WHAT ABOUT PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT BAPTIZED AT ALL, BUT DO BELIEVE?
Sakkie Parsons
Someone writes to me the following in response to my writing: “Distortion of the Word concerning baptism and baptism by immersion.” What about people who are not baptized at all, but who do believe?
Regarding your question, I would then immediately begin by saying: No one goes to hell because you were not baptized by immersion or by any other method.
The determining factor that will determine where you and I will spend eternity is how we arrive on the other side of the grave.
In other words— Do I arrive on the other side of the grave with Jesus, that is, with Jesus’ Holy Spirit dwelling in me?
Or do I arrive on the other side of the grave without Jesus in my life? In other words, without having sincerely accepted Jesus as my Lord and Saviour.
There are many people in this life who have accepted Jesus as their Saviour and Redeemer and then exchanged this temporary life for eternity before they could get to a baptismal pool/service or had an opportunity to be baptized—and He knows this.
Just think of the man on the cross next to Jesus:
LUKE 23:39-43
39 And one of the criminals who was hanging there blasphemed Him, saying: If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us. 40 But the other one answered and rebuked him, saying: Do you not fear God, seeing that you are under the same condemnation?—
41 and we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward for our deeds; but He has done nothing wrong. 42 And he said to Jesus: Remember me, Lord, when You come into Your kingdom. (and Jesus sees the man’s repentance and surrender in his heart)
43 And Jesus answered him: Truly I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.
There are also many, many more people who will arrive on the other side of the grave who were baptized and did not truly accept Jesus as their Saviour and Redeemer—and that is a terribly tragic thought.
There are also many people who were baptized incorrectly, but who, thank God, truly and sincerely accepted Jesus, and they will not arrive on the other side of the grave without Jesus. We also have an example in our Lord’s precious Word of people who sincerely accepted Jesus but were unfortunately baptized incorrectly:
ACTS 19:1-5
1 And while Apollos was in Corinth, Paul travelled through the upper regions and came to Ephesus; and there he found some disciples 2 and asked them: Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed? And they answered him: We have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit. 3 And he asked them: With what baptism, then, were you baptized? And they answered: With the baptism of John. 4 Then Paul said: John indeed baptized with the baptism of repentance and told the people that they should believe in the One who was to come after him, that is, in Christ Jesus. 5 And when they heard this, they were baptized in the Name of the Lord Jesus.
What I must take thorough note of when it comes to baptism, but which applies to my entire way of life after I have accepted Jesus as my Lord and Saviour, is the following: The closer you live to the Word, as it is recorded for us in the Word, the closer we live to our Lord Jesus Christ—and then, and this is just ordinary logic, the better we can hear His voice and the better our relationship with Him.
For me, the best and clearest example of how we should be baptized—and that repentance and baptism go hand in hand—is the following—and it is also the first description of how, and in what order in relation to the water, it should be done, and praise the name of our Saviour and Redeemer! When baptism was first done in this way, approximately 3,000 people were baptized in this way:
ACTS 2:36 Let the whole house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.
ACTS 2:37 Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles: What shall we do, brothers?
Here now follows the correct instruction as to how it should be done, if it is done completely correctly:
ACTS 2:38-41
38 And Peter said to them: Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the Name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
39 For the promise is to you and your children and to all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself. 40 And with many other words he testified and exhorted them, saying: Save yourselves from this crooked generation. 41 Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and about three thousand souls were added that day.
I also repeat this very important instruction from the NLV, which I love so much:
ACTS 2:37-39
37 Peter’s words deeply touched them. They then asked Peter and the other apostles: “Dear fellow countrymen, what must we do?”
Here is the absolutely correct way in which people should be baptized:
38 Peter answered them: “Repent and make things right with God. (and then, after you have done this) Let yourselves be baptized in the Name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven, and you will receive the Holy Spirit as a gift.
39 This promise is intended for you and your children, and even for the non-Jews—all whom the Lord our God will call to Himself.” (we must simply be obedient when our Lord calls us to Himself)
Now we know what the exact manner was in which it was done, but the question is also: We know that it was accompanied by water, but how was it accompanied by water?
Well, I share with you the following two examples from our Lord’s precious Word, and then you decide for yourself prayerfully, allowing the Holy Spirit to lead you as to how it should take place:
ACTS 8:34-39
34 And the eunuch answered and said to Philip: I ask you, of whom does the prophet say this, of himself or of someone else? 35 Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning from this Scripture, he preached the gospel of Jesus to him.36 And as they travelled along the road, they came to some water; and the eunuch said to him: There is water; what prevents me from being baptized? 37 Then Philip said: If you believe with all your heart, it is permitted. And he answered and said: I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. 38 And he commanded that the chariot should stop; and they both went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him. 39 And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him anymore, for he went on his way rejoicing.
Now I share with you another example, of which I have good knowledge, because I was there, hopelessly lost:
TITUS 3:3-6
3 For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, going astray, enslaved to all kinds of desires and pleasures; we lived in wickedness and envy; we were hateful and hated one another.
4 But when the kindness of God our Saviour and His love toward mankind appeared—
5 not because of works of righteousness which we had done, but according to His mercy He saved us through the washing of regeneration and renewal by the Holy Spirit
6 whom He poured out richly upon us through Jesus Christ our Saviour;
Now, to the best of my ability, I have tried to explain to you how you ought to be baptized. Are you not baptized in this way? Well, you will not go to hell because you were not baptized in this way—but you will certainly go to hell if you arrive on the other side of the grave without Jesus’ Holy Spirit in you.
If you arrive on the other side of the grave and Jesus is with you, then, so to speak, the gates of heaven will open for you; and if you arrive on the other side of the grave without Jesus, then the gates of hell will open for you and, so to speak, swallow you up, and you will die the most terrible death forever and yet never die.
So, make sure in your heart that you have accepted Jesus as your Lord and Saviour.
If you are uncertain whether you have already accepted Jesus as your Lord and Saviour, then you have not yet accepted Him in all sincerity as your Saviour and Redeemer, and that is probably the reason why you have now read this far.
He is standing here again today, right where you are reading, and you hear His voice in your heart where He says to you:
REV 3:20 Look, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. (that is, to be happily together throughout eternity)
Listen carefully to this:
HEB 3:7 Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says: Today, if you hear His voice,
HEB 3:8 do not harden your hearts …
You can also read more about baptism, which connects beautifully with your question, in the following writing: “Baptism Is a Very Important Sacrament in the Gospel of Jesus Christ,” which I would gladly send to you on request, and there is even more about this subject on my website.
Greetings,
Sakkie