What Are You Waiting for?

We don't all have the same experiences leading to baptism, but the BibleThe books (Greek, "biblia" ) that are acknowledged as canonical (authoritative) by the early Christian Church. It includes both the books of the ancient Hebrew prophets and those of the apostolic witnesses to Jesus Christ. identifies some necessary steps in the process of conversion.

The religious zealot Saul of Tarsus was on his way to Damascus to apprehend and imprison members of a new sect, the followers of Jesus Christ. Suddenly he saw a bright light and fell to the ground. He heard the words, "'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?' And he said, 'Who are You, Lord?' Then the Lord said, 'I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting'" (Acts 9:4-5 [4] And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?
[5] And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.

See All...)

Saul then asked what the Lord wanted him to do. He was instructed to go to Damascus and he would be told what to do. Saul arose and realized he could not see. He had to be led the remainder of the way. He was found by one of God's servants, Ananias, who by the power of God restored Saul's sight and baptized him.

This dramatic incident brought about the conversion of Saul of Tarsus, who became the apostle Paul. Must you have this same type of experience before you can be baptized? How old must one be? What are the important concepts to understand prior to baptism?

To be baptized, people young and old must repent of their sins (turn from breaking God's law and commit to obeying Him) and believe (have faith in) Jesus Christ and His gospel. That's it. There is no requirement that one must have a miraculous experience with God such as Saul had. You don't have to wait until you hear the voice of God and are blinded as Saul was.

Regarding one's age, in our day it's common in many Christian organizations for babies to be baptized. Yet, in simple terms, baptism requires repentance (Acts 2:38Then 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.
See All...), faith (Mark 16:15-16 [15] And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
[16] He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.

See All...) and commitment (Luke 14:26-33 [26] If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.
[27] And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.
[28] For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it?
[29] Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him,
[30] Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish.
[31] Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand?
[32] Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and desireth conditions of peace.
[33] So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.

See All...). Because babies can't even conceive of these things, infant baptism doesn't fulfill the biblical requirements.

In my experience of counseling hundreds of young people at the university level for many years, I have seen that age 16 is about the youngest one can be to truly understand and fulfill God's expectations of baptism. I should also explain that 16 is a very young age, and not many at that age were ready to be baptized. Even so I admired their sincerity in seeking baptism.

The importance of baptism

Baptism is a very important step. It is one we must take to be forgiven of our sins (Acts 2:38Then 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.
See All...; Romans 6:18Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.
See All...), and it is how we establish a Father-son or Father-daughter relationship with God. It is a prerequisite to receiving the Holy Spirit, which makes us a part of Christ's spiritual Body, the Church (Romans 8:14-15 [14] For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
[15] For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, AbbaAn ancient nation bordered by Rueben in the North, Edom in the south, and the Dead Sea to the west and the desert to the east; the descendants of the firstborn son of Lot and his eldest daughter (Genesis 19:30-37)., Father.

See All...; 1 Corinthians 12:12-13 [12] For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.
[13] For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.

See All...).

The act of baptism and the subsequent receiving of the Holy Spirit identify us as Christians (Romans 8:9But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
See All...). Baptism is also a crucial step toward receiving eternal life. (For more information, read our free booklets The Road to Eternal Life and Transforming Your Life: The Process of Conversion , which can be found at www.ucg.org/booklets .)

What should you do?

Baptism is a very personal step. No one should take it unless he or she has thoroughly studied the topic and is personally convicted of the need to fulfill this command from God.

Counseling is available from dedicated ministers to help a person understand what God is looking for in the process. Of course, just because a person initiates counseling for baptism, it does not mean that he or she must follow through and be baptized—unless he or she is truly convicted and ready.

Seeking counsel from a minister of Jesus Christ will also help you understand what God expects of you when you commit your life to Him and walk in His grace toward eternal life in the glorious Kingdom of God (Luke 14:26-33 [26] If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.
[27] And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.
[28] For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it?
[29] Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him,
[30] Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish.
[31] Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand?
[32] Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and desireth conditions of peace.
[33] So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.

