The Bible teaches that baptism stands between being lost and being saved. Prior to being baptized, one is still lost in his sins, but after baptism, one is saved (Acts 22:16; Mark 16:16). But we must not overlook the pre-requisites to scriptural baptism. Let us ask and answer this question then: Who is a proper subject of baptism, or, in other words, who is ready to be baptized?
In order to be baptized scripturally, one needs to be taught the gospel. “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature,” Jesus said (Mark 16:15). “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught by God.’ Therefore, everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me” (John 6:44-45). Being taught the gospel and hearing and learning it is a necessity.
And belief in that gospel of Jesus Christ must by necessity precede baptism: “He who believes and is baptized shall be saved” (Mark 16:16). When the Ethiopian man in Acts 8 asked what hinders him from being baptized, Philip answered that “if you believe with all your heart, you may” (Acts 8:37). Infants cannot believe, so they are not proper subjects for baptism.
While the necessity of hearing and believing may seem obvious, what about repentance? Repentance is a pre-requisite to scriptural baptism. “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; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit’” (Acts 2:38). To repent is to change one’s mind about sin. One must change his mind to turn his back on sin and to begin following Jesus Christ; in other words, he must decide he doesn’t want to live the way of sin anymore. This requires one to be convicted that he is in sin and thus lost and separated from God. If one has not changed his mind about sin, then he is not a proper subject to be baptized. The one who does not realize he is a sinner cannot repent, so he is not a proper subject for baptism.
The proper subject to be baptized is one who has confessed his faith in Jesus being Lord and Christ, the Son of God. “…that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9).
Would it do any good to baptize – immerse – a man if he had not heard or did not believe the gospel? Of course not, you say. But likewise, if one is not willing to repent or to confess his faith in Jesus, then how can he be scripturally baptized in the name of Jesus Christ? He cannot. Why not? Because repenting and confessing Jesus precede baptism just as do hearing and belief.
It is right that we emphasize the necessity of baptism in order to be saved. But let us not forget that the proper subjects of baptism are those who have heard the true gospel, who believe the true gospel, who repent, and who confess Jesus as Lord and Christ. Those who are proper subjects need to be baptized without delay, for baptism stands between being lost and beings saved.
-Larry Jones