Questions

Question first appeared on December 23, 2001
Must you be baptized to enter the Kingdom of Heaven? What about those people who believe in God, live their daily lives as generally good AChristians,@ but are not baptized? This question was posed from the 1^st grade Church School class during our lesson on baptism. The children kept asking, ABut, what if they do everything that God wants them to do, do they have to be baptized to go to heaven?@

Let=s begin with the presupposition that is in the last question above, A...what if they do everything that God wants them to do...@ According to the Holy Scripture, it is impossible for any man or woman, acting on their own will, to please God: A...for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God,...@ (Romans 3:23)

Having said this, let us get to the main question regarding baptism. Jesus told the Pharisee, Nicodemus, who came to Him privately at nighttime, AMost assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.@ (John 3:5) The Orthodox Church has understood from the very beginning that Jesus was speaking of the sacraments of Baptism and Chrismation. At the conclusion of St. Mark=s Gospel Jesus is recorded as telling his disciples, AHe who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.@ (Mark 16:16)

The SSTs. Paul and Silas also emphasize this fact when asked by the Philippian jailer, AWhat must I do to be saved?@ They answered, ABelieve on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household...And immediately he and all his family were baptized.@ (Acts 16:30-33) For us, as Orthodox Christians, salvation and the Kingdom of Heaven are acquired through union with Jesus Christ and His Church by the means of Baptism and Chrismation.

For those who have never heard the Gospel of Jesus Christ, St. Paul has some interesting things to say in his Epistle to the Romans, chapter 2, verses 12-16, which give us some insight regarding their judgment by God. In this passage St. Paul implies that humanity, because they are made in the image and likeness of God, has an innate sense of right and wrong within their being, Athe law written in their hearts,@(Rom. 2:15) and it will be this criteria that will apply when they are judged.