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The Importance of Understanding Your Baptism

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Terica

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“Then Paul said, ‘John indeed baptized with a baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe on Him who would come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus’.” – Acts 19:4

Why were you batized?
Why were you baptized?

Hi, everyone! I hope that you are well! Thanks so much for reading! I appreciate you!!!

Jesus commands our obedience to Him. There’s no question about that. However, many people question His command about baptism. Jesus said, “He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned” (Mark 16:16). You will be saved if you believe and are baptized. Yet some believe the second part of Jesus’ statement removes the need for baptism for one’s salvation. But, it doesn’t. There are many who have been baptized for different reasons. But is a baptism valid if it was done for the wrong reasons?

In the book of Acts, we see several people being saved. In Acts 19, Paul found some disciples who were baptized with the baptism of John and not with the baptism of Christ. Paul told them, “John indeed baptized with a baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe on Him who would come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus” (Acts 19:4). Christ’s baptism is for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38). It is what puts a person into Christ, and saves him (Galatians 3:27, 1 Peter 3:21).

Today, some people are baptized because:

  1. They simply think it’s a good thing to do.
  2. They believe it’s an outward show of their inward change.
  3. They believe they were saved when they first believed in Jesus as Lord and wanted to be baptized for some other reason.
  4. They do it as children and want to participate in activities in the service, like communion or singing in the choir.

And some people have never been baptized because they don’t think it necessary. Those all are what would be considered “baptisms of John”, if you will allow the analogy. Basically, they are not the baptism of Christ. And in those cases, a rebaptism is necessary, just like it was for the people in Acts 19.

Any baptism where a person lacked understanding of why they were baptized and where they lacked the meaning that Christ assigns to baptism is not valid. Most would agree that a person needs to know why they believe in Jesus, why they are making a decision to become a follower of Christ, and what the Bible says about it not just what a person told them.

We have an example in the Bible where people needed to be rebaptized. They did not have the correct understanding, even though they believed in Jesus and were following Him. The same can be true today.

If you were baptized, did you believe it was a requirement? Was it for the forgiveness of sins, so that you could be baptized into Christ? Or did you have other reasons? I invite you to reflect upon your motives for being baptized if you were and to be rebaptized if they were not aligned with Christ’s design for baptism.

Feel free to share your experience with baptism and your thoughts about its purpose. I’d love to hear.

“There is also an antitype which now saves us—baptism (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.” – 1 Peter 3:21

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10 responses to “The Importance of Understanding Your Baptism”

  1. Julie Badgley Avatar
    Julie Badgley

    For the remission of my sins. To be able to go to heaven.

    Liked by 1 person

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    1. Terica Avatar
      Terica

      Hi Julie! Thanks for sharing why you were baptized! I want to go to heaven, too! ❤️

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  2. C.A. Peterson Avatar
    C.A. Peterson

    Note your own reference to Mark 16:16: “He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does NOT BELIEVE will be condemned.” The condemnation does NOT come from NOT being baptized but from not believing.
    Baptism is not a small thing; it should be done in obedience to this command as well as in Matthew 28 and Peter’s Holy Spirit led command in Acts 2:38 and the examples throughout Acts.
    In China, many CCP members accept Jesus as their savior, bur hesitate on water baptism because many times the CCP will not condemn them just for believing (as long as they keep it private), but they do not want OBEDIENT disciples of Christ.
    However, be very careful NOT to add any requirement to grace by faith for salvation! Ephesians 2:8 notes this. If it was necessary for salvation Paul would have made that clear in his Holy Spirit inspired letters. Many will be in Heaven based solely on their genuine trust in Jesus, and never had opportunity nor understanding about baptism.
    In Acts 19, they were not following Jesus; they were following John. We do not need to understand all the Bible teaches about baptism for it to be valid or even necessary for salvation. (See https://capost2k.wpcomstaging.com/2026/04/04/the-man-on-the-middle-cross/).
    ❤️&🙏, c.a.

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    1. Terica Avatar
      Terica

      Thanks so much for adding to the discussion. I appreciate your sharing your thoughts in this.

      The counterargument to Mark 16:16 does not hold up against logic. Given a statement a ==> b (a implies b) that is true, the contrapositive to the statement is ~b ==> ~a (or, not b implies not a) is true also. So take the following example: If it is raining, then it is wet outside. The contrapositive to that statement is: If it is not wet outside, then it is not raining. Both statements are true. Similary the contrapositive of a + b => c is ~c ==> ~a or ~b. So an example of that is: If it is Saturday and 10am, then Sue is at work. Then the contrapositive is true also, If Sue is not at work, then it is not Saturday or it is not 10am. If Sue is not at work, then it can be Friday and 10am or it can be Saturday and 9am. Only one of those statements in the second part of the sentence need to be false for the whole statement to be true.

      So taking Mark 16:16 into account with the above logical arguments, we have: He who believe (a) and is baptized (b) shall be saved (c). a and b ==> c which translates to
      belief and baptism ==> will be saved. Well, the contrapositive of that statement is true as well. He will not be saved, if he does not believe or if he is not baptized. Only one of those statements need to be false for the entire statement to be true. So, you will not be saved, if you believe and are not baptized is true. So is: You will not be saved, if you do not believe or if you are baptized. So a person can be baptized and not believe in Jesus and they won’t be saved. Similarly, a person can believe and not be baptized and not be saved.
      The second part of the statement – He who does not believe will be condemned – does not nullify the first part of the statement.

