Baptized in Christ

When a spiritually lost person chooses by God’s grace to receive His free gift of eternal salvation, God causes them to be spiritually born again. The Holy Spirit has entered their previously-barren heart. Prior to that miraculous moment, they were spiritually dead, unable to make choices that bear fruit for God’s eternal praise. 

When a person is born again, they become spiritually alive, forgiven, and free as a new Christian. At the miraculous moment of their spiritual new birth, the Holy Spirit gives them “a new heart”, completely baptizing them as He floods their heart with the Living Water of His Word of absolute unchanging truth, the Holy Bible. 

Ezekiel 36:26 (NLT) And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart. 

James 1:21–27(NASB95) 21Therefore, putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls. 22 But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; 24 for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. 25 But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does. 26 If anyone thinks himself to be religious, and yet does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this man’s religion is worthless. 27 Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world. 

New Christians, and all Christians, should care about what God means when He says “to keep oneself unstained by the world” (James 1:27b). The indwelling Holy Spirit gives all truly born again Christians ever deepening understanding of His implanted Word. As our spiritual understanding deepens, so will our desire to abstain from the wrong ways of the lost world.

Job 32:8b (NASB95) “ . . . the breath of the Almighty gives them understanding. 

The spiritually cleansing flood of the Holy Spirit’s entry into a repentant person’s new heart is such a full and complete spiritual baptism that there is absolutely no need for any further subsequent spiritual baptism to ever happen again inside their soul. This reality is why God’s 

Word tells us there is only “one baptism” (Ephesians 4:5).

The reason our world has various Protestant denominations is because of the many differences of interpretation of Scripture, which is not a good thing at all from God’s perspective. The Lord calls on His people to be like-minded with one another, especially regarding “all things” pertaining to His Holy Word (Acts 2:44). God is calling His people to pursue like-mindedness in the matters of how to become more and more holy and blameless, like Him, “in all your behavior” (1 Peter 1;15b).

Acts 2:41–44 (NASB95) 

41So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls. 

42They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 

43Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles. 

44And all those who had believed were together and had all things in common; 

Psalm 50:23(NASB95) 

23“He who offers a sacrifice of thanksgiving honors Me; And to him who orders his way aright I shall show the salvation of God.” 

Baptism in Water Testifies of a Salvation Commitment Previously Made

Salvation requires a choice of the heart, and baptism in water symbolizes, or represents, that previously-made choice. Merely being baptized in tangible water could never save anyone from their sins. Baptism in physical water only testifies to all, who are aware of a new Christian’s baptism, of the salvation commitment that person has already made to the Lord. 

In New Testament times, when people most often walked from place to place, literally passing by bodies of natural water, baptism could easily occur very soon after a person’s having made their decision to submissively follow Christ as Lord. But today, where such a setting is no longer the case, longer periods of time often lapse between a person’s decision to prayerfully submit to Christ as their Lord and the time in which their scheduled symbolic baptisms in tangible water may happen.

The spiritual baptism that the Lord performs, when giving a repentant person “a new heart”, is the actual baptism that saves every sincerely repentant person.

The salvation that Jesus proclaimed to the dying thief on the cross is proof that baptism in water is not mandatory for a person to be saved by our Lord’s grace. That truly repentant thief, on one of the crosses next to our Lord’s, was never baptized in tangible water. But that repentant thief was indeed spiritually baptized by our Lord, who promised that he would “be with” Him in Heaven’s temporary Paradise that very day (Luke 23:43b).

Luke 23:39–43 (NASB95) 

39One of the criminals who were hanged there was hurling abuse at Him, saying, “Are You not the Christ? Save Yourself and us!” 

40But the other answered, and rebuking him said, “Do you not even fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? 

41“And we indeed are suffering justly, for we are receiving what we deserve for our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” 

42And he was saying, “Jesus, remember me when You come in Your kingdom!” 

43And He said to him, “Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise.” 

How can we know that dying thief actually got to consciously enjoy being in Paradise with Jesus that very day, after dying, versus merely being with Him, but in a temporary state of sleep? For one reason, our Lord Jesus promises, in Revelation 2:7, that the eternal “tree of life” is now in Paradise (Revelation 2:7b). 

Revelation 2:7 (NASB95) 

7‘He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will grant to eat of the tree of life which is in the Paradise of God.’ 

Jesus would not promise a dying person that they would get to be with Him, “in Paradise”, if that person would not even be aware of being with Him “in Paradise” (Luke 23:43).

