Can a person be a follower of Jesus without being baptized in water?
Some Christian groups believe unless you are baptized in water you can t be a true follower of Jesus. This is called “Baptism for the Remission of Sins.” They base their belief on the words of the apostle Peter when he stood up on the Day of Pentecost in the Temple area in Jerusalem and said to the Jewish people “Repent (change your mind about Jesus) and let each one of you be baptized (identified) in the name of Jesus for the forgiveness of your sins and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38). In other words your sins will not be forgiven by God until you are physically baptized in water. Other Christian groups had a different view. A. Context is the key to understanding: The above interpretation of Acts 2:38 does not take into account the full context of the Good News of Jesus Christ. (1) We are saved by faith and not works works defined as the need to add an act of water baptism to our faith in Jesus (Eph. 2:8-9, Rom. 10:9). (2) The thief who placed his faith in
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