Subject: Jesus name of the Father, Son and H/Ghos |
Bible Note: Is Baptism necessary for Salvation? Oneness Pentecostal theology states that baptism is necessary for salvation. It asserts that without it, a person cannot be saved. Is baptism necessary for salvation? No. It is not. The Oneness theologians are in error. Nevertheless, disagreeing with them does not make it so, particularly when we have verses like the following: John 3:5; Acts 2:38; Acts 22:16; 1 Peter 3:21. The problem with baptismal regeneration (the belief that baptism is part of salvation and necessary for it) is that it contradicts other scriptures that state we are justified by faith. Justification is God's declaration upon a sinner that the person is declared righteous in God's site. In other words, only Christians are justified; only Christians are saved. Please consider the following verses: Rom. 4:3, "For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness." Rom. 5:1, "Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." Gal. 3:8, "And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed." Eph. 2:8, "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God." See also Rom. 4:5; 9:30; John 5:24; Gal. 2:16; Gal. 3:11-14; and Phil. 3:9. There are other verses, but these are sufficient to show that we are made right in God's eyes -- justified, forgiven -- by faith, not by faith and baptism. If baptism were necessary for salvation, then these verses would state that we are justified by faith and baptism. But they don't. In fact, that is not what Paul says that the gospel is, and it is the gospel that saves us. The Gospel is what saves "Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures" (NASB) (1 Cor. 15:1-4). The gospel is defined as the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus for our sins. Baptism is not mentioned here. Paul said that he came to preach the gospel, not to baptize: "I am thankful that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius, so no one can say that you were baptized into my name. (Yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I don't remember if I baptized anyone else.) For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel..." (1 Cor. 1:14-17). If baptism is necessary for salvation then why did Paul downplay it and even exclude it from the description of what is required for salvation? It is because baptism isn't necessary for salvation. Additionally, in Acts, Peter was preaching the gospel, people got saved, and then they were baptized. Acts 10:44-46 says, "While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word. [45] And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost. [46] For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God..." These people were saved. The gift of the Holy Spirit was on the Gentiles and they were speaking in tongues. This is significant because tongues is a gift given to believers, see 1 Cor. 14:1-5. Also, unbelievers don't praise God. They can't because praise to the true God is a deep spiritual matter that is foreign to the unsaved (1 Cor. 2:14). Therefore, the ones in Acts 10:44-46 who are speaking in tongues and praising God are definitely saved and they are saved before they are baptized. This simply isn't an exception. It is a reality. Baptism is not necessary for salvation. It is the initiatory sign and seal into the covenant of grace. As circumcision referred to the cutting away of sin and to a change of heart (Deut. 10:16; 30:6; Jer. 4:4; 9:25,26; Ez. 44:7,9) baptism refers to the washing away of sin (Acts 2:38; 1 Pet. 3:21; Titus 3:5) and to spiritual renewal (Rom. 6:4; Col. 2:11-12). The circumcision of the heart is signified by the circumcision of the flesh, that is, baptism (Col. 2:11-12). One last thought: If someone maintains that baptism is necessary for salvation, is he adding a work, his own, to the finished work of Christ? If the answer is yes, then that person would be in terrible risk of not being saved. If the answer is no, then why is baptism maintained as being necessary the same way as the Jews maintained that works were necessary? [Courtesy of http://www.carm.org/oneness/onenessbaptism.htm] - Makarios |