Ceo and Business
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Elders,
Ive been asked to respond to the question “how would I counsel someone who wanted to be a Christian but did not want to be baptized”.
To be complete, Ill lay out the three requirements for salvation as I understand them. First is faith. I wont spend much time on this as I believe we are all probably in agreement that faith is the foundation and first tenant of our salvation. Ephesians 2:8 says that we are saved by grace through faith. Salvation is a gift from God through his son and our belief in him; his virgin birth, deity, crucifixion, resurrection and return are fundamental to our beliefs. Exclusion of any of these is not consistent with scriptures. We have done nothing to earn or deserve salvation.
The second requirement for salvation is repentance (Luke 13:5, 2 Cor 7:10). By sinning we have turned from God. If we are indeed new creations in Christ we must return to God by turning away from our sins (repenting). Unfortunately, because we are still human and imperfect we will sin even as Christians. However, if we deliberately continue to sin, no sacrifice for sins remains for us (Heb 10:26). Repentance therefore is an intentional and ongoing act where we turn from our sins back to a right relationship with God. As Christians, our response to our sin is different that our response was as an unbeliever.
The final tenant of baptism certainly is the most contentious amongst scholars and is the subject of much discussion. I believe that the short answer to how we should teach baptism is that it is an essential component of salvation and cannot be denied, modified or ignored. Nowhere in the New Testament is the concept of an un-baptized believer presented. Baptism was commanded by Jesus as part of the great commission in Matthew 28:19, Jesus himself was baptized as were the disciples, believers and Paul (Luke 3:21, Acts 8:36). Acts 2:38 and 22:16 state that we are to repent and be baptized for the forgiveness of our sins. Mark 16:16 summarizes the thought by saying that whoever believes and is baptized will be saved. These verses are pretty clear that baptism is an undeniable component of salvation. The contention however, comes when trying to reconcile these verses with others in the New Testament that do not mention baptism as a requirement for salvation (i.e., 1 John 1:9, Eph 2:8, John 3:16, and others) along with the concept that we cannot earn our salvation by works or rituals (Gal 2:16).
I would reconcile it like this. There is nothing we can do to earn or deserve our salvation. However, a true believer is motivated to be baptized. He or she wants to follow Jesus commands and be baptized. Faith comes first but must be followed by baptism. I would tell anyone who came to me wanting to be a Christian without being baptized that this was not consistent with scripture and is an indication that their faith