Do I have to be baptized to get to Heaven?

This seems to be one of the most asked questions by Christians and non-Christians alike, and before I answer this, I feel I need to say a few things first. You may be asking what brought this up, well we are having baptisms at the Stone on the May 27th, and in light of that, we are discussing baptism in small groups this week at TPU. So...I am reviewing my studies over baptism, and felt like sharing what I have learned, and right or wrong, I am sticking to my guns.

The Bible speaks of 3 types of baptism, as far as I can tell, and they are all mentioned in one verse Matthew 3:11.

"I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire."

So here the bible speaks of water baptism, baptism of the Holy Spirit, and baptism of fire. Here is my take on each.

1. Water baptism, cannot, get you into heaven. Yep that's what I said. Water baptism simply is a public sign of obedience to Christ, and a symbol of dying to your old way of life and being born into a new life, a life with Christ.

2. Baptism of the Holy Spirit. This is what happened to Christ after he was baptised by John. The bible says that John saw the Holy Spirit descend upon Christ like a dove. That is what happens to us when we accept Christ into our lives. The Holy Spirit comes and lives in our hearts, creating a life change.

3. Baptism of fire. Now I guess this one can be debated, but what I get from scripture is that during our Christian walk, Christ is continually doing a work in us. As true followers of Christ, we should strive to be more like Him everyday, and in doing so Christ stretches us beyond our comfort zone. This process, according to the Bible, is called refinement. What is refinement? Well when something is refined, such as precious metal, great heat, or fire, is applied to the item being refined, so that the impurities are removed. This is what God does with us. During our refinement, we are allowed to go through certain things, not to test our faith, but to make us more and more like Christ.

So now back to the question at hand, do you have to be baptized to get to heaven? Yes, but only the baptism of the Holy Spirit is required for entry into heaven. Well that's my story, and I'm stickin' to it. Peace.