Be Baptised Immediately

Do Not Boast About Tomorrow

When we look around, many people continue to delay coming to God. Some say “Let me believe in God when I have free time.” However, no one can guarantee that what they plan or dream of will surely come tomorrow or in the next second. Such is Life.

Proverbs 27:1 Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring.

Tomorrow is never promised. The Bible strictly teaches that one should not boast about tomorrow. This is because no one knows what will happen in the next second, minute, or hour of their life. Since we are unaware of what awaits us, we should receive the sign of salvation through baptism without delay

Delaying Baptism Is Incorrect

Receiving salvation is an urgent matter; baptism should be performed without any delay. In today’s world, many preachers teach that baptism should be done after 6 months or a year of Bible study, but this is a wrong teaching. Mankind ought to understand the correct biblical teachings regarding baptism.

As soon as we receive the truth, we should receive the sign of salvation, which is baptism. Jesus delivered this very teaching to us.

Luke 12:16-20 And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’ “Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’ “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’

A rich man stored up plenty of good things for himself, and considering his great wealth, he told himself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years; take life easy, eat, drink, and be merry.” The rich man must have thought that he still had many years left to live. However, God told him that his life would be demanded from him that very night. What, then, will happen to all his riches? It will all be in vain. If we delay baptism, while thinking we still have many years to enjoy life on this Earth, our souls will be in great danger.

When Were People Baptised in the Days of the Early Church?

In the early church, when people listened and realised the words of God, they were baptised immediately. They were not baptised six months or a year after studying and listening to God’s word, but they were baptised immediately.

Philip Baptised an Ethiopian Eunuch by the Roadside

Acts 8:26-31 Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Go south to the road—the desert road—that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of the Kandake (which means “queen of the Ethiopians”). This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship, and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the Book of Isaiah the prophet. The Spirit told Philip, “Go to that chariot and stay near it.” Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. “Do you understand what you are reading?” Philip asked. “How can I,” he said, “unless someone explains it to me?” So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.

Apostle Philip met a eunuch who was reading the Book of Isaiah in the Bible and preached the gospel to him. It was the first time they had met.

Acts 8:35-38 Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus. As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water. What can stand in the way of my being baptized?” And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him.

When the eunuch listened to the words of the gospel, he was moved and came to understand God’s truth. As a result, he asked if he could receive new life through baptism. Even though they had just met that day, Apostle Philip did not hesitate to baptise him right there on the road. This shows that baptism is an urgent ceremony that should be carried out without delay.

Peter Baptised Cornelius and His Family in Cornelius’ House

Acts 10:47-48 Surely no one can stand in the way of their being baptized with water. They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have.” So he ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked Peter to stay with them for a few days.

“They” here are the family members of Cornelius (Acts 10:24-25). Peter also preached the gospel to Cornelius, whom he had just met, and baptised him and his family. Nowhere in the Bible can we find a single case where God’s people delayed being baptised.

Paul and Silas Baptised a Jailer and His Household at Night

Acts 16:29-33 The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. He then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.” Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house. At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his household were baptized. The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God—he and his whole household.

This is a scene in which a jailer and his family received baptism. When were the jailer and his family baptised? They were baptised at night. This fact alone shows the urgency of baptism and why it should be done immediately. The apostles baptised people regardless of the time, place, or day of the week.

Apostle Paul Baptised Lydia, a Businesswoman, by the River

Acts 16:13-15 On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there. One of those listening was a woman from the city of Thyatira named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth. She was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message. When she and the members of her household were baptized, she invited us to her home. “If you consider me a believer in the Lord,” she said, “come and stay at my house.” And she persuaded us.

Apostle Paul met with Lydia for the first time and preached the gospel to her. When she realised the truth, she was immediately baptised, together with the members of her household.

All the examples in the Bible show that baptism was not delayed in the early church but was conducted immediately. Even in this age, baptism is an urgent ceremony that should be conducted as soon as one realises the good news of salvation.

Re-Baptism

Most people were baptised when they were young. As a result, they are often hesitant to be baptised again because they were baptised in other churches. The Bible teaches that they should be re-baptised in the true Church.

Acts 19:3-5 So Paul asked, “Then what baptism did you receive?” “John’s baptism,” they replied. Paul said, “John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus.” On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.

When Apostle Paul met some people, he asked them about the baptism they had received. This indicates he was speaking to people who had already been baptised. He then suggested they be baptised again. Why did the Apostle Paul tell them to be baptised again? It is because they had received baptism in a place where there is no promise of salvation, and such baptism is meaningless. Even if a person is baptised ten times or more, if they are baptised in a false church, they are not guaranteed salvation.

All people of God need to be baptised again in the Church that keeps the truth of the New Covenant, such as the Sabbath and the Passover.

Isaiah 33:20-24 Look on Zion, the city of our festivals; your eyes will see Jerusalem, a peaceful abode, a tent that will not be moved its stakes will never be pulled up, nor any of its ropes broken. There the Lord will be our Mighty One. It will be like a place of broad rivers and streams. No galley with oars will ride them, no mighty ship will sail them. For the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our king; it is he who will save us. Your rigging hangs loose: The mast is not held secure, the sail is not spread. Then an abundance of spoils will be divided and even the lame will carry off plunder. No one living in Zion will say, “I am ill”; and the sins of those who dwell there will be forgiven.

God promised to save those who are in Zion. Zion is the place where all the Feasts of God are kept. If anyone receives baptism in a church that is not Zion, where all the Feasts of God are celebrated, that baptism carries no promise of salvation.

The Blessings Granted to Those Who Are Baptised

Before receiving baptism, one should understand the blessings conferred through it.

Baptism Guarantees Forgiveness of Sins and the Gifts of the Holy Spirit

Acts 2:38 Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Those baptised in Zion will have their sins forgiven and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit guides our life of faith, enabling us to discern truth from falsehood after baptism. No one can enter the Kingdom of Heaven without the forgiveness of sins and the Holy Spirit. All people on Earth need to be baptised in the true Church, be saved, and enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

Those Who Receive True Baptism Are Saved and Have Their Names Recorded in the Book of Life

Mark 16:15-16 He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.

Whoever believes the gospel and receives true baptism will be saved and have their names recorded in the book of Life. Those who refuse baptism cannot be saved, but will be condemned.

Baptism frees us from Satan and enables us to become God’s precious children, who can inherit the Kingdom of Heaven. It is every person’s duty to choose the way that saves their soul.