I prepared the following evangelistic tool for members of our congregation. Perhaps it might also be helpful to you, as you work with people to lovingly dispell the fog by which they dismiss the necessity of baptism. From time to time, I may update this further. My goal is to succinctly get at the heart of the matter.

Since the thief on the cross did not need to be baptized in order to be saved, we can be saved without baptism.

1. We can say: You are right in saying the thief was not baptized to be saved. There were many people who lived before Jesus' death and resurrection who will be saved but who were never baptized. Take for instance, Abraham. Luke 16:22
2. For several reasons the fact that the thief was saved without being baptized neither confirms nor denies our need for baptism. Consider:.
   • First, Luke's purpose in telling us about the thief and others whom Jesus forgave while he was alive was not to teach us about how to respond to the death and resurrection of Jesus, but to emphasize that Jesus is good news because he has the authority to save. Luke 5:20-26 These pre-resurrection stories of grace and salvation do not provide models for us about how we are requried to trust in Jesus. For example, in the story of the paralytic, Jesus looked at "their faith" and forgave the paralytic. Today, I can not count on Jesus looking at your faith and then turning around to forgive me!
   • Second, while certain elements about the good news regarding what God was doing through Christ began to be proclaimed during Jesus' ministry, the gospel message in its final form calls us to trust in Jesus, who died and rose again. What is commonly called Christian water baptism only began after Jesus' death and resurrection. The first time it was practiced is found in Acts 2:38-47 Because of this, the thief's situation is not parrallel to ours' since unlike us could not trust in Jesus' death and resurrection. Therefore he can not be an exception to the gospel's command that we need to trust in Jesus and his death and resurrection by being baptized. (There was a baptism which John the Baptizer practiced and which Jesus' disciples administered, but this was neither in Jesus' name, nor was it a response to the good news about Jesus, nor did someone receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Those who received this baptism after the resurrection needed to be rebaptized! Acts 19:3-5)

We are saved by grace through faith, not by baptism.

1. We can agree that salvation is by grace through faith. We can also agree that this saving faith is more than just believing some truths about Jesus. Even the demons have that kind of faith. James 2:19
2. The saving faith that the New Testament authors wrote about involves a trusting and a reliance upon Jesus. Many have illustrated the difference between this true faith and mere belief by the story of a tightrope walker who pushed a wheelbarrow across a rope over Niagra Falls. According to the story, he even did it with 150 pounds of potatoes in the wheelbarrow! When he asked the crowds if they believed he could push his wheelbarrow with a man inside it to the other side, the crowd enthusiastically yelled "Yes!" Then he asked who would be first. Silence! The people believed some truths about the man, but they would not rely upon him by climbing into the wheelbarrow. Salvation by faith involves an active trust in Jesus, not merely believing some truths about Jesus. So far, everyone is on common ground.

   There is, however, something about this story which seems to have eluded many. In this story there is only one way to trust in the tightrope walker! You have to actually climb into his wheelbarrow. No other response constitutes reliance upon him. What we can learn from this is that the context or story determines how we must trust. Everyone who tells you to trust in Jesus must tell you to do something to be saved - whether that be say a pray and invite Jesus into your heart or rely upon him by being baptized. Knowing how to trust in a particular situation is determined by the story or situation, not what we may think it means to trust.

   1. When God announced he would send a flood and commanded Noah to build an ark, faith in God required building an ark. Hebrews 11:7
   2. For Abraham to have trusted in God's promises about his descendants only required him to believe the promise.
   3. Similarly, the gospel tells us how we must respond to Jesus in order to trust in him and become a forgiven child of God. We begin to depend upon Jesus by being baptized at which time we are forgiven and become a child of God. Galatians 3:26-27; Acts 2:38; Titus 3:5 To rightfully acknowledge that we are saved by grace through faith does not exclude our need to trust in Jesus by being baptized. Baptism is how we begin to trust in Jesus.
   4. As to how we are to rely upon Jesus, nowhere are we told in scripture to say a sinner's prayer to invite him into our heart. (For the misappropriation of Romans 10:9-10&endash;see below) We are shown and told to be baptized. Acts 8:12,13; Matt. 28:19

   If your friend doubts that faith in Jesus might require some form of obedient action (faith in the tightrope walker required action!), you can point out that to insist upon defining faith as excluding all action forces the Bible to contradict itself. The New Testament clearly describes Christians as having been saved from their sins by doing something! 1 Peter 1:22-23; Romans 6:17-18 (Just as they will acknowledge that saying a prayer is not a work, so too this is NOT works- see below)

John 3:16 says that whoever believes in Jesus will be saved. This says nothing about baptism.

