WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?
WHO SHOULD BE BAPTIZED
Who should be baptized? Some say infants; some say saved people, others say believers who have repented but are not yet saved.
WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?
Mark 16:15-16 says... And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to the whole creation. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned."
Those who are believers are baptized. Salvation is the result of God's grace and man's faith (believe and be baptized).
Acts 2:38 says... "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; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit."
Here, when these people discovered the truth that Jesus is God's son and that they had rejected him, they were convicted (cut to the heart). They cried out, "Men and Brothers, what shall we do?" They were told to repent and be baptized for the remission of sins. Salvation came after these believers repented and were baptized. Many years later, Peter would say, "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 clear conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities and powers subject to Him." (I Peter 3:21) So since infants cannot repent or believe, they are not candidates for baptism. And since salvation immediately follows Christian baptism, it is not possible to be saved prior to baptism. The proper candidate for baptism is a sinner who knows the word of God, believes in Jesus and has repented of his sins.
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