by David Cope

Created on: April 25, 2008   Last Updated: May 14, 2008

Is baptism required for entry into heaven? The Bible is quite explicit on this
subject. But there is one thing I want to clear up. In Mark 16:16 Jesus is
talking to the apostles telling them to go out to all the world preaching the
gospel. Jesus then says, "He that believes and is baptized will be saved, but he
that disbelieves is condemned already." In that verse Jesus gives the criteria

for baptism. Any one who wants, or needs to be baptized, must first believe in
the Word. Please tell me how a newborn can be baptized when they can't understand
a single word you say? They have to "believe" in order to be baptized. Children
do not have to be baptized to go to heaven. Children are guaranteed a place in
heaven until they reach the age of accountability. In other words, they have to
have the capacity to hear and believe the Word of God before they can be baptized.
And until that time they have no need to be baptized.

Now, let's talk about infant baptism. The book of Acts is the best book in the
Bible to study about baptism. And it is that book that we will use for our
discussion. In every case of baptism in the Bible, the baptism was a complete
submersion in water. There is absolutely no incident of sprinkling in the Bible.
How did we get from complete submersion to sprinkling? Sprinkling is not baptism.
Sprinkling originated because someone who had no idea what they were doing talked
to a clergyman who let that person have their way because he was more worried
about losing their financial support than teaching the truth. It is a sad fact
that more and more clergy are teaching their congregations what they want to hear
instead of what the Bible actually teaches. We all want to take the easy way out.
We don't want to have to work for our reward. Instead, we want it handed to us on
a silver platter. It doesn't work that way. Study your Bible, don't just listen
to some mortal man who has the same trials and temptations as you. How do you know
if he is teaching you the truth if you don't study your Bible, or at least follow
along while he preaches? If you studied the Bible you would know newborns do not
need baptism.

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