1. This Gospel opens affirming that Jesus has made it possible for those who believe in him/ receive him to become children of God. John 1:12 The Gospel of John makes it clear that to truly believe requires more than just believing some truths about Jesus. John 8:31-32; 12:42-43 The actual question is what does it take for a person to believe in him/ receive him? See the previous response for more assistance with this.
2. If we look at the context of John 3, we find that Jesus has just finished telling Nicodemus that for him to enter the kingdom of God (be saved) he had to be born of the water and the Spirit. The early Christians understood this water to be baptism, not a woman's water breaking while giving birth. The parallel text of Titus 3:5 as well as the historical accounts of conversion in Acts shows that this naturally refers to baptism, not the water associated with physical birth.

   Following upon this discussion of the new birth, John 3:16 then announces the wonderful news that salvation is open to everyone who will believe in Jesus, that is receive him. This verse does not inform us how to receive Jesus, but rather announcing the universality of salvation made possible to those who would believe in him.

3. To believe in someone requires a person to do something depending upon the context. To believe in your teenager who just received a driver's license may involve dropping the keys into his or her hand. To believe in your dad when stuck in a tree requires dropping into outstretched arms. To believe in mom when she promises to bake your favorite dinner involves just believing. To understand how the gospel calls us to believe in Jesus we must look at the story, not just John 3:16.

    

Romans 10:9-10 teaches us that everyone who calls upon Jesus by confessing him and believing on him in their heart will be saved. Therefore, baptism is not necessary.

1. We can see an actual example of someone calling upon the Lord and being saved in Acts 22:16. Already Saul had seen Jesus and definitely believed that Jesus is Lord, but it was not until he was baptized that he relied upon Jesus to save him. We do not have any example within the Bible of someone calling upon the Lord by saying a sinner's prayer in order to invite Jesus into their heart.
2. In Romans 10, Paul was writing to Christians who knew how they had responded to Jesus to be saved! His purpose was not to provide the reader with a comprehensive guide on how to respond to Jesus in order to be saved. Rather Paul described the barrier that had prevented Israel from obtaining righteousness; they did not pursue it by faith. (Romans 9:30-32) Israel had refused to confess Jesus and believe in their hearts that God had raised him from the dead. They would not call upon Christ for salvation. However, Paul announced the good news that if they would respond to Jesus they too will be saved. To assume that these verses tell us everything about how to trust in Jesus is to force them to serve a function and purpose which contextually they were not intended to perform.

The Bible tells us we can not be saved by works. (Eph. 2:9) Works involve doing something. If salvation then does not come by doing something, how can baptism be necessary for salvation since this requires you to do something?

1. Before examining what Paul meant by works, it might be helpful to observe that everyone who preaches the gospel must tell a person to do something in order to receive Jesus and rely upon him. Whether a person says a prayer to invite Jesus into their heart or is baptized, a person is doing something. The real question is: what does the gospel instruct us to do?
2. When Paul condemned works as being useless to save us, he condemned the futility of relying upon ourselves by trying to be good enough. He was not dismissing doing something in order to rely upon Jesus for salvation, whether that might be saying a prayer or being baptized. Works, when used by Paul in a negative sense, refer to the effort to depend upon our own goodness. Paul contrasted this useless path toward trying to be right with God with that of grace through faith whereby someone relies upon God's gift of salvation through Jesus. This is called salvation by faith.

   Even Protestants admit that salvation by faith alone is more than just believing certain teachings to be true about Jesus. To have faith in Jesus involves relying upon Jesus for salvation. People are saved by trusting in Jesus to save them. The question is, how does the Bible instruct us to trust in Jesus that we might be saved? Repeatedly both by example and by teaching, we learn that to trust in Jesus for salvation involves being buried in baptism. Galatians 3:26-27; Colossians 2:11-13; Acts 2:38; 16:22; Romans 6:3-4, 17-18; 1 Peter 3:21; Mark 16:16

   Paul's contrast between faith and works involved denouncing self-reliance and exalting the principle of depending upon Jesus. Paul did not contrast "doing something" verses "just believing." In fact, the faith which the preaching of the gospel is supposed to produce in people involves "the obedience of faith." Romans 1:5; 16:25-26 That obedience involves doing something to rely upon Jesus to save us! Romans 6:17-18; 1 Peter 1:22

3. It might also be helpful to consult the Niagra story described above to illustrate that how we are supposed to trust is determined by the story/ context.
4. If a person still insists that faith excludes any form of "doing" while works include all forms of "doing something," you can point out that this viewpoint conflicts with many scriptures like 1 Peter 1:22; Romans 6:17-18; 1:5; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-8; Acts 2:38, 22:16.

Romans 4 (or Galatians 3) contrasts works (doing something) against believing. No one is saved by works. Since baptism is doing something, baptism is a work.

