Is Baptism Necessary for Salvation?

As mentioned in Part 2 there are two reasons we believe that water baptism is required. Jesus commanded it and Jesus was baptized. We will look at the third and fourth reasons below and discuss what the new birth is and how grace and obedience work together in salvation.

Peter commanded water baptism. When Peter stood before the Jews on the day of Pentecost he condemned them for their actions towards the Messiah. After they were convicted they asked Peter, "Men and brethren, what shall we do?"¹ Peter responded by telling them to repent and be baptized.

Just as Jesus told his disciples in Matthew 28:19–20, Peter repeated the command. Notice that when they asked Peter what to do he told them what to do. He coupled repentance and baptism with the word "and". He also used the word "for" when explaining what baptism was for. To be baptized was for the remission of sins.

We need to clarify some definitions. When we speak of the new birth we are referring to the actual infilling of the Holy Spirit. We believe that you are not saved until you receive the new birth.² Paul says this in Romans 8:9.

Now that we know what the new birth is we can go back to Acts 2:38. Peter says that they will receive the gift of the Holy Ghost if they repent and are baptized. When a person repents they turn from sin and die to it.³ When a person is baptized they are buried with Christ and raised to new life.⁴ Repentance and baptism are both acts of faith. They are faith working.⁵

What this does not mean is that man can save himself. God provided the way and method of salvation. It is up to God alone to save mankind. Although man is the recipient of salvation God is the one who created the plan and executes it.

By grace we are given the chance to receive the life that we lost when Adam sinned. As children of Adam we are unable to pull ourselves out of our sinful nature. There is nothing we can do to repair our nature. God gave us the opportunity to become holy and live in fellowship with him.

Everyone is given the chance to be saved. But you cannot be saved if you do not agree to be saved. You must confess your sins to your Judge and plead for mercy. When God gives us mercy and allows us to live forever he is showing the two sides of salvation. What God provides and what man accepts.

From the atonement to the new birth God is the one providing salvation. Just because God provided salvation for everyone does not mean that we have to accept it.⁶

There are actions that we must take to be saved. We are saved by grace through faith. Faith in the Bible always produces works. Works show that you believe and trust in God. Faith works. Repentance is a work and being baptized is a work. Without repentance you will not receive the new birth.⁷ Without water baptism you will not have your sins forgiven.⁸

We believe that faith has a mental aspect. A person has to know what God wants from them. We do not believe that faith is only a mental aspect. When someone believes in God they should respond to his will. That response should lead to you consenting to what God wants. Consenting to what God wants is you acting on it. Whether it be healing or deliverance from something, we allow God to act upon us by doing what he asks us to do.⁹

This also doesn't mean that anything we want to do is considered faith or a work of faith. When we believe in God we should follow what he tells us to do in his word. His commands and instructions are how we operate and grow in him and righteousness. Jesus said,

When we love God we will do what he tells us to do. That is what faith working looks like. We are saved by receiving the new birth. The new birth is when God puts his stamp on you.¹⁰ You are not saved by saying you believe and then stating that you are saved. You are saved when you actually receive the Holy Spirit.¹¹

The fourth reason we believe that water baptism is necessary is that it shows that it is required and it shows what it does for our sins. When Paul was telling about his conversion he told the people what Ananias said to him. After telling Paul why he was called, Ananias told Paul to be baptized.

Just like Peter told the people in Acts 2:38, Ananias told Paul that water baptism was what would wash away his sins. Once again we want to make clear that if God didn't provide atonement for man's sins, baptism and repentance would not help us. When Jesus died on the cross he paid for our sins but those sins were not washed away from those who did not repent.¹²

We can simplify our argument by saying that Jesus' death on the cross was the means of salvation. Man must repent of his sins and be baptized to wash them away. God gave us the means and told us the method.