Is there any other way to get "in" Christ apart from baptism?

I will suggest NO. Galatians 3:27 Teaches that we are "baptized into Christ". This matters because only "in Christ" does one have all spiritual blessings: Ephesians 1:3.

How do you respond to those who say that they have been put "in Christ" in a way other than baptism?

Brotherly,
Don

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Don Gelles,
Preacher, Church of Christ in Hyde Park
Austin, Texas
www.hydeparkcoc.org

Look up the words "into Christ" in the Bible. There are ONLY TWO passages in the entire Bible that tell us to do something to get "into Christ". They are: Romans 6:3 and Galatians 3:27. According to these two and ONLY TWO passages in the Bible that state how to get "into Christ", we are baptized "into Christ". One cannot believe "into Christ". One cannot repent "into Christ". One cannot confess "into Christ". And even more foreign to the scriptures, one cannot "ask Jesus into his heart" to get "into Christ", nor can he say "the sinner's prayer" to get "into Christ" (both of which concepts are found absolutely no where in the Bible whatsoever!) There is no way around this. Baptism puts one "into Christ". Nothing else does.

How's that for an answer?

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--Laura

O Lord, I know the way of man is not in himself; It is not in man who walks to direct his own steps.
Jeremiah 10:23 (NKJV)

I think that is a very fine answer.

Romans 6:3 and Galatians 3:27 are the two passages that I use when talking with those who "accepted Jesus in their heart" and were saved. Now the challenge is / has been to get those in the denominations to see what the scriptures are saying.

Brother Steven ( a very fine brother in Christ) shared an article with me from Max Lucado. I used to be close to Max. In this article he makes the claim that Baptism is not essential to salvation. That is to say, one is saved before they are baptized. if that were true, it makes these two verses (Rom. 6:3 & Gal. 3:27) false. Because they teach that one can not, will not, is not able to be "in Christ" where salvation is (Eph. 1:7) apart from baptism. Is not the forgiveness of sins a "spiritual blessing" (Eph. 1:3)? A blessing that occurs only when one is baptized and placed in Christ, yet, here is Max saying one can be saved prior to baptism, prior to being "in Christ", prior to receiving all spiritual blessings.

What a shame.....

Brotherly,
Don

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Don Gelles,
Preacher, Church of Christ in Hyde Park
Austin, Texas
www.hydeparkcoc.org

Yes.

Hmmm.... Max Lucado's word or God's word... which shall it be???? I think I'll be on the safe side and choose God's word.

Don, the only reason someone cannot see the truth in these verses is because they don't want to. There is no way around what they teach. But I hear ya.... some have gotten to the point that they are now admitting that these passages teach baptism puts one in Christ, but they redefine baptism to be that of the Holy Spirit, trying with desperation to not change. When was the last time you read in the Bible of someone being buried in the Holy Spirit? How ludicrous are the lengths to which people will go to hold on to their pet false doctrines, rather than simply submitting to God's word.

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--Laura

O Lord, I know the way of man is not in himself; It is not in man who walks to direct his own steps.
Jeremiah 10:23 (NKJV)

Satan wants us to stay away from accessing the blood and getting Into Christ. He will use any teaching he can to do it and this is one of them. He is not above anything to keep people from obeying the gospel, which is powerless without the sacrifice and blood of Christ, which we access in baptism.

Well said brethren.

If we our really going to get "in" or "into" Christ, should not we first get "in" or "into" His Word to see what He wants us to do?

That is what I usually answer to soem of the denominational people that I come across...with what you all have said, too.

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Romans 16:16 1 Thess. 5:17 1 Thess. 5:22 1 Tim. 6:12 2 Tim 2:15

Yes, we need to be baptized. Can only relate my own experience. Was born again in 1976. Baptized by immersion in water in 1984 - before then I thought infant sprinkling was baptism.
Point I want to made is that I believe I was in Christ as much before as after my baptism. The day I accepted Him as my Lord & Saviour, that day I started being "in Him". What about the boy (real story) who accepted Jesus as Saviour at 11 am and died at 3 pm? He did not have a chance to be baptized.
My penny's worth.

Hi Charlie,

As we have shown with scripture, baptism is how and when a person is placed in Christ. The importance of this is seen in the fact that all spiritual blessings are in Christ (Eph. 1:3). The Bible does not teach that one accepts Christ is then saved and is baptized at a later date. Baptism is for those who are sinners not for those who have already been saved (Acts 22:16).

