carol_au wrote:Now, having said that, It was a command of Jesus to His Disciples to go and baptise in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and that has been discussed very clearly by Alpha.
Baptism is to the Christian what circumscision was to the Jew.. it is an outward sign of an inward change. It is the picture of salvation, it is a meaningful act which publically expresses the change than has taken place inside a person's heart, and it is an outward picture of what it means to be buried with Christ in His death, and raised with Christ to a new life. It is an outward expression of the Christian of his/her willingness to be publically identified as a believer. It does not in itself make you a Christian. If it did, it would make something we ourselves do, make us acceptable to God, and this is impossible.
May God bless your search for His truth
Carol
Herein is an amazing thing. In your own words baptism is a "command of Jesus", yet it is one which Christians are free to disregard or delay at their own whim! So, even though being baptized is being obedient to a command of Jesus, that obedience is apparently not necessary to go to heaven. Sorry, but you cannot have it both ways. Baptism, if a commandment, is required. Did not someone say, "If you love me you will keep my commandments"? We have never said that baptism by itself saves. It is a response to the message of the cross just a natural as faith and a desire to change one's life.