Many people are confused about the ordinance of Baptism. This home-made tract is designed to promote a plain summary of some of what the Bible teaches about baptism. Primarily to point others to the understanding that faith in Christ alone is Salvation and that baptism is an outward manifestation of that inward truth, a believer's public identification to The Lord Jesus Christ, and an initiation to and requirement for joining the church. This tract does not pretend to cover all the intricate and relevant portion of this essential Baptist distinctive.
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Can baptism save? Can it bestow grace? What does the Bible teach about baptism? Dear friends, the last question is the most important question because it does not matter what man, church, or tradition teaches; however, it does matter what God teaches through the Bible.
Because the Bible is God's Word, it is the Christian's final rule in matters of faith and practice. One can examine its teaching concerning major doctrines with a great degree of clarity. The topic of baptism is no exception. The Bible has much to say about baptism.
Man's religion teaches Salvation by baptism
God's Word teaches Salvation first, followed by baptism
In the New Testament, every person exercised faith prior to Christian baptism. See Acts 2:41, 8:36-38, 9:15-18, 10:44-47, 16:14-15 and 30-34. The fact that repentance precedes baptism indicates that saving faith is a requirement for baptism. This is why John the Baptist, in Matt. 3:7-8, rejected a group of religious people (hypocrites) who desired to be baptized but expressed no true sense of repentance.
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