Baptism does not save you, but more importantly, I am only echoing what Scripture clearly states.

Bob sims

On June 8th,1979, I entered this world five minutes after my twin sister Becky. Side note: I was the last of four children, and as a practicing Catholic, my mom held onto her rosary beads as she delivered my siblings. Why did she not hold her rosary beads when she gave birth to me? She did not know that she was having twins, so when the doctor informed her about me, she dropped the rosary beads on the delivery room floor. But I digress. Soon after my sister and I were born, we were baptized at St. Louis Catholic church; incidentally, that is where I eventually attended Catholic grade school. What is the point you are probably thinking? I am getting there. So I was baptized as an infant into the Catholic Church; no accident would land me in limbus infantium.

I am purposefully speaking tongue-in-cheek. Even before I became a Christian, I always thought infant baptism seemed too good to be true. I reasoned that if infant Baptism achieved eternity in Heaven, what would be the point of attending church, praying, and doing “church stuff”? I thought if you receive the golden ticket to the mansion on the hilltop only days into your life on earth, wouldn’t that negate the entire concept of Christianity? It just did not add up, and I barely even believed in God when I began to make these realizations. However, my opinion of Baptism in general soon would dramatically change.

When I came to faith in the Lord Jesus, it was a shock to my family. Both my father and stepmom were Catholics-not practicing Catholics. My conversion occurred at the tail end of my Senior year in high school. Soon after I was saved, the pastor at my church shared that I should be baptized again; he called it “Believer’s baptism” and added that it was the first public statement of faith I needed to make. And so, I was baptized.

Baptism does not save you, but more importantly, I am only echoing what Scripture teaches. I do not embrace the idea of “baptismal regeneration, the notion that “baptism affects a transformation, bringing a person from spiritual death to life”. [1] Baptism is best described as a picture of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ[2]. In other words, it is a picture of the Gospel. Baptism, rightly, is only for believers. Those persons who have placed their trust and faith in Jesus are whom baptism is reserved for.[3] Furthermore, baptism should be by immersion for the original Greek word baptizo, which means to immerse, is the only word within Scripture to describe Christian baptism. The word is not even translated; rather it is transliterated. There is no way around it; the word means to immerse or dunk.

Lastly, believers should be baptized because they are mandated to (Mt 28:19). If Jesus is their Lord, the new believer should follow His commands and be baptized (Jn 14:15). I have witnessed many new believers struggle with following through with baptism. Still, when they do, many will share that they wished they had done it sooner. Also, when a believer is baptized, it conveys the message of the Gospel and shows their lost friends and family that they are walking in the newness of life in which they now live (Rm 6:4)!
Because of Him,
Bob
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[1] Millard J. Erickson, Christian Theology, 3rd ed (Grand Rapids, Mich: Baker Academic, 2013), 1018.

[2]  Romans 6:4-7, Therefore we were buried with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too may walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in the likeness of his death, we will certainly also be in the likeness of his resurrection. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be rendered powerless so that we may no longer be enslaved to sin, since a person who has died is freed from sin.

[3] Acts 2:41, So those who accepted his message were baptized, and that day about three thousand people were added to them.

Acts 10:46-47, For they heard them speaking in tongues and declaring the greatness of God. Then Peter responded, “Can anyone withhold water and prevent these people from being baptized, who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?”

Acts 16:31-33, They said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.” And they spoke the word of the Lord to him along with everyone in his house. He took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds. Right away he and all his family were baptized.