Christians, is baptism essential for salvation?

Question

1 Peter 3:20-21
God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water ,

21 and this water symbolizes BAPTISM THAT NOW SAVES YOU ALSO — not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a good conscience toward God. IT SAVES YOU by the resurrection of Jesus Christ

I believe a Christian must accept EVERYTHING scripture teaches in regard to salvation. This seems pretty clear that baptism is essential in addition to "calling on the name of the Lord" and accepting Him as Savior. Scripture actually tells us what accepting Christ as Savior by calling on His name involves. And, interestingly, scripturally calling on His name involves baptism.

Acts 22:16

16 And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name .

Can someone explain to me how you can say baptism does not save when this scripture specifically says it does?

Montanacowgirlwannabe

I can definitely answer your question. The thief on the cross lived under the Law of Moses. Christ had not yet died, been buried, or been raised from the dead. There was nothing for him to be baptized into. Baptism was not necessary for the salvation of King David, Abraham, Isaac, Moses, etc etc because they lived under the Law of Moses. The requirement of baptism was not installed until Jesus had completed prophecy and the Kindgom of Heaven was at hand under the Christian age. The perfect law of liberty.

Answer 1

You are correct. People want to go back to the Old Testament to find salvation. It won't be found there. Christ was the fulfillment of the Old Testament. When He died on the cross, the Laws of Moses were nailed to the cross with Him. You will find the plan of salvation in the New Testament and in every case of conversion mentioned, every person was baptized for the remission of sins. You can't just take one verse, you must read all the counsel of God. Everything we need to know about salvation and worship in the church today can be found in the pages of the New Testament if people will study it and learn how to rightly apply it. You are correct.

Answer 2

No.

If one has everlasting life the moment he believes, as Jesus plainly promises, and he is baptized after he believes, then it is clear that he is saved before he ever gets to the baptismal waters. Therefore, water baptism is not essential to salvation. If one must be baptized after he believes, in order to be saved, then why do preachers make people wait about being baptized? Why would a preacher teaching that baptism is essential to salvation tell a believer to wait until next Sunday, or perhaps even until the first Sunday in the next month? If I really believed that water baptism was necessary for salvation, I would build me a portable baptistry, put it on the back of a truck, and keep it with me all the time, wherever I went. The moment a man trusted Christ, I would make sure he got baptized immediately, lest he die before the scheduled time for baptizing at the local church.

Answer 3

The water itself is not what saves you, as you see in vs 21 there it SAYS the water symbolizs Baptism. The "baptism" itself is the cleansing/forgiveness of sins, which of course, is what saves us. The water is the symbol of this cleansing, just like the bread and the wine symbolize Jesus sacrifice and the New Covenant. These symbols are not THE article itself, but our way of expressing it outwardly. Does being emersed in water save us, no, being forgiven through Christ does. Does eating bread and driking wine make us part of the New Covenant or make us accept Jesus' sacrifice? No, all these must take place in the heart, the symbolism means nothing if the heart isnt there. SHOULD we do these things? Yes, other than we are told to do them, it is like being in love with someone and having a wedding even though it is strictly symbolic. A person may be saved and not do these things, especially if they arent sure what they mean or maybe they dont live long after rebirth, but not unlike marriage, how much do you really love God, if you refuse to be baptized or take communion?

Answer 4

A literal reading of Ephesians 1:13-14 clearly says the Holy Spirit was sealed within us at the moment of belief.  Paul repeated this promise in 2 Cor. 1:21-22 and 2 Cor. 5:5 without mentioning baptism. There is no mention of baptism after the Holy Spirit descended upon the disciples in the Upper Room nor at Pentecost. Much depends on the audience. As an example, when Peter mentioned baptism in Acts 2, he was speaking in the Temple to a Jewish audience who had a different understanding of baptism than we do. They had used baptism (they called it a Mikvah) for centuries as a rite of purification before the Sabbath or a marriage or some other important undertaking.  The Church uses baptism as a public declaration of having been born again. So for the Jews baptism preceded an important change, while for us it follows it. In neither case is it a requirement of salvation. We are saved by what we believe not by what we do. When Jesus was asked, "what must we do to do the works God requires?" He replied, "the work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent." (John 6:28-29) I belong to no denomination. I belong to Jesus.

Answer 5

I do not believe that baptism is essential for salvation. The thief on the cross accepted Jesus Christ just before his death and did not have time to be baptized. Jesus told him he would see him in paradise that same day.

Answer 6

Baptism is an outward expression of an inward decision. It is not necessary to be baptized in order to be saved, but we do this in order to uphold the Biblical traditions, and to demonstrate to our family of believers that we are washed clean through Christ. In the scriptures, Jesus never says that baptism is necessary for salvation, but belief in the Son and His forgiveness of sins that is found in His death and Resurrection. I would say that Baptism is a beautiful expression of faith that is meant to symbolize us coming up out of the water a new creation, and I recommend it for all people who call themselves believers. No act in and of itself is the saving force. Even in verse 21 that you cite it says that "it saves you BY THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS CHRIST," and it says that it is "not the removal of dire from the body but the pledge f good conscience toward God" meaning it is not the physical act, not the washing that does anything, but the pledge in our heart to God. To say it is the act would mean that someone who has no belief in God or Jesus whatsoever could be baptized and be saved. This cannot be because it is by faith alone that we are saved, not by any act itself, but by the expression of faith that is demonstrated.

Answer 7

To me the verses that you've mentioned illustrate the closeness of salvation and baptism itself, where the new believer wants to be marked as God's property. The two go together. Why would you want to live in the city of the King, but carry an address outside the kingdom? For that matter, everyone in your household (yes, including infants) also needs to have their address listed within the city limits.

Answer 8

AFTER accepting Christ as one's personal Savior, THEN we should be baptised as a public confessing of our faith. It's NOT essential for salvation since that's already happened when we became born again ( As Jesus told Nicodemus in John 3:3 " I assure you, unless you are born again, you cannot inherit the Kingdom of God')
Catholics, among others, rely on useless sacraments and rituals thinking God demands it. Ephesians 2:8,9 tells us, Salvation is a GIFT from God' Now, how can we obtain salvation by working for it? You cannot EARN a git.

Answer 9

Not at all. It is just a symbolic ritual of washing your sins away. The thief on the cross wasn't baptized and Jesus told him he would be with him in paradise. It's all about faith. Baptism alone will send you straight to Hell.

Answer 10

No...baptism is just a "symbolic" washing away of sins.
Jesus told one of the thieves He was crucified with that "this day you shall be with Me in Paradise"...and the man had never been baptized, and had done nothing more than acknowledge that Jesus was the son of God.