Conversion Then Immersion: Faith Required
by Michael Doyle

It is said firmly, and I believe it
Baptism is not a matter of take it or leave it
Immersion, conversion: Faith is required
To take on the Holy Spirit, it's acquired

It's a living truth for this generation
To be applied with the strongest veneration
The eternal word of God will never change
However much society itself  might rearrange

God's inspired Word is given that we may live
Within His principles, the best life can give
Baptism's conversion is not a pick and choose
Without immersion in your path, you simply lose

As Matthew teaches, and it must be understood
The necessity of baptism is for our own good
Discipleship is part of the Great Commission
All authority holds that lack of baptism is an omission

That cannot be missed as a first principle observed
It is the will of God, and right of all deserved
Baptism is only  for believers as a sign of trust
It is the work of Christ at Calvary, making it a must

It isn't just a physical act, but the belief in salvation
Delivered by Jesus as savior to the Christian nation
This is a matter that is a completely personal experience
Deeply meaningful with significance beyond any preference

Sprinkling a child is only a matter of dedication
It is no guarantor of the much-needed salvation
But this is a parental decision, not their own
And this sort of decision is that person's alone

The dedication, though well-meant, won't save a soul
However much the love, only the child has the control
Revival meeting baptisms made in a rushed moment
Will not save a person from Hell's fiery torments

Getting right with God can be had in only this sort of way
It comes to understanding regardless of what they say
The only scriptural way to salvation is through immersion
Symbolic as it is, immersion speaks to a soul's conversion

The timing of baptism may sometimes seem demanding
But it comes down to receiving the truest understanding
That the cost is to the soul in not fulfilling God's will
It takes the immersion following conversion to distill

One's faith acted on in the spirt of the Great Commission
To do otherwise becomes a matter of purposeful omission
Which counteracts a life lived otherwise in full obedience
And can never be excused away as a matter of expedience

A lack of being baptized stands as a grievous sort of sin
That is in contravention of the Lord's three-fold commission
We are to follow the Lord's path as set out on the page
By baptizing the disciples, God will be with us in every age

There is no half-way gospel, salvation precedes baptism
Immersive baptism is really an act of contrite symbolism
But this then goes beyond some simple sort of expression
It is, indeed, the set example of a very public confession

To be born of the water and the spirit, begins our days
In which we, to our best, live out our lives in Godly ways
As children of God, we are called out to live under grace
Becoming our best within the Holy Father's loving embrace

(c) September 28, 2023  Michael Doyle
All Rights Reserved