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שאלות נפוצות על האמונה הנוצרית

נושא 4: שאלות נפוצות מקוראי ספרינו

4-6. I know through your teachings that the baptism of Jesus is indispensable to our salvation. Then, how about the water baptism of the believers? Is it also a must to every saint? And furthermore, I have no idea whether there is any born-again minister, in my neighborhood, who can baptize me.

As you have read on our web site, the water baptism of believers is merely a physical confession of believers in the gospel of the water and the Spirit. With this baptismal ceremony, in other words, the born-again can profess their faith in the perfect salvation, which Jesus Christ has completed through His baptism and crucifixion.
We all can be born again when we confess our sinfulness, acknowledge our fate destined to hell, and have faith in the gospel of the water and the Spirit. That`s it.
Then, what a water baptism of a believer for? Is it useless any more? Of course, it cannot be an indispensable condition of our salvation, but we should remember that it is a recommendation of our Lord Jesus (Matthew 28:19).
So, you`d better receive baptism as long as you can. But, as you told me, you need to meet someone who has been born again of water and the Spirit. If there is a born again saint among your acquaintances, you can ask him to baptize you. You have to profess your faith in Jesus` baptism and His death on the Cross prior to the ceremony. And then the person has to declare below sentence while laying his hands on your head:
"By the name of God the Father, of Jesus Christ the Son, and the Holy Spirit, I baptize you, brother Colin." Biblical baptism is to be done by full immersion.
The baptism of the believers is trust worthy just as we find a husband and wife a legal couple through a wedding ceremony. As such, the baptismal ceremony of the saints is an outward proclamation of such inward belief. When we proclaim our belief in His baptism and the Cross in front of God, saints, and the world through our water baptism, our belief becomes more immutable.
However, you should not forget the fact that Abraham received the sign of circumcision long after he was approved to be righteous by his faith while he was still uncircumcised (Romans 4:11). In other words, God gave him the circumcision as the mark of salvation, which he had already attained through his faith in His Word.
Likewise, the water baptism is an outward ceremony of the born-again who have receive the remission of their sins through their faith in His baptism and crucifixion.