But another verse in Scripture, that lets us know without any doubt that our saved Christian loved ones, who have already passed from this life into eternity, are aware of enjoying Paradise with our Lord Jesus, is found in 1 Thessalonians 4:14, a passage about our Lord’s return only in the clouds first, before He will return to actually stand on this planet again.

1 Thessalonians 4:14–18 (NASB95) 

14For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. 

15For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 

16For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 

17Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. 

18Therefore comfort one another with these words. 

Scripture does not tell us that God will first awaken the people that He “will bring with Him” to gather Christians still living on earth “up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air” (1 Thessalonians 4:14b,17b). The sleep that Paradise’s current residents are now enjoying is the “perfect peace” of their having been transformed into the perfect likeness of Jesus, nothing like the imperfect sleep we experience here on earth (Isaiah 26:3b). Paradise’s current residents are enjoying eating of “the tree of life” along with our Lord Jesus Christ this very moment, just as Jesus promises us in Revelation 2:7, for our Lord’s promises are true.

Truths the Bible States as Realities when a Person is Saved by God’s Grace

Salvation requires an intentional commitment on a person’s part to willingly let the Lord saved them by His grace. The Bible clearly indicates, in Ephesians 2:8-9, that a lost person must realize that there is nothing good that they could ever do to save themselves. 

Ephesians 2:8–9 (NASB95) 

8For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 

9not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. 

As a person makes a salvation commitment to receive God’s free grace gift of salvation, they are submitting to the supreme authority of Jesus Christ as their Lord. A person cannottrust Christ to be their Savior without also trusting Christ to be their Lord. Scripture clearly states, in Romans 10:9-13, that believing in Jesus as Lord is essential for anyone to be saved.

Romans 10:8–13 (NASB95) 

8But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart”—that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, 

9that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; 

10for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. 

11For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed.” 

12For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; 

13for “Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.” 

A person might argue that merely believing the facts, that Jesus died for the forgiveness of their sins, and that Jesus arose from the dead, is enough to be saved. But in the Holy Bible, James 2:19 reminds us that even Satan’s demons believe the obvious facts. They watched Jesus die on the cross, and they knew why He was dying, or they would not have tried so hard to prevent His crucifixion from happening. 

Merely intellectually believing the well historically-documented facts of Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection is not the same as the belief that saves you, as will soon be addressed in this writing. The original Greek definition of the word believe lets us know that saving belief includes sincere repentance and submissive commitment.

Scriptural Baptism by Immersion Happens After a Person was Willing to be Saved

The concept of non-denominational churches started being widely accepted several decades ago, and since then, the enemy has sought to lure hearts and minds away from focusing on any Scriptural truths related to the very reasons denominational differences exist. God obviously commands Christians to rebuke false doctrinal error and to unashamedly honor the opposing distinctions of doctrinal truth. But the concept of trying to build a church, based on avoiding any subjects of denominational differences, totally disregards the Holy Bible’s emphasis on our need to distinguish between truth and error. Younger generations need to know the difference between truth and error, especially when it comes to rightly understanding the Holy Bible. 

True, no church is perfect, even as no preacher nor Bible teacher found today is perfect. But it is also true that some denominational churches were founded to support false doctrine, meaning false beliefs about Scripture, while other denominational churches were founded to refute those false beliefs and to only honor true doctrine, meaning true beliefs about Scripture. The Holy Bible’s unchanging truth about baptism is possibly the most significant doctrinal difference that distinguishes between true denominational differences and false teaching. 

For example, some denominations embracing true doctrine now exist because of the matter of wrongly baptizing a person, before they have willingly been born again. This denominational difference is essential and good, as long as you belong to a denomination that honors only Scriptural baptism by immersion in water, like the example of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Doctrine is a word that simply means spiritual truth. The word doctrine is referred to in the Holy Bible in a good way, as well as in an evil way. The true doctrine of the Holy Bible is in direct opposition to the false doctrine of some so-called Bible teachers, who either intentionally, or unintentionally, twist the truth of the Bible through their false teaching. God’s Word commands Christians to be discerning of the difference between “good and evil”, and we must trust the Holy Spirit to help us train our senses to rightly discern error from truth (Hebrews 5:14).

Hebrews 5:14 (NASB95) 

14But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil. 

Isaiah 5:20 (NASB95) 

20Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness; Who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! 

