Baptism and Salvation

It has been asked, not by all but by most, or in any case by a few guys that I know, whether it is necessary to be baptized in order to be saved.

Underlying this question are a number of other questions that can quickly lead us into swampy waters. For example, does baptism involve being sprinkled with or being immersed in water? At what age should baptism take place? And, most importantly: should I baptise my dog? (Just kidding, lighten up folks.)

Entire Protestant denominations have been formed around such questions. And no matter which way you answer them, you will be in a lot of trouble with a lot of people. Thankfully, I am interested in answering only the much more modest question: if a believer in Jesus does not get immersed in (or sprinkled by) water before they die, will they spend an eternity in torment?

Put somewhat differently: is baptism necessary for salvation?

A few baptism texts

There are over one hundred occurrences of "baptism" and its various cognate forms (e.g. baptist, baptize, etc.) in the New Testament. So, it would take a book to answer this question in any real depth.

Instead, I will briefly discuss a few verses about belief and baptism, in no particular order.

Let's dive in.

Believe!

We begin with the classic summary of the gospel:

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

Notice what this verse does and does not say. Whoever believes will not perish. Not, whoever believes and is baptized will not perish.

The idea that believing in Jesus is all that is required for salvation is an extremely common theme in the New Testament.

For example, it is found again just before this verse in John 3:16, here:

that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him. John 3:15

Or earlier, here:

Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God. John 1:12

And again later, here:

Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life. John 3:36a

And yet again, here:

Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life. John 5:24

Or, again, for example, here:

"Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them." By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. John 7:38-39

Or, once again, here:

But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. John 20:31

Or, in Paul, here:

God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. 1 Corinthians 1:21b

And here:

This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. Romans 3:22

Or again here:

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. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. Romans 10:9-10

I think you get the idea.

When I find the overwhelming pattern in Scripture to be, "believe in Jesus and be saved" without mentioning anything else as a requirement, that suggests to me that trusting in Jesus is the fundamental thing.

We don't really find it the other way around: we don't see baptism by itself. Whenever we see mention of baptism in relation to salvation, we also typically see some mention of calling on the Lord (Acts 2:38-39; cf. 2:21), or believing in the Lord (Acts 18:8), or making an appeal to God for a clear conscience (2 Peter 3:21), etc. Trusting in Jesus is always present and is still the essential thing.

Cum Hoc, Ergo Propter Hoc (with this, therefore because of this)?

The fact that belief is usually accompanied by baptism does not mean that baptism is also necessary. This is, rather, explained by the fact that baptism naturally follows one's conversion. Even in passages where baptism is explicitly mentioned in relation to salvation, it is clear that it is not the essential part.

For example, take this verse from Mark:

Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. Mark 16:16

At first blush, the first part of this verse might seem to state that salvation requires belief plus baptism. However, the second part of the verse immediately dispells this notion: "but whoever does not believe will be condemned." In other words, if you want to be condemned, you need to not believe – that's it. Put differently: while it is true that whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, it is also true that whoever believes will be saved – period.

Or take Acts 10. Here, the gentiles receive the Holy Spirit first, and then are baptized after. The order of these things is important:

While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message. The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on Gentiles. For they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God. Then Peter said, “Surely no one can stand in the way of their being baptized with water. They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have.” So he ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked Peter to stay with them for a few days. Acts 10:44-48

Pause the scene after the first sentence. The gentiles have received the Holy Spirit; they are saved (John 7:39). And then, after they have already received the Spirit, they are baptized. There is without a doubt a close link between salvation and baptism here. Yet, again, I ask: strictly speaking, was the baptism necessary for or prior to salvation? And the answer clear from the text is: no.

Or consider Acts 16, where the jailer explicitly asks Paul and Silas what he must do to be saved:

The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. He then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.” Acts 16:31

Believe in the Lord Jesus. Period.

This is then followed by his baptism, after he believes and is saved:

Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house. At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his household were baptized. The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God—he and his whole household. Acts 16:32-34

Here is an interesting hypothetical question: what would have happened to this man if, after believing but before he was able to be immersed in the water, he had a sudden heart attack and died? Would he still see paradise?

Actually, this isn't really a hypothetical question.

Only one thing is necessary (Luke 10:42)

As I bring our little study to a close, I offer a reflection on the thief on the cross:

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

I humbly ask: after confessing Jesus as Lord, did this thief come down from the cross and get baptized before he died?

If (as seems likely) he did not, then my follow up question is: did he still get to be with Jesus in paradise that very same day?

That concludes my brief exploration of baptism and salvation in the New Testament. What do you think? Are there other arguments or verses that you think I didn't consider? For those interested in doing their own study, below is an exhaustive list of all references of "baptism" related words in the New Testament.

Thanks for reading, shirelings! If this post was persuasive or encouraging to you, then God bless you. If not, then God bless you anyway. Either way, I hope that it at least offered you some,

Food for thought.

Appendix: List of all NT occurences of the βάπτω (baptō) root

Matthew 3:1, 6-7, 11, 13-14, 16; 11:11-12; 14:2, 8; 16:14; 17:13; 21:25; 26:23; 28:19; Mark 1:4-5, 8-9; 6:14, 24-25; 7:4; 8:28; 10:38-39; 11:30; 14:20; 16:16; Luke 3:3, 7, 12, 16, 21; 7:20, 29-30, 33; 9:19; 11:38; 12:50; 16:24; 20:4; John 1:25-26, 28, 31, 33; 3:22-23, 26; 4:1-2; 10:40; 13:26; Acts 1:5, 22; 2:38, 41; 8:12-13, 16, 36-38; 9:18; 10:37, 47-48; 11:16; 13:24; 16:15, 33; 18:8, 25; 19:3-5; 22:16; Romans 6:3-4; 1 Corinthians 1:13-17; 10:2; 12:13; 15:29; Galatians 3:27; Ephesians 4:5; Colossians 2:12; Hebrews 6:2; 9:10; 1 Peter 3:21; Revelation 19:13