I been having this quandary allot. do you need to be baptized to be saved. or is Romans 10:9-11 enough...say the Sinners prayer and truly repent and believe and ask the Holly spirt into your heart do you need to be baptized? thanks for your thoughts on the matter.

The thief on the cross next to Jesus accepted him and was saved without being baptized.

It is a symbolic public profession of faith.  Not a "requirement"

Both of these.

Baptism is a saving ordinance. You have Baptism by water (normal), Baptism by blood (martyr) and Baptism by desire (wanting to buy cant). The Thief was saved by believing in Christ and had the Baptism of desire. There are  Versus all over the bible showing that baptism is needed, along with being taught and understood  by early Church fathers.

If you believe in your heart and proclaim with your mouth, you will be saved. For you, the mountain of sin will be thrown into the sea. Christ underwent a baptism by a cup that is impossible for you to drink, he is that mountain only a little faith requires to move. When you receive your comforter of salvation that is by his works and not your own, then you will know you have received the Holt Spirit and are saved by his grace alone.

Yes
John 3:5

No.

Why are you asking? Baptism is a whole lot more than a “public profession of faith” it is making you a son of a covenant and a recipient of the promises that flow from it. It is a very, very important thing.

As for the point of the léstés’ last minute conversion, if you’re being crucified on a cross next to Christ the overall situation is a bit different. That doesn’t mean you can watch a John Hagee tape and go fishing instead.

That seems pretty authoritative to me.

Born of water = Flesh. Your mothers water broke you were born in the flesh
Reborn = a Spiritual Birth

If this is not the case then then we are born three times, but I don't know of any Bible language that references three births, thus water is your first birth in the flesh.

Scripture seems pretty clear on the subject:


1 Peter 3:21 (ESV): Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,

Acts 2:37–38 (ESV): 37 Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” 38 And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins

These verses don't imply faith isn't part of the equation, but they certainly do say baptism is a part of the normal avenue of being saved from our sins and entering the family of God, arguing to the contrary is arguing against the plain reading of scripture.

Family was having a talking about this today...I was just wondering what my Afrcom family thought. Cause I never been baptized. Had an aunt today saying I was not Christian cause I have never been dunked.  I guess the reason I never done it is I never found a Church I find comfortable with. To me it always seemed like you were getting baptized to the church.  guess I been looking for a John the Baptist to do it...

so I truly thank every one for the response

I don’t believe you’re not a Christian because you haven’t been baptized.

Having said that, scripture says that if you are a follower of Christ, you need to be baptized.

This but to become closer to God it's strongly recommended.

Short answer is no.

Long answer is still no. Also something our pastor pointed out again today.  Trusting and believing saves you through the grace of God and his Son taking with wrath of our sin. Speaking in tongues, baptism, doing good things. None of those things save you despite what some churches preach.

1 Peter 3:21
And this water symbolizes the baptism that now saves you also not the removal of dirt from the body, but the pledge of a clear conscience toward God through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,

Your requirement is this pledge and to believe he is resurrected.
The Baptism it speaks of is not one of water that cleans but the one Jesus did for you, his death and resurrection.
But I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is accomplished! (Luke 12:50)

Here again we find the pledge and the belief in resurrection are how you are saved.

that if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:9)

"Truly I tell you that if anyone says to this mountain, 'Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,' and has no doubt in his heart but believes that it will happen, it will be done for him. (Mark 11:23)

The criminal beside Jesus met these requirements, he both proclaimed and believed!
Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when You come into Your kingdom!" And Jesus said to him, "Truly I tell you, today you will be with Me in Paradise." (Luke 23:42-43)


I was baptized in water as my public confession, for why would I miss an opportunity to glorify my God? Also you should not be baptized because of who is doing it. Paul was glad he baptized so few because he did not want the chance anyone would be baptized into him, so I wouldn't wait around for the right person to do it. It's not about them.

Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized into the name of Paul? I thank God that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius, so no one can say that you were baptized into my name. (1 Corinthians 1:13-15)

Yes.  Baptism is required.   John 3:5

John baptized with water proclaiming that he who came after him would baptize with fire (the spirit).
Jesus himself was baptized with water by John. He over ruled John’s objection insisting that it was necessary to “fulfill all righteousness.”  Even the perfect savior recognized that obedience to the father required baptism by water.
There is no room to doubt what the biblical baptism by water means. It was firmly established by the Savior’s own example.

Then why does everyone here try to use John 3:5 to mandate baptism?  His conversation with Nicodemus was also pre-resurrection.

