"Why do I have to be baptized? Why is it not enough to just confess with my mouth so that I am saved and have become a Christian?"
Romans 10:9 (NET) - “because if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”
This is a highly crucial topic because baptism is a direct command from the Lord Jesus Himself.
Let us discuss this slowly and systematically...
1. Why Must We Be Baptized?
Baptism is not merely a traditional ritual; rather, it holds a profound spiritual significance:
(a) The Command of the Lord Jesus (The Great Commission): Jesus commanded His disciples to make disciples of all nations and baptize them.
Matthew 28:19 (NET) - “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,”
(b) Identification with the Death and Resurrection of Christ: When a person enters into the water, it symbolizes the burial of the old self, and when they come out of the water, it symbolizes resurrection as a new creation in Christ.
Romans 6:3-4 (NET) - “Or do you not know that as many as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? Therefore we have been buried with him through baptism into death, in order that just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too may live a new life.”
(c) A Declaration of Obedience: Baptism is the first step of obedience taken by a believer to show a public commitment to follow Jesus.
(d) Receiving the Seal of Salvation: The Bible mentions that those who believe and are baptized will be saved, as a sign that we have been united with His Church.
Mark 16:16 (NET) - “The one who believes and is baptized will be saved, but the one who does not believe will be condemned.”
2. Why Is It Not Enough Just to "Confess with the Mouth"?
It is indeed true that Romans 10:9 states that if we confess with our mouth and believe in our heart, we will be saved. However, baptism and the confession of the mouth are an inseparable unity for the following reasons:
(a) Faith Without Works Is Dead: Faith (believing in the heart) must be manifested in actions of obedience. Baptism is an "act of faith" that proves that confession.
James 2:26 (NET) - “For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.”
(b) A New Birth from Water and Spirit: Jesus said to Nicodemus in John 3:5, "Unless a person is born of water and spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God." The confession of the mouth is the beginning, but baptism is the process of being legally "born" into the Kingdom of God.
John 3:5 (NET) - “Jesus answered, 'I tell you the solemn truth, unless a person is born of water and spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.'”
(c) The Wedding Ring Analogy: Confessing love with the mouth is important, but wearing a ring and conducting a wedding ceremony is the legal sign of that bond. Baptism is the legal sign (seal) that you belong to Christ.
3. Requirements for Receiving Baptism
Based on the Bible, a person cannot just be baptized arbitrarily. The primary requirements are:
(a) Repentance: Realizing one's sins and intending to leave the old life behind.
Acts 2:38 (NET) - “Peter said to them, 'Repent, and each one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.'”
(b) Faith: Having faith that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the only Savior.
Acts 2:36-37 (NET) - “Therefore let all the house of Israel know with certainty that God has made this Jesus whom you crucified both Lord and Christ.' Now when they heard this, they were acutely distressed and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, 'What should we do, brothers?'”
(c) Having One's Own Free Will: Baptism must be performed out of personal awareness, not under coercion or represented by someone else. Infant baptism, where the faith is represented by the parents, cannot be defined as biblical baptism, because that is a dedication of the child to the Lord to receive His blessings.
(d) Fully Immersed: There is no record in the Bible that baptism can be sprinkled or partially immersed. What exists is that the entire body is placed under the water because baptism symbolizes the death and resurrection of Christ. Christ did not die partially, but completely; therefore, baptism is also full immersion.
4. Case Examples: The Necessity of Baptism and Re-Baptism
(a) Re-Baptized (From John's Baptism to Jesus' Baptism)
The most specific event is recorded in Acts 19:1-7. In Ephesus, the Apostle Paul met around 12 disciples. They had already received John's baptism (a baptism of repentance), but Paul explained that they must believe in Jesus.
"When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus." (Acts 19:5)
This shows that John's baptism was merely a preparation, whereas baptism in the name of Jesus is a baptism that is full of the promise of the Holy Spirit.
(b) Other Examples
- The Ethiopian Eunuch (Acts 8:26-40): After hearing Philip's explanation of the Gospel, he immediately requested to be baptized upon seeing water. The requirement was simple: "If you believe with all your heart, you may."
- The Philippian Jailer (Acts 16:31-33): As soon as he and his entire household believed in the Lord Jesus, at that very hour (midnight) they were all baptized.
- Saul / Apostle Paul (Acts 9:18): Immediately after he was restored from his blindness and received the Lord's message through Ananias, he got up and was baptized.
5. Elevated Status: Becoming a Child
Did you know that with baptism, our status is elevated to that of a child? This is profoundly different from non-Christians and the righteous people of the Old Testament era, whose salvation status was merely as a creation, people, or servants.
It is essential to distinguish between being "saved by God's mercy" and being "adopted as a child through Christ."
Baptism is not merely an "entrance ticket to heaven," but rather an adoption document. There is a legal and spiritual shift in status that occurs when a person is baptized in the name of Christ.
(a) The Status of Righteous People in the Old Testament Era
Figures like Abraham, Moses, or David were referred to as people after God's own heart. However, technically, they were called:
- Servant of God
- People of God
- Friend of God (a special designation for Abraham)
They were saved through their faith in God's coming promise. However, because Christ had not yet died and risen, they could not yet "merge" into the body of Christ. They were under the law of a servant, not the law of a child.
(b) The Status of "Good" Non-Christians
Many people ask, "What about good people who do not know Jesus?" Theologically, we entrust that justice entirely to the sovereignty of God. However, the Bible asserts that without going through Christ, a person does not possess the birthright of a child. They may receive God's generosity as Creator, but they do not possess the intimate "Abba, Father" relationship.
You can learn the detailed answer by reading "Bible Study Material: Heaven".
(c) Why Does Baptism Change Our Status to That of a Child?
In Galatians 3:26-27, the Apostle Paul explains the relationship between faith, baptism, and the status of a child:
"For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ."
This is the reason why baptism changes our status:
Clothed with Christ: When we are baptized, we are "wrapped" or "clothed" by Christ. God the Father no longer sees us as strangers or servants, but He sees His only begotten Son in us.
Unity in Death and Resurrection: The people of the Old Testament era did not experience "dying together with Jesus." Through baptism, we spiritually enter into His death and rise with Him (Romans 6:5). Because Jesus is the Son, we who are united with Him automatically become children as well.
Romans 6:5 (NET) - “For if we have become united with him in the likeness of his death, we will certainly also be united in the likeness of his resurrection.”
The Right to an Inheritance: A servant might live in his master's house and be fed, but only a Child is entitled to receive an inheritance. Baptism marks us as heirs to the kingdom of heaven.
Galatians 4:7 (NET) - “So you are no longer a slave but a son, and if you are a son, then you are also an heir through God.”
Status Comparison Table
|
CATEGORY |
RELATIONSHIP STATUS |
BASIS OF RELATIONSHIP |
|
Old
Testament Figures |
Servant / Faithful People |
Obedience to Law & Promise |
|
Good
People (General) |
Creation / Stranger |
God's General Mercy |
|
Baptized
Believers |
Child / Heir |
Union with the Body of Christ |
So, is it now clear why we must be baptized and what happens to our status after being baptized?
Awan (Andreas Hermawan)