Jesus was not baptized at that time, he was dedicated according to the commandment of God concerning the presentation at the tabernacle/temple of all First-born male Jewish children.

When was Jesus baptized? We know from the Gospels he was baptized at about age 30, in the River Jordan, by John the Baptist. Was he saved by that baptism? No. He was already saved, being the Son of God. Why was he baptized then? John the Baptist even wanted to know, and asked him. Jesus replied that it was necessary for the people that he serve as an example. John the Baptist had been calling, as we know, the people of Israel to repentance from their sins, and they had come in droves to repent and be baptized. But Jesus, having no sin to repent and be cleansed of, submitted to baptism for the sake of the people watching this. As he did, so ought they to do. That is example. But he himself, as John the Baptist himself said, was not needful of it, and Jesus did not correct him, making it clear it was necessary to be an example. So we have Jesus' example to serve us, which is beyond any doctrine you can name to the contrary. Jesus was not baptized as a baby, the Bible speaks of no infant baptism of Jesus but rather a Jewish presentation and dedication to the Lord of the First-born son. Then at age thirty he was baptized, though it was not necessary,a s he was not a sinner and did not need the baptism of repentence and the washing away of his sins in the symbolic cleansing of a body dip into the water of the Jordan. This was no sprinkling, by the way, done with the hand with a nice, shiny fount bowl, they immersed their bodies in the Jordan. We know this because Jews, who did not have a river handy for adult baptisms, had special pools built that would accommodate the human body so a person could be immersed. I know I was not saved by baptism. Oh, I was taken to the church in by my mother as a newborn baby and "baptized" as other Lutheran infants were commonly, but that was, as with Jesus, a dedication and presentation, sort of in the Jewish way, though it was said to be a coming to the Lord, a saving experience for my little soul. It was not, but that is what people believed. I know this was all it was (which is not to say that it is bad to be presented as a baby to the Lord, it is quite all right with the Lord for parents to do this, in fact, and he will bless the child!). How do I know. Well, Proof 1. I was a terrible sinner during my childhood. I believed I was saved, as I had been baptized as an infant, but I was a terrible, unrepentant sinner. Did I lose my salvation by all that sinning? No, I never had had it to lose. Now please tell me, friend, how could I lose salvation by sinning if I had been saved by baptism? The doctrine of grace, that salvation is an absolute gift, received through faith alone (Justification by Faith Alone Doctrine), is preached and upheld by the Lutheran Church ever since Martin Luther, so how could any amount of sin dispossess me of my salvation. But the truth all this time was that I was not saved. I knew this in my heart after a time, that I was not saved. How? I was challenged by a missionary uncle, Carl Taylor, asking if I was saved. I immediately resisted, and refused to talk about it. But when I went to Augustana Academy as a sophomore in 1957, I encountered such love and acceptance there, I felt so good that I let down my resistance to God, apparently. For one day I went to my room, sat down at my desk, and spoke in prayer to the Lord Jesus, asking him to forgive my sins and come into my heart.

What happened next? I was saved! My prayer of repentance and simple expression of faith in Jesus as Lord and Savior had an immediate response from him. He entered my heart, with a flood! He filled my chest with a wonderful glowing sensation too, so I knew my prayer was answered beyond any doubt. And the proof of the pudding soon followed. My hard, stubborn, resistant heart changed, as I was given a new heart, and I began to say and do things I wouldn't do before. I became more compassionate and caring and thoughtful of others. I began to take more interest in spiritual things. I didn't do the sins I had done before--stealing, lying, etc., etc. I wrote home and told Mom I had been saved, and she rejoiced with me. Friends came to the Academy after hearing my me tell what a wonderful school it was there for me. I didn't know it, but the Bible says to confess with your mouth after you are saved, and I did it naturally to family and friends (my defensive pride no longer ruling me as it had in the past) and so fulfilled God's word. Since that time I have heard the testimonies of salvation come forth from my own relatives, such as Aunt Myrtle, Aunt Estelle, Aunt Cora, and my own mother, Pearl Ginther. They too testified of going individually to the Lord while at Bible camp and falling under conviction of sin, leading to their confessing and asking the Lord into their hearts. We have put some their testimonies on these Plain View Farm website pages. Though sinning and loving to sin, I knew early on from our missionary relatives the Taylors that we needed to ask the Lord to forgive us and also come into our hearts to dwell, and so I knew exactly what to do at the Academy when I decided it was time to quit resisting a personal relationship with God and salvation and accept the invitation of the Lord to be my Savior. Yes, I had called him Lord plenty times before in all my church experiences, but he had never been my personal Savior--and that is a big difference, since even Devils know and acknowledge that Jesus is the Lord. That was the best decision I ever made, or will ever make. I know now that I was a baptized sinner going straight to hell all the time I was going to church every Sunday, singing in a choir, going to Luther League, being confirmed, going the whole gamut of my Lutheran faith. Sin reigned in my young life until I finally decided it was time to stop resisting God's call and confess my filth and sin to Jesus and ask him into my heart to be my Lord and Savior.

