being "saved"

[pinkputter]

in some one's Christian walk, is it necessary to have a moment when you are "saved" or is baptism enough.

Meaning, does everyone who is Christian have a moment when you know you are saved?

I know I did, one day i was opening the door to my house and that day i felt angels were with me.

But is it necessary to be "saved"?

[Elijah2]

in some one's Christian walk, is it necessary to have a moment when you are "saved" or is baptism enough.

Meaning, does everyone who is Christian have a moment when you know you are saved?

I know I did, one day i was opening the door to my house and that day i felt angels were with me.

But is it necessary to be "saved"?
You are saved when you answer these interesting questions:

Do you believe that our Lord Jesus Christ is the Son of our Almighty God?

Do you believe that our Lord Jesus Christ was born of the Virgin Mary?

Do you believe that Lord Jesus Christ walked on this earth?

Do you believe that our Lord Jesus Christ was crucified and died on the Cross?

Do you believe that our Lord Jesus Christ died to cleanse you of all sin and to redeem you with our Almighty God?

Do you believe that Lord Jesus Christ rose again on the third day?

Do you believe that our Lord Jesus Christ sits on the right hand side of our Heavenly Father in the Heavenlies?

Do you believe that our Lord Jesus Christ has brought you back from the kingdom of darkness and bondage of Satan?

The floodwaters in 1 Peter 3:20-22 symbolises the baptismal waters, which in turn symbolises the salvation that can be obtained through our Lord Jesus Christ's death, see Matthew 28:19-20 and Acts 2:38.

"He who believes and is baptised will be saved." (Mark 16:16)

[Johnnz]

People come to God for various reasons and in a variety of ways. What is important is to have a relationship with God that you know and enjoy.

John
NZ

[bunced]

No you don't need to have a saved moment - you do not need to remember when you were born to know you are alive:)

[pinkputter]

You are saved when you answer these interesting questions:

Do you believe that our Lord Jesus Christ is the Son of our Almighty God?

Do you believe that our Lord Jesus Christ was born of the Virgin Mary?

Do you believe that Lord Jesus Christ walked on this earth?

Do you believe that our Lord Jesus Christ was crucified and died on the Cross?

Do you believe that our Lord Jesus Christ died to cleanse you of all sin and to redeem you with our Almighty God?

Do you believe that Lord Jesus Christ rose again on the third day?

Do you believe that our Lord Jesus Christ sits on the right hand side of our Heavenly Father in the Heavenlies?

Do you believe that our Lord Jesus Christ has brought you back from the kingdom of darkness and bondage of Satan?

The floodwaters in 1 Peter 3:20-22 symbolises the baptismal waters, which in turn symbolises the salvation that can be obtained through our Lord Jesus Christ's death, see Matthew 28:19-20 and Acts 2:38.

"He who believes and is baptised will be saved." (Mark 16:16)


well i believe it's true that after you answer these questions you are saved but that is only in addition to baptism.

[WarEagle]

36089514]well i believe it's true that after you answer these questions you are saved but that is only in addition to baptism.[/COLOR]

Baptism cannot save you. Baptism is only a symbolic act by which we testify to the salvation we've already received by repentance and faith in Christ.

Do you have to have a "moment" to be saved? No.

On the other hand, the moment when someone repents and puts their faith in Christ is so life changing, that it's reasonable to wonder if someone who doesn't remember it really did it.

It's a bit like not remembering your own wedding.

[Elijah2]

well i believe it's true that after you answer these questions you are saved but that is only in addition to baptism.
"He who believes and is baptised will be saved." (Mark 16:16)

[BalletDancer]

I've been taught that baptism is an outward showing of an inner working. meaning that God is in your heart and you've accepted salvation and now you're sharing it with people to see, by being baptized.

I've also been taught that you are saved when you pray to the Lord for salvation. You don't have to have a moment.

[JTLauder]

What is required for the Christian walk?

Seek out the answers for yourself about what does it mean to be "saved"--"saved" from what and what does that accomplish? What is baptism and what does that signify?

