Contrary to popular belief, getting baptized will not save you from hell. In order to understand this, we must first take a look at what the Bible says. Let’s look at the biblical facts and ignore the emotional aspect and personal preference in regards to getting baptized. I’m not going to get into what each denomination believes and why they believe it, because I simply don’t care. I am going to open my Bible and show you what it says about baptism. I am going to share with you what I have personally found while reading the Bible and how I have applied it to my life.
First, one must understand a few things. The obvious one is sin. Sin is a freewill choice we make to disobey God and live outside of his authority. Second, sin separates us from God because of our rebellion. Third, God is sinless and righteous therefore cannot exist with sin in his presence.
Habakkuk 1:13 New American Standard Bible
13 Your eyes are too pure to look at evil,
And You cannot look at harm favorably.
Why do You look favorably
At those who deal treacherously?
Why are You silent when the wicked swallow up
Those more righteous than they?
Since our sin cannot be in the presence of God, we needed a solution to restore us. The mediator between man and God is Jesus. First we must understand a little bit about Jesus. Jesus was born fully man and fully God. He lived a sinless life and was crucified on the cross. The crucifixion he endured was made to pay for our sins. The only way that we could be allowed in God’s presence was to have our sins forgiven. The forgiveness was started at the cross. I say started as we are still responsible to seek forgiveness of our sins through repentance. Jesus created an avenue for which we could be forgiven, but ultimately the choice is ours to make.
1 Peter 3:18 New American Standard Bible
18 For Christ also suffered for sins once for all time, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit;
After Jesus died, he laid in a tomb for three days. On the third day he rose from the dead. This is significant because he showed that in fact he was a living God. After the death of Jesus and the resurrection, we were gifted with the Holy Spirit which is God living in us. When we seek repentance from our sins and accept the free gift of salvation, we become filled with the Holy Spirit. The only qualification we have for getting into heaven is the salvation that Jesus provided by giving his life on the cross. When we ask Jesus to forgive our sins and repent from our evil ways, we accept the gift and therefore can enter God’s presence in heaven.
Matthew 10:32 New American Standard Bible
32 “Therefore, everyone who confesses Me before people, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven.
Getting baptized will not save you alone, but it is an outwards expression to show that you have accepted Jesus.
Here is where things collect friction. The purpose of baptism is to show that you have personally made the choice to accept Jesus. The only way this works is if you are competent and capable of making this decision on your own. No one else can make the decision for you. No one can intercede and baptize you into heaven. This is a personal decision that someone must make. Once someone accepts the free gift of salvation, repents for their sins and acknowledges Jesus as their savior, the best way to show the world your decision is with the outwards expression of baptism.
Baptizing a child will not get them into heaven by the act alone. The only way to heaven is for the child to make a choice as I laid out above. There is no scriptural basis for baptizing an infant because they cannot yet understand sin and the disconnect from God. If you have been told that infant baptism is the same as adult baptism, then you are being lied to.
I don’t care who you are or what you think. I have read the Bible cover to cover many times and the idea is just not there. One other thing that I will note is that you can go to heaven without being baptized. If you look at the two men on the cross with Jesus. One man repented from his sins and one man didn’t. The man who repented was told by Jesus that today you will be with me in paradise.
Luke 23:42-43 New American Standard Bible
42 And he was saying, “Jesus, remember me when You come into Your kingdom!” 43 And He said to him, “Truly I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.”
Without being baptized, the man made his way to heaven with Jesus. Again, getting baptized is an outwards expression of your faith. The man on the cross expressed his faith to Jesus. Infants cannot express their faith through baptism. There is only one way that you are getting into heaven and that is through Jesus, by his gift of salvation. There is not one example of infant baptism in the New Testament. No other way is going to make it happen no matter how bad you want to pretend that it will.
Acts 2:38 New American Standard Bible
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.