Faith Challenge Nov/Dec 2008

Near the first of each month, I post a "Faith Challenge" in this section in order that you might think about it, discuss it with your friends, and respond.  Below is one of these faith challenges. Please email us with your response.

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Is Baptism Necessary for Salvation?

As a minister of the Gospel, I am often asked the question, “Is it really necessary for a person to be baptized in order to be saved?” When I tell them, “That is what the Bible teaches”, I am almost always met with a defensive look that says “How dare you believe such a thing!” Their objection most often comes as the result of one of three things:

1. They have never been exposed to the massive amounts of biblical material commanding baptism and therefore they trust in their own logic. They pick and choose passages that seem most agreeable to them rather than accepting the sum of God’s word.

2. They have loved ones who do not believe baptism is necessary for salvation and therefore they refuse to place the Bible’s authority ahead of their loved ones influence.

3. Instead of focusing on the biblical rule, they become distracted by what they believe are exceptions to the rule. They often ask questions like, “What about the thief on the cross?” or “What about the person who dies on his way to the baptistry?” (Note: There was no way for the thief on the cross to “buried with Christ” since Christ had not yet been buried. The practice of being baptized into Christ began approximately 50 days after the crucifixion on the day the church began, Pentecost. As for the person who dies on the way to their baptism, God is in control. However, it is of eternal importance that we not base our salvation on what God might do. Follow the pattern of the New Testament church and you will end up a member of that same church.)

Before moving on it must be acknowledged that each of these objections are often presented by a sincere heart. I honor that sincerity. However, each of the above objections also share in one common flaw. Instead of starting with God’s Word and accepting it for what it says, these objections start with outside, uninspired influences and allow them to override the clear pattern of scripture.

A quick check of any exhaustive concordance shows that various forms of the word baptism are used over 85 times in scripture. From this list it becomes obvious that Baptism was not a rarely mentioned cultural fad of the First Century. Consider Matthew 28:17-20, Acts 2:38; 16:25-33; 22:16, Romans 6:3-4, Colossians 2:9-12, 1 Peter 3:21 and their direct connection to the subject of salvation. There is little doubt that First Century Christians both believed baptism was necessary for salvation and practiced it regularly. If those who walked and talked with Christ believed baptism was necessary wouldn’t we be wise to do the same?

Did you know there is much more written in scripture about baptism than there is about taking the Lord’s supper. Baptism is commanded repeatedly, communion is rarely even mentioned in Scripture. Nearly everyone agrees on the importance of the Lord’s Supper. Why then do so many disagree on the importance of baptism?

For me, the two most convicting passages of scripture on this subject are Matthew 28:19-20 and Colossians 2:9-12. In Matthew 28, some of Christ’s very last instructions are recorded for those He was leaving behind. Because they are among His final words, they should take on special meaning and they deserve special emphasis. Christ summarizes his commission for the church by giving these three very important assignments: 1. “make disciples” 2. “baptizing them” 3. “teaching them”.

Matthew 28:17-20 (NIV)
“Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 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, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

Years later, Paul was inspired to elaborate on the second of these commands. He wrote the following words, “For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority. In him you were also circumcised, in the putting off of the sinful nature, not with a circumcision done by the hands of men but with the circumcision done by Christ, having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead. (Colossians 2:9-12, NIV)

Please notice the significance the church was still placing on baptism many years after Jesus gave His final instructions in Matthew 28. Paul says we have “fullness in Christ” because of the “circumcision done by Christ”. When does that circumcision occur? Notice the very next phrase, “having been buried with him in baptism”. Baptism is to the Christian what circumcision was to the Jew. Without it there is no covenant with God. Without the covenant, there is no blessing. It was at circumcision that the Jew sealed his covenant with Jehovah. It is at our spiritual circumcision (baptism) that we seal our covenant with Jehovah. Before the covenant is sealed, there is no covenant.

Can a person be saved without baptism? Is a covenant in effect without it being sealed? Is a deed or other contract in effect without it being signed. Can a person be clean without being washed? Can a person be born without leaving the womb? Can a person be raised without being buried? Baptism is the very point at which the blood of Christ is applied and the forgiveness of God is received.

Eternity is too long and Hell is too horrible for us to trust anyone other than God with the salvation of our soul. Don’t let your own logic, the influence of loved ones or perceived exceptions to the rule dissuade you from from following the biblical pattern of the early church. The words “Well done” or “Depart from me I never knew you” hang in the balance. Don’t let outside, uninspired forces dictate your decision. Let the Bible speak for itself. Meet Jesus in the water!

Note: When I was a teenager, I thought I knew everything. Now that I am much older, I know that I have much to learn. Please feel free to email me with your thoughts on this important topic. feedback@sonnychilds.com