
                Is Baptism Nesessary for Salvation?

1.  The  Bible  repeatedly  states  that faith is tyhe sole menas 
whereby we appropiate God's grace in Salvation (Romans 3:22,  24, 
25, 26, 28, 30;  4:5;  Philippians 3:9; Galations 2:16).  This is 
made very clear in Ephesians 2:8,  "For by grace  you  have  been 
saved through faith;  and that not of yourselves,  it is the gift 
of God." Note that faith alone is made the channel through  which 
God's  saving  grace  reaches  us.   If  we  add  baptism  as  an 
additional channel for God's grace, why not the sacraments of the 
Roman Catholic church?  The sacraments are also viewed as a means 
for receiving God's grace by Roman Catholics.  

2.  The order invariably given in the New Testament is repentance 
(turning from sin), faith (turning to God's salvation provided in 
Jesus Christ), then baptism (the public identification of the new 
believer with Christ, and outward symbol of the inner transaction 
of salvation).  This is the pattern throughout the book  of  Acts 
(2:38; 8:12,34-39; 10:34-48; 16:31-33).  

3.  Baptism may not legitimately be viewed as an element of faith 
in  the same sense as repentance and obedience to Christ as Lord, 
since these are spiritual acts and baptism  is  a  physical  act.  
Further,  while  both obedience (Romans 1:5) and repentance (Acts 
11:18) are used as synonyms for saving faith, baptism is never so 
used.  

4.  In 1 Corinthians 15:1-4,  Paul summarizes the Gospel that  he 
preached to the Corinthians,  and whereby they were saved.  There 
is no mention of baptism.  

5.  In 1 Corinthians 1:17, Paul states that, "Christ did not send 
me  to  baptize,   but  to  preach  the  Gospel";   thus  clearly 
differentiating  the  Gospel  from baptism.  This is difficult to 
explain if baptism is an intergral part of salvation.  

6.  The Bible speaks of the Word of  God  (1  Peter  1:23;  James 
1:18,21;   Romans  10:17)  as  the  instrument  used  by  God  in 
regeneration, not baptism.  

7.  There are examples given in scripture of individuals who were 
saved without being baptized: 
          a.  The penitent woman  (Luke 7:37-50)
          b.  The paralytic man   (Matthew 9:2)
          c.  The publican        (Luke 18:13-14)

Note:  All  three  of  the  above  mentioned  persons  had  ample 
       opportunity  to  be  baptized  (unlike  the  theif  on the 
       cross).  

          d.  Cornelius (Acts 10:44-48)

Note:  That Cornelius and the others were saved  PRIOR  to  their 
baptism is evident from their reception of the of the Holy Spirit 
prior  to being baptized (since the Holy Spirit does not give the 
gifts of the Spirit to unregenerate men).  Indeed, it is the fact 
that they had recieved the Holy Spirit  (and  hence  were  saved) 
that led Peter to baptize them (cf. vs 47).  

Let  us  close by looking briefly at some of the passages used to 
attempt to teach that baptism is necessary for salvation.  

1.  John 3:6

    a.  Nicodemus,  a Jew,  would not have understood the  phrase 
        "born of water" to refer to Christian baptism,  which had
        not yet been instituted.  

    b.  Since Christ obviously intended that Nicodemus understood 
        His words (since He was speaking to him what  was necess-
        ary  for his salvation),  we must search for a meaning to 
        the  phrase  "born of water"  that  Nicodemus  would have 
        understood.  

    c.  It  is  most  likely  that  our  Lord is referring to the 
        cleansing of the soul that occurs at Salvation. Water was 
        a commonly  used  symbol  for  this  in the Old Testament 
        (Psalm 51:7; Isaish 12:3; Jeremiah 2:13;  Ezekiel 36:25),
        and would therefore be a  concept  with  which  Nicodemus 
        would have been familiar.