OP, be aware of anyone that tells you works are required for salvation.

There is a little ambiguity

Paul said that if you confess Jesus Christ is Lord and that HE is the son of GOD, you are saved

But Matthew says that Jesus requires Baptism.  

Personally, I believe Baptism is required.  It cleanses you.of the previous sins of your life but also is a public vow of your loyalty to Yahweh and to The Christ.   That being said, if you live in a country where its not an option but still confess, you are saved

No.

Also, like someone else said, no works to be saved.

REPENT & BELIEVE.

That’s it.

Jesus wasn't baptized by John because he needed cleansed. You are missing something very significant from the story. He was the last person to be baptized in that group! He was baptized in their filth!

Ephesians 4:5-6 states, "one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all."

But I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is accomplished! (Luke 12:50)

There is only one baptism that also has the power to save you, the one of death and resurrection.

What Lutherans believe

Grace alone.  Faith in Jesus is all that is required.   Baptism is of course strongly encouraged and customary.

You could have a fellow believer baptize you in a river.

Jesus wants you to be baptized. Obey Him.

I certainly agree that Jesus didn’t need to be cleansed. That’s not what I said.
I take Jesus at his word that baptism by water is required. He couldn’t have made it clearer either by his word or deed.

By his deeds? What was his first miracle after being the last to be baptized in the Jordan?

Now six stone water jars had been set there for the Jewish rites of purification. Each could hold from twenty to thirty gallons. Jesus told the servants, "Fill the jars with water." So they filled them to the brim. "Now draw some out," He said, "and take it to the master of the banquet." They did so, and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not know where it was from, but the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside and said, "Everyone serves the fine wine first, and then the cheap wine after the guests are drunk. But you have saved the fine wine until now!" (John 2:6-10)

Now you know by his deeds what Jesus thought of Jewish rites of purification. He replaced the contents with what symbolized his blood. All of this symbolic to the one baptism that takes away our sin. His death and resurrection.

I'm honestly not sure which New Testament you guys are reading that tells you baptism is just a recommendation but not a requirement.

The Apostle Paul writes in Roman's that those who are baptized are joined to Christ in his death and will be likewise raised to newness of life:

Romans 6:3–4 (ESV): Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.

Christ our Lord himself in the great commission did not command his disciples to go and teach people to pray the sinners prayer, he commanded them to baptize those whom they taught about him:

Matthew 28:18–19 (ESV): And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

When Phillip explains to the Ethiopian Eunuch the Old Testament pointing to Christ, Philip doesn't lead him in the sinners prayer and send him on his way instead the immediate response in faith is:  

Acts 8:36 (ESV): And as they were going along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “See, here is water! What prevents me from being baptized?”

When Peter preaches to the crowd in Acts chapter two he does not say Repent and Believe for the forgiveness of sins, rather he says, "Repent and be baptized for the forgiveness of sins".

For those who say, but Salvation is by grace, I agree 100%, Salvation is absolutely by grace and what is baptism but a means of God's grace to us. To those who argue salvation is through Christ's sacrifice for us on the cross, you're absolutely right, and the Apostle Paul writes that baptism is a means of uniting us to Christ's death. To those who say salvation is through faith, of course we are required to believe in Jesus as our savior and Lord, the requirement to be baptized does not nullify that.

If you believe in Christ as your Savior and Lord, then please obey his clear command to be baptized in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

I'm wounded, buddy shares the gospel, I ask Jesus to be my Lord and Saviour. I die. I'm saved. No baptism.

Accept Christ as savior 1st, then get baptized. Being baptized is not salvation.

I was raised in a Baptist church unaffiliated with the SBC, and they believed that baptism was required for salvation.
I attended various non-denominational churches which required baptism and believed it was necessary for obedience for salvation.
I attended UMC churches, and they are characteristically vague about the why of baptism.
The seminary I attended required baptism but the reasons for it were not really defined.
I attended SBC Baptist churches that required baptism "just because".
I am now Catholic where they believe baptism is necessary for salvation.

OP, you will hear many different opinions about this topic here. Some will actually use scripture to back up their beliefs, some will use the briefest of answers such as "no", and some will try and use some form of reason to explain their answers to your question. The strangest explanations try to equate obedience to a commandment with "works" (however they define "works") and will effectively try to convince you that obedience to a commandment is not necessary. Think about that for a second. Obedience is not necessary.

