After every sermon the most important question that every preacher should ask his audience is: Are you a Christian yet? Have you been baptized already in Jesus for the remission of your sins? This question is so important after every lesson, because, after all, this is the point for what we preach the gospel of Jesus.

I am already baptized

I don’t need to be baptized.

Baptism does not save

Baptism is not necessary for salvation

My family has been already baptized on my behalf.

Who should be baptized?

Some who ask to be baptized are not ready to be baptized, and others refuse to be baptized because they think they have already attained the changes that should take place in baptism.

WHEN IS SOMEONE READY TO BE BAPTIZED?

This question has been killing many people now days, they don’t know: Do we have an answer?

Who should be baptized?

Those who administer baptism are always concerned when children who have not reached their teen years want to be baptized.

The Bible does not lay down a rule regarding the age of the person seeking baptism.

Some have stated that children should be baptized at age twelve because Jesus was twelve (Luke 2:42) when He went to the temple.

At that time, He asked His mother, “Did you not know that I had to be in My Father’s house?” (Luke 2:49).

However, Jesus was not baptized at age twelve, but at age thirty (Luke 3:23), just before He began His ministry.

Of course, Jesus is not our example in this matter, for He did not need baptism for the forgiveness of sins.

He did not need to do the things necessary in order to be baptized: to be taught God’s Word (John 6:45), to believe in Jesus (John 8:24), to repent of sins (Acts 17:30), and to confess Jesus (Romans 10:9, 10).

The question is not age but comprehension, accountability, and desire. Young people mature at different ages. At least some of the following questions may be considered to determine the readiness of those who ask to be baptized:

Why do you want to be baptized?

Are you a sinner?

Do you fear God will punish you because of your sins?

Do you believe you are separated from God because of your sins?

If God were to judge you right now, would He take you to heaven or send you to hell?

What do you think is God’s attitude toward you? Do you think that He hides His face from you because of your sins?

Who do you believe Jesus is (John 8:24; Romans 10:9)?

If you died today, would you die a sinner (John 8:21)?

What is repentance?

What has Jesus done to forgive your sins (Matthew 26:28)?

What forgives and washes away your sins (Hebrews 9:22; Revelation 1:5)?

When does this occur?

When you are baptized, how will you live differently than you are living now?

What must you do to be forgiven of your sins?

When you are baptized, will Jesus become Lord of your life?

What does it mean for Jesus to be your Lord?

Whose church will you enter when you are baptized?

Are you ready to begin a new life?

The person who realizes that he is a sinner believes that he is separated from God because of his sins. If he believes in Jesus as the Lord and Savior whose blood can forgive his sins, if he is willing to change his life to follow Jesus, and if he realizes that he needs to right a wrong relationship with God, then he is ready to be baptized.

He must also understand that his sins will be forgiven and that he will enter into fellowship with God and with fellow Christians.

Galatians 3:27; Acts 2:41, 47; 1 Corinthians 7:23

WHAT ABOUT SOMEONE WHO HAS ALREADY BEEN BAPTIZED?

Some who have already been baptized believe that they are saved even though they did not understand the meaning of what they were doing when they were baptized.

The following questions may help them to see their need for scriptural baptism if they did not understand God’s will when they were baptized:

How old were you when you were baptized?

Were you immersed?

Had you been studying the Bible on your own?

Did you learn what you knew about baptism from the preaching and teaching at your church?

Of what denomination was the preacher who baptized you?

Did you go forward during an evangelistic meeting?

Describe what happened when you went forward. Did others pray with you? Did someone have you say something he called “the sinner’s prayer”?

Did you make a confession like this one before the congregation: “I believe that God for Christ’s sake has pardoned my sins”? If so, did you consider yourself saved after you did this?

Did people rejoice and congratulate you on being saved? At what point did they do this?

What did the preacher announce concerning your spiritual condition when you went before the congregation?

How long after this were you baptized?

Why were you baptized?

How does this compare with the one baptism of the Bible (Ephesians 4:5)?

Ephesians 4:5…

““ONE Lord, ONE ONE Lord, ONE faith, ONE baptism.faith, ONE baptism.

This is the ONENESS that we find in the New Testament

Romans 6:1-6…Romans 6:1-6…

“What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? 3 Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? 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. 5 For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, 6 knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.

The validity of our baptism is not dependent on who baptizes us.

Our own understanding and commitment are what makes the difference.

We need to be sure that we have received the one baptism of the Bible (Ephesians 4:5… “5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism;.

Many people have received something called baptism but have not received the one baptism. Those who have not received this one baptism should swallow their pride and submit to God’s one baptism.

Hear…The GospelHear…The Gospel Believe…In the GospelBelieve…In the Gospel

Repent of Your Sins.Repent of Your Sins. Confess Jesus as the Son Of God.Confess Jesus as the Son Of God.

Be baptized in Water.Be baptized in Water. Live faithful Until the End.Live faithful Until the End.