Is Baptism Necessary for Salvation?

Some Christians believe that a lost person has to be baptized (by immersion) in order to be saved. Such a belief is upheld especially by nondenominational fellowships as the Churches of Christ, the Disciples of Christ, and the North American Christian Convention. Is it biblical?

First of all, Jesus was crucified between two thieves. One of them was saved without being baptized (Luke 23:40-43). Advocates of baptismal salvation argue that since technically the faithful thief was saved under the Old Testament (while Jesus was still alive) he did not count. But if baptism was essential for salvation not before Christ died, but after, then Christ did us all a huge disservice when He died on the cross! Does salvation only now after the cross of Christ depend upon the availability of sufficient water, whereas in the Old Testament that problem did not exist (Gen. 15:6; Rom. 4:1-8)?! Furthermore, Jesus died before the thieves did (John 19:30-33), so the faithful thief died and entered Paradise (Heaven) under the New Testament, not the Old.

Secondly, in Acts 10:23-48, God called Peter to preach the gospel to Cornelius and his household. While Peter was preaching, the Holy Spirit descended upon them, and they began to speak in other tongues. Then immediately afterward were they baptized by Peter. Cornelius and his servants were all filled with the Holy Spirit-–and thus saved-–before they were baptized. Anybody who is filled with the Holy Spirit (and speaks in other tongues to boot) is obviously saved (Rom. 8:9).

Advocates of baptismal salvation are very quick to whip out Acts 2:38, where Peter preached, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (NIV). But in Acts 16:30, the Philippian jailer asked Paul and Silas, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” (Emphasis added). Their reply was "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved" (v. 31a). They did not tell him to be baptized in order to be saved. Therefore, while in fact Peter told the people to be baptized, he did not actually mean that they had to be baptized to be saved. If he actually meant that, then he was inconsistent with Acts 16:31 and other Scriptures (John 3:16; Rom. 10:9-10 & 13; 1 Cor. 1:17). He was merely implying that baptism follows true repentance naturally. Paul taught that we are saved by grace through faith and not works (Rom. 4:4-5; Eph. 2:8-9). How then can we turn around and say that baptism is an essential step toward becoming a Christian? Something is very wrong with this picture!

For at least five subsequent centuries, beginning shortly after the alleged conversion of Emperor Constantine, the Church did not practice baptism by immersion. During that time, only christening (sprinkling) and effusion (pouring) were the methods in practice. So if genuine biblical baptism (immersion) is necessary to make a person a Christian, then for at least five centuries there were absolutely no true Christians walking the Earth! Is that like Christ to just let His Church wither and die (Matt. 16:18; Pss. 145:13; Dan. 4:3)?

Baptism is vitally important to Christians’ lives. We should follow Christ’s example (Matt. 3:13; Mark 1:9; Luke 3:21) and obey His command (Matt. 28:19). Baptism is necessary to prove that one is saved (John 14:15; Jam. 2:14-26), but not to make one saved. My Christian brothers and sisters (many in my family tree) who advocate baptismal salvation have got it all backwards. As much as I love them, they’ve got the cart before the horse, and the tail wagging the dog.