What it comes down to is what you choose to do in obedience to what is plainly commanded and expected in the Bible. The "why" of the command may not be clear to you at the time, but if you seek God and trust Him to reveal Truth to you by the Holy Spirit, you will understand and have a faith that cannot be shaken by anything anyone says.

If you do otherwise and choose to accept the beliefs of others as yours with no thought, prayer, and seeking of God, eventually you will end up in error.

In the end, your choice.

This is an edge case, much like the thief on the cross, addressed by theologians often with the baptism of desire as a poster above referred to.

However, for the vast majority of us, and In OP's case he is not being prevented from being baptized because he came to faith while nailed to a cross next to Christ, or mortally wounded in a foxhole, in which circumstances of course God, being rich in mercy, allows an alternate path. But for most unbaptized "Christians" (can you really call yourself a Christian if you are unbaptized by choice, much like can you really call yourself a Jew if you are an uncircumcised male?) they simply aaren't obeying Christ because it didn't feel quite right, they just didn't get around to it, or misread scripture into thinking it's optional.

If you're not nailed to a cross dying, or in a foxhole mortally wounded, the command is clear "Repent and be baptized." The choice to ignore the clear command of Christ and his apostles based on some theological positions (that don't conflict with baptism as a means of grace and remission of sin) is  a bold one...

thats where the name baptist church comes from. we were given that name as a derogatory name which started as ana-baptist then just simply baptist once the name stuck. the name ana-baptist means to re-baptize or re baptism of those sprinkled by the catholic church as they do with infants which is completely backwards and against scripture. to be baptized according to scripture you must first be saved according to romans 10 verses 9 thru 13 which reads...

9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.

12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.

13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

baptism is optional but meant to dedicate you to Christ as a new Christian following Christ. it signifies the death burial and resurrection of Christ.

early Christians were first persecuted by the jews en masse then later when the catholic church came about persecuted by the catholics en masse. details of the day to day and year by year persecution from the time of Christ to the modern era are found in historical books such as the martyrs mirror and foxes book of martyrs which both are massive 20 plus pound books of identical personal accounts of who was tortured in public by who.

the roman-catholic church itself was then was split in two over the baptism topic with one half carrying on in previous pagan practice unmodified and the other half going back to the Biblical account along side most other pagan practices which today is called orthodox catholic.  

today the catholic church allows their congregation to finally read the Bible unlike before when the split happened and in their own native language but in a catholic approved format called the NIV.
which is an absolute slap in the face to Biblical Christianity due to changed verses and meaning and verse on baptism completely missing and simply left blank with just a number no verse where the important verse sits boldly proclaiming what the whole story was about.

when you properly compare scripture to scripture the Bible answers all questions.

such as the story of the ethiopian eunoch when he asks phillip ''what must i do to be baptized?''

heres what the kjv and previous Bibles read...acts 8 verses
35 Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus.

36 And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?

37 And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.

38 And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him.

39 And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing.

40 But Philip was found at Azotus: and passing through he preached in all the cities, till he came to Caesarea.

the NIV removes the verse on what the prerequisate to baptism is which is...

37 And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
heres what they put in its place
37.

completely blank. devoid of verse to match their roman pagan traditions agenda.

heres a link to the best documentary on this topic its called being baptist.
https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-d&q=being+baptist+documentary.+#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:378d3af1,vid:mkKbUhEpW7Q,st:0

true Biblical salvation is a one time event called ever lasting and eternal life not something you need to keep doing by the way.

Really? How do you square salvation as a one time event with Paul's command:  

Philippians 2:12 (ESV): work out your own salvation with fear and trembling

If salvation were simply a one time event, then you're good to go no matter what you choose to do or believe with the remainder of your life wouldn't Paul have rather told us to work out our salvation with complete confidence and assurance?

No.

Baptism is to salvation what a ring is to someone that's married. Having a ring on indicates that you are married. Some married people don't where rings.

Strange. We are commanded to be baptized. We are not commanded to wear wedding rings. Can you explain in greater depth how are they alike?

Baptism by desire? Please give a reference.
What? You're suggesting that the scriptural references to being born of water refer to a woman's water breaking during childbirth? With all the other scriptural examples of baptism by immersion in water, this seems like a very strained interpretation.

That's a lukewarm answer. It is or it isn't.

This.

I tend to believe this. The act of being baptized does not necessarily mean that a person is saved without repentance and belief. But baptism is still an important and necessary step in a Christian’s life that should be done at the earliest opportunity.

