"John the Baptist preached that people should be baptized to show that they had turned to God, to receive forgiveness for their sins."
Should all believer's be baptized? Why should we listen to John's admonition to be baptized? Is baptism for anyone and everyone, regardless of their beliefs? In fact baptism should be an outward expression of your inward belief that you turned to God, to receive His forgiveness of sin? Can the symbolic act of baptism be done in only one certain way? If baptism is just an act of contrition done spiritually to express our true feelings and the belief in our heart, why would we not want to it? Have you been baptized?
John was sent with a specific message, to prepare the way for the Lord. John fulfilled Isaiah's prophecy about the Messiah and that the coming of Jesus had been foretold. John expected people to respond to his invitation and die to their sin and rise up from the water as a new spiritual person. The baptism was for those who asked God to forgive them or their sins and help them to die to the old flesh nature of man. It was an invitation to those who believed in God and His Word. It was an announcement of the Salvation of the Lord. He preached that the kingdom of God was close at hand. With the coming of Jesus he learned that the Lord had arrived.
John baptized those who confessed their sin. Not all people could or would be baptized by him. Those John baptized had one prerequisite, that they had turned to God to receive forgiveness of their sins. Baptism is an outward expression of your inward beliefs. If you believe in God, you will want to and feel the need to be baptized. The Lord was baptized by John, that should be enough of an example to convince anyone of its importance. If you are a follower of Jesus can you do anything less? Baptism is not a prerequisite of Salvation, and it is not a requirement to be saved or receive eternal life, but, it is an expression of your heart toward God! Did you hear what John said and what the Word said? Listen to THE MESSAGE OF JOHN!