As for the 11 AM and 3 PM scenario you cite, I would give the same answer regardless of "where the person was" in the salvation process- Forgiveness of sins occurs at the moment of baptism- not before- not after. The same argument could be made about the person that hears about Jesus for the first time and then 10 min. later dies- was he saved? This I do know with certainty- God through his word is calling upon you and men to be obedient to the gospel plan of salvation:
Hear: Romans 10:17
Believe: Mark 16:16
Confess: Matthew 10:32-33
Repent: Luke 13:3
Be Baptized: Acts 2:38
If any person has yet to do this, I implore them to do it "while they can" and before it is "to late".

Kindly,
Don

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Don Gelles,
Preacher, Church of Christ in Hyde Park
Austin, Texas
www.hydeparkcoc.org

Hi Charlie,

Don has presented some good things to think about. I would also offer for your consideration Romans 6:3-4. Here Paul tells us that we are buried with Christ in baptism and raised to walk in newness of life. This is a description of the "new birth". The old man dies, the new man is raised. To dig a little deeper, consider for a minute what the old man is: he is a man who has and is committing sin. When he repents, he puts those sins away. He resolves in his heart to do those things no more and to do what God wants him to do. The old man dies. THEN we bury him -- in baptism, so he can be raised a new person. Now I ask you, if a man has already been made a new creature prior to baptism, why then do we bury him? We *never* bury live people. We only bury the dead.

... just some thoughts...

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--Laura

O Lord, I know the way of man is not in himself; It is not in man who walks to direct his own steps.
Jeremiah 10:23 (NKJV)

Hello Charlie,

I think you'll agree that the scriptures are the authority for how we get into Christ. Don has presented Galatians 3:27 and Romans 6:3, and rightly so. We are not in a saved state until our sins are forgiven. We cannot be in Jesus Christ without the forgiveness of sin. Therefore it is at the moment of the forgiveness of sin that we enter into Christ. When does the Bible say we are forgiven?

Acts 2:38
Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

Acts 22:16
And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.

Colossians 2:12-13
12 Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.
13 And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses.

What is it that forgives us? The blood of Jesus (Revelation 1:5). Jesus died by shedding His blood. When we come into contact with the death of Jesus, we have contacted His blood. Right? Does that make sense? Read the next verse closely.

Romans 6:3
Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?

Baptism into Christ is the point at which we contact the blood of Jesus through His death. At that point our sins are forgiven and we are "in Christ". There is no salvation without baptism taught in scripture.

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"My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth. And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him." 1 John 3:18-19

The church of Christ at Granby

Perhaps John the baptist, a fore runner, who pointed to Jesus Christ as the One, perhaps his baptism fore-shadowed the true baptism of Jesus Christ who baptises people with the Holy Spirit and fire. Interestingly Jesus never baptised anyone.
Mat 3:11 I indeed baptize you with water to repentance. But He who comes after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He shall baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire
So John baptised with water, but Jesus baptises with the Holy Spirit and fire.
These two baptisms are outlined in Acts 18:25- 19-6 where Apollos is first baptised with Johns baptism and then was baptised by Paul in Jesus Christ.
There appears to be a shift here, from water baptism into Holy Spirit and fire baptism. So have you been baptised into Christ yet?

Ephesians 4:5 teaches that there is only one baptism. That one baptism is proven by the scriptures to be the baptism mentioned in the Great commission in Matthew 28:19-20 and seen taking place in Acts 2:38. That baptism is water baptism. Paul speaks of baptism as a burial in Romans 6:8 which is right in line with the meaning of the word baptism (Greek immersion).

Jesus linked water and spirit together in John 3:5. For one to enter the Kingdom they would need water and Spirit. We see water and spirit coming together in Acts 2:38.

The baptism of Apollos (Acts 18) would be that of water baptism. We see Paul in the next chapter Acts 19 baptizing those who knew only John's baptism. To see why this is not Holy Spirit baptism read the thread dealing with that.

Kindly,
Don

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Don Gelles,
Preacher, Church of Christ in Hyde Park
Austin, Texas
www.hydeparkcoc.org

Peter also ties water baptism into the "one baptism" that Paul mentions.

1Pe 3:20 who formerly were disobedient, when once the Divine longsuffering waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water.
1Pe 3:21 There is also an antitype which now saves us—baptism (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, (NKJV)

"eight souls were saved by water. The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us" (KJV)

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In Christ,
brother Sonnie

The more important question is one going to ignore the fact that we note how many were baptized by water and will other go by what thye think or what the Bible stated in Mark 16:16 when many were baptized with water themselves (Phillip and the eunuch for example).

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Romans 16:16 1 Thess. 5:17 1 Thess. 5:22 1 Tim. 6:12 2 Tim 2:15