What sinner’s prayer do you speak of? Where does the scripture say to pray “the sinner’s prayer”? Verse, chapter and book?

Where does the scripture say “truly repent”? Book, chapter and verse?

Where does the scripture say you must “ask the Holy Spirit or Jesus into your heart”? Book, chapter and verse


Before we can even address baptism we need to correct some man made doctrines you’ve been taught. I strongly encourage you to study the scripture and get back to me on the answers and where the scripture gives these specific commands you need to do to be saved.


Feel free to DM if you want. I would be happy to discuss this farther. I take it you come from either a Baptist or some type of evangelical background.

Baptism by desire would be instances like the poster above said where he is dying in a foxhole and can't be baptized but excepts Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. If he had the chance he would he baptized.

Baptism by blood would be like the Roman soldiers who were killing the early Christians. They seen the Christians faith and wanted to follow their God so they laid down their swords and were martyrd alongside the Christians. That is Baptism by blood.

Both of these are non-ordinary circumstances, so these two are non ordinary baptisms. An ordinary Baptism is by water and is a saving sacrament.

I would encourage you to fix that.

You are being baptized into the Church and yes, that's something you need to do. People will say that you can believe in God without attending services or being baptized and while that is true Satan and his demons believe in God too. Your life as a Christian should always be one of growth and I'd bet money that the no baptism/no organized religion group are not growing daily as they should (let's be real, we could all be better here though) and that's really not possible outside the Church outside of the niche, peripheral "gotcha" cases. If you truly followed Christ then you would not be content as you are - I know I'm not. You would want to grow, to labor, and to learn. You look forward to Sundays because you get to stand with your brothers and sisters to sing praises, you get to sit with them at the Lord's table. Being 100% honest the men of the Church have been instrumental in my growth and I would not be the man I am today without them. "Proverbs 27:17 ESV Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another."

You have to be really, really careful with justifying your current actions/thoughts. If your faith is not strong enough and driving enough to drag you to the Church do you really want to pin all your eternal hopes on it?

That is the danger and the risk.

It depends on what your favorite brand is.

When the word "Baptize" is used in Scripture. It is not always referring to water.
Matt 3:11
11 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance. but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire

And if you want to know what water baptism is for, Ask John the Baptist.
And some one did.
John is not the Messiah, so water baptism has no saving grace.
John 1:19-21
19 And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou?
20 And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, I am not the Christ.
21 And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No.

A person is "Saved" when they understand they are a sinner and need a savior.
And then place their Faith in Jesus and His Blood shed on the Cross for their sin.

Water Baptism reflects the Salvation by Faith experience as Paul describes in Romans 6:3-5
3 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?
4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
5 For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:

Going under the water symbolizes being buried with Christ in His death, Baptized into Christ.
Coming out of the water symbolizes His resurection unto a new life In Christ.

Being Baptized into Christ is what saves you, Should you be water baptized? YES, you should. But only if you really believe.
Not one person in Scripture who was Saved, refused to be water baptized. And that is not the same as not being able to do it before death. (The Thief on the Cross.)
If your attitude is not like the Eunech in Acts 8, "Lets do it" then something is wrong with your heart.
Acts 8:35-37
35 Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus.
36 And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?
37 And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. Eunechs Faith in Christ saved him.

Yes, and Revelation tells us that we will all be judged by our deeds.

I truly want to thank all of you for the replies and thoughts on this matter. It's not that I did not want to be baptized . deep inside something was telling me I needed to be. I will give a little history. to help people understand why I asked. I was not brought up in a church. to be honest I never set foot in one. my Family did not believe. so my whole life I questioned and searched..all religions, you name it I tried it. Member of OBOD since I was young. I always kept searching...looking feeling empty. Friends were not Religious so there was no support there, Same with family.  then in oct of 2018 one of my coworkers gave me another bible. so I spent the year reading it. not fully understanding it. it takes allot for a 50 year old guy like me to learn new stuff I am afraid. But something kept pushing me, then one day I was driving home like 4 in the morning coming back from being called in to work and radio picked up the local christian station. I dont even remember what the sermon was about. but it moved me and I know this is going sound hoke but I started to cry and I did not want to die or go to hell.  so thats how I came to understand Christ died for me. I had a freind he told me to go read Romans and start rereading the new teastmeant and I did and I am trying to grow. so I search for churches and search for a place to have fellow ship with. so thats my story I am afraid not a good one and I stumble and still fight daily to not sin which I fail