Where In The  Bible Will I Find: The Importance Of Baptism?  By:  Gary Colley Date:  June 30, 2002 Past/Future Articles

We will not live long enough to know everything in the world, but we should seek to know the book called the Bible, which tells us of our origin, duty, and destiny.  We can know the Truth because Jesus said we can (Jn.8:31-32).  To know the Truth delivers us from sin, error, false teachers, vain worship, God’s wrath, and many other important things.  No other book in the world can promise such wonderful blessings!  The Bible is God’s written revelation to lost man, and promises to furnish completely our needs for salvation (II Tim.3:16-17).   It is of tremendous importance to know about water baptism, which Jesus spoke of as  “born of water,” and which He said was necessary to enter the church or kingdom today (Jn.3:3-5).  The 39 books of the Old Testament do not speak to the question “what must I do to be saved?”  However, in the 27 books of the New Testament of Christ the words baptize, baptism, baptized, appear more than 100 times.  We should consider this act important, if for no other reason than the fact that it is included in the Book so many times.  Add to that the importance our Lord Jesus Christ placed upon baptism, making the long journey, walking some 60 miles from Nazareth to the Jordan river, for the express purpose of being baptized by John the immerser (Matt.3:13-17).  The difference in His baptism and ours rest is in the fact that He was sinless and we are not (I Pet.2:22-23).   But He explained the purpose of His baptism was to be our perfect example in keeping all of God’s commandments (Matt.3:15; Psa.119:172).  The modern artist incorrectly paints the picture of Jesus standing ankle deep in water while John dips up a hand full of water, evidently to sprinkle on His head.  These have accepted the modern teaching of sprinkling or pouring but not burying or submerging as the original word means, and as the Bible always uses in the term “baptize” (Rom.6:3-5;  Col.2:12).  Scriptural baptism is never anything except a burial.  Since we will be judged by our obedience to the Scriptures (Jn.12:48), it is highly important that we seek to know all we can about the subject, and submit to this ordinance of Christ (Matt.28:18-20).  Any one who teaches that baptism if unimportant or unnecessary is not a friend of Truth, nor is this one to be trusted to give us the Truth about our salvation!  (II Jn.9-11; Rev.22:18-19).  How sad for the teacher and the one being taught, when one denies the clear command of Jesus to the apostles, “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.  He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned” (Mk.16:15-16). —Gary Colley