The following is the first draft of an essay prepared for the first year of a theology degree course. Any comments would be welcome, particularly from someone like Jeff, who I suspect would hold to different views. I have not yet written any conclusion, as I would welcome any comments first. Please bear in mind that I am not a full time student with access to university libraries full of theological tomes.
Steve Cleary
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HOW IS BAPTISM RELATED TO SALVATION?
The relationship between baptism and salvation is a complex one leading to a number of theological positions, based on either biblical interpretation or reason. This essay will attempt to discuss this relationship, examine some key scriptures purported to teach the necessity of baptism for salvation, and seek to understand their true meaning.
There are several different viewpoints on this question, which are summarised in the table below. Whilst it is recognised that the table does not explain all the theological nuances of these viewpoints, the following can be used as a valid starting point.
Baptismal Regeneration – Water baptism is essential to salvation. It is in the act of water baptism that we are born again. “Baptism is not merely a symbol, but the means God uses to save us, to create spiritual life through the giving of the Holy Spirit, to adopt us into His family”
Necessary Obedience – Baptism is a part of a process necessary for salvation, consisting of repentance, faith, confession, baptism, and perpetual obedience in life.
Ultra-Dispensationalists – Deny that baptism is appropriate in this age, since the Baptism of the Spirit replaced water baptism.
Covenant Baptism is the New Testament equivalent to circumcision to be performed on new converts and on the infant children of believers as a sign of the covenant.
Common Evangelical Baptism is an ordinance, given by Christ to indicate, confess and declare the inward reality of salvation in the life of a new convert.
When are we saved?
To discuss the baptism/salvation relationship, we need to understand the process of salvation. Our starting point for this discussion is that no external act is necessary for salvation (Acts 15, Romans 4) , for we are saved by divine grace through believing on the Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 3:22-30; 4:5; Galatians 2:16; Ephesians 2:8-9; Philippians 3:9) .
Gods salvation gift is received the moment the word of the Gospel is accepted (Acts 16:31-32 and Galatians 3:2). Here, a person is given eternal life , becomes a child of God , passes from death to life , is justified and receives Christs righteousness.
Pictures of baptism
Baptism declares publicly and symbolically an inward reality that a person is a follower of Jesus. Whilst the one who enters the reality of salvation is commanded to be baptized as a sign of their relation to God ( Romans 4:11, 6:3-11; Galatians 3:27), it is an empty and vain religious ceremony if the truth that it represents is not a reality in our lives. Baptism can be said to signify a number of things as follows:
- the identification of the believer with Christ in His death to sin, burial and resurrection to victorious life ;
- the washing away of a believers sins by the blood of Jesus ;
- our submission to His authority and Lordship as well as dependence upon Jesus to save us from our sins.
In New Testament times repentance and faith, regeneration and conversion, baptism in water, reception of the Holy Spirit, admission to church fellowship were all part of a complex of events which took place within a short time . Logically they were distinguishable, but in practice they were all bound up with the transition from the old life to the new.
The Holy Spirit, salvation and baptism
One of the key concepts missed by many in the baptism/salvation discussion is a proper understanding of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. Much of the confusion about biblical references to baptism and salvation arises from people taking verses and passages which speak of Spirit Baptism and applying those passages to water baptism.
Examination of Acts 9:18 shows that Paul , received the gift of the Holy Spirit before water baptism. Other scriptures (eg Acts 8:14-17; Acts 19) show the person to be filled with the Holy Spirit is already saved. My own experience followed the pattern of salvation, baptism in the Spirit (in a Pentecostal manner) and water baptism (in fact with a number of years between them). As a side issue, I sometimes wonder if the evangelical pattern of conversion does justice to Gods work in peoples lives and their response to Him.
John 3:5 states: “, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God”. If “born of water” means water baptism, then this verse proves that it is necessary to be baptised in water to be saved. But the word “water” in connection with salvation, the covenant, regeneration, rebirth, is often used in Scripture as a symbol of the Holy Spirit (Isaiah 12:3, 35:6, 55:1; Jeremiah 2:13;
Ezekiel 36:25, 47:1-5; John 4:10, 7:37-39a; Revelation 21:6, 22:17).
In Acts 10, Cornelius and his household received forgiveness of sins and everlasting life before they were water baptized (v47). According to Acts 2:38 one receives forgiveness of sins before the gift of the Holy Spirit. Unmistakably these people believed, were saved, and received the Holy Spirit before they were baptised. Having received the Holy Spirit was proof that they were already saved, as Romans 8:9-16 shows, so not being baptised cannot prevent salvation (Acts 10:47-48).
An argument from the Old Testament
In the Old Testament, believers in God who sinned were told their sins would be forgiven after the priest had offered a certain kind of sacrifice . The sacrifice was for the believers benefit. Many believers today are in situations where they are unable to be baptised. Like Abraham they too, like us, are counted righteous when they put their trust in Jesus.
A survey of key scriptures
This section of the essay will comment on a number (although not an exhaustive one) of key scriptures pertaining to the so-called baptismal regeneration debate, by which the baptism/salvation relationship might be further understood.
Mark 16:15-16
“He who believes and is baptised will be saved, but he who does not believe will be condemned.”
Given the above verse and the two items of belief and baptism there are only four possibilities:
Belief combination Outcome
Believe and be baptised Salvation
Believe and not be baptised Not discussed
Not believe and be baptised Implied, but not discussed
Not believe and not be baptised Condemnation
Notice that the basis for condemnation in that verse is not the failure to be baptised, but only the failure to believe.
