Do you have to get baptized to enter the gates of Heaven?

Question

Even if you believe in God and Jesus do you still have to get yourself baptized to enter the gates of Heaven? I do love God and Jesus and I thank them for all of the good things they've done to me and that they've led me onto the right path.

Answer 1

"I believe baptism is important, and I have been baptized. But I think we violate the Scriptures when we make baptism the prime requirement for salvation ... Paul's central theme was Christ and His saving power. Although he spoke of baptism, he said: 'I thank God that I baptized none of you ... lest any should say that I had baptized in mine own name' (1 Corinthians 1:14-15)."
Baptism is a conclusive act of obedience and witness to the world that we are Christ's. I believe in it wholeheartedly.
To one who has received Christ, baptism is a necessary and meaningful experience. But, I must say with Paul: 'Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel' (1 Corinthians 1:17)." As the Scripture is reviewed, the place of baptism will surely be discovered. If baptism were a requirement for salvation, I would certainly say that. But you couldn't support that knowing, for example, that the thief on the cross had no opportunity for baptism or church membership. Yet on his confession, paradise was secured. Jesus said to him, 'Today shalt thou be with me in paradise' (Luke 23:43)."
Christian churches haven't always agreed on the details of baptism—but they have agreed on its importance. Whatever else it is, baptism is an outward sign of our new life in Christ. It reminds us that we aren't saved by our own good works, but because of Christ and what He did for us on the cross. The Bible says that after Peter preached about Jesus to the crowd on the day of Pentecost, "Those who accept his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number" (Acts 2:41).

Make it your goal also to grow in your relationship with Christ. Just as we become friends with someone by spending time with them, so we grow closer to Christ by spending time with Him. Church is an important part of this; God will use other Christians "to strengthen and encourage you in your faith" (1 Thessalonians 3:2). Set aside time each day also to pray and read your Bible.
I urge you to speak with your pastor about getting baptized.

Answer 2

If you have time to be baptized, then do. Jesus said,

He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. Mark 16:16

The thief on the cross didn't have time to get baptized. God makes exceptions for extenuating circumstances! But you are not hanging on a cross, so, YES, you should be baptized cuz Jesus commanded it. And out of pure respect, obedience, and honoring the LORD - it would seem you would want to do this.

Answer 3

The thief on the cross wasn't baptized, but Jesus assured him that he would be with Jesus in paradise. (Luke 23:43)

If you aren't baptized, however, I would have to ask why not? It is the first step of obedience in a Christian's life usually. I wouldn't want to face my Savior after being disobedient to such a simple command. (Acts 2:38)

Consider carefully why you aren't baptized, and ask yourself, "Am I really in the faith?" (II Corinthians 15:5)

Answer 4

No you don't have to be baptized to enter the gates of Heaven. You only have to confess your sins and accept Jesus as your saviour. It is great if you want to be baptized, but its not necessary. Baptism is only an outward expression to show that you have accepted Jesus as your saviour.

Answer 5

I believe the answer is yes. Because back in the Middle Ages there were a lot of births with complications so the baby died shortly after and was left in Limbo. In Dante's Inferno, he said that these babies were put in limbo as well as other good people who lived before Jesus because they weren't baptized.

Answer 6

hey hun....Luke 23: 42-43 And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, to day shalt thou be with me in paradise.....hun these verses goes to show that you don't have to be baptized to get into heaven...if that was the case then the thief on the cross would have never entered heaven and yet Jesus said that he would!...baptism is more of a symbolic gesture of washing of the old sins...i am of Baptist faith and i do believe in getting baptized but i do know that that's not what gets you into heaven....it's your acceptance and belief in God ....love daisy

Answer 7

it depends on what you believe
there have been tons of righteous people in the world who havent been baptized

baptizing relieves you of original sin (adam and even eating the apple)

also, baptizing is just a part of organized religion.
if it's a major concern to you and you think this will guarantee yourself into heaven, then you can still get it done.

Answer 8

Jesus said, "If ye love me, keep my commandments." (John 14:15)

Jesus said, "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved" (Mark 16:16)

Jesus told the apostles, "thus it is written, and thus it behooved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. " (Luke 24:46-47)

In Acts 2, beginning at Jerusalem, men were gathered together from every nation (verse 5), and Peter preached "Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins."(verse 38) Exactly as Christ had commanded.