2.  Mark 16:16

    a.  It  is  extremely  doubful  that vss, 9-20 of Mark are an 
        authentic  part of Mark's Gospel (for a discussion of the 
        texual problems with this passage cf. et. al.,  A Textual 
        Commentary on  the  Greek  New  Testament,  pp.  122-128;  
        Hendriksen, The Gospel of Mark, pp. 682-687).

    b.  Even if the passage is accepted as authentic,   it  still 
        does not teach the necessity  of  baptism  for  Salvation.  
        The  emphasis of  vs. 16  is  clearly  on  believing,  not 
        baptism,  since it is the one  who  has  disbelieved  (not 
        failed to be baptized) who is condemned.  Baptism is ment-
        ioned  in connection with faith since, "the idea of an un-
        baptized  Christian  is  simply not entertained in the New 
        Testament"  (F.F. Bruce, The Book of Acts, p. 77).  Though 
        baptism  plays no part on the salvation process,  the  New 
        Testament does  not envision a true believer in Christ who 
        is  not  at some point in their life baptized in obedience 
        to the commands of the New Testament.

3.  Titus 3:5

    a.  It is not certian that the phrase "washing of regeneration" 
        is a reference to water baptism.

        (1)  The  genitive  palingenesias  (regeneration)   may  be 
             simply be a genitive of apposition.  If taken as such, 
             the phrase would read,  "the washing which is regener-
             ation".    The  phrase  "renewing  by the Holy Spirit"
             would then  be an epexegetical phrase defining what is 
             meant by  "washing of regeneration".  If  "renewing by 
             the  Holy  Spirit"  is  not  epexegetical but adds new 
             information,   it  becomes  redundant.    The  thought 
             expressed  would  then  be  that  we  are saved by the 
             washing of regeneration and also by  the  renewing  of 
             the Holy Spirit  (which equals regeneration).   Or, we 
             are saved by regeneration and by regeneration.

    b.  It  seems  most  likely  that  here,  as  in  John 3:5, the 
        "washing of regeneration"  is a  figure of speech denoteing 
        the  cleansing of our hearts from sin by the Holy Spirit at 
        the moment of salvation.

4.  Acts 2:38

    a.  This verse demonstrates a metonymy of effect for cause. The 
        effect of forgiveness of sins (baptism) is spoken of as the 
        cause of forgiveness.  This figure of speech is found else-
        where in Scripture.  For example, in Luke 16:29,  Moses and 
        the  Prophets are used for the writings of  which they were
        the  authors.   Baptism  is  the  outer symbol of the inner 
        reality  of regeneration,  and in this  verse,  the  symbol 
        stands for the reality.

    b.  It  is  also  possible  that the preposition  "eis"  may be 
        translated  "because of".   It  is so translated in Matthew 
        12:41; Luke 11:42.

5.  Acts 22:16

    a.  The  phrase  "wash away your sins"  is to be connected with 
        "calling on His name", and not with "be baptized", since to 
        connect it with "be baptized" would  leave  the  participle 
        "epikalesamenos" (calling) without an antecedent.

6.  1 Peter 3:21

    a.  Baptism is said to be an antitype (antitupos).  The reality 
        it points  to  is the inward spiritual reality of salvation 
        referred to in the next  phrase;   the  "appeal  to God for 
        a good conscience" that takes place at Salvation.

b.  Peter makes it clear that it is the resurrection of Christ that 
    saves us, not baptism (cf. 1 Peter 1:3).

c.  Peter does not say that baptism places us into the resurrection 
    of Christ, but rather that we ar saved through the resurrection 
    of Christ.

We hope that this clarifies why baptism does not save, but rather 
reflects  an  inward  change.   Baptism  is  important,  and  ALL 
believers are commanded to be baptized, although baptism plays no 
part  in  Salvation.  Jesus Christ is like He said "I am the way, 
the truth, and the Life..." 

                    S.O.N.  (the Salvation Online Network)

