When I was a child, I thought it was something that only adults did. But, by the time I was an adult I really wanted to know for what reason I would be baptized. So, I started researching the subject. I found that Jesus was not baptized until age thirty. I did not see anywhere in the bible that it was required to be baptized, so I was in no hurry to do it. I was also told that I needed to be ready to be baptized. I needed to cleanse myself before and really understand why I was being baptized. Because, in my old church, the preacher would ask every person, in front of the whole crowd, why they were being baptized. I was always so scared to tell everyone in the crowd that I was just doing it because I have always been told that it is the right thing to do. I would have wanted to tell the truth, and at that time of my life, it was the best reason I could think of for being baptized. .
Already in this class, I have learned a lot about this subject. Professor Graham talked a lot about infant baptism and baptism of the Holy Spirit. I got a good idea of what the meaning of baptism is to the Assemblies of God church. I agree with it totally, but I have also built some new opinions on baptism. I am starting to believe more that you can have an encounter with Jesus, and become saved, just by being baptized. I have also concluded that it is not a priority that a Christian be baptized, but is stressed by the church, disciples, and Jesus to do so. Just reading the chapter on baptism in Menzies' book was a huge help in writing this paper. Actually, the book gave a couple examples of times when Christians had become saved before they were baptized. In Mark 16:16 believe is written before baptism, which could mean that believing should come first in spiritual growth. (Menzies" 113) But, I have been told by a man who reads Greek that the Greek language is not a language of order.
