Baptism
Baptism is our public profession of our Salvation. Is it necessary to enter Heaven? Or is the Salvation experience itself sufficient? That is one of the most enduring questions in the history of Christian debate. Like many questions over which people debate, Baptism is fundamentally a "chicken or egg" question.
The act of getting dunked is not a cleansing act in itself, but is an outward profession of an inward (cleansing) change.
Baptism is, at least, a Commandment that we are given as Christians. It is, then, an act of obedience to God once we are Saved. At the least it is us putting our money where our mouth is...acting on what we say we now believe. I chose the image of Christ's own baptism, because even He saw fit to set the example. Further,
Jesus had railed against religious leaders often enough for showy, meaningless religious rituals that we can be confident that His baptism was a significant act that He felt to be essential.
Like other topics that involve obedience, I sort of back into the idea that baptism is necessary. What I mean is: yes, it is true that the only thing that is necessary for entrance into Heaven is Salvation (to have a heart for God and an acknowledgment of His sacrifice on the Cross). But IF that is true...IF you believe this, then you will WANT to be obedient to Him. Just as you will try to make your earthly parents proud of you through your actions. Of course we will fail time and again, and do things that disappoint both God the Father and our earthly parents. Those failures don't make us any less their children in either case, but it is our effort - our desire - to be all that we an be as children that defines us as such. I guess then what I am saying is that if you are truly one of His...you will want to be obedient to His Commandments.
The Bible says that a tree is KNOWN by its fruit. Maybe the best way to think about baptism, or any other Commandment / act of morality, is to say that the apple hanging off of an apple tree may not be - in itself - what makes the tree an apple tree (it's DNA does this) but the tree is known for what it is by the apple. Likewise,
We are not JUSTIFIED BY our actions, but we are KNOWN BY them.
And God wants us to be known to others as Christians, probably so that we can show other people the Way to Him. Baptism is one way that we do that.
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