Baptize Question?

Question

At the age of 16 I'm still not baptized. I consider myself a Christian but I have never finish reading the Bible. When I first went to church I was age 12 and my pastor purposed to baptize me in his swimming pool. I only went to church for a couple of weeks and he already purposed to baptize me.

This leads to my first question:
Can I be baptized even though I have never read the bible (this was when I never started reading it.)?

Sadly I stopped going to church and never got baptized because I live pretty far from it and school, society, etc gets in the way. I always wondered would God still treat me the same way as a baptized person when I die.

This leads me to my second question:
In your opinion or facts, would God treat me differently then a baptized person? If yes, how would he treat me? If no, what is the point of being baptized?

I plan to finish reading the bible but not sure if I will ever be baptized. I would love to hear your comments.

Answer 1

Although knowledge is important, it is not the most important thing. You do not need to be an expert or have a degree in something.

The most important things are faith, hope, and love.

If you have these then you can keep learning for the rest of your life.

Most Christians believe that Baptism (or wanting Baptism) is required for salvation, as shown in these Scriptures:

Matthew 28:19: Jesus said, "Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit."

Mark 16:15-16:
He said to them, "Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemned.

Acts 2:38
Peter (said) to them, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the holy Spirit.

The Catholic Church believes that Baptism is necessary for salvation for those who have heard the Gospel and have had the opportunity of asking for Baptism.

Therefore
+ Those who die for the sake of the faith without being Baptized are baptized by thier death for Christ. This is called Baptism of blood.
+ Those who die while preparing for Baptism are assured salvation. This is Baptism of desire.
+ Those who die never hearing of Christ but have sought the truth and does the will of God as they understand it can be saved. See Romans 2:13-16. This is also Baptism of desire.
+ Children who have died without Baptism are entrusted to the mercy of God.

For more information, see the Catechism of the Catholic Church, sections 1257-1261: http://www.usccb.org/catechism/text/pt2sect2.htm#art1

With love in Christ.

Answer 2

- of course you can be baptized even though you have never read the Bible. However, there are certain beliefs that you would have to have in order to be called Christian.

- you make a good point about not being treated any differently whether baptized or not. However, I look at baptism as a "mark" of God placed on his own people, as a covenant that began with Abraham, with the only change from circumcision being in the administration of that mark. We are still under the covenant. But we have to also live by our baptisms, and raise our children accordingly -- and this is why we baptize our infants, too, as was done with circumcision. They are also under the covenant, God's family, different from the atheist families and their children, called out to be separate from the world although we are a part of it.

Hope that answers your question. It probably doesn't mesh well with the other interpretations of baptism that you're going to find here, but it is orthodox thought.

Answer 3

The Bible says in the Gospel of Mark, Chapter 16:16 "He that believes and is baptized shall be saved. He that believer not shall be damned.

If you have faith you should be baptized as Jesus commanded in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. It is what the Lord wants for us Christians.

Regarding Baptism: This is how the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther explained this sacrament, as found in the Bible;

http://www.immanuelevluth.org/catechism/c-iv.htm
Luther's Small Catechism - Baptism

Your friend in Christ,

Mark

Addendum:

I agree with kj7gs, with regard to infants, small children and those of diminished mental capacity. However it IS wrong to baptize a non-believer.

I stand by my answer. If you have a desire to study Scripture, and are enquiring about Baptism, you already have a spark of faith, and you should be baptized and receive the Holy Spirit and the Grace that our Lord promises in this Sacrament.

Mark

Answer 4

Baptism is compared to Noah's ark by the apostle Peter.

If you know what Noah's ark did for a few souls then you know what baptism will permit you to be.

You do not necessarily need to read the whole Bible to be baptized. You do need to understand basic Bible truths however. Thus I would encourage reading the NT a few times. It only takes a few days to read it through once.

Before baptism one has to repent, and produce works of repentance. Of course, Christians must produce good works all their Christian lives, holy works, holy lives without the practice of sin.

Frankly, being sixteen I would encourage you to worship God as you are and get a little more mature 2-3 years before you commit yourself with a vow to God that is for the rest of your life.

If your parent/s are baptized then until you become twenty you are under the protection the parent/s baptism provides to their children. That doesn't mean that you are permitted to lead a sinful life. It just means that your holy lifestyle will be looked at as if you were baptized until you are 20.

(This principle is found in the OT)

Answer 5

Well my minister wont baptize us unless we are sure in our hearts that we believe wholeheartedly inside that Jesus is the Son of God and only through Him is the way the truth and the life and that after we're baptized every day we will live our lives for the Lord in obedience and prayer and that God truelly changed our heart. But also no God doesnt look down on others then some for them being baptized or not, because God only and only God knows your heart and what you truelly believe inside. Hope this helps God bless

Answer 6

The thief that repented that died beside Jesus was saved and he was never water baptized. The important part is being baptized in the Holy Spirit, that is to be born again of the Spirit. We are saved by grace through faith.
When we are born again our desires will change and deep in us we will desire to please Jesus, and those desires will begin changing our actions as we renew the mind with the word of God.

Answer 7

Don't put the cart in front of the horse.

You get saved first and then baptized second.

In order to be saved, you have to seek the Lord with all your heart. You should read and study the Bible because that is the best way to know who God is and what He wants of you. But you do not have to read the entire Bible in order to be saved.

I hope that you can make time for God in your life. Nothing is more important.

God bless.

Answer 8

first you can be baptized with out having read the whole bible.
and no I don't think God treats those differently that are baptized
I was baptized at 35 but had always been christian.
what is more important is to invite Jesus into your life and ask him to change it. baptism of the holy spirit is more important than water baptism that happened to me at 40. I do suggest you try again to read the Gospels and mew testament if you truly want to know Christ Jesus.

Answer 9

If You believe in Jesus and understand that You can not gain salvation by works but only by the Death of Christ on the Cross then get baptized.


and no you don't need to finish the bible to get baptized.

to be baptized is to publicly declare your faith in Christ.

get baptized not to be saved but to be obedient to God.