Baptisim- the key to heaven?

Question

I was just saved, and am now a born again Christian. I know absolutley nothing about God, for I have never been to church, but may 2-3 times. But anyways. I was just wandering- Do you have to be baptised to get into Heaven? And must you go to church to get into Heaven? I sound like a fool, I know, but like I said, I don't even own a bible so I don't know what else I must do

Answer 1

No you don't, Jesus told the theif on the cross that today thou wilt be will Me in paridise, and he didn't get baptized

Answer 2

Baptism is a rite that is done to show others that you have accepted Christ as your personal Savior. We do it because John the Baptist baptised Jesus. But also, it says in the Bible that we are supposed to profess to others publically that Christ is Lord, and if we don't then He will not recognize you in front of God. (That's to paraphrase what's in the Bible). You have already accepted Him in public. It would be a natural next step to be baptised. You can't get into Heaven by worshipping a church. You get into Heaven by worshipping Jesus. Some churches are like wolves in sheep's clothing. They do everything but teach the truth about Christ. You should get a free Bible from a church or ask to borrow one from a friend. You aren't a fool, my friend, for asking questions. He's opening your heart to questions. Talk to a minister or a friend who believes, and that will help you along the way. You can't do this by yourself. It's too complicated. I wish you the best in your new life. By the way, don't try to be a goody two shoes because no one can be. Just be yourself and try to follow the spirit of God. Just be sincere, still, at peace, and take one day at a time. But, I would get baptised just to show the public that you are a Believer.

Answer 3

Read Matthew 3:13-16, Mark 1:9-11 and 16:15-20, John 1-8, Acts 2:38 and 19:1-6, 1Peter 3:21, Romans 6:3-4, Colossians 2:12,

All of those verses deal with the importance of being Baptized.

Answer 4

First things first, get yourself a bible. It will take a bit of research but you will find answers to your questions in there. I can tell you something, somevody else can tell you something but it may not be the truth. What you find in the scriptures you know is of God and is the truth. No you do not have to be baptised to go to heaven. You should desire to be baptised as there are several examples shown in the bible where once an individual became a believer he then chose to be baptised. Baptism is a step of obedience to the Lord, it is done by the believer to demonstrate publicly that you align yourself with Christ. By being totally emmersed in the water signifies death of the old self and rising up from the water signifes the resurrection or your newness of life. Baptism should be at the request of the believer and not done as an infant it is not scriptural. You do not have to go to church to get to heaven. The Bible says not to forsake the gathering of yourselves but to gather together to worship and praise God with like minded believers. Once you are saved you should seek to learn more and more about God and your new found faith. To be saved and then do nothing with what you have received from God is wrong. It says faith without works is dead. God can use you even in your infantcy. We are called to serve Him. I would encourage you to get a bible and start to read @ the book of John then read the book of Romans. I would then suggest to read the book of Genesis in the old testament. If I can help further please drop me a line. Congratulations, you made the biggest decision of your life !!

Answer 5

I guess the majority of Christian religions believe that you must be baptized to be saved. I'm baptized and my sons were baptized, but I'm not so sure how an act done by a human, even if it is done by a pastor, can get you into heaven. Most of us Christians are baptized shortly after we are born to rid us of the sins committed by Adam and Eve, I guess. I believe in baptism as a commitment to the Lord, I guess, but to be saved, I don't know. It would be good if you could find a nice church (Methodist), take classes (they don't take too long), get baptized and become a member of a church. It can't hurt you. God bless.

Answer 6

It takes believe to be a Christian and enter heaven that Jesus died for our sins and was resurrected in 3 days giving us everlasting life and iniquity for our sins...baptism is the expression of that belief. I haven't hobbled to church in years but I do sincerely believe all this. Living as a Christian is hard though and I don't judge people by this or think that having a rule book of ways to get into heaven makes you better. The thing about religion sometimes that bothers me is that its becoming soo ritualistic and loses the meaning behind the good news of Jesus Christ. I am not saying not to get baptised or go to church but having a bible and reading the scripture/prayer may help you. Then you can talk to your pastor about what you believe and once you accept Jesus and feel convicted as a sinner who feels very thankful to Jesus for his compassion and mercy, then you can be baptised as a symbol to wash you sins away with the holy lamb of God, the pure sinless JC who was human and had temptation but overcame everything. Very impossible for us to do. But baptism is not the only way or key to heaven, to believe that is again just another fallacy/myth. You have to believe, the key is your heart and your heart only.

Answer 7

First off, learn what it means to be a christian. Once you know this and accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you will recieve the Holy Spirit. That is all the baptism you need. You can do the traditional baptism if you want, but it is merely tradition.
To get into heaven all you need to do is develop a relationship w/ Christ. To do this pray, study his word, and do good works. Especially the good works, for faith is dead w/o works. Such works include feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting those in jail. What you do for the least of these you have done for Christ.
Once you have grown a bit, once you understand Christianity a bit better and know basic theology, start making disciples. Go to your friends and tell them of the good news. DO NOT start spewting off that they are going to hell. People convert through love not fear.
Going to church is good, if you can find a good one. But no, it is not required to go to heaven. When going to church, don't just accept everything they tell you, study it for yourself.
Also, you don't sound like a fool. If anything you are wise to ask for guidance.
Finally, these are the two greatest commandments. Obey them. If you stumble, pray for forgiveness and get back up.

1)Love the Lord your God w/ all your heart, soul, and mind

2)Love your neighbor as yourself.


If you have anymore questions, dont hesitate to ask. Feel free to email me at [e-mail]

Ryan

Answer 8

Well first of all, I don't know how you became born again without having a bible. Buy one at a Christian book store or even at Barnes and Noble. As for baptism, some religions do not use baptism but that doesn't mean God does not love them or will refuse them into heaven. If you are able, you should start going to church not just to get to heaven, but for your own spirituality and soul. God is about love, so doing good, kind, loving things by helping others, etc. will lead you on the right path. But don't just do it for you to get to heaven. Do it because it is the right thing to do, from your heart.

Answer 9

just because you do not regularly go to church and have not been baptised doesn't mean that you will be damned to hell. faith is the main component you need to enter heaven, but you can't just believe and leave it at that. God would like you to live your life and include him in it as well. living for him is how you can express your faith and truly maintain it. he wants us to read about him, learn about him with others (church), pray to him and embrace and be grateful for the life he has given you. so I think that God would want you to have faith AND live for him as well. also, if you are a Christian now, a baptism can be a very fulfilling and spiritual experience. good luck and keep the faith!

Answer 10

No, Baptism is an example to others of your commitment to Christ.
Going to church will not save you, but only believing that Jesus died for your sins on the cross. What the body of believers can do is help you "grow" in your Christian life. But the first thing you need to do is to get a Bible. You can to to the Billy Graham Associaton website and they can guide and help you in your walk with the Lord.
God bless you!!

Answer 11

Baptism is not unto salvation. the new birth is. Baptism is an outward expression of what happened when you received Jesus. Going to church doesn't get you into heaven either but it helps develop and strengthen your faith. God said don't forsake the assembling of the saints together. Baptism is important though it is a testament to the world of your new found faith.