6 Biblical Reasons Why Baptism Isn't Required For Salvation

[RustyAngeL]

All it took for me was realizing that the thief on the cross was not baptized yet Jesus promised him that "Today you will be with Me in paradise. We follow Him in baptism but are not saved by it.

[Mcgyver]

One reason why it is: "He who repents AND is baptized shall be saved."---JESUS

Guess the thief on the cross wasn't saved after all, since he was never baptized.

So was Jesus lying? Is He going to stand up on Judgment Day, and laughingly yell "PSYCH!!!'?

What do you make of the very clear and unambiguous words of our Lord?

The theif on the cross proves only that IF A PERSON HAS NO CHANCE TO BE BAPTIZED, he or she can still be saved, however those who simply shrug it off as an unimportant, empty ritual, are taking eternal risks.

Interesting...but I'd like to bring something up for consideration...

It seems to me that there are three possibilities here:

1. That Mark 16:16 is a gloss that was added later.

2. That Jesus is saying something that is in contradiction to the abundance of scripture which teaches that salvation comes (by Grace) through faith alone, and not of any works.

3. That Jesus was not talking about water baptism, but the baptism of the Holy Spirit by whom we are born again.

The words "believe and is baptized" seem to me to indicate that this is the case, because he goes on to say that one who does not believe will be condemned...In other words, one must believe in order to receive the baptism of the Spirit, which happens at the moment of conversion (not to be confused with the filling of the Spirit).

This would tie in seamlessly to the verses which tell us: For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit. (1 Corinthians 12:13)

And: that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. (Romans 10:9-10 emphasis mine).

Finally: For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. Ephesians 2:8-9

JMO

[Tinky]

Something also of interest:

The Apostle Paul makes a point that baptism is not part of the Gospel as he says in 1 Cor 1:17 "For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel!" You see, Paul excluded baptism as being part of the Gospel.

According to God's Word baptism is not part of the Gospel (1 Cor. 1:17) and it is the Gospel which is the power of God unto salvation! (Rom. 1:16).

"For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek."

From Ray Comfort's "On The Box" website, under the heading; "Must One Be Baptized To Be Saved?"

http://www.onthebox.us/search/label/%22Baptismal%20Regeneration%3F%22

[Tinky]

You have to prove that you love God.

To whom?

I would assume God.

Why? Would not God already know that?

[Bible_Gazer]

Don't judge your baptism with her salvation, you are judged for being able to do with you own time.

So, some are saved with baptism, and some are saved without it?

You need to stop contradicting yourself.

What of those in the Bible that I posted that were saved without baptism, and indeed had the time to do it? Whom the Bible stated were saved the moment they believed?

If baptism is required for salvation, as you claim, then it's required in every single case without exception.

You can't cherry pick.

cherry picking ?? look who is picking their salvation based on a last minute soul begging for hope.

I know a person in my family that was going to turn to the Lord at the last moment before she died and then accept Jesus to be saved.

Didn't want to serve Jesus now.

Now was that the love for God or was that love for self. ?

She knew better but chosen the cherry way.

Those whom you quoted being saved in th OT - they all died - even believing did not save them form death but it did from eternal death, Hebrew 11 says they all died.

Must got it all fixed after they resurrected in Matthew 27:52-53 - got their baptisms.

Do you think you can go to heaven not loving God ?

Sound to me you think living the commandments has no place in salvation at all .

Without law there is no sin.

Then there is no sin.

Are we born free ?

Was not that what the Satan did to Eve to make her free from God laws.

Look what happen

Abraham had faith but it was also proven for God to know if he believed.

GENESIS 22

1 And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am .

2 And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah;

and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of

Tempt here mean testing

10 And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son.

11 And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I.

12 And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me.

The test prove to God about Abraham belief in him.

Just maybe all of us are proven for what we know and what we do with it.

So if break the first commandment does it really matter ?

