BAPTISM—A TESTIMONY OF YOUR FAITH IN CHRIST
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 (Romans 10:9).
Some have asked if water baptism is enough to save a sinner. But from the Scriptures, it’s clear that salvation comes by believing in Jesus Christ and confessing Him as Lord. Water baptism, while significant, doesn’t provide the remission of sins, but it’s a testimony of one’s faith in Christ.
In 1 Peter 3:21 for example, the Bible talks about water baptism, not as the removal of the filth of the flesh but as the answer of a good conscience toward God: “The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 3:21).
The real cleansing from sin comes through the blood of Jesus Christ. Baptism is a public testimony of faith in what happened to Jesus—His death, burial, and resurrection. When people are baptized in water, they symbolically identify with Christ’s death as they are immersed in water, and with His resurrection as they are brought out of the same water. This signifies their faith in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Water baptism, in itself, doesn’t bring salvation. A person can be baptized and still be lost if they have not been born again. The Bible makes it clear that salvation comes through faith in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Baptism is an outward expression of that faith.
PRAYER
Dear Father, I thank you for the gift of salvation through the precious blood of Jesus Christ. I declare my faith in His death, burial and resurrection, and I live in the consciousness of this glorious truth. My life is a testimony of my union with Christ, and I walk daily in the victory of His resurrection, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.
FURTHER STUDY:
Romans 6:3-4, Colossians 2:11-12, Acts 2:38
1-YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN: Romans 12:1-16, Psalms 85-88
2-YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN: Luke 14:25-35, Judges 18