Have you ever attended a Bible Study where the leader makes it clear that discussing matters of Scriptural interpretation related to denominational differences is to be avoided? A red flag should go up, if so. It must be so sad to our Lord when we totally misunderstand His call to unity in the body of Christ. Our Lord never intended for us to avoid discussing matters of spiritual truth. On the contrary. “‘Come now, and let us reason together,’ says the Lord” (Isaiah 1:18). 

We must seek to reason together peacefully, but we must never seek to avoid pointing out error, when someone is wrongly explaining the Holy Scriptures of the Bible.

Isaiah 1:18–20 (NASB95) 

18“Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the Lord, “Though your sins are as scarlet, They will be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They will be like wool. 

19“If you consent and obey, You will eat the best of the land; 

20“But if you refuse and rebel, You will be devoured by the sword.” Truly, the mouth of the Lord has spoken. 

God wants us to prayerfully “reason together” with Him, and with one another, seeking to stay filled with the wisdom of the Holy Spirit and His Word of living truth (Isaiah 1:18). Reasoning together requires much spiritually-minded critical thinking that happens only in the hearts of those who yearn to rightly appropriate God’s saving, sanctifying grace. God wants His born again Christian people to grow from one level of spiritual maturity to the next higher level, yearning to never stop growing stronger in rightly understanding His truth.

Ephesians 1:15–17 (NASB95) 

15For this reason I too, having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which exists among you and your love for all the saints, 

16do not cease giving thanks for you, while making mention of you in my prayers; 

17that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him. 

Agree to disagree is not a concept found in the Holy Bible, as far as it relates to spiritual matters of rightly interpreting sacred Scripture. God wants us to aim at unity, and He does not consider avoidance correcting error as part of His true unity.

Baptism in Tangible Water Does Not Save Anyone

Baptism in tangible water is a very important matter in the Holy Word of God, but it does not save a person. Rather, one’s obediently following the Lord Jesus’s example, by being baptized in water, should follow after the spiritual baptism of salvation that happened when they were born again. 

Baptism in tangible water is a beautiful visible picture and a very sacred symbol that shows what God has already accomplished within a repentant sinner’s heart. In the New Testament times, after Jesus’ ascension back up into Heaven, men chosen of God, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, had not yet completed the writing of the Holy Bible, so there was still the need for miraculous signs, confirming the authenticity of the truth being preached and proclaimed. 

When the apostle Paul “found some disciples” in Ephesus, who had only experienced the baptism of John, testifying that they had “not even heard whether there is a Holy Spirit”, Paul explained to them the difference between the baptism of John, and the baptism of Jesus Christ (Acts 19:1). They immediately wanted to be “baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus” (Acts 19:5).

Acts 19:1–5 (NASB95) 

1It happened that while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed through the upper country and came to Ephesus, and found some disciples. 

2He said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” And they said to him, “No, we have not even heard whether there is a Holy Spirit.” 

3And he said, “Into what then were you baptized?” And they said, “Into John’s baptism.” 

4Paul said, “John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in Him who was coming after him, that is, in Jesus.” 

5When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 

The baptism of John, Paul explained, was a baptism only of repentance from sin. The baptism of John did not require committing one’s life to Jesus Christ as Lord. Believing requires committing one’s heart to a submission necessary for allowing Christ to reign as Lord above all. It had been necessary for John to preach of a baptism of repentance so that the people’s hearts would be ready to believe in Jesus and commit their lives to Him as the true Messiah, who had come to make a way for the forgiveness of their sins. 

A lost sinner’s repentantly turning away from going their own way, byGod’s grace, indeed precedes God’s forgiveness of all their sin. But, a believing commitment to Jesus as Lord is still necessary for the Holy Spirit’s seal of salvation. Repentance by God’s grace is what removes the distraction of one’s sin, so one’s heart can then receive the Gospel truth of Christ’s “word implanted, which is able to save your souls” (James 1:21).

Being a Good Person Cannot Save Anyone

The morally good people that Paul found at Ephesus considered themselves disciples, because they loved the Lord, and because they had repented of their sin, in compliance with the baptism John had preached. But they had not yet heard the truths about God necessary to be spiritually born again. They did not know Jesus Christ had proclaimed that you must be born again to enter Heaven. And they did not know anything about the Holy Spirit. They were good people, who even loved God, but they had not made the commitment necessary to believe in a way required for being spiritually born again.

One of the main differences between a genuinely repentant person’s believing, and the believing that “even the demons” do, while even shuddering, is that the sincerely repentant person is willing to commit everything about their heart and life and future to the supreme authority and control of Jesus Christ as Lord (James 2:19).

James 2:17–21 (NASB95) 

17Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself. 

