Answers about baptism

Who carried out the first baptism in the Bible?

The first baptisms mentioned in the Bible are those carried out by John the Baptist. People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River. (Matthew 3:5-6) The first baptisms into Jesus Christ, carried out after [...]

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Is the baptism Jesus commands (Mat. 28:19-20) of man or of God?

All that Jesus taught was from God (John 14:10), so his command about baptism is from God.

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How do we obtain salvation?

You ask how a carnal man can get saved — a question prompted by your reading of Romans 8:5-8.  God offers the gift of salvation to those who believe the Gospel repent and turn from their evil ways then are baptised into Jesus Christ obey God and Jesus and strive everyday to serve them, leaving [...]

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Will God forgive those who are not baptised if they ask him to?

There is a series of events recorded in Acts 10 that will help to answer this question. In Acts 10 there is a man called Cornelius who, although he is described as ‘a devout man who feared God’ (v2), isn’t baptised. However, even though he isn’t baptised, God still hears his prayers: About the ninth [...]

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Do Christians today receive the Holy Spirit around the time of their baptism like they did in Acts?

Yes. Acts 2:38 And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far [...]

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How does God view sins after we are baptised?

God is disappointed whenever we sin, before or after baptism. But he promises forgiveness for our sins. When we are baptised, our sins are “washed away” (Acts 2:38; 22:16; 1 Peter 3:21). So anything we have done before then is wiped clean and God no longer sees us as sinners, but as his children, faithfully trying [...]

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Is it possible for a person to be baptized secretly without announcing it publicly?

There is no explicit requirement for a public confession or baptism, nor is there any prohibition of doing it in secret. Timothy’s “confession” (usually meaning the baptism and its proclamation) is described in 1 Timothy 6: Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and [...]

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What does “baptized for the dead” mean?

The following verse has perplexed many Bible readers. It is even the reason why the Mormon church has actually literally conducted baptismal rites for dead people (and in the process created genealogical databases of great use to people researching their family history). For other Christians the verse is simply an enigma… 1 Corinthians 15:29 Otherwise, what [...]

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Do we have to be baptised to enter the kingdom of God?

Belief in the gospel, repentance from sin, and baptism (by full immersion) into Christ, are all part of the process of salvation: Matthew 28:19, Mark 16:16, John 3:23, Acts 2:38; 10:47; 16:31-33; 22:16; Romans 6:1-6, Galatians 3:27-29, Colossians 2:12, Ephesians 4:5, 1 Peter 3:21. We are called on to be baptized as a public demonstration of [...]

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Was the thief on the cross baptised?

We have a few equally valid possibilities here. It’s possible that the thief on the cross (Luke 23:40-43) was baptised before he was crucified. It’s also possible that Jesus made an exception for the thief because the opportunity for baptism was not present. However, Jesus’ clear instruction to us is “Whoever believes and is baptized [...]

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