Jesus commanded baptism. (Mark 16:16, Matthew 28:18-20) Baptism is in the name of, or according to the authority of Christ and "for the remission of sins". (Acts 2:38) Baptism places one "into Christ" and "into his death" (Gal. 3:27, Col. 2:12, Romans 6:3-4) We cannot be saved outside of Christ. At his death is where the saving blood was shed. We cannot wash in that blood until we contact his death.
At Baptism we "rise to walk in newness of life" (Romans 6:3-4) We cannot be saved if we are not "born again".

Jesus commanded baptism! "And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him!" (Hebrews 5:9)

If you love Christ, you will keep his commandment to be baptized for the remission of your sins! Jesus saves those who obey him.

Jesus said, "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved" I believe what Jesus said. I believe Jesus! "he that believeth not shall be damned." (Mark 16:16)

Some point to the theif on the cross. The theif on the cross lived under the Law of Moses. He lived and died BEFORE Jesus rose from the dead and gave the command about baptism. He could not have obeyed a commandment that had not yet been given. He could not have been baptized "in the name of Jesus" or according to the authority (instructions) of Christ, because Christ had not yet given those instructions.
Also, as I pointed out earlier, baptism is how we come into contact with Christ's death. The theif was there! He had direct contact with Christ at his death.
Finally, the death, burial, and ressurection that baptism represents had not yet occured at that time. So, the theif could not have been obediant to this baptism.

Again I believe Jesus! Who do you believe?

Answer 9

Yes

Answer 10

"Heaven and hell are not geographical. If you go in search of them you will never find them anywhere. They are within you, they are psychological. The mind is heaven, the mind is hell, and the mind has the capacity to become either. But people go on thinking everything is somewhere outside. We always go on looking for everything outside because to be inwards is very difficult. We are outgoing. If somebody says there is a god, we look at the sky. Somewhere, sitting there, will be the divine person."

"One psychologist in an American school asked small children what they thought about God. Children have clearer perception: they are less cunning, more truthful. They are more representative of the human mind, they are unperverted. So he asked the children and the answers were collected. The conclusions were very ridiculous. Almost all the children depicted God something like this -- an old man, very tall, bearded and very dangerous. He created fear. If you didn't follow him he would throw you into hell; if you prayed and followed him he would give you paradise and all the pleasures. He was sitting on a throne in the sky watching everybody. You couldn't escape him; even in your bathroom he was looking.

"The outgoing mind projects everything outside. This is YOUR God too. Don't laugh, don't think this is a child's conception -- no, this is you.
"This is how you think about God -- as a cosmic spy, always searching to condemn, to punish, to throw you into hell... as very ferocious, revengeful. That's why all religions are based on fear. Religions say if you do this you will be appreciated, rewarded; if you don't do this, you will be punished. The base seems to be fear. God just seems to be a very powerful emperor sitting on a throne in heaven. The whole concept is foolish but human; the human mind is foolish. The whole concept is anthropocentric.

"In the Bible it is said God created man in his own image. In reality, it seems to be quite otherwise: man created God in his own image. We have projected God in our own image; he is just a blow-up of the human mind. He is a bigger human mind, that's all. Remember, if you think God is somewhere outside you, you have not even taken the first step towards being religious.

"The same happens with all such concepts. We say heaven is without, hell is without; it is as if there exists nothing within. What is within you? The moment you think of the within it seems that everything goes empty. What is within? The world is without, sex is without, sin is without, virtue is without. God, heaven, hell -- everything is without. What is within you? Who are you? The moment you think of the within your mind goes blank, there is nothing. In reality, everything is within; the outer is just a projection. Fear is within you; it is projected as a hell. Hell is just a projected image on the screen -- of the fear that is within you, of the anger, of the jealousy, of all that is poisonous in you, of all that is evil in you. Heaven is, again, a projected image on the screen -- of all that is good and beautiful, of all that is blissful within you. The Devil is the fallen human being, God is the risen human being. God is the ultimate possibility of your beatitude; the Devil is your ultimate fall. There is nobody like the Devil existing somewhere. You will never meet him unless you become him. And you will never encounter God unless you become God.

"In the East religions transcended this anthropocentric attitude very long ago, in the past. Eastern religions are non-anthropocentric. They say "you cannot encounter God, you can become God. They say "When you reach to the ultimate point of existence, there will be no God to receive you and welcome you. Only you will be there in your godliness. So this can be said, and I go on insisting: There exists no God -- existence is divine. There exists no one like a person, a super-person, no one. God is nonexistential, godliness is existential. The moment I say godliness... it becomes something inward; the moment you say God, you have projected it."