Do you need to be baptized to become a member of the Church? If so why? Thanks for your help. Bill Dieringer
Only the Scriptures can define requirements for becoming a member of the church of the Bible (2 Timothy 3:16-17), and the New Testament Scriptures have defined the requirements for becoming a member of the church of the Bible. One of those requirements is immersion (baptism) according to Acts 2:38, 41 and 47.
(38) “Then Peter said to them, Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins… (41) Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them. (47)…the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.”
“Remission of sins” of verse 38 and “saved” of verse 47 are equivalent terms relevant to redemption and contrasted with a state of being lost spiritually. Acts 2:38 and 41 stipulate that the transition from being lost to being saved occurs through one’s repentance and baptism. These saved ones are added to the church of the Bible by Jesus Himself, according to verse 47.
Hence, the saved are the church. Anyone not in the church is not saved (from his past sins). Anyone who has not been immersed for the remission of his past sins (baptized) is not saved and has not been added by our Lord to His church. The unprejudiced and honest mind cannot help but acknowledge that the New Testament teaches that baptism (immersion) has a part in salvation. “And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins…” (Acts 22:16). “There is also an antitype which now saves us–baptism (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 3:21).
Like faith (John 8:24), repentance (Luke 13:3) and professing Jesus Christ (Matthew 10:32), baptism pertains to obeying Jesus Christ, and our Lord saves those who obey Him (Hebrews 5:8-9). In addition, immersion in water resembles and imitates the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
“…as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore, we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection” (Romans 6:3-5).
Forasmuch as Scripture also says that one is saved by the blood of Jesus Christ (Ephesians 1:7; Acts 20:28), and our Lord shed His blood in His death, being baptized into the death of Jesus Christ places the new convert spiritually and symbolically into the blood of our Savior.
Yes, if we are talking about the church of the Bible, it is necessary for a person to be baptized to be a member of the church. Why? God through the New Testament says so! Why? The New Testament teaches that baptism places one into the death of Christ where our Lord’s saving blood may be contacted.
