Baptism, The Great Omission in the Great Commission

Baptism

Jesus commenced his ministry by being baptised.

Jesus concluded His ministry with a Command to Baptize His followers.

Baptism never saved anyone:

Baptism is not an act of salvation, baptism is an act of obedience.
Baptism is an act of identification with Christ and His saving work.

The New Testament pattern is belief and then baptism.

We see in the New Testament that when people were baptised that there was:

1. Proclamation 2. Salvation 3. Identification.

Proclamation of the Word, which resulted in salvation of the hearers which resulted in identification with Christ in the waters of baptism.

According to God’s Word there must be belief, before baptism as seen in the Word of God.

My own opinion is that the neglect of Churches to baptize believing adults has halted effective evangelism in many ways.

The Great Omission in the Great Commission has been to neglect what Jesus said about baptism and that has halted evangelism.

Every baptism by immersion shows that the believer identifies with the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Baptism is a visible demonstration of an invisible reality.