18But someone may well say, “You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” 

19You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder. 

20But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless? 

21Therefore, putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls. 

The group of disciples Paul found at Ephesus had been physically immersed in tangible baptism waters once, but that experience had happened before they had gained understanding of the essential spiritual truths necessary for salvation, such as the reality of “the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19). So their first baptism had not symbolized the spiritual new birth of salvation, for the Holy Spirit had not yet entered their hearts to spiritually baptize them. They wanted to follow the Lord as His disciples, but saving faith had not yet been made a possibility, because no one had proclaimed the eternal truths they needed to know for understanding how to be saved.

Paul also made it clear that a lost person cannot believe, with saving faith, until they first hear the good news of Christ and His atoning death and victorious resurrection.

Romans 10:14–17(NASB95) 

14How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher? 

15How will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news of good things!” 

16However, they did not all heed the good news; for Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our report?” 

17So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ. 

Jesus Knew the Sincerely Repentant Thief on the Cross had Sincere Faith

The thief on the cross, next to our Lord Jesus’ cross, had sincere faith, even though we do not know how much truth he had heard about Jesus before that day. The Holy Spirit had not yet come, which happened fifty days after Jesus’s death. But one thing we can know for sure about the thief on the cross is that he did not have to be baptized in tangible water to enter Heaven’s gates and to enjoy being “in Paradise” with Jesus that very day (Luke 23:43b). What blessed assurance that baptism in water is not necessary for true salvation, but baptism in water is an act of obedience to God that should follow after the new birth of salvation, when possible. In the thief’s case, it was not possible.

Luke 23:39–45(NASB95) 

39One of the criminals who were hanged there was hurling abuse at Him, saying, “Are You not the Christ? Save Yourself and us!” 

40But the other answered, and rebuking him said, “Do you not even fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? 

41“And we indeed are suffering justly, for we are receiving what we deserve for our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” 

42And he was saying, “Jesus, remember me when You come in Your kingdom!” 

43And He said to him, “Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise.” 

44It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness fell over the whole land until the ninth hour, 

45because the sun was obscured; and the veil of the temple was torn in two. 

Baptism in physical water is never what saves a person. Rather, a spiritual baptism, that God graciously performs inside a repentant person’s heart, when they become willing to make a commitment of submitting their free will to the supreme authority of His Lordship, is the baptism that saves them by His grace. Therefore, it is possible for an insincere person to merely saythey believe Jesus died and arose to saved them, while in their heart, they have no desire to let Jesus rule supremely over their life choices.  

Mark 16:16 (NASB95) 16“He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned. 

Sadly, a lack of willingness to submit to Jesus’s supreme authority comes from spiritual disbelief within a lost person’s heart. Many lost people have gone through the rote motions of being baptized in water, without sincerely committing their all to Jesus as their Lord. A lost person, refusing to let Jesus have the supreme control of their heart, still remains to “be condemned” before the Lord (Mark 16:16b).

Spiritual Baptism Saves You; Water Baptism Proclaims Your Salvation Testimony

1 Peter 3:21–22(NASB95) 21Corresponding to that, baptism now saves you—not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience—through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22who is at the right hand of God, having gone into heaven, after angels and authorities and powers had been subjected to Him. 

The above passage, 1 Peter 3:21-22, is referring to the unseen spiritual baptism, that happens in a repentant person’s heart, when they are born again, notthe visible water baptism, that should follow soon thereafter. 

Romans 6:3–4(NASB95) 3Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? 4Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. 

Colossians 2:12(NASB95) 12having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. 

Acts 2:38(NASB) 38 Peter said to them, “Repent, and each 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. 

2 Chronicles 7:13–15 (NASB95) 13“If I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or if I command the locust to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among My people, 14and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land. 15“Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to the prayer offered in this place. 

As stated in “Christ-the Only Way to Heaven”, this is huge. Each person must be willing to turn away from living in whatever sinful ways they desire, and each repentant person must individually choose to live for Jesus. 

The apostle Paul would not have assured the Philippian jailer that he would be saved, along with all of his household, if Paul would not have first reasoned that all of the jailer’s household were mentally capable of the cognitive-moral decision-making necessary to sincerely believe in Jesus as Lord. (Acts 16:31-33)

Acts 16:31–33 (NASB95) 31They said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” 32And they spoke the word of the Lord to him together with all who were in his house. 33And he took them that very hour of the night and washed their wounds, and immediately he was baptized, he and all his household. 

