Expert: Dr. Tim Gladu - 3/19/2007

Question
In John 3:29, does John refer to himself as the friend of the bridegroom?  If so, why isn't John part of the bride?  Who is it that the bride is composed of?  Is baptism necessary to be part of the bride?  Thank you in advance for your answers.

Answer
When the bride is to referred to most of the time in the New Testament it is referring to the church. The church is the bride of Christ and Christ is the bridegroom. John was stating that he had been sent to proclaim the messiah is coming and now that Christ identified Himself then John knew he had to decrease and Christ ministry was going to groom and increase. Baptism is not required to have salvation, baptism is the outward sign that you have become saved and Christ is the Lord of your life. People that are saved on the death bed do not have to be baptized. Baptism is mainly just the outward sign that one does after salvation. I hope this helped clear things up for you
God Bless