Subject: Is baptism a work? |
Bible Note: Hi, Teacher; "The Ephesians scripture says nothing about baptism so how does it apply" I think that's the point. The passage tells us how we are saved and it says nothing about baptism. "we must look at God's word in total ... not just at what fits our personal belief." Indeed we must. There are many passages that speak of salvation apart from baptism (Joel 2:31-32 - quoted by Peter in Acts 2, Acts 16:29-31, Romans 10:8-10, 1 Corinthians 15:1-2, Ephesians 2:8-9). Do those passages contain false teaching? If baptism is a prerequisite for salvation, why did God not mention it in these passages? Joel's words in particular are unambiguous: "All who call upon the name of the Lord will be saved". Just like the thief on the cross, and there is no mention of baptism in either case. I picked the passage in Acts specifically because it answers the question "what must I do to be saved?": "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved". End of answer. Baptism is not part of the answer; it is part of the jailer's response to the answer. Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |