BAPTISM IS A VERY IMPORTANT SACRAMENT IN THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST
Sakkie Parsons
Translated from Afrikaans
Translator: Robin Barker
Someone wrote to me:
“One question please? Must we be baptized to be saved? Thank you”
Let me begin by saying:
Firstly we must realize that baptism is not the key to heaven. You are also not going to go to hell if you have not been baptized, or because you have been baptized incorrectly.
The determining factor, to put it that way, about what your end destination will be, is if you truly have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour. In other words, is Jesus truly Lord in your life. I give you one example from the Word:
JOHN 3:16-18
16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.
17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.
18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.
Having said this, I want to clearly state that for me baptism is one of the most important parts of the gospel of Jesus Christ but I will come to that just now.
Come let me first show you something about the wonderful great very great loving grace of our Lord concerning this matter.
We read:
LUKE 23:42 Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”
LUKE 23:42 Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
Here are a few facts that standout about the murderer who hung on the cross next to Jesus that I am going to point out for you.
Firstly, because this writing is about baptism and if baptism will save you –
That man was not baptised.
There is still actually another very important aspect (as one could assume, or humanly speaking) of the gospel of Jesus that was lacking with him.
He also had not confessed his sins. He did not even say ‘excuse me’ or something like that. No, he only said:
… “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”
Still he is in Heaven today, because Jesus saw into his heart and Jesus answered:
“Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
You see – Jesus saw the man’s true repentance in his heart and then naturally also the situation that the man found himself in at that moment and that is why the man heard:
… “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
Think about all the people that you will see in heaven, which on their death beds, or on the battlefield or on death row have come to conversion/repentance.
I am going to share with you another instance from the Word where we can clearly see that people are saved without being baptised and you can read the complete history around this for yourself, and to what, to put it that way, extremes our Lord went to, to get the gospel to them, from ACTS 10:1 but I am only going to quote from verse 44 for you.
Now our Lord sent Peter to the people and he proclaimed the gospel to them and then we read:
ACTS 10:44-48
44 While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message.
45 The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on Gentiles.
46 For they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God. Then Peter said,
47 “Surely no one can stand in the way of their being baptized with water. They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have.”
48 So he ordered that they be baptized in the Name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked Peter to stay with them for a few days.
Therefore –
No, baptism does not save us but baptism is a very important sacrament in the gospel of Jesus Christ.
For me baptism is a sharing/declaration/statement in public to all people, spirits and powers:
“In this representation of the burial of my previous self and the resurrection of the new person, I testify:
“I believe that Jesus died on the cross for my sins.
I believe that He was buried.
I believe that He rose from the dead.
I accepted this Jesus, God who became man, as my Redeemer and Saviour.
The old Sakkie is now dead.
I am now a new blood washed child of God, a disciple of Jesus.”
ROMANS 6:4-8
4 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.
5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his.
6 For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin—
7 because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.
8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.
Let me show you how important part of Jesus’ Gospel is my baptism where I and I alone decide whether to be, or not to be baptized:
Jesus, God who became man, who will never say anything just to say something and who, if He says something in a certain way, or in a specific order, we must thoroughly take notice of what He is saying – He gives us, you and me as children of God, the following command and then He is very specific in which order we must undertake the command:
MATTHEW 28:19-20
19 Therefore go (and then firstly) and make disciples of all nations, (then afterwards, secondly) baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
20 (then thirdly, make them spiritually strong) and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely (while you are doing this) I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Now there are people who have accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour and they are doing little or even almost nothing regarding the command given in MATTHEW 28:19 and not because it has been made difficult for them, but according to them it is just the way it is. (They just don’t really care about getting baptized.)
I want to very clearly state, in my closing regarding this matter.
In spite of what some people proclaim, we are going – and now I am only speaking about our Lord’s children – not have the same, to put it that way, reception in Heaven. Generally because we do not all build, on the only foundation that we can build on, in the same way.
1 CORINTHIANS 3:11-15
11 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.
12 If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw,
13 their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work.
14 If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward.
15 If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames.
I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Saviour and I am going to heaven but I determine this through my life on earth, what sort of reception and reward I will receive. So child of God – Look at what kind of life you are living and then with what you have just read also remember what Jesus personally said concerning this:
REV 22:12 “Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done.
REV 22:13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.”
What I have written thus far is naturally only applicable to those of us who have accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour.
For those people who have not wanted to accept Jesus as their Lord and Saviour, another completely different certainty will apply to them.
MAT 3:12 “His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat (this is all of us who have accepted Jesus as Redeemer and Saviour) into the barn and burning up the chaff (this is everyone who did not want to accept Jesus as their Redeemer and Saviour) with unquenchable fire.”
Other questions and answers about baptism that I will send to you with pleasure on your request thereof:
1. Is baptism part of the Gospel? – Is die doop deel van die Evangelie?
2. I was baptized as a child, do I need to be baptized again? – Ek is klein gedoop, moet ek weer gedoop word?
3. Must I be baptized again? – Moet ek my weer laat doop?
4. About baptism – Oor die doop