Articles
Must I Be Baptized to be Saved?
Before you read my answer to this question please read carefully the following passages in your Bible: Matthew 28:16-20; Acts 2:22-41; Acts 8:9-13; Acts 8:26-40; Acts 9:1-18 (read this in conjunction with Acts 22:12-16); Acts 16:11-15; Acts 16:25-34; Acts 18:8; Acts 19:1-5; Romans 6:1-7; 1 Corinthians 12:12-13; Galatians 3:26-29; Colossians 2:8-15; 1 Peter 3:18-22.
I know that’s a lot of reading, but if you seriously want God’s answer to the question it is important that you open-mindedly approach His word before consulting a man’s opinion. After reading those passages, answer the following questions: 1) Why did Jesus command the apostles to make disciples and baptize them? 2) When the apostles and evangelists preached the gospel in Acts what did they say was the appropriate response to its message? Did they do what Jesus had commanded them in Matthew 28? 3) Do you notice any patterns regarding baptism in the conversions recorded in Acts? 4) How did the apostles—namely Paul and Peter—speak of baptism in their epistles? Specifically, would their arguments have made sense if some of the Christians they wrote to had not been baptized?
Let’s focus on three passages from the list above. As you already saw, there are many verses to which we could turn, but my goal in this article is not to deal with every possible passage and issue, but to provide a clear, succinct, logical, and scriptural answer to the question.
First, look at Acts 8:26-40. The Spirit led Philip to meet an Ethiopian political official who was also very religiously minded, for he was on his way home from worshipping God in Jerusalem. To pass the time on this long journey, the Ethiopian was reading from the prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 53 in our Bibles). The eunuch had the humility to admit he needed help understanding Isaiah’s prophecy, so he invited Philip into the chariot to explain it. Verses 35-36 continue the account: “Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning from this Scripture he preached Jesus to him. As they went along the road they came to some water; and the eunuch said, ‘Look! Water! What prevents me from being baptized?’”
Even though Luke (the author of Acts) does not tell us explicitly that Philip mentioned baptism to the eunuch, we can logically infer that he did. How else could he have known about it? This logical conclusion from the text leads us to an important principle: preaching Jesus includes preaching baptism. (Jesus used this form of reasoning—sometimes called “necessary inference”—to answer doctrinal questions in Matthew 19:3-6 and Matthew 22:23-33.) Jesus, of course, was the focus of Philip’s message to the eunuch (“he preached Jesus to him”), but in preaching about this Savior Philip also preached how to respond to that Savior. In short, the eunuch had heard enough about the Lord to know he needed to be baptized. In his humble belief (which he openly confessed in verse 37) the eunuch humbly and swiftly obeyed at the first opportunity (verses 38-40).
But why is it true that preaching Jesus included preaching baptism? This brings us to our second passage: Romans 6:1-7. In the context, Paul is answering an objection to his teaching on the incredible grace of Jesus Christ: “Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase?” His answer, obviously, is no, because Christians have died to sin and therefore can no longer live in it. Paul then argues that because Christians have been baptized into Christ’s death they cannot possibly continue in sin: “Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death?” Notice that Paul’s whole argument hinges on the fact that every Christian had been baptized. So common was this experience among them that Paul is able to say, “Or do you not know…?”
Embedded within Paul’s greater argument against sin is some beautiful imagery connecting baptism to Jesus’ sacrifice. Our baptism represents us entering a “grave” in which we crucify the old man of selfishness (verse 6), bury that man so he can no longer live, then are raised up as a new creation through the glory of the Father to walk in “newness of life.” Just as Jesus died, was buried, and was raised from death, so we too experience the same transformation (spiritually) through baptism. Thus we are united with Christ in three ways: in His crucifixion (“baptized into His death”—verse 3), in His burial in the tomb (“buried with Him”—verse 4), and in His resurrection from the tomb (“we too might walk in newness of life”—verse 4, and “in the likeness of His resurrection”—verse 5). Take time to look at these critical phrases in the text of your Bible.
Certainly this imagery helps explain why preaching Jesus includes preaching baptism, as we learned from Philip and the Ethiopian. Baptism is what unites us with Jesus and His saving work. And again, I emphasize that Paul’s argument assumes that every Christian in Rome had been baptized; if not, everything Paul said here would have fallen flat on its face. (As a side note, Paul summarizes the gospel as Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection in 1 Corinthians 15:3-4; through baptism we “live out” this very same gospel. Does this not also demonstrate the fundamental role that baptism plays in the gospel message?)
What then is our relationship to Christ and God following baptism? In Galatians 3:23-29 Paul again refers to baptism within a greater argument. Here, Paul is demonstrating that our relationship with God is no longer defined by the Law of Moses but by faith in Jesus. The Mosaic Law was a “tutor” which only leads to Christ, and thus Christians are now “all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus” (verse 26). In conjunction with this faith Paul mentions baptism, again assuming that every Christian in the Galatian churches had experienced it: “For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ” (verse 27). Notice that faith in Christ and baptism do not work against one another; rather, they work with one another. (This is an illustration of the Biblical principle that faith, to be alive, must be active and obedient; see James 2:14-26.)
Verse 27 specifically explains how we enter a relationship with Jesus: we are “baptized into Christ” and thus we “clothe [ourselves] with Christ.” Jesus now lives in us, rather than us living for ourselves. This does not describe a mere outward change (as if you are literally changing clothes), but an inward transformation. We now “belong to Christ” and thus are heirs of the promises made long before to Abraham and his descendants (verse 29). Thus, we ought to live accordingly, with the faith, obedience, and hope of Abraham.
To preach Jesus means to preach that those who believe must be baptized to be united with their Savior’s death, burial, and resurrection, and to be clothed with Christ. After that, one can joyfully proclaim, “I have been baptized into Christ!” just as the Ethiopian continued his journey home “rejoicing” (Acts 8:39). This is further confirmed by the examples of conversion in Acts, where believers are consistently baptized “for the forgiveness of their sins” (Acts 2:38).
I once heard a good Bible teacher say to his students, “You have the power to know whether or not I am teaching the truth.” What he said then is true of you, too. The answers are found in the Bible, not in me. Do not just take my word for it. My appeal to you is that you read the Bible for yourself, approaching it prayerfully and with an open mind. In the back of your mind, remember what Jesus said: “Why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?” (Luke 6:46). Only do not take this question lightly because it is one of eternal significance. This is no mere theological debate—it is a matter of your life or death.
If, after studying for yourself, you conclude that you need to be baptized into Christ, let us know as soon as you can. You can send us a message here or call us at 803-432-2550. We will be overjoyed to assist you so that you too can become God’s child through faith in Christ Jesus!
