Marshall Keeble was famous for saying: “The word must is one of the strongest words in the English language.”
Jesus made faith (Hebrews 11:6), and true worship (John 4:24), divine “musts,” as He did the new birth. Without the new birth (baptism), one cannot enter the kingdom (church) (John 3:3–5), which the Bible says is absolutely necessary (Hebrews 12:28; Colossians 1:13– 14; Matthew 19:23–25; Acts 20:28; Ephesians 5:23–25). The Greek carries an imperative force (John 3:14; 12:34; 20:9).
Someone says, “Surely if I intended to be baptized, but died before I did, God would let me into heaven anyway.”
Consider the following parallels: If Naaman had died before he reached the Jordan River so that he might dip himself seven times, would he have died a leper? (2 Kings 5). If the blind man had died before reaching the pool of Siloam, where he was to wash his eyes, would he have died blind? (John 9). If a young man should be killed while he and his fiancée are traveling to a preacher’s house to get married, would they be married in God’s eyes merely because they planned to be married?
While time is on our side, let us not deal in hypothetical ideas; instead, let us make immediate preparations to have our sins washed away (Acts 22:16).
“Make your call and election sure.” – 2 Peter 1:10
