Baptism

[JohnDB]

Sounds right but it's not a good analogy. If you are born again, you already have the prize. If you are wise, you learn what the great salvation entails. Those who are born again are already winners, not by their efforts but because of what Lord Jesus has done. It's more like one of those competitions where the prize is a glorious mansion. To get the best out of it, you explore every room, all the features and the grounds that surround it.

Some Christians think they have to wait to get to heaven to get God's salvation. That is not true.

Ephesians 1:

…17that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in your knowledge of Him. 18I ask that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you may know the hope of His calling, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints, 19and the surpassing greatness of His power to us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of His mighty strength,…

We need to see what God has done for us in Christ here and now, not in the sweet by and by.

One of the things that I found odd was that people in history often waited to be Baptized.
Constantine himself waited until 3 days before his death before he got baptized to ensure that he couldn't sin afterwards and defile his salvation.

Another long standing tradition was to fast and pray for a period of time (days to weeks) before being baptized.

Today the only group I'm aware of is the evangelical church in former Soviet Union countries...they require classes of two years before they will baptize anyone. Similar to what D.L. Moody had to go through to get his church membership and Baptism. (He was supposed to finish within a year but had to repeat the year)

Today's environment is a bit different. It isn't exactly a prize to attain in most people's estimation. It's offered so freely anymore that most churches are begging to baptize anyone.

And of course the resulting attitude of congregants is expected...(I don't need to be baptized, especially by you)

 

[Gideon300]

One of the things that I found odd was that people in history often waited to be Baptized.
Constantine himself waited until 3 days before his death before he got baptized to ensure that he couldn't sin afterwards and defile his salvation.

Another long standing tradition was to fast and pray for a period of time (days to weeks) before being baptized.

Today the only group I'm aware of is the evangelical church in former Soviet Union countries...they require classes of two years before they will baptize anyone. Similar to what D.L. Moody had to go through to get his church membership and Baptism. (He was supposed to finish within a year but had to repeat the year)

Today's environment is a bit different. It isn't exactly a prize to attain in most people's estimation. It's offered so freely anymore that most churches are begging to baptize anyone.

And of course the resulting attitude of congregants is expected...(I don't need to be baptized, especially by you)

I knew nothing about baptism at the time I was born again. My only church experience was Anglican. I knew that I should go to church, but I could not stomach an Anglican church. A Baptist church was down the road from the Anglican so I went there. I learned about baptism and eventually was baptised.

I think people should be taught the reasons for baptism and spiritual value, but it is an important step and should be as soon as the believer is comfortable. I do object to pretenders being baptised. I don't recall any delays in the early church; the opposite.

Constantine obviously had a pretty shallow knowledge of what it means to be saved. Or what sin is for that matter.

 

[JohnDB]

I knew nothing about baptism at the time I was born again. My only church experience was Anglican. I knew that I should go to church, but I could not stomach an Anglican church. A Baptist church was down the road from the Anglican so I went there. I learned about baptism and eventually was baptised.

I think people should be taught the reasons for baptism and spiritual value, but it is an important step and should be as soon as the believer is comfortable. I do object to pretenders being baptised. I don't recall any delays in the early church; the opposite.

Constantine obviously had a pretty shallow knowledge of what it means to be saved. Or what sin is for that matter.

You are correct...in the very first hundred years to three hundred years of the church there weren't any delays that I can remember being recorded. But I do know that somehow somewhere in that first three hundred years a delay was instituted.
The delay has been in place for thousands of years since. Only around the mid 1900's did it begin to change...,(hippies)
People believed but weren't Baptized.

Just recalling history.

 

[Lanolin]

Hello do people have to be baptised in water to go to heaven?

the baptism needs to be done in Jesus name and living water represents the Holy Spirit, which you will receive upon baptism. Ideally it is done at the same time but ONLY if you truly believe.

Jesus was baptised in the river Jordan by his cousin John. John was like what I dont need to baptise you (cos he was already sinless) but Jesus did it to obey his Father. The Holy Spirit then fell on him like a dove.

John did turn away Pharisees who wanted to be baptised but hadnt actually repented. So its important to do both repent (believe) and be baptised.