1. Consider the responses in the prior objection . In addition to them:
2. The "doing" in this text describes human efforts to demonstrate self-produced righteousness. (Galatians 3:3) Such efforts lead to boasting. (Romans 3:27-28) The doing associated with works has nothing in common with doing something to rely upon God to declared us righteous.

   The example of Abraham is perfect. God gave Abraham a promise and Abraham trusted in God and was declared righteous. Paul's use of Abraham defended this principle of faith/ trust. Similarly, we are made right with God by trusting in Jesus. What Paul did not do in this text was inform us how to trust in Jesus. Paul's objective was to defend the principle of faith. He was writing to Christians, they knew how they had already trusted in Jesus! Galatians 3:26-27.

3. In the context of a promise (such as the one given to Abraham) a person trusts by simply believing. In the context of the Jesus dying for our sins in order to save us, we have been instructed to trust in him by being baptized. Galatians 3:26-27; Colossians 2:11-12
4. In this text, the call for us to have faith is consistent with the rest of the gospel message; it is the call to trust in Jesus. Romans 4:5 If we desire to learn how the gospel tells us to rely upon the risen Christ, we need to look at texts other than just either Galatians 3:5-9 and Romans 4:1-8. Consider Matthew 28:19; Acts 8:12; 2:41; Colossians 2:11-12; Galatians 3:26-27)

Paul was saved on the road to Damascus. Before Saul was baptized, Ananias called him "brother," this shows that he was already a Christian.

1. It is true that on the road to Damascus Paul came to believe Jesus is Lord. Acts 9:5 But rather than showing that Paul was saved by just believing, this story reveals he was not saved until after he was baptized. Although Paul had believed Jesus was Lord, he was still guilty of his sins (unsaved) until he was baptized. Acts 22:16
2. The reason Ananias calls him brother is this was a customary greeting among Jews. Consider Acts 2:37. 13:15,38 where non-Christian Jews are called brothers.

Peter only told the jailer to believe in the Lord Jesus in order to be saved. Therefore, baptism is not necessary.

1. Peter took a situation where the jailer was fearful he would be executed for allowing prisoners to escape and transformed it into an evangelistic opportunity. Peter told the jailer that he could be saved if he would believe in the Lord Jesus. The jailer had no idea what this meant. So Peter preached the gospel to him. Acts 16:32 Nothing in the story indicates he was saved before being baptized. Actually, it was after he had responded to Jesus by being baptized that he was joyful because he had come to believe in God.
2. When Peter first announced to the jailor that he needed to believe in Jesus, Peter was proclaiming the necessity of relying upon Jesus to be saved. He was not claiming that the jailor only needed to believe certain truths about Jesus. Even demons believe the truth about Jesus. James 2:19 The jailor first had to learn who Jesus was and why he was so important. Part of the proclamation about Jesus involves how to receive him&endash;namely by being baptized. This is why when the eunuch heard the story of Jesus he asked, "What's stopping me from being baptized?" Acts 8:35-36 See also Acts 8:9

Acts 4:4 and 5:14 show that people are added to the church when they believe. Nothing is said about baptism being necessary.

1. Passages such as Acts 4:4; 5:15; 6:7; 9:35, 42; 11:21 use expressions like "turned," "believed," or "became obedient to the faith," to indicate that someone was converted. But these verses do not tell us how those people exhibited their trust in Jesus as a result of hearing the gospel. At other times Luke did provide details about how someone's faith in Jesus was manifested as a result of hearing the Gospel message. Acts 2:41; 8:12, 44-45

If baptism is essential, why then did Paul write in 1 Corinthians 1:17 that the Lord did not send him to baptize?

1. Paul's purpose was to announce the gospel, not to be the assistant who was baptizing those who responded to the gospel. Instead of denying baptism, the context of 1 Corinthians actually supports baptism as being the biblical response to the gospel.

   • The Corinthians were a community of baptized believers. Because of their problems Paul was glad he was not the one who baptized them. 1 Cor. 1:14-16

   • 1 Corinthians 10:1-4 reveals that both Paul and the Corinthians understood baptism to be evidence of their salvation. Paul's point was: just because they had been baptized this did not mean that they could just go on sinning. If they did insist on sinning, they would fall away just as many in Israel had fallen. 1 Cor. 10:5-12

Barry Newton, Copyright © 2006

Other Resources Which Might Be of Interest

Baptism in the New Testament

Biblical Faith (Part 2): Why Baptism is Necessary For Faith in Jesus. "Sez Who?"

Using A Napkin To Tell The Story of the Gospel

Everyone Who Calls Upon the Lord Shall be Saved! This is Good News!

Baptism, Obedience and Justification by Faith: Forcing Square Pegs Through A Round Hole?

What About the Thief on the Cross?

A Child of God by Faith

Something in Common (A Study in 1 Corinthians 10 which touches on baptism)

Reading Room

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