Acts 2:38
“repent, and let every one of you be baptised in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit”
The above appears to link the forgiveness of sins (salvation) to baptism. Yet, a careful study of the Greek grammar at this point shows that it is repentance, not baptism, which is “for the remission of sins.” (cf Matthew 3:11; 12:41; Luke 11:32) This view is in keeping with the consistent teaching of the rest of the New Testament (cf. Luke 24:47; John 3:18; Acts 5:31; 10:43; 13:38; 26:18; Ephesians 5:26). In this way, baptism is always intended for the regenerated, forgiven believer – i.e. the one who is already saved.
Romans 6:3-4
“…..as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death…. Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death…”
Baptism is the public proclamation of ones inward spiritual relation to Christ attained before the baptism. The Greek grammar itself does not teach that the baptism here spoken of is actually the means of getting “into Christ.” Here Paul is using a symbol to paint a vivid picture of what happens when one is identified with Christ: that is, when one has “put on Christ,”.
Colossians 2:12
“. . . [B]uried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God…..”.
In baptism, the sinful nature is put to death (buried) and new life is begun. We know from experience, and from scripture , that the sinful nature is not buried instantaneously, but that this is a lifelong process, which we call sanctification. Baptism is a part of this sanctification process in that it allows the Holy Spirit to focus on its meaning as a means of applying Gods Word to our life.
1 Peter 3:18b-21
“….saved through water. There is also an antitype which now saves us, namely baptism (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God),……”
Beside Acts 2:38, this is the next text most strongly depended on by those in favour of the idea that baptism is necessary for salvation. In this context, “baptism” is used metaphorically to symbolise a conscience clear before God. It is not said that it is the outward, physical act of baptism which saves, but that it is the good conscience which baptism signifies which saves. This verse refers to the fact that Noah and his family were “saved through water” (3:20), but the water did not save Noah or his family; the ark did. In other words, this verse is saying baptism is the spiritual reality that was foreshadowed in Noahs day. In the Old Testament, the sacrifices were a “type,” a foreshadowing; they did not save. The death of Christ is the “antitype,” the original, that is, the sacrifice that saves.
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Since I am so wordy tonight let me tell you what I find in the scriptures.
We are to repent of our sins calling on Jesus’ name and trusting in His substitutionary sacrifice on calvary. Then we are to get water baptized by full immersion in His name. Then God will fill us with His spirit and we will enter into the Kingdom of God.
Why do we have to make this anymore complicated than this?
I appreciate the doctrinal dissection and analysis of the individual parts of this three step process. However, this causes much controversy and separates many people when it is so easy and obvious to anyone without a prior agenda. Most people just set out to prove what they already believe instead of being noble Bereans, and searching the scriptures to see if these things are so.
I like this article and look forward to it’s conclusion.
I like your article, it is very good. The one thing that most people overlook is the early churches view of water baptism. In the scriptures and the early church accounts of baptisms; repentance, baptism and the receiving of the Holy Spirit are pretty much one after the other. 1, 2, 3, no delay or discussion of each individual steps merit, value and worth. They are to be done as almost one act, in three steps. The scriptures never imply that well, you get saved, then in the spring get water baptized, then start seeking the Holy Ghost. Well one is necessary and the other two are really good but not necessary. They are always done bang, bang, bang. As a matter of fact, if you were water baptized under John, a valid baptism, get re-baptized in the name of the Lord. Repent AND be baptized. They are together in any language. The promise of the Holy Spirit is given to those who repent and are water baptized in the name of the Lord. Now God may alter the order and pour out His Spirit with no water baptism if He desires. But He knows that they will be water baptized before very long. Minutes or hours later in the early church. Too much emphasis has been placed on compartmentalising salvation and water baptism. They are almost one act in two parts. What are they for? To prepare you to enter the kingdom of God and to receive His Spirit; to be “born again.” Like the two towers of a bridge across a big river, one tower cannot say it is more important than the other.
John 3:5 states: “, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God”. If “born of water” means water baptism, then this verse proves that it is necessary to be baptised in water to be saved. But the word “water” in connection with salvation, the covenant, regeneration, rebirth, is often used in Scripture as a symbol of the Holy Spirit (Isaiah 12:3, 35:6, 55:1; Jeremiah 2:13;
This is the famous Nicodemus “born again” passage. Jesus is contrasting the natural vs the spiritual to Nicodemus. The wind, natural birth/spiritual birth, etc. When Jesus speaks of being born of water, He is talking about natural childbirth. When a woman’s “water” breaks she is about to give birth or to at least begin labor. Jesus is contrasting being born naturally with being born spiritually. There is no reference to water baptism or any deep doctrine here. Jesus is simply saying, everyone is born of water, but you must be born of the spirit to enter into the kingdom of God. Just as we are born out of a natural, watery womb into this dramatically different world. We must be born out of the spirit filled womb into a dramatically different world; the Kingdom of God. We can see the wind nor know it’s paths, but it is very real and we can see it’s effect on us and the world. The world of the Spirit is invisible and impossible to figure out, but we can see it’s effects on us and the material world around us. I do not deny the type and shadow significance of water in baptism, just in this particular passage. To be born again is not to be water baptized or saved, but to have your body and soul to be reunited with God’s Spirit which has been unavailable since man’s fall in the garden, until Christ. Man died spiritually when Adam fell and is born again when the soul, body and spirit are contained within one body again. The flesh which is mortal, the soul which is everlasting and the eternal spirit all in unity as one, just like God; in His image.