      Baptism is a command. I am not adding anything to God’s word but simply stating what scripture says and what logically follows. 1 Peter 3:21 – “There is also an antitype which now saves us—baptism (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.” The scripture says plainly that baptism saves us. Galatians 3:27 – “For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.” Romans 6:4 – “Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.” We are buried with Christ in baptism, dying to our old self of sin and rising to newness of life like Christ did.

      There are several examples of people who believed in Christ and were baptized in the books of Acts. Paul mentioned his own baptism was to wash away his sins in Acts 22:16. If baptism washes away or sins, as scripture teaches, then why would we teach anything different than what it says. i think people get caught up in believing that baptism is a work. It is a work, not a work of humans, but a working of God as Colossians 2:12 relays: “buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.”

      The disciples in Acts 19 believed in Jesus. They very well could have been the people who Appollos taught in Acts 18 while he only knew the baptism of John. Nevertheless, even if they didn’t once Paul taught them the truth about Jesus and His baptism, they were immediately baptized. If Jesus Himself said He who believes and is baptized shall be saved, we don’t have to concern ourselves with whether anyone else taught (although it is taught throughout the New Testament).

      Lastly, the thief on the cross was not under the New Covenant, but the Old. Jesus had not died, so His will and testament was not in force while He was alive on the cross. And in Mark 2:10, Jesus said He had the power on earth to forgive sins. So while He was alive on the earth, He could very well say “this day you will e with me in paradise” without what He said in Mark 16:16 applying. But Christians do not adhere to the Old Law. We are under the law of Christ.

      I’m curious to know your thoughts about repentance and confession. Can a person be saved if they do not repent of their sins? Can a person have eternal life if they do not confess Jesus Christ is Lord, even if they beleive it?

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      1. C.A. Peterson Avatar
        C.A. Peterson

        Dear sister,
        Just a couple brief comments for my reply:
        “For when words grow many, there is vanity; but God is the one you must fear.” Ecclesiastes 5:7
        One thing is necessary for salvation: faith in the atoning death of Jesus. In the whole context of Scripture it is clear that adding anything to that is dangerously close to faith + works.
        Jesus died before the thief, but even so, everyone from Adam to Abraham to David to Zechariah to Paul were justified by faith, those under the old covenant looking forward to Christ.
        Real faith will result in works, but one must not put the cart before the horse.
        Also, your syllogism is flawed; see one of these for improving your understanding of logic:

        https://gamesforthinkers.org/all/logic/wff-n-proof-the-game-of-modern-logic/
        ❤️&🙏, c.a.

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        1. Terica Avatar
          Terica

          That’s not what the Bible teaches. It is best that we teach the whole counsel of God and not teach some other doctrine (Galatians 1:9). I don’t see any flaw in the logic, except for the statements about Mark 16:16 that you presented in your initial comment. That’s what I was addressing. If you have a better understanding of logic than I, then I’m happy to discuss where you see flaws. Otherwise, thanks again for considering the teachings of Jesus that I shared in my article.

          Liked by 1 person

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          1. C.A. Peterson Avatar
            C.A. Peterson

            We will continue to disagree, as there are too many references in the Scripture that clearly do not command baptism to be saved. I do not believe your error prevents you from Heaven, but putting a stumbling block in front of others can be a problem for you.
            There ARE heresies that deny Heaven to their adherents, e.g., Arianism, Mormonism, Phariseeism, Saduceeism, Universalism, the prosperity gospel, Gnosticism or Resurrection denial, to name most of them.
            However, doctrinal “purity” does not exclude one from God’s grace. See my Saturday blog upcoming; genuinely, this was written before we began this discussion.😉
            But our discussion encourages me to clarify this issue of doctrinal purity NOT being necessary for salvation.
            ❤️&🙏 dear sister, c.a.

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            1. Terica Avatar
              Terica

              I hate that we disagree on what the Bible is so clear about. Baptism is required for salvation. I am not in error, C.A., but you are.

              I am not denying heaven to anyone, as I don’t have a heaven or hell to put anyone in. I am simply stating what the scripture states. If what Jesus taught is a stumbling block to a person, then that person needs to change to align themselves with Christ’s teachings.

              I say this as respectfully and lovingly as possible: you saying that we don’t need to be baptized because there are many verses that do not command it makes no sense. There are many verses that don’t command us to speak the truth. But Ephesians 5:25 says, “Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor.” Because it doesn’t say it in other verses, are you saying that it’s okay to lie?

              I read your newest blog and commented. Our discussion inspired me to continue writing about this topic, as I know many people believe incorrect teachings about salvation. And I just want people to know Jesus and get to heaven.

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            2. C.A. Peterson Avatar
              C.A. Peterson

              As do I, and I will not add to what the Scripture teaches in necessary for salvation. But as we are saved solely by grace through faith, the Holy Spirit will lead us further into a life to glorify God.
              ❤️&🙏, c.a.

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            3. Terica Avatar
              Terica

              We are not saved solely through grace. No scripture in the Bible teaches that. You added the word “solely”. And you took out Mark 16:16 where Jesus said “He who believes and is baptized will be saved.” May God bless us all with the truth of His word, that we may believe and obey the full counsel of the Lord. 🙏🏾

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I’m Terica

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