Knowing Enough to be Accountable to Repent of Your Sins and Submit to God

This is so important to understand, also taken from Christ-Only Way to Heaven. Until a person’s moral cognition/understanding, which greatly affects their moral decision-making, reaches an adequate level of maturity, when they know “enough to refuse evil and choose good” (Isaiah 7:15 NASB), the Holy Father, in His perfect merciful justice, does not hold them accountable for repenting of their sin, nor does He hold them accountable regarding their need to submit to the supreme authority and Lordship of His risen Son, Jesus Christ. 

But only very spiritually mature and discerning minds can fathom this truth, by God’s grace, when prayerfully reasoning, concerning “the whole counsel of God”, meaning “the whole will of God”, found comprehensively throughout His entire Holy Word (Acts 20:27 NKJV; Acts 20:27 NIV).

Acts 20:27 (NKJV) 

27For I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God. 

Acts 20:27 (NIV) 

27For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God. 

Just think about what King David said, when Bathsheba’s and his newly born baby boy died: “I will go to him” (2 Samuel 12:23b NASB). So too, it is true that, from the time of a baby’s initial conception in the womb, until the ripe time, that only our Lord fully knows, in which a person first becomes accountable for their sin, all souls will go to Heaven, if they should die their pre-appointed death, before their having reached that age of cognitive maturity and accountability before God. 

Implying that our perfectly loving God would create a human soul and then send them to hell, without even giving them opportunity to knowingly repent, is by far one of the most heinously blasphemous lies of the devil there could ever be. Yet many so-called churches embrace this doctrine, the word doctrine simply meaning belief about God. 

Remember, the Biblical doctrine that any church leaders embrace and proclaim can either be soundly unadulterated and true, or it can be totally false and deceitful. 

Spoiler alert of an extra long sentence just ahead, much like some of the long sentences found in the Bible!

The closer God’s Sovereign calendar gets to the pre-appointed time in which all truly born again Christians, still living on earth, “will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air”, so as to no longer be present here on earth, when, according to God’s perfect foreordained plan, our Father will release His present restraints on the devil, and will Sovereignly allow the devil, whom the Bible also calls Satan, or “the great dragon”, or “the serpent of old”, to embody and empower a mere human man, right here on this present earth, a very cunning and evil man, whom the Bible refers to as “the beast”, or “the antichrist”, or “the man of lawlessness”, well, prophetically, the more deception will be seen by discerning Christians, yes, even within the spiritual lukewarmness of many churches (2 Thessalonians 2:3b). For, indeed, “evil men and imposters will proceed from bad to worse”, till that time is ripe for the antichrist’s deception to unfold (1 Thessalonians 4:17b; Revelation 12:9, 20:2; 2 Timothy 3:13b).

2 Timothy 3:13–17 (NASB95) 

13But evil men and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. 

14You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them, 

15and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. 

16All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; 

17so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work. 

But praise God that the perfect time is drawing nearer every day, when first the antichrist and false prophet, who will assist the antichrist in performing deceptive miracles, will be ultimately hurled into a lake of fire, which God has prepared just for them, and soon thereafter, into which Satan himself will also be thrown (See Revelation 19:20-21 and Revelation 20:10 and 2 Thessalonians 2:1-17 below). Then, finally, that “new heaven and a new earth” will indeed come “down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband”, and we will enjoying being with our Heavenly Father too, as finally, “He will dwell among” us (Revelation 21:3b).

Revelation 19:20–21 (NASB95) 

20And the beast was seized, and with him the false prophet who performed the signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image; these two were thrown alive into the lake of fire which burns with brimstone. 

21And the rest were killed with the sword which came from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse, and all the birds were filled with their flesh. 

Revelation 20:10 (NASB95) 

10And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. 

2 Thessalonians 2:1–17 (NASB95) 

1Now we request you, brethren, with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, 

2that you not be quickly shaken from your composure or be disturbed either by a spirit or a message or a letter as if from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. 

3Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, 

4who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God. 

5Do you not remember that while I was still with you, I was telling you these things? 

6And you know what restrains him now, so that in his time he will be revealed. 

7For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way. 

8Then that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming; 

9that is, the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders, 

10and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved. 

11For this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false, 

12in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness. 

13But we should always give thanks to God for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth. 

14It was for this He called you through our gospel, that you may gain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

15So then, brethren, stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught, whether by word of mouth or by letter from us. 

16Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who has loved us and given us eternal comfort and good hope by grace, 

17comfort and strengthen your hearts in every good work and word. 

