Forest Park church of Christ

Is Baptism Essential for Salvation?

On November 14, 2009, the Clayton News Daily printed an article with the same title given above written by James C. Bell, Jr., a columnist for the paper. Some comparisons between the article and what the Bible says are in order.

Mr. Bell stated that Baptists believe that a person should be baptized soon after they repent and have accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord. He goes on to say, “However, we do not believe baptism is essential for salvation. Baptism has no saving power.”

To begin with, what a person does or does not believe does not determine the truth of a doctrine. Saul of Tarsus sincerely believed that by torturing and casting into prison the followers of Jesus Christ that he was doing the will of God (Acts 22:3; 23:1). He was wrong.

Mr. Bell correctly states that baptism is submersion in water and that it is a burial. He also states that it “represents a picture of breaking from the past and beginning a new life with Jesus Christ.” But baptism is more than a picture. Paul says in Romans 6:4, “Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.” Notice the “we are” and “like as” and “even so we also.” This teaches that a person is buried with Christ in baptism. Verse 3 says that a person is “baptized into Christ Jesus.” And it is only after this baptism that a person is raised up from that burial with Christ to walk in the newness of life, not before.

The article also states that a person should be baptized to “show your obedience,” to honor Jesus, and to obey his command in Matthew 28:19. This brings up the question, “Can a person go to heaven who willfully disobeys the command of Jesus?” Jesus asked, “And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?” (Luke 6:46.) We know that those who do not obey Jesus are not truly his friends (John 15:14). Jesus has said that a person who does not keep his words does not truly love him (John 14:24). The writer of Hebrews settles the matter in chapter 5:9 where he says of Jesus, “And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him.”

Is it the will of God that a person be baptized? John the Baptist immersed people for the purpose of the remission of their sins (Mark 1:4). Luke wrote, “And when all the people heard Him, even the tax collectors justified God, having been baptized with the baptism of John. But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the will of God for themselves, not having been baptized by him” (Luke 7:29-30, NKJV). Jesus taught clearly in Matthew 7:21 that only those who do the will of God will enter into the kingdom of heaven.

When Nicodemus came to Jesus by night in John 3:1-5, Jesus taught him that a person had to be born again in order to see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus did not understand and asked if a person could enter again into his mother’s womb and be born a second time? Jesus explained, “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.” Being born of the water is baptism, and, according to Jesus’ own words, it is essential to enter into the kingdom of God.

The Bible explicitly teaches that the purpose of baptism is for the remission of sins. In Acts 2, in response to the first gospel sermon that was preached after Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection, the people asked, “Men and brethren what shall we do?” Peter gave them the true answer, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost” (Acts 2:38, NKJV). Ananias told Saul in Acts 22:16, “And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.”

This in no way takes anything away from Ephesians 2:8-10. We are saved by grace through faith. A person who is being baptized does not do any work in order to earn his salvation. He simply stands there and someone else lowers him into the water and raises him back up. He does no work. In this same book Paul included teaching about this washing of the water in the one baptism. (Ephesians 5:26 & 4:5). In Colossians 2:12 Paul explained who does the work in baptism, “buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead” (NKJV).

It was said in the article that “Baptism has no saving power.” Compare that to what the apostle Peter wrote in 1 Peter 3:21, “There is also an antitype which now saves us–baptism (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ” (NKJV). Who will you believe?

To deny that baptism is essential to salvation is to the deny words of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, for He has said, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned” (Mark 16:15-16). Whose words will you follow?