Bible Questions Answered:
“Here is my question, if a person
receives the Lord, and is killed in an auto accident, and hadn't been
baptized yet, are they lost?...”
Leslie/ London, England United
Kingdom
Bible Answer:
Bible Texts:
No, and we have The Word Of God, that
tells us so.
Two criminals crucified along side
Jesus.
Luke 23:39-43 KJV
39 And one of the malefactors which
were hanged railed on Him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself
and us.
40 But the other answering rebuked
him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the
same condemnation?
41 And we indeed justly; for we
receive the due reward of our deeds: but this Man hath done nothing
amiss.
42 And he said unto Jesus, Lord,
remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.
43 And Jesus said unto him, Verily I
say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise.
Had
this thief, been baptized, of course not, and yet Jesus promised him
“Today shalt thou be with me in paradise.”
The repentant thief
did do something though, something which baptism represents, and that
is public confession! He confessed that Jesus was God.
The repentant thief
stated:
Vs. 40 “Dost
not thou fear God,”
Vs. 41 “this
Man hath done nothing amiss.”
Vs. 42
“And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me
when thou comest into thy kingdom.
Baptism, is a
public confession, that you are a follower of Jesus Christ, and are
living to please Him.
Romans 10:10 NLT
For it is by believing in your heart
that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your
faith that you are saved.
Mark 2:23-28 KJV
(The Pharisees were quick to condemn Jesus.)
23 And it came to pass, that He went
through the corn fields on the sabbath day; and His disciples began,
as they went, to pluck the ears of corn.
24 And the Pharisees said unto Him,
Behold, why do they on the sabbath day that which is not lawful?
25 And He said unto them, Have ye
never read what David did, when He had need, and was an hungered, he,
and they that were with him?
26 How he went into the house of God
in the days of Abiathar the high priest, and did eat the shew bread,
which is not lawful to eat but for the priests, and gave also to them
which were with him?
27 And He said unto them, The
sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath:
28 Therefore The Son Of Man is Lord
also of the sabbath.
Colossians
2:16,17 NLT
16 So don’t let anyone condemn you
for
what you eat or drink, or for
not celebrating certain holy days or
new moon ceremonies or
Sabbaths.
17 For these rules are only shadows
of the reality yet to come. And Christ Himself is that reality.
And might we well
add then, yes even baptism was designed to serve man, not the other
way around. Again, baptism is a means of public confession.
Homily:
A Chaplin told this
Pastor, this story many years ago. Many a man went into the service
during WWII as not, a Christian, but as the saying goes, “there
aren't any atheists in a fox hole.”
Once out on the
field and under heavy fire, dead comrades lying everywhere, and
knowing that death was not far away, many a soldier would do the
following as instructed by Chaplains. They would take their left
thumb, and clasp it into their right hand, meaning they wanted a
Christian burial.
Many a dead
soldier, had been found with such an end of life wish.
Had they been
baptized, no, were they in God's kingdom of grace and glory, yes!
Mark 2:27 KJV
And He said unto them, The Sabbath
was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath:
Baptism was made
for man, and not man for baptism. (Colossians 2:16,17 KJV)
Addendum: So
what is the end of the matter? If you are a Christian and able
bodied and your church or group is having a baptism service, and you
have never been baptized, be baptized.
Matthew 28:18-20
KJV
18 And Jesus came and spake unto
them, saying, All power is given unto Me in heaven and in earth.
19 Go ye therefore, and teach all
nations, baptizing them in the name of
The Father, and of The Son, and of
The Holy Ghost:
20 Teaching them to observe all
things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you
always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
Does baptism save,
absolutely not, faith in The Lord Jesus, as Savior, leads us to
salvation, baptism is a public confession of what we believe, and who
we serve.
Selah
