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My name is Amy and I have a couple of questions about just different things. First of all I come from a Baptist Church. I am beginning to get so confused about the different teachings between different churches. Like baptism is required for salvation well I myself think you are saved by faith alone and baptism is a symbol or burial resurrection and no one is going to be able to persuade me because I have read the bible and that is the way I believe. Well now days there are so many different religions it is confusing and i would like to know how in the end one of them is going to be right and the others wrong and god send all the people for example say that believe baptism is a symbol and doesn't say you to hell when if you believe you receive eternal life and the few people that the bible speaks of as going to heaven a few could mean all the people in this world if we all believe so I just wanna know more about this stuff because I am really confused right now. Everybody I ask is going to give me a different answer and I don't know which one is the right one. So tell me something the few people that goes to heaven are they supposed to be perfect. And how do i know if my religion is right I mean i believe you should be baptized but i dont' believe you are going to hell if not because the bible says we are saved by faith so the few who goes to heaven are the ones who believe baptism is right I don't know just please help i think both can be right
thank you

First of all, we are not the judges. It is not for us to decide who goes to Heaven or Hell. That is for God to decide. However, that does not mean that it is okay to do and believe whatever you want. The truth shall set us free (John 8:32). We need to study God's word and apply it to our lives.

As for baptism, the Bible is clear and unambiguous on the place and role of baptism. I'm not going to give you "my" answer. Let me point you to some pertinent and clear scriptures. I would suggest you keep in mind your presuppositions and what you have been taught by teachers and preachers and recognize where your presuppositions come from. Read the following passages concerning baptism.

"He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned (Mark 16:16).".

" Peter said to them, 'Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit' (Acts 2:38)."

"Now, why do you delay? Get up and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on His name (Acts 22:16)."

"May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it? 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, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; for he who has died is freed from sin (Rom 6:2-7)."

"For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ (Gal 3:26-27)."

"...having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him (Col 2:12-15)."

"Corresponding to that, baptism now saves you--not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience--through the resurrection of Jesus Christ (1 Pet 3:21),"

The only comment I want to make with these scripture is to point out this. Even though they teach baptism, they do not exclude or invalidate faith. Notice how they show that baptism is a demonstration of faith, especially the Galatians passage.

Once again, God is the judge, we are not. However, just because we are not the judge does not abdicate our responsibility to teach the truth as God has revealed in his word. For more on the subject of baptism, I would recommend that you consider the sermon series on Christian Baptism on this web site, or the article on baptism under the Full Text articles and essays section.

John Telgren
P.O. Box 452
Leavenworth, KS 66048
Web: epreacher.org/ask
John Telgren
P.O. Box 452
Leavenworth, KS 66048
Web: epreacher.org/ask
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