People, even with clerical collars, cannot tell you that you are saved, and that settles it. Even calling the Lord the Lord, that doesn't save you either (for the Devils are not saved by doing that either). You have to go to the Lord personally yourself. There is no substitute for it. Have you done this, friend? Why not now? Jesus will hear your prayer, your cry of the heart, to know Him personally, and He will immediately answer you. You may not get a feeling of being saved, though you may. But salvation is not a feeling. It is being justified before God's holy eyes by the saving and guilt-cleansing blood of Jesus shed for you and me on the Cross. The moment you confess you are a sinner, and ask Him to forgive you and to come into your heart, you will be justified. The Bible says so!

Jesus told Nicodemus who was a most devout Jew if there ever was one that he needed to be "born again." He was amazed, for he was obeying all the rules and commandments of Judaism, or so he thought. But Jesus knew otherwise, since no one but Jesus ever could fulfil all the laws of God perfectly, and it was foolish of Nicodemus to think he could. So too, we all individually need to be born again, made true children of God, not by our own acts of righteousness but by Christ's death on the Cross, paying completely for the penalty for sin and granting us Christ's righteouness. Not washed with water and then sinning and having to repeat the process year after year like the Jews did, but born again by the Spirit of God, regenerated, born a new spirit, a new creature in Christ, a heaven dweller, seated with Christ in heaven. That is what Nicodemus knew nothing about, but he found out about it by going to Jesus by night to ask questions.

Are you saved? Are you born again? Are you truly forgiven and justified in God's eyes? Are you?

We must ask the questions (just as they were asked me by my missionary relatives when I was a resistant little sinner, baptized as an infant) if we are to ever come to know the Answer. If you have any further questions, feel free, beloved, to ask the Lord first, or ask my mother who is a saved, born again Christian, or seek out Billy Graham's ministry (BGEA) on-line. Help is available to guide you to the Answer, Jesus Christ.

God bless you, if you have read to this point. I am not telling you these things just to confuse or to impress you either. I walked this way, and God intercepted me, and saved me by his sovereign, free grace. I once was lost, but then (in 1957 at Augustana Academy, age 15, alone in my dorm room) was found by Jesus and made his true child. It has made all the difference.

Nothing, absolutely nothing the world offers, can equal the gift of grace, the gift of salvation, to me. Try me. Offer me a million dollars, or ten, or twenty, but, even if I would like a lot of money, I will not give up my salvation for it. I cannot lose my salvation either by some sin I commit, as Jesus keeps me, day by day, for eternity. I don't try to earn my salvation by good works and good Christian behavior either or even Christian service. I do those things out of gratitude now. Since I received my salvation as a free gift, I don't have have to work for it now. Praise God for that!

But are you still working for grace, still trying to be good enough, trying to merit heaven with your own goodness and good deeds? That is legalism, and legalism can never save a soul, since God is too holy to accept a sinful human being's offerings and good works, which are filthy in his holy eyes. But you can go to Jesus, surrender all, and then receive His total righteousness, freely! His righteousness is sufficient for you and for me! We don't have to earn righteousness, it is ours as a gift too, along with salvation. Salvation cleanses us from all sin, then the righteousness of Christ is imputed to us by God. We are righteous in God's eyes, beloved! We could never, never earn that in a million lifetimes. But by Christ's sacrifice and death on the Cross, His righteousness becomes ours, as heirs of Christ.

So you can quit "working for your salvation" the moment you are saved. What a relief that should be to your weary soul. "Come unto Me all ye who are weary, and I will give you rest," says the Lord Jesus.

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