Is Baptism necessary for Salvation?
Baptism is NOT a requisite for salvation, there are many bible verses used to make this assertion as proof text, which are principally as follows..
Mark 16:16 — “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.”
John 3:3–7 — “Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born? Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again”
Galatians 3:27 — “For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ”
1 Peter 3:21 — “The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ:”
Acts 2:38 — “Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost”
None of these verses mean baptism is required for salvation, there is an important difference between a condition of salvation and a requirement for salvation. As with any single verse or passage, we discern what it teaches through careful consideration of the language and context of the verse.
We also filter it through what we know the Bible teaches elsewhere on the subject. In the case of baptism and salvation, the Bible is clear that salvation is by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, not by works of any kind, including baptism.
“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast” Ephesians 2:8–9
Any interpretation which comes to the conclusion that baptism, or any other act, is necessary for salvation is a faulty interpretation. Rather then an exhaustive article on all the verses listed above, we will deconstruct Mark 16 specifically.
“He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.” Mark 16:16
It is important to remember that there are some textual problems with Mark chapter 16, verses 9–20. There is some question as to whether these verses were originally part of the Gospel of Mark or whether they were added later by a scribe. As a result, it is best not to base a key doctrine on anything from Mark 16:9–20 alone, such as snake handling, unless it is also supported by other passages of Scripture.
Assuming that verse 16 is original to Mark, does it teach that baptism is required for salvation? The short answer is, no, it does not. In order to make it teach that baptism is required for salvation, one must go beyond what the verse actually says. What this verse does teach is that belief is necessary for salvation, which is consistent with the number of verses where only belief is mentioned (e.g., John 3:18; John 5:24; John 12:44; John 20:31; 1 John 5:13).
“He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.” Mark 16:16
This verse is composed of two basic statements. 1 — He who believes and is baptized will be saved. 2 — He who does not believe will be condemned.
While this verse tells us something about believers who have been baptized (they are saved), it does not say anything about believers who have not been baptized. In order for this verse to teach that baptism is necessary for salvation, a third statement would be necessary, viz., “He who believes and is not baptized will be condemned” or “He who is not baptized will be condemned.” But, neither of these statements is found in the verse.
Those who try to use Mark 16:16 or any other verse, to teach that baptism is necessary for salvation commit a common but serious mistake that is sometimes referred to as the “Negative Inference Fallacy”. This is the rule to follow: “If a statement is true, we cannot assume that all negations (or opposites) of that statement are also true.” For example, the statement “a dog with brown spots is an animal” is true; however, the negative, “if a dog does not have brown spots, it is not an animal” is false. In the same way, “he who believes and is baptized will be saved” is true; however, the statement “he who believes but is notbaptized will not be saved” is an unwarranted assumption. Yet this is exactly the assumption made by those who support baptismal regeneration.
Consider this example: “Whoever believes and lives in California will be saved, but those that do not believe are condemned.” This statement is strictly true; Californians who believe in Jesus will be saved. However, to say that only those believers who live in California are saved is an illogical and false assumption. The statement does not say a believer must live in California in order to go to heaven. Similarly, Mark 16:16 does not say a believer must be baptized. The verse states a fact about baptized believers (they will be saved), but it says exactly nothing about believers who have not been baptized. There may be believers who do not live in California, yet they are still saved; and there may be believers who have not been baptized, yet they, too, are still saved.
The thief on the cross with Jesus was never baptized, but was saved to Paradise with Jesus. In this dispensation, there is more to unpack with respect to Heaven vs Paradise, but for the purposes of salvation, the thief on the cross was saved from Hell without being baptized.
“And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise.” Luke 23:42–43
The one specific condition required for salvation is stated in the second part of Mark 16:16“Whoever does not believe will be condemned.” In essence, Jesus has given both the positive condition of belief (whoever believes will be saved) and the negative condition of unbelief (whoever does not believe will be condemned). Therefore, we can say with absolute certainty that belief is the requirement for salvation. More importantly, we see this condition restated positively and negatively throughout Scripture (John 3:16; John 3:18; John 3:36; John 5:24; John 6:53–54; John 8:24; Acts 16:31).
Jesus mentions a condition related to salvation (baptism) in Mark 16:16. But a related condition should not be confused with a requirement. For example, having a fever is relatedto being ill, but a fever is not required for illness to be present. Nowhere in the Bible do we find a statement such as “whoever is not baptized will be condemned.” Therefore, we cannot say that baptism is necessary for salvation based on Mark 16:16 or any other verse.
1 — The Bible is clear that we are saved by faith alone. Abraham was saved by faith, and we are saved by faith (Romans 4:1–25; Galatians 3:6–22).
2 — Throughout the Bible, in every dispensation, people have been saved without being baptized. Every believer in the Old Testament (e.g., Abraham, Jacob, David, Solomon) was saved but not baptized. The thief on the cross was saved but not baptized. Cornelius was saved before he was baptized (Acts 10:44–46).
3 — Baptism is a testimony of our faith and a public declaration that we believe in Jesus the Christ. The Scriptures tell us that we have eternal life the moment we believe (John 5:24), and belief always comes before being baptized.
4 — The Bible never says that if one is not baptized then he is not saved.
5 — If baptism were required for salvation, then no one could be saved without another party being present. Someone must be there to baptize a person before he can be saved. This effectively limits who can be saved and when he can be saved.
6 — Throughout the Bible we see that at the point of faith a believer possesses all the promises and blessings of salvation (John 1:12; 3:16; 5:24; 6:47; 20:31; Acts 10:43; 13:39; 16:31). When one believes, he has eternal life, he does not come under judgment, and has passed from death into life (John 5:24) — all before he or she is baptized.