When you've understood what is this "salvation" and what is baptism, finally ask yourself, are these things required for a Christian.

[heymikey80]

in some one's Christian walk, is it necessary to have a moment when you are "saved" or is baptism enough. No, it's not necessary, and water baptism is not enough, either. Though it's instituted, it's not the ceremony that saves. It's what God means by the ceremony that saves.
Meaning, does everyone who is Christian have a moment when you know you are saved? No, not every Christian has a moment. Every visible Christian can tell you the reason for the hope that is in them, though. They know they have been saved. They may not even know how.
I know I did, one day i was opening the door to my house and that day i felt angels were with me.

But is it necessary to be "saved"?
It's not.

[jazzypooh]

in some one's Christian walk, is it necessary to have a moment when you are "saved" or is baptism enough.

Meaning, does everyone who is Christian have a moment when you know you are saved?

I know I did, one day i was opening the door to my house and that day i felt angels were with me.

But is it necessary to be "saved"?
an outward baptism is not enough. because all that is is being dipped in a pool of water. you must be baptised within, and that begins with you truly accepting Christ as your personal Lord and Savior. your spirit man must be born again. water baptism is necessary but it doesn't save you.

People come to God for various reasons and in a variety of ways. What is important is to have a relationship with God that you know and enjoy.
a LOUD amen!
well i believe it's true that after you answer these questions you are saved but that is only in addition to baptism.
please don't forget about the thief on the cross. who was never baptised yet Jesus promised him that he would be with Him in paradise. now don't misunderstand me, you NEED to be baptised, but not to be saved. baptism DOES NOT save you. like someone else says, it's shows outwardly to the world, that you have already been saved.

Romans 10:10 - For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
it is your belief and your confession of your belief that saves you. and you are baptised to publicly show to others that you have done this.

as far as the moment... everyone is different. God does not always reveal Himself the same way to everybody. like you said that you feel angels around you, everybody doesn't have that experience. our relationships with Jesus are unique because He created us uniquely. but the important thing is that we all have a personal, intimate relationship with Him. that is true salvation.

but there is a moment in every believer's life where God becomes "real" to them. what i mean when i say that is what i said earlier. He may reveal Himself to them in a distinct and unusual way. i believe He does that in order to remove doubt from our minds concerning His existence. had God not revealed Himself to me in a distinct manner, i would not believe in God. i probably would be an atheist... i can't picture it now, but as i look back and reflect on some things, i can certainly say i might have been heading in that direction. but the Lord revealed Himself to me, and He does that in every believer's life. sometimes its major. sometimes it's in small ways, nevertheless He does it.

Be blessed!

[longboneslinger]

Personally, I believe that the most important thing is as stated above-you have to accept Jesus Christ as your personal lord and savior. John said that he baptized with water but the one who will come after him (meaning Jesus) will baptize with the Holy Spirit. Getting baptized is important but only through Jesus can it do any good. Any thing else is acting and God promises to rebuke us harshly for that. Spirit first, water second but only with Jesus in your heart.
As for a moment, I remember mine well. It was July 18th at 6:30PM 2007 that a friend led me in prayer and I accepted Christ as my personal Lord and Savior. I still remember the incredible peace it brought upon me. Like I had just come home from an incredibly long hard journey and the world had just rolled off my shoulders. "Those who are weary shall find rest" indeed. No trumpets, earthquakes or hosts of angels, just peace from the Prince of Peace, Christ Jesus.
As you no doubt noticed by the date given above, I'm new to faith so take my words for what they are worth: the testimony of a sinner redeemed and new to faith but one dedicated to God and His Word.
Good luck and may God shine his light on you and all you hold dear.
BoNe

[artgaldayna]

It IS necessary to be saved from our sin. If we do not, we have that sin when we die - then we owe a debt to justice because sin is a violation against God. Jesus Christ can save us because He was sinless, and because He died for our sins - a 'replacement' if you will. He payed our fine, but we personally need to be saved by asking for His forgiveness and turning from our sin. If we do not receive Christ the gift, we are not saved from Hell.
You do not need to know the moment, but there is a definite moment when someone is on the road to death then on the road to life: that there is no "between stage" of being a slave to sin or being a slave to God.
Water baptism signifies the baptism of the Holy Spirit in us - or when we receive the Holy Spirit and are cleansed from our sin. Though the Holy Spirit is necessary to have, the physical act representing being cleansed is not.

