Baptism

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Is Baptism Necessary for Salvation?
A discussion the controversial versus
Matthew 28:19-20
Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name
of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe
all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to
the end of the age. Amen
We have here a command of Christ that we should make disciples of all
nations, and be instrumental in disciplining them. Baptism was simply a
means of initiation as a disciple. If we read the verse carefully we notice that
the order make disciples is explains as baptizing. You make disciples by
baptizing people. They are not two separate acts. John baptized and made
disciples. Jesus- actually his apostles - baptized and made disciples for Jesus.
So when we go into nations, we make them disciples by baptizing. It is in no
indicative of any knowledge that these people have attained. That comes as a
disciple grows in the community. Again this command was to those who were
going out into the nations and not to the church. You are not ordered to
baptize people who are in the church already or those who believe already.
It is particularly relevant to the mission fields where the gospel has not
reached. One observation that people like us who have been immersed in
other cultures was the need for mass baptism including the total households so
that they will survive. Stray and rebels of communities who were baptized did
more harm to the missions than good. Such individuals made good house
servants to the missionaries and nothing more than that.
There is still another problem associated with the passage, which is the
uncertainty of what type of baptism is referred to here. It is mostly assumed
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