What Do I Need To Know?

What do I need to know about baptism?

You may say, well baptism is when a christian believer gives public testimony that they are now a follower of Jesus Christ.

However, there are many other religious groups that have a different idea about baptism.

One group will say that babies should be baptized because through baptism they are born again and receive forgiveness of sins.

Another group will say that you must be baptized but that you can also be baptized on behalf of the dead. In this religion, you are immersed on behalf of someone that has already died so that although they are dead, they can have an opportunity to believe in the gospel of Jesus according to the Book of Mormon.

Another group says that you must be baptized in Jesus Name but if you are baptized in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit you are still considered a guilty sinner before the presence of God.

…this can be so confusing that some people get frustrated and decide they really don’t care - after all, who knows what baptism really is.

However, in the end - we must realize that these four ideas about baptism cannot all be right.

How do we know what baptism is and what it represents? We go to the Bible.

We believe that it is important to make sure that our beliefs are in line with the Word of God.

Our beliefs should never be against what the Bible teaches.

Our beliefs should always be determined by the Bible.

For this reason, we place a special emphasis on teaching and studying God’s Word:

Teaching through the preaching of the Word of God and Sunday School.

Reading the Bible through an annual Bible reading plan.

Preaching focused on explaining he Bible as we go through entire books of the Bible.

…this is all done to ensure that we grow in our knowledge of God.

Paul came upon certain disciples who had a wrong understanding about God.

If I were to say, we believe that God there is one God and he has revealed himself as Father, Son, and…Holy Spirit.

…you would not say… “…Holy What?”

However, these disciples said that very thing:

Hechos de los Apóstoles 19:1–2 NIV

1 While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus. There he found some disciples 2 and asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” They answered, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”

These disciples had now idea that there was a Holy Spirit.

Then, when Paul asks them how where they baptized, they answered.

Hechos de los Apóstoles 19:3 NIV

3 So Paul asked, “Then what baptism did you receive?” “John’s baptism,” they replied.

…so Paul goes on to help them better understand God’s plan of salvation.

God the Father, sent his son Jesus Christ to die on the cross on our behalf, and all those who believe in Jesus are baptized / indwelt by the Holy Spirit. God’s Holy Spirit lives within each believer so that we may live a holy obedient life and be faithful until the end.

He also explained to them that all who believe in Jesus are baptized in water as a public testimony that they are now a follower of Jesus.

Sometimes it seems that there is so much to learn about God, the Bible is such a large book, and there is so much we do not yet know or understand.

Nevertheless, we should pray that God will help us know him more.

We should pray that he will give us wisdom and understanding as his word is taught and explained so that we may grow in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.