Q: I work with a fellow Christian who was baptized and has been pressing me to do so to ensure my salvation. I KNOW that I need to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and accept Him into my heart in order to be saved. IAM sure of my salvation. I know scripture has a way of being interpreted differently from Catholic to Baptist, to Bible churches. Please help me to understand this. Why do some protestant churches believe that Baptism is NECESSARY to be saved?

A: The necessity of water baptism for salvation is a position that simply cannot be correctly interpreted from Scripture or the teachings of Jesus Christ. It is most certainly an incorrect and interpretation to hold. Some churches even go so far as to teach that you cannot be saved unless you were immersed in a their baptistery or by one of their ordained ministers. It is simply not hermeneutically possible to insist that baptism is a necessary ingredient for salvation. A number of "prooftexts" which are often cited to prove that the Bible makes baptism necessary for salvation are Mark 16:16, John 3:5, Acts 2:38, Acts 22:16, , Romans 6:4, and 1 Peter 3:21. A careful examination of each of these texts in context will show that none of them prove that baptism is necessarily prerequisite for salvation, though they do prove that baptism was a response to the gospel of salvation for a follower of Christ. Ephesians 2:8,9 clearly shows us that it is by grace we are saved and "not by works".

Most evangelical churches correctly regard baptism as a command, which all new Christians are expected to obey, but is not a requirement for salvation. If it were, then like all other religions we would simply be another "works based" religion.

This would be in clear violation of Eph. 2:8,9, Jn. 3:16, etc. which emphasize that salvation is solely through faith in Christ and not a work. Of course, the most classic passage that demonstrates that baptism is not necessary for salvation is the incident of the thief of the cross in which case the thief was told by Christ that he would be in "paradise" and yet he was never baptized (see Luke 23:43). My personal favorite is a passage from the Message (a dynamic equivalent translation) in which John the Baptist says to the Pharisees: "Brood of snakes! What do you think you're doing slithering down here to the river? Do you think a little water on your snakeskins is going to make any difference, Its your life that must change, not your skin." (Mt. 3: 7, 8 The Message).

Another quick example would be the fact that the NT documents that some believers, in addition to the thief on the cross, were saved prior to baptism. Cornelius and his family exhibited a filling of the Holy Spirit and a manifestation of the gifts of the Spirit after hearing the gospel but before being baptized (Acts 10:44-48). Therefore, it was not baptism that saved them, but their believing in Christ (10:43). Baptism is the public demonstration that a person has placed their faith in Christ and have become a follower of his teachings. It is an ordinance and a command, but it is not a part of the gospel itself (1 Cor. 1:17).

Baptism is an expected action for a follower of Christ. If you are a believer in Christ and you haven't been baptized yet I would like to encourage you to contact our church office and attend one of our upcoming baptism classes. We'd be delighted to provide you the opportunity to show your friends, family, and church family that your faith is in Christ and that you are one of his followers.

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