Christians, do you think baptism is necessary for salvation?

Question

If so read John 3:16

If not read Acts 2:38

Answer 1

Jesus Himself was baptized. He also said

"No one can enter into God's kingdom without being begotten of water and Spirit" (John 3:5).

He also commanded His apostles to baptize all nations.

Sounds pretty crucial to me. You quote two verses out of context. That is called strict fundamentalism (or strict literalism) and it's a really shabby and uneducated way of interpreting the Holy Scriptures.

They must be studied in their entirety.

Pax Vobiscum+

Answer 2

I'll take Lion of Judah's position. If baptism replaces circumcision, then a) it's how the Jews would have understood it as applying to God's people; and b) it can be interpreted with every verse that alludes to baptism. The thief on the cross, for example, was probably not baptized or circumcised. But the same authority the Father had in rejecting Esau's circumcision and accepting Jacob's, was the same authority Jesus had in accepting someone without the "mark" -- either of them. Yes it's necessary, but who's in charge of the rite itself? I'll give you a hint, IT AIN'T US!

Answer 3

Baptism is a covenant you make with the Lord that you will walk in a newness of life. With his help and grace you can do that. Without his help the flesh is to demanding and you will fall short. The Lord must recognise it, otherwise anyone jumping into a pool could say they were baptised. Salvation comes by continuing to be obedient to his commandments. Some will graduate
cumlaude, others will flunk, and some will drop out. Enduring to the end is the key and service is a must (I was an hungered and you gave me meat-)Instant salvation is just not true.

Answer 4

No, baptism is the outward public expression of the inward commitment you made to Christ. What Jesus did on the cross is what saves. You only need to accept the gift. Baptism is like wearing a wedding ring after you get married. Not wearing it wouldn't make you any less married, but wearing it would be a public declaration of your commitment.

Answer 5

The more convolutions one goes through to explain what Acts 2:38 "really" means, the further away one gets from its very simple and straightforward meaning. If Peter meant to say "repent and believe and then be baptized to show everyone the outward sign of an inward change as a profession of faith", I'm pretty certain he would have said so.

Answer 6

Church tradition holds that there are three kinds of baptism: Baptism of Water, Baptism of Desire, and Baptism of Blood.

A Lutheran like myself would hold that Baptism of Desire is normally received by every Christian. It is the desire for salvation that the Holy Spirit places in your heart when you hear the Word of God. However, the Christian faith has clearly taught throughout its history that Baptism of Water saves us, and so for every person who is able, it is the normative way to be saved. Since Baptism of Water involves an outward sign, it is a true sacrament which assures salvation.

Baptism of Blood is a special case of martyrdom where neither of the other types of baptism have occurred and yet a person gives his life for the sake of Christ. A hypothetical scenario I would give is a person whose conscience is offended by the persecution of a Christian and he is moved to defend that Christian with his very life. Hence, by giving his life for Christ, he demonstrates his implicit love for Christ; for Jesus said, "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends."

Answer 7

One of the most nagging questions in Christianity is whether or not baptism is necessary for salvation. The answer is a simple, "No." But you might ask, "If the answer is no, then why are there verses that say things like ‘. . .baptism that now saves you . . . ‘ (1 Pet. 3:21, NIV) and ‘ . . . Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins . . ." (Acts 2:38, NIV)? This is an honest question and it needs a competent answer. But, before I tackle this I need to lay a foundation of proper theology, then I'll address some of those verses that are commonly used to support the idea that baptism is necessary for salvation.


Baptism is not necessary for salvation. It is the initiatory sign and seal into the covenant of grace. As circumcision referred to the cutting away of sin and to a change of heart (Deut. 10:16; 30:6; Jer. 4:4; 9:25,26; Ez. 44:7,9) baptism refers to the washing away of sin (Acts 2:38; 1 Pet. 3:21; Tit. 3:5) and to spiritual renewal (Rom. 6:4; Col. 2:11-12). The circumcision of the heart is signified by the circumcision of the flesh, that is, baptism (Col. 2:11-12).
One last thought: If someone maintains that baptism is necessary for salvation, is he adding a work, his own, to the finished work of Christ? If the answer is yes, then that person would be in terrible risk of not being saved. If the answer is no, then why is baptism maintained as being necessary the same way as the Jews maintained that works were necessary?

Answer 8

Yes I do believe that it is.

Jesus said, "I solemnly assure you, no one can enter into God's kingdom without being begotten of water and Spirit" (John 3:5). At the Ascension, our Lord commanded the apostles, "Go therefore, and make disciples of all the nations. Baptize them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.' Teach then, to carry out everything I have commanded you" (Mt. 23:19-20). In another account of the Ascension, Jesus added, "The man who believes in [the good news] and accepts Baptism will be saved; the man who refuses to believe in it will be condemned (John 16:16).

Answer 9

Christians have always interpreted the Bible literally when it declares, "Baptism . . . now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body, but as an appeal to God for a clear conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ" (1 Pet. 3:21; cf. Acts 2:38, 22:16, Rom. 6:3–4, Col. 2:11–12).

Thus the early Church Fathers wrote in the Nicene Creed (A.D. 381), "We believe in one baptism for the forgiveness of sins."

And the Catechism of the Catholic Church states: "The Lord himself affirms that baptism is necessary for salvation [John 3:5]. . . . Baptism is necessary for salvation for those to whom the Gospel has been proclaimed and who have had the possibility of asking for this sacrament [Mark 16:16]" (CCC 1257).

The Christian belief that baptism is necessary for salvation is so unshakable that even the Protestant Martin Luther affirmed the necessity of baptism. He wrote: "Baptism is no human plaything but is instituted by God himself. Moreover, it is solemnly and strictly commanded that we must be baptized or we shall not be saved. We are not to regard it as an indifferent matter, then, like putting on a new red coat. It is of the greatest importance that we regard baptism as excellent, glorious, and exalted" (Large Catechism 4:6).

Yet Christians have also always realized that the necessity of water baptism is a normative rather than an absolute necessity. There are exceptions to water baptism: It is possible to be saved through "baptism of blood," martyrdom for Christ, or through "baptism of desire", that is, an explicit or even implicit desire for baptism.

Thus the Catechism of the Catholic Church states: "Those who die for the faith, those who are catechumens, and all those who, without knowing of the Church but acting under the inspiration of grace, seek God sincerely and strive to fulfill his will, are saved even if they have not been baptized" (CCC 1281; the salvation of unbaptized infants is also possible under this system; cf. CCC 1260–1, 1283).

Answer 10

I don't think that the baptism is necessary, but it is rather used as a profession of faith. The people that were baptized in Acts were saved before they were baptized. They just professed their faith through the act of baptism.