[WebbAcres]

Baptism alone is not enough.
You need to accept that Jesus Christ died on the cross for us. You have to turn your life over to him and trust and belive in the Lord.

[PowderedGold]

What exactly is the symbolic value of baptism in water? I know it has symbolic value, but I've heard two differing schools of thought on the subject.

One is that being dipped in water symbolizes being washed in the blood of Christ that he sacrified on the cross, the blood of his spirit washing away our sins and cleansing our souls compared to earthly water washing away dirt from our physical bodies.

I've also heard that being submerged in water symbolizes being buried and reborn as Christ was. That is what I was taught in my cult but I think I like the first interpretation better.

Or is it both of these things and more?

[heymikey80]

What exactly is the symbolic value of baptism in water? I know it has symbolic value, but I've heard two differing schools of thought on the subject.

One is that being dipped in water symbolizes being washed in the blood of Christ that he sacrified on the cross, the blood of his spirit washing away our sins and cleansing our souls compared to earthly water washing away dirt from our physical bodies.

I've also heard that being submerged in water symbolizes being buried and reborn as Christ was. That is what I was taught in my cult but I think I like the first interpretation better.

Or is it both of these things and more?
I'd say it's both & more. Rom 6 and Col 2 refer to our death to sin through Christ's death for us. Titus 3 and 1 Peter 3:21 talk about cleansing. There's more to it, mostly indicating our union with Christ (as Christ was baptized too), the initiation into the covenant of grace (in parallel with circumcision), and I'm sure there's more that I can't think of off the top of my head.

God bless you on this Happy Birthday!

[MoNiCa4316]

We come to God in different ways. If someone put their faith in Christ during baptism, then that's when they were saved. But this might happen in a different time as well. I don't think that 'only baptism' is enough, because you need to have faith in any case. A person who has been baptized but who has never believed isn't quite there yet.

Not everyone has a 'moment' when they accept Christ, but what matters is if they believe. Sometimes this is a gradual process, and that's oki. Once they believe, I agree that they should get baptized, but in my opinion it's the faith that saves them.

The most important thing is having a relationship with God; how you get there is not that important. God draws us to Himself in ways that He knows would work, and we are all different.

God bless


monica

[LilLamb219]

Not everyone experiences some salvation moment and it's not required at all.

Looking to your baptism is not wrong to know that God is working in you for salvation. God has attached His promises of forgiveness of your sins, the gift of the Holy Spirit and clothes you in Christ's righteousness in your baptism. This is how baptism saves, because it is a work of God and not man.

[twistedsketch]

Let's look at what the Lord said:

"Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life." - John 3:14-15

Now, in case you didn't know about the snake in the desert bit:

They traveled from Mount Hor along the route to the Red Sea, to go around Edom. But the people grew impatient on the way; they spoke against God and against Moses, and said, "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the desert? There is no bread! There is no water! And we detest this miserable food!"
Then the LORD sent venomous snakes among them; they bit the people and many Israelites died. The people came to Moses and said, "We sinned when we spoke against the LORD and against you. Pray that the LORD will take the snakes away from us." So Moses prayed for the people.
The LORD said to Moses, "Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live." So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, he lived. - Numbers 21:4-8

The lesson here is to trust God. Christ was lifted up on the cross for us, and those who look to Him and what He did are forgiven for their sins. We are to look to Him for salvation, in faith. We are supposed to be baptized, but we are not to look at baptism as the work that will save us. We are to look at Christ's work on the cross, and His resurrection from the grave as what saves us. Our faith should be in Christ, not in religious works (though we still do the works).

