During my walk with the Lord, I have met many “church-going” people who have told me that baptism isn’t necessary. So, let’s look at this subject according to the Word of God.
As Christians, we don’t want to teach anything more or less than what the Lord has given to us. “Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:19). Keeping that in mind, let’s look once again at how the first Church handled “new conversions.”
As mentioned before, on the first day of the Church, Peter told those who asked what to do to -- “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of your sins ...” (Acts 2:38). In verse 42, we are told that the believers of that day “continued steadfastly in the Apostles’ doctrine ...” It also says in that same chapter, “Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.” (Acts 2:41).
What I often hear in my walk today from people who don’t think baptism is necessary to be saved is: “Well, what if someone repents today and they are killed in an accident on the way home from church?” or, “What if the Lord comes before someone who believes gets baptized?” I find these questions somewhat contentious. Most people are attending a fellowship week after week, and there is no reason to put off baptism for one minute if a person believes and has repented. Is there anything more important to do in a “church service?” So what if we miss a song or church banquet -- just what is more important? As for hypothesis number two, we all know that the Lord hasn’t returned yet, and until he does, we need to be preaching the truth and baptizing new converts without delay.
As noted, on the first day of Church, the people that believed were baptized that day, about three thousand souls ... and they did it gladly. As we study what was first done in the Church according to the Word of God, notice that the first Christians never hesitated in baptizing a person when that person believed and repented. Baptism was done immediately upon a person’s confession of faith in Jesus Christ. Should we do any less?
As mentioned before, the Samaritans believed what Philip preached concerning the kingdom of God, and were immediately baptized in the name of Jesus Christ (Acts 8:12). Directly following the Samaritan revival, we find Philip preaching the Word to the Eunuch of Queen Candace of Ethiopia, whom Philip found reading Isaiah. In Acts 8:35, it says, “Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus.” In the very next verse, the eunuch said to Philip, “See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?” Although the Word of God does not record exactly what Philip preached to the eunuch, we know from the eunuch’s question that Philip did tell him about the importance of baptism. When the eunuch confessed that he believed in Jesus Christ, Philip immediately commanded the chariot to be stopped and he baptized the eunuch (Acts 8:37-40). There wasn’t any monkeying around going on here. The eunuch didn’t have to fill out a church membership card or take a six-week Bible study before he was “eligible to join the church.” He did need to be baptized, though. The first Church operated with expediency, emergency and urgency. They worked the Lord’s work as though He would return any day. Two thousand years later, the Church often operates (myself included) like she has all the time in eternity.
When Paul testified of his own conversion to the Jews in Jerusalem, he recalled how Ananias had said to him, “And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.” Acts 22:16 There was no reason to tarry with baptism or not do it, even though it was the Apostle Paul. It was done immediately.
When the first Gentiles believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, Peter commanded that they be baptized in the name of the Lord (Acts 10:44-48).
“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house,” was what Paul told the jailer and his family when asked how to be saved. Did Paul stop there? No. “And he [the jailer] took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he [the jailer] and all his, straightway” (Acts 16:33). If a person believes, that person should be baptized, straightway.
As mentioned earlier, Paul rebaptized disciples who had been baptized another way than in the name of Jesus Christ. He did it immediately (Acts 19:1-7).
Consistently, the first Church baptized people who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ. They did not tarry. They did it one way, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and they did it immediately. There is no reason to hesitate; the Apostles never did. Please consider these further scriptures as you ponder the necessity of baptism or tell people that they don’t have to be baptized to be saved. Remember, the apostles never told anyone that they didn’t have to be baptized to be saved. Their very actions of consistently baptizing new believers immediately, show how important and mandatory baptism was (and is).
“Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death: 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. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection” (Romans 6:1-5).
“For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison; Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a-preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water. The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 3:18-21).
“For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ” (Galatians 3:27).
“And Jesus said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned” (Mark 16:15-16).
“Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of the water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God” (John 3:5).
As for the last scripture, I have had people tell me that being born of the water means the breaking of the water when a baby is born. If this were so, Jesus would not have told us that it must be done, because that is something that happens to everyone. “That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit” (John 3:6). The birth process of the flesh was separate from the birth process of the Spirit (into God’s Kingdom); and Jesus was trying to make that very clear the night that he discussed it with Nicodemus.