Someone at the Church of Ephesus was guilty for losing their first love and the punishment didn't look good. A warning was given. Rev. 2

[Bible_Gazer]

3 And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.

4 He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

5 But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.

1 John 2:3-5 (KJV)

[Bible_Gazer]

Should a person while they have the ablility of time to do the will of God, Do it ?

What ever you know to do, I think that you must do and not judge yourself with someone's else salvation in what they understood to do or capable of doing.

Do you think that God take people to heaven that don't love him but they just believe that he is God ?

<snip>

If you know to be baptize then that is require of you. If you don't do it delibertly, then you rejected his ways.

I believe that if a person knows what God's will is they should try to follow his commandments. Out of love not out of duty. However, God doesn't love us less or more if we obey Him. God's love doesn't change would you agree? God's love doesn't depend on our actions or lack thereof? See passages below.

Mal. 3:6

For I the Lord do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed.

James 1:17

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.

Heb. 13:8

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

2 Tim. 2:13

If we are faithless, he remains faithful— for he cannot deny himself.

Each person's walk with God is unique in the sense that God loves us right where we are. Some people are at varying degrees of understanding regarding God. Yet God is faithful and working in the lives of each of us. God is faithful to complete the work he started in us. (Phil 1:6 and 1 Thess. 5:24) Also 1 John 3:9 talks about habitual sinning. God is patient towards us. (2 Pet. 3:9)

Phil. 1:6

And I am sure of this, that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

1 John 3:9

No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God.

2 Pet. 3:9

The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.

1 Thess. 5:23-24

²³ Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. ²⁴ He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.

Underlined are you implying there is more than one salvation method? Is Jesus the only way? Curious.

Personally, I think this comment in bold is a bit legalistic.

Just my opinion. See this thread: You May Have Legalism (And Not Even Know It) In Your Life…

Some people are saved and baptized years later. Some people are saved and baptized emmidiately. Baptism like circumcision is a matter of the heart and the attitude one takes. Baptism is just a step in following Jesus's example - it doesn't save or make one more holy in God's eyes.

Good discussion.

God bless,

GE

15 All their wickedness is in Gilgal: for there I hated them: for the wickedness of their doings I will drive them out of mine house, I will love them no more: all their princes are revolters.

16 Ephraim is smitten, their root is dried up, they shall bear no fruit: yea, though they bring forth, yet will I slay even the beloved fruit of their womb.

17 My God will cast them away, because they did not hearken unto him: and they shall be wanderers among the nations

Hosea 9:15-17 (KJV)

Does God's love change ?

Edited February 16, 2013 by Bible_Gazer

[Guest man]

You have to prove that you love God.

To whom?

I would assume God.

Why? Would not God already know that?

1 Samuel 16

⁷ But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

Why does the Lord search the heart? What's He looking for?

[Leonard]

I really see no sense adding yet another word to any who would willingly ignore ANY word Jesus said! I have cried as a watchman on the wall, and woe will betide those who ignore the very words of Jesus.

Gonna' hang out in another thread!

[Willa]

Yeah the situation isn't always so clear cut, or it hasn't been for me. One is even being confident in wanting to belong to a particular church and asking them to do it. If not that, then figuring out if you should ask someone else or if it would be better just to wait to find an appropriate community. So then there is the question, given that's a good thing to do, how essential is it really. Is it something that needs to be rushed right away? Or is it okay to sit on it, with the intention of doing it, while trying to find a good context to do it in?

Barry, if God is putting this on your heart to do, you should do it, but not because men are crowding you into it. This is a testamony as to the new birth and wanting to identify with Christ, not so much a particular church. But my mama done told me that any church will accept baptism by immersion while not all accept sprinkling or other forms. While our church immerses, we even sprinkled a woman who had a colostomy bag and was in the last stages of cancer because she wanted this so badly.

The most important thing is to do what God puts on your heart to do. For me, it was to read through the New Testament and to make restitution for a few sins.

Jesus didn't baptise people, Paul said he was thankful that he only baptised one or two people. John 4:2, , 1 Cor. 1:14, 17.

Edited February 16, 2013 by Willamina