That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. As the Scripture says, "Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame." - Romans 10:9-11

[LilLamb219]

I appreciate it that you've supplied the Moses/snake/desert part from scripture as it shows how God uses means to deliver his promises.

God the people that if they were bitten to look at the snake and they would be cured. God attached a healing promise to the snake held up by Moses and in similar ways God uses other means to attach promises. He did so in baptism when he attached the promise of forgiveness and the Holy Spirit by His Word to the waters of baptism so that those who are washed by those waters reap the benefits of those promises! Thanks be to God who doesn't go back on a promise :)

[MoNiCa4316]

LilLamb219, I have a question :) I'm not looking for debate, I'm really curious about this.
I agree with your view on baptism, I also believe that God uses it and that it has a part in our salvation. But there are many parts in the New Testament where it says that we are saved because we believe... how do you view faith? Do you believe that it's enough to just be baptized; so if a baby is baptized, they are still saved even if they grow up to be a non believer? What if a person never got the chance to be baptized?
Again, I'm not looking for debate and I respect your opinion even if it's different than mine :)


monica

[LilLamb219]

Salvation comes from God 100% and He uses means to give us faith in order to believe in Him for eternal life. We can only believe because He gives us faith to believe in the first place...saying it this way gives glory to God who does the saving instead of taking credit for it ourselves by saying I'm saved because I believed.

In baptism, God gives us faith so we can believe. God gives all the benefits won at the cross to the person being baptized and this because He has attached His promises by His Word to the waters in baptism.

But people can throw away faith and reject Christ Jesus. Rejection is what damns. Jesus even says there will be some who fall away.

Baptism is necessary but not absolutely necessary. There will be instances of people who believe first but might not be able to get baptized...they of course are still saved by means (God's Word that has given them faith to believe).


LilLamb219, I have a question :) I'm not looking for debate, I'm really curious about this.
I agree with your view on baptism, I also believe that God uses it and that it has a part in our salvation. But there are many parts in the New Testament where it says that we are saved because we believe... how do you view faith? Do you believe that it's enough to just be baptized; so if a baby is baptized, they are still saved even if they grow up to be a non believer? What if a person never got the chance to be baptized?
Again, I'm not looking for debate and I respect your opinion even if it's different than mine :)


monica

[MoNiCa4316]

Thanks for the reply :)

I agree that God gives us faith and that salvation comes entirely from Him. Once we believe, we are able to accept the gift of eternal life and are 'buried and raised again' in baptism.

God bless!

monica

[JTLauder]

Salvation comes from God 100%.
You are absolutely right about this point. Even those who believe in infant baptism would have to agree that salvation is granted not from the water administered by a priest, but because God grants the salvation. But baptism alone cannot lead to salvation. Some amount of faith is required in at least the belief that God grants salvation, and that requires a conscious and deliberate decision to act on that faith. Even with those the claim baptism saves must first have the faith in their belief that baptism saves. But if an atheist who has never been baptized, decides to go through the charade of a baptism as a mockery and facetious act, is he thus actually saved just because he went through the motions of a baptism?

[LilLamb219]

You are absolutely right about this point. Even those who believe in infant baptism would have to agree that salvation is granted not from the water administered by a priest, but because God grants the salvation. But baptism alone cannot lead to salvation. Some amount of faith is required in at least the belief that God grants salvation, and that requires a conscious and deliberate decision to act on that faith. Even with those the claim baptism saves must first have the faith in their belief that baptism saves. But if an atheist who has never been baptized, decides to go through the charade of a baptism as a mockery and facetious act, is he thus actually saved just because he went through the motions of a baptism?

It's not the waters in baptism that are at work, but God's Word.

Faith comes by hearing and this by the Word of God. Hearing doesn't always mean listening audibly as not everyone is able to hear (the deaf). It's just that God's Word is powerful to convert. God's Word is a part of baptism, so faith is given.

Man CAN and DOES at times reject the faith given in baptism, so the athiest would do just the same...reject.