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How Soon After Salvation...


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I'll never forget a group of Hyles guys trying to do a Vacation Bible school at a church I was at, and they were herding these poor bus kids at the baptismal tank like little Jewish holocaust victims, and they were crying for their mommy and wanted to go to the bathroom. I am not kidding.

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[quote="chev1958"]
But shouldn't new converts "know what's going on" at salvation? How much more do they need to know before being baptized? I see man entering into this ...

Mitch
[/quote]

I see what you are saying and agree, but if a person is truly saved they are going to very soon desire to be baptised. Time tells if their conversion was real, and you don't want to push someone to be baptized if they didn't even really mean the sinner's prayer. I think if a person really means it, that it won't take long to be interested in being baptized.

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[quote="Kitagrl"]
I'll never forget a group of Hyles guys trying to do a Vacation Bible school at a church I was at, and they were herding these poor bus kids at the baptismal tank like little Jewish holocaust victims, and they were crying for their mommy and wanted to go to the bathroom. I am not kidding.
[/quote]


I know you are not kidding; I've seen the same thing happen and I've seen the same kids get baptized week after week and many of them were coherced into a "reassurance" and subsequent baptism so our church could boast that we had baptized at least one every Sunday in the past year. I think everyone here will agree that that is totally wrong.

How about the 24 y/o who truly gets born again? Does he need a class or classes?

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I don't think you need a class before getting baptized, I am just saying there is no need to pressure them into doing it the very next week. If they are eager to please God, they will do it as soon as they learn about it, which should be almost right away.

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[quote]
Course when all you care about is the number of dunks you did on a weekend, you don't care if they are truely saved or not.
[/quote]

Sad, but true. One church I know of claimed to have led 288 people to the Lord in one year, but had only 15 baptisms and membership didn't grow a whole lot. :roll:

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I think a bit of a trial period is wise, Easy believism is rampant...and churches subsequently are full of Non christians who are baptized members...and I don't think there is anything wrong with classes....our pastor used to go over the church constitution and doctrines too so they understood. He felt baptism and being added to the church were tied together...I tend to agree....

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When a person is truly born again, he/she will have a desire to be baptized (believer's baptism by immersion) and I believe that the person being baptized should know what baptism means biblically and why they are getting baptized. Nobody should be coerced into getting baptized as in Kitagirl's post about Hyles' church--which is more interested in "numbers". Baptism is the first step a believer takes in his/her walk with the Lord.

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[quote]
When a person is truly born again, he/she will have a desire to be baptized (believer's baptism by immersion) and I believe that the person being baptized should know what baptism means biblically and why they are getting baptized.
[/quote]

Well, I might as well come right out and admit this: I was baptized [b][i]12 years[/i][/b] after my conversion (I was saved at age 12). It wasn't that I didn't have the [b][i]desire[/i][/b] to be baptized right away, just that no one told me until much later that a believer should be baptized (I was raised in a church -- Evangelical Covenant -- that didn't place great importance on discipleship). Once I discovered the importance of believer's baptism through my own Bible study, I made it known to the pastor of the church I was attending at the time that I wanted to be baptized.

Better late than never, right? :)

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  • 1 year later...
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Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus. 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? 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. 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. 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. (Acts 8:35-39)

Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. (Acts 2:38)

How bold, to tell a lost person to get saved, and then get baptized! I don't think there should be a long period of time before a person's salvation and that person's confession of Christ in baptism.

Also, we often say baptism is the first step in obedience. Why should we expect them to be obedient to discipleship classes if they haven't been obedient to baptism? It's a sad thing to me when a new Christian is excited and wants to be baptized and gets turned away.

The thing with false converts is very serious, but it's not an issue with baptism, but rather with methods of Gospel preparation and presentation.

I think we should fix our evangelism and do it like they did in Acts.

Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan, And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins. But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance: And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. (Matthew 3:5-10)

I think the biblical reason to turn away for baptism is when one is lacking repentance.

And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen. (Matthew 28:18-20)

It's still part of the great commission.

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