Is baptism essential to salvation?
One of the biggest things Christians disagree on is the rite of baptism.
Those that advocate for the necessity of baptism point to scripture that affirms it as an integral step in our response to the Gospel. Others disagree, citing scriptures affirming that salvation rests on belief alone and not on any specific work that we can do. Let’s take a look at each position and try to understand what our response should be.
The case for baptism being essential
Proponents of this view believe that baptism is the mode God uses to impart forgiveness of sins and death to the old sinful nature. They make their case based on the following scriptures:
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, (Matthew 28:19 NIV)
Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. (Acts 2:38 NIV)
Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. (John 3:5 NIV)
And this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also—not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a clear conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, (1 Peter 3:21 NIV)
Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. (Romans 6:3-4 NIV)
There are more scriptures I could list, but you get the idea. It’s not a stretch at all to see baptism as a commandment and an integral part of the process of being born again.
The case for baptism being optional
Proponents of this view hold that salvation is by grace through faith alone and no added works are needed to appropriate it. They point to the following scriptures to support this claim:
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9 NIV)
If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:9 NIV)
Know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified. (Galatians 2:16 NIV)
They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.” (Acts 16:31)
However, to the one who does not work but trusts God who justifies the ungodly, their faith is credited as righteousness. (Romans 4:5 NIV)
One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!” But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.” (Luke 23:39-43 NIV)
Again, this is a limited list, but you can see where this position comes from scripture. To be fair, many proponents of this view also advocate and encourage people to be baptized, but stop short of saying it is a commandment.
Is baptism a “work?”
That is the issue that one must discern to reconcile these scriptures. As often is the case, issues of Biblical doctrine hinge on the definition of words (semantics). People who are well intentioned get stuck in their own personal view of the meaning of a word. In this case, many hold that baptism is a “work” and therefore cannot be required for salvation. If you don’t define baptism as a “work,” the two positions summarized above become a lot more compatible. Throughout scripture, God uses physical acts and objects as channels for His grace. (The blood applied on the doorframe at Passover comes to mind.)
Don’t overthink it
With all this in mind, baptism begins to lose its label as a “work,” and simply becomes a channel of God’s grace to forgive sins. Baptism itself isn’t a difficult task. Think about it—God could have required something hard like a 40 day fast or climbing a mountain to make us prove we were serious. Rather, He made it very simple and accessible to anyone. I don’t think the Apostles thought of baptism as a “work” but rather an outward manifestation of inward belief. The idea that belief can exist in isolation, completely devoid of any accompanying works is suspect indeed. James would have agreed:
In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. (James 2:17 NIV)
That is to say, a proper expression of faith will be accompanied by corresponding behavior. This is a classic case of “don’t overthink it.”
In my opinion, the original question is flawed.
Sometimes the question itself is the problem and reveals our broken thinking. When we look at baptism as a transactional act or a membership requirement we are looking at it in the wrong way. Christ Himself did not look at it this way. John the Baptist did, and protested when Christ came to him to be baptized:
Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” (Matthew 3:13-14 NIV)
John had a good reason to say what he did—Jesus was the Messiah, the Lamb of God. He was sinless and didn’t need to repent and be baptized. If anyone could have “passed” on baptism, it was Jesus. But He didn’t. Read Jesus’ response:
Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented. (Matthew 3:15 NIV)
Jesus understood that baptism was more than just a box that sinners need to check before they can be saved. Baptism is a vital part of God’s holy pattern for redemption. It is a pattern we see echoed throughout the scriptures:
Noah and his family being saved on the ark as the flood destroys the wicked world beneath them
Moses leading the Israelites through the Red Sea on dry ground before the waters destroyed the Egyptians who were pursuing them
The bronze washbasin in the outer court of the Temple where the priests would wash before entering the Holy place to minister before the Lord
The pattern God has established to redeem fallen things is this: death, burial, and resurrection. As we read previously in Romans 6:3-4, baptism represents the “burial” part of this pattern.
Baptism is so much bigger than just a public confession of faith. It’s an understanding that you are part of God’s holy, eternal plan for redemption. A plan so important, that even Christ recognized His need to fulfill it, not for His own personal benefit, but to reflect a pattern His Father had established. Therefore, when we ask the question, “is baptism essential?”, we miss the plot entirely. God didn’t merely suggest baptism as a “good idea.”
What is the right question?
The question we should be asking is “what is keeping you from being baptized?” or, as the Ethiopian eunuch said in Acts 8:36:
As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water. What can stand in the way of my being baptized?” (Acts 8:36 NIV)
It is a rite that is clearly taught in scripture as part of the believer’s response to the Gospel. Jesus Himself did it. Early believers did it. “What about the thief on the cross?” some might ask. On this point, I will concede that if someone is in a physical situation that literally prevents them from being baptized, Christ rightly can justify them without baptism. The thief on the cross was quite literally nailed to a cross. This is a classic example of an outlier, and not a normative situation. The outlier does not prove a position, but rather it is an exception to the rule. The better example is Christ, who freely chose to be baptized (and received God’s approval), even though He wasn’t a sinner.
My conclusion
As ministers and Bible teachers, we should not present baptism as being optional. Scripture as a whole points to it being an essential part of our new birth experience. We should also help people understand that baptism is not a work that they do to achieve or earn salvation; it is a rite that shows obedience and faith in the redemptive process that God has ordained throughout His Word. Anything less than joyful obedience is misguided at best.
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