There is a common question: “Is baptism necessary for salvation?” In light of so much Scripture on the matter, this is a surprising question. In this brief study, we will let the Scriptures answer the question directly while noticing that it is really the wrong question.
So, is baptism necessary for salvation?
Mark 16:15‑16
“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.”
This passage most clearly defines baptism as a requisite part of salvation — without baptism, one cannot be saved.
And yet, the question and such a blunt answer misses the beautiful point of baptism. It is like saying if one does not eat, he will die — and yet there is so much more to eating than just preventing death.
We don’t just want not to die — we want to live. Not dying is so finite, living is infinite with possibilities.
After Peter had preached at Pentecost, his listeners did not ask, “How do we not die?” A finite question with a finite answer. Instead, they asked, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” Acts 2:37
They asked a hopeful, open-ended question leading to life.
Acts 2:38 tells us that Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins.”
There is depth to Peter’s answer beyond a simple stamp of salvation — in baptism one has his sins released — forgiven. There is a fresh start and hope in such an answer.
Some will say that baptism is simply an outward sign of obedience. While I cannot deny that it is such an outward sign — we might specifically notice that it is an adherence to Christ’s word that starts us on the road of discipleship:
Matthew 28:19‑20
“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
If we are His disciples then we are to follow his instructions, the first of which is to be baptized. It is the beginning of our Christian walk, not a conclusion that we are saved. It is upon this first act of obedience that one will hopefully build a habit of obedience to a risen Savior who died for our sins and purchased our lives away from sin with His blood.
It is sin that baptism addresses. Listen to Romans 6:1‑11:
What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. For he who has died has been freed from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Now, from this passage, we see that baptism is so much more than a simple switch from “unsaved” to “saved.” Through baptism, one is reborn to live apart from sin and death: alive — in newness of life — living to God, for God, and in God’s everlasting embrace.
Baptism is not some work that must be achieved but a transition from death into life by the holy operation of our Father in heaven who washes away our sins by the blood of Christ.
It is that operation that was foreshadowed by circumcision in the Mosaic covenant.
Consider Colossians 2:11‑14:
In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, 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. And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.
Ironically, not only is baptism not viewed as some “work” in scripture, but it represents freedom from all of the ordinances found in the first covenant and all the “works” required by its adherents to demonstrate one’s faithfulness before Yahweh God.
Instead, Christ did the great “work” at Calvary when He died for all our sins — taking upon Himself our sins and being separated (for a time) from His Father because of our sins.
It strikes me that when one is considering salvation, the proper question is “What prevents me from being baptized?”
Acts 8:26‑39 brings the whole matter into focus:
Now an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying, “Arise and go toward the south along the road which goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is desert. So he arose and went. And behold, a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace the queen of the Ethiopians, who had charge of all her treasury, and had come to Jerusalem to worship, was returning. And sitting in his chariot, he was reading Isaiah the prophet. Then the Spirit said to Philip, “Go near and overtake this chariot.”
So Philip ran to him, and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said, “Do you understand what you are reading?”
And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he asked Philip to come up and sit with him. The place in the Scripture which he read was this:
“He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; And as a lamb before its shearer is silent, So He opened not His mouth. In His humiliation His justice was taken away, And who will declare His generation? For His life is taken from the earth.”
So the eunuch answered Philip and said, “I ask you, of whom does the prophet say this, of himself or of some other man?” Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning at this Scripture, preached Jesus to him. Now as they went down the road, they came to some water. And the eunuch said, “See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?”
Then Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.”
And he answered and said, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”
So he commanded the chariot to stand still. And both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptized him. Now when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught Philip away, so that the eunuch saw him no more; and he went on his way rejoicing.
When we hear the Ethiopian’s exuberant response to the Gospel of Christ, we have to realize that the only question that truly exists about baptism for the informed hearer of the Gospel message may vary only slightly from his question — it might be best formed in this fashion: “Where is water that I may be baptized?”
The discussion of baptism may be contentious for some and yet others may simply have not been informed about what God’s word says about baptism. Our hope is, however, that anyone possessing the knowledge of these few simple verses and so many more (Acts 16:11-15; 18:8; 22:16; Galatians 3:27; 1 Peter 3:21 …) will see baptism in the light that our Lord intends: Baptism is certainly an essential element of salvation and more — it frees us from our former lives in sin — it frees us to live according to God’s will without regrets — it renews us as newborn children before our Father in heaven.
Baptism is but one small part of our walk in Christ. It is, in fact, only the first step upon His path for our lives. It is, however, that first step. Let us embrace this and all of the truths found in God’s word with great humility and love for our fellow man.