I remember once being asked by a young man, “Sir, do I need to be baptized to become a Christian?” He looked at me with the same anxiety I had when applying for my visa to the US, afraid he might miss some official stamp that would deny him entry into heaven.

I smiled and told him, “You do not need a visa to meet God, my friend. Just faith.”

We have turned faith into a checklist. Attend church, tick. Sing loudly, tick. Get baptized, tick. But God never made a checklist. He made a covenant. He said, “Believe in my Son.” That is the foundation. That is where it begins. It is not about the amount of water that touches you, but about whether the Word of God has touched your heart.

The thief on the cross never got baptized. There was no priest, no river, no ceremony. There was just belief. And belief was enough for Jesus to say, “Today you will be with me in Paradise.” That single moment of faith outweighed a lifetime of crime.

That is not to say baptism is unimportant. Far from it. Baptism is a beautiful act of obedience, a public declaration that you have turned from darkness to light. It is like wearing a wedding ring, not what makes you married, but what shows you are. When you step into that water, you tell the world, “I belong to Christ.” And that act of belonging is powerful.

But some of us chase the symbol and forget the substance. We polish the ring but neglect the relationship. We rush to the water without first washing our hearts. God is not impressed by the ceremony; He looks at the sincerity. A wet head does not make a clean soul.

If baptism alone could save, then the gospel would be a plumbing project.

But salvation is a heart matter. Faith comes first, and baptism follows as the fruit of that faith. The early believers heard, believed, and then were baptized. It was not the ritual that saved them but the Redeemer they trusted in.

So, if you have not been baptized, do not live in fear that heaven has closed its gates. If you believe in Christ, He has already written your name in His book. But if you have believed and not yet taken that public step, go ahead. Step into that water with gratitude, not guilt. Do it because you love Him, not because you fear missing out.

And when you come out of that water, remember, the world has seen your faith, but more importantly, heaven has seen your heart. Because, as the Bible says, “It is by grace that you have been saved through faith.”

Faith first. Water next. Grace always. That is Christianity, pure and simple…!

————————————————–

Would love to hear from you in the COMMENTS section below…and IF YOU WANT TO RECEIVE BOB’S BANTER EVERYDAY, PLEASE SEND YOUR NAME AND WHATSAPP PHONE NO TO [email protected]
————————————————–