by Phil Sanders

Jesus walked more than 75 miles from Nazareth to the Jordan River, so that he could "fulfill all righteousness" (Matthew 3:13-17). If Jesus believed baptism to be that important, certainly we should.

Jesus told Nicodemus, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God" (John 3:5). Every early Christian understood this to refer to baptism. If Jesus demanded baptism to enter the kingdom of God, how can we excuse ourselves or anyone else from what Jesus requires?

At the beginning of the church in the very first sermon, Peter responded to convicted hearts who wanted to know what to do. He said, "Repent, and let each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit" (Acts 2:38). That day 3,000 people understood him and gladly responded; the Lord added them to His church (Acts 2:41,47).

When guilty, blind Saul of Tarsus learned that Jesus was Lord, he prayed and fasted for three days (Acts 9:9,11). He did not find salvation, however, until Ananias came to him and told him what he must do (Acts 9:6). Ananias said, "And now why do you delay? Arise, and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on His name" (Acts 22:16).

When the careless Romans began to take the grace of God for granted, Paul reminded them that they were not to live in sin any longer. He told them, "Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, in order that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life" (Romans 6:3,4).

You should be baptized for the same reasons they were: to fulfill righteousness, to enter the kingdom, to have forgiveness of sins, to wash away sin, and to walk in newness of life. What a great God we have.