See All...; Matthew 6:33But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
See All...; 2 Corinthians 5:7(For we walk by faith, not by sight:)
See All...; 2 Timothy 4:8Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.
See All...). Be sure to take advantage of this help.

Search the ScripturesThe divinely inspired writings of both the Old and New Testaments. The term Scripture is used in the New Testament to refer to both the Hebrew Bible (Luke 24:44-45) and the new apostolic writings accepted as inspired (2 Peter 3:16; 1 Timothy 5:18).

The desire to be baptized usually begins when a person realizes that he or she has sinned and lived contrary to what Jesus Christ and God the Father have revealed as the right way of life. I was struck again while watching the movie The Passion of the Christ by the realization that my sins necessitated the suffering and death of Jesus Christ.

We need to believe that God's Word, the BibleThe books (Greek, "biblia" ) that are acknowledged as canonical (authoritative) by the early Christian Church. It includes both the books of the ancient Hebrew prophets and those of the apostolic witnesses to Jesus Christ., is true and that it is our guidebook for life (Matthew 4:4But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
See All...; 2 Timothy 3:15-16 [15] And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
[16] All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:

See All...). The reading and studying of His Word will bring us to an understanding of God's will for us. We will come to an understanding of how He wants us to live.

The realization that we have essentially killed Jesus Christ through our disobedience and contrary attitudes will be enhanced through comparing our past and present actions with the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1-17 [1] And God spake all these words, saying,
[2] I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
[3] Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
[4] Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:
[5] Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;
[6] And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.
[7] Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.
[8] Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
[9] Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:
[10] But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:
[11] For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.
[12] Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.
[13] Thou shalt not kill.
[14] Thou shalt not commit adultery.
[15] Thou shalt not steal.
[16] Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.
[17] Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's.

See All...). Additional study may be done into the fruits of the flesh and Spirit (Galatians 5:17-23 [17] For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.
[18] But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.
[19] Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
[20] Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,
[21] Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
[22] But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
[23] Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

See All...), the beatitudes (Matthew 5:1-12 [1] And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him:
[2] And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying,
[3] Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
[4] Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
[5] Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
[6] Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
[7] Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
[8] Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.
[9] Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.
[10] Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
[11] Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
[12] Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

See All...) and the direction that our thoughts should take (Philippians 4:8).

As we read and meditate on these sections of inspired ScriptureThe divinely inspired writings of both the Old and New Testaments. The term Scripture is used in the New Testament to refer to both the Hebrew Bible (Luke 24:44-45) and the new apostolic writings accepted as inspired (2 Peter 3:16; 1 Timothy 5:18)., God can lead us to see how we are in contrast to how He desires us to be (Romans 2:4Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?
See All...). We may then truly repent of our sins—the ways we do things contrary to Him (Romans 8:7Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
See All...; Proverbs 14:12There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.
See All...).

Faith is essential

Belief in Jesus Christ and His gospel is another essential requirement for baptism. Jesus said in Mark 1:15And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.
See All...: "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel." There is no other name by which we must be saved than that of Jesus Christ (Acts 4:10-12 [10] Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole.
[11] This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner.
[12] Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

See All...; 8:12). It is essential that we believe and know that God exists—and that we believe in Jesus Christ as our Savior, High Priest and coming King (Acts 8:37And 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.
See All...).

Finally, we need to accept the grace that God offers. Grace provides forgiveness and the strength to walk worthy of His calling (Ephesians 2:8-10 [8] For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
[9] Not of works, lest any man should boast.
[10] For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

See All...; Colossians 1:10That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;
See All...).

So what are you waiting for? "Seek the L ord while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near" (Isaiah 55:6Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:
See All...). Don't wait for something to strike you down to consider baptism. If you are interested, take up the challenge to "seek the Lord while He may be found." May God guide you to know when you need to be baptized and then grant you the courage and commitment to follow through. VT