Wow! All the above is why it is so critically urgent that we spur lost souls on to repent of deceiving themselves into thinking they have a right to control their own life choices. We must obediently seek to win as many souls as possible to submit their free will to the Lord and to be saved, before it is too late for them to make that most important choice of their earthly lifetime. Otherwise, they will spend the rest of eternity with the devil and his followers, in hell’s relentless “unquenchable fire”, that God does not intend for any human beings to choose to experience (Matthew 3:12b). Now is the right time to repent, to be born again, and to be baptized, unashamedly embracing Jesus as Lord!

Acts 2:38(NASB95) 

38Peter said to them, “Repent, and each 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. 

Acts 3:19(NASB95) 

19“Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord; 

Acts 26:20(NASB95) 

20but kept declaring both to those of Damascus first, and also at Jerusalem and then throughout all the region of Judea, and even to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds appropriate to repentance. 

Back to the specific urgent matter of baptism. The spiritual baptism of one’s heart, that happens at the moment of salvation’s true rebirth in Jesus Christ, must happen before a person chooses to obey the Lord Jesus through the observance of their baptism in tangible water. Otherwise, one’s immersion in water means nothing in regard to their salvation. For if a person has not first been spiritually born again, then baptism in water has absolutely no spiritual significance symbolize their obedience to God.

Deeper Truths about Baptism Waters

John 3:1–7 (NASB95) 1Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews; 2this man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.” 3Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” 4Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born, can he?” 5Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. 6“That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 

7“Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ 

John 7:38 (NASB95) 38“He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’ ” 

Jesus said, “You must be born again” (John 3:7) to enter Heaven’s gates and forever “see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3). Just like a newborn baby must pass through the physical water of his or her mother’s womb, likewise, the Holy Spirit of God spiritually baptizes every Christian within each individual’s heart, spiritually immersing us into the Living Water of His Word and raising us up through His sacred spiritual water to experience a brand new life, eternally, submitted to the supreme authority of Jesus Christ as their Lord.

Titus 3:4–8(NASB95) 4But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, 5He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, 6whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. 8This is a trustworthy statement; and concerning these things I want you to speak confidently, so that those who have believed God will be careful to engage in good deeds. These things are good and profitable for men. 

When a lost sinner miraculously becomes born again, as Jesus said must happen to a person, while they are still living on earth, in order to enter Heaven after their earthly life has ended, the Bible tells us that “all things have become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17). Being spiritually born again to new life in Christ is the most miraculous spiritual transformation any person will ever experience this side of Heaven, until they finally see Jesus, “face to face”! (1 Corinthians 13:12b)

2 Corinthians 5:17(NKJV) 17Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. 

Romans 6:3–4(NASB95) 3Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? 4Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. 

Once a new Christian has been born again, to “newness of life”, meaning abundant life in Christ (Romans 6:4), the indwelling Holy Spirit, who has sealed their soul as a member of our Triune God’s forever family, begins to teach them wonderful truths about the Holy Bible. So, prayerfully and consistently reading the Bible, as often as possible and as much as possible, and talking to our Triune God, continually in your heart about everything, is as essential for a Christian’s spiritual growth as milk is essential for a newborn baby to survive.

1 Peter 2:2–3(NASB95) 2like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the Word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation, 3if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord. 

One confirming reassurance, that lets a Christian know they truly have been born again by the Lord, is that their desires will start changing, after their new birth experience. A new Christian’s desires will start to line up with what God says in His Word, the Holy Bible, that He desires for them to embrace. One reason God wants Christians to obey Him is because He yearns to be able to bless us all the more, during this earthly life, as well as in the unending eternal life to come. Following our Lord’s example of baptism is a wonderful way to obediently please Him.

Ephesians 5:1 (NASB95) 1Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; 

Matthew 3:13–17 (NASB95) 

13Then Jesus arrived from Galilee at the Jordan coming to John, to be baptized by him. 

14But John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I have need to be baptized by You, and do You come to me?” 

15But Jesus answering said to him, “Permit it at this time; for in this way it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he permitted Him. 

16After being baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and lighting on Him, 

17and behold, a voice out of the heavens said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.” 

2 Corinthians 5:9–10(NASB95) 9Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him. 10For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. 

If you need to get the order of your baptism right, meaning, you believe you were truly saved after you were baptized in tangible water, like Jesus was baptized by His cousin, John the Baptist, in the Jordan River, then please do not waste anymore precious time. Take care of calling a truly Bible-preaching church, and schedule your baptism today.