Must I Be Baptized to Go to Heaven?
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Do you have to be baptized to go to heaven?
Yes. In our previous question
, we’ve just discussed all of the wonderful blessings that are in Christ. One cannot go to heaven without these blessings. But to have these blessings, we must be in Christ, that is, in the body of Christ. How do we get into Christ? We must put on Christ. Galatians 3:26-29 says, “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” So, to be in Christ and have access to all the spiritual blessings, including heaven, we must be baptized into Christ.
Let’s consider some other thoughts along this line also. Peter tells us in 1 Peter 1:3-5: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” Notice that Peter says that the inheritance that is reserved in heaven is for those who have been born again. How are we born again? Peter also says in 1 Peter 1:22-23 that we are born again by our obedience to the word of God: “Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart, having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever.” What do we do to obey the truth and be born again? Paul tells us that we must obey the gospel to be saved (2 Thessalonians 1:8). Paul also tells us that the gospel is the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). How do we obey the gospel? We must conform to the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. We do this by being baptized. Look at Romans 6:1-11. Moreover, in order to be saved, we must obey Jesus. Hebrews 5:9 says, “And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him.” What has Jesus commanded? He has commanded us to be baptized among other things. Look at Matthew 28:18-20 and Mark 16:16: “He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.” So if we want to go to heaven, then we need to be baptized so that Jesus can save us as He said He would.