{"id":573,"date":"2011-04-04T20:12:07","date_gmt":"2011-04-05T02:12:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hushbeck.com\/blog\/?p=573"},"modified":"2011-04-04T20:12:07","modified_gmt":"2011-04-05T02:12:07","slug":"is-baptism-necessary-for-salvation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hushbeck.com\/blog\/2011\/04\/is-baptism-necessary-for-salvation\/","title":{"rendered":"Is Baptism necessary for Salvation?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Some Christians believe that Baptism is necessary for one to be saved.\u00a0 Supporters point to Mark 16:16 \u201cWhoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever doesn\u2019t believe will be condemned.\u201d (<\/span>ISV<\/span><\/a>) Here, they claim, Jesus commands that we be baptized.\u00a0\u00a0 As <\/span>one supporter<\/span><\/a> put it, <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHow much clearer must we have it said by the Lord Himself than this… Why would Jesus tell His disciples to baptize if it were not necessary? Don’t you think that if the Lord had intended baptism to be optional that He would not have made such a strict command out of it here.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The problem, however, is that it could have been clearer.\u00a0 Notice that only belief is mentioned in both parts of statement.\u00a0 Thus to be clearer Mark could have written the second half as \u201cbut whoever doesn\u2019t believe or is not baptized will be condemned.\u201d That would have been very clear.\u00a0\u00a0 It would also be clearer if baptism was consistently mentioned as a requirement for salvation, but it isn\u2019t.\u00a0 There are many passages which discuss what must be done to be saved that do not mention baptism. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

When Jesus was directly asked in Mark 16:16, \u201c\u2018What must we do to perform the actions of God?\u2019 Jesus answered them, \u2018This is the action of God: to believe in the one whom he has sent.\u2019\u201d (<\/span>ISV<\/span><\/a>) \u00a0If baptism were required, why didn\u2019t he mention it? \u00a0If Baptism were required for salvation, how could Paul say that Christ is not send him to baptize? (1 Cor 1:17)<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

But there is a deeper issue here, one that goes to the core of how we are saved.\u00a0 Eph 2:8-9 says, \u201cFor by such grace you have been saved through faith. This does not come from you; it is the gift of God and not the result of actions, to put a stop to all boasting.\u201d (<\/span>ISV<\/span><\/a>). <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Salvation is God\u2019s work in us. We can accept it or we can reject it, but we cannot earn it.\u00a0 The real problem with saying that baptism, or any other work, is required for salvation is that it means that Christ death on the Cross is insufficient; that something else is needed. \u00a0It would hold, contrary to Eph 2:8-9, that salvation is not completely a gift but something that must be earned, at least in part, as the result of the action of being baptized.\u00a0\u00a0 One can believe that Baptism is necessary, or one can believe Eph 2:8-9.\u00a0\u00a0 It is not possible to hold both and remain consistent. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Does this mean that we don\u2019t need to be baptized?\u00a0\u00a0 As the <\/span>supporter<\/span><\/a> above asked, \u201cWhy would Jesus tell His disciples to baptize if it were not necessary?\u201d\u00a0 Jesus commanded a lot of things,\u00a0 if we\u00a0took all of them as requirement for salvation, we truly would be putting ourselves back under the law. Fundamentally this confuses what is important with what is required. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

But if they are not required for salvation, why do we follow them?\u00a0\u00a0 John 14:21-24 lays this out. As verse 23 says, \u201cIf anyone loves me, he will keep my word.<\/em>\u201d\u00a0 We are not baptized to be saved. We do not avoid sin to be saved.\u00a0 We do on serve others to be saved.\u00a0 If we do any of this to earn salvation, our works will be as filthy rags.\u00a0 Rather we should do all of this and more, out of love.\u00a0 We serve our Lord and Savior because we love him.\u00a0\u00a0 A gift offered to earn something will be judged based on its merit, a gift offered in love, will be judge based on the love in which it was offered. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

I have a painted rock sitting on my desk.\u00a0 It has sat there for over two decades now.\u00a0 It is not some expense piece of abstract art.\u00a0 And for many people, it is just a rock with sort of face on it.\u00a0 But for me it is very valuable.\u00a0 This is because it was given to me by my daughter, and it was given in love. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

That is how God looks at our works as well.\u00a0 Not for their intrinsic merit, but for the love in which they are offered. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Some Christians believe that Baptism is necessary for one to be saved.\u00a0 Supporters point to Mark 16:16 \u201cWhoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever doesn\u2019t believe will be condemned.\u201d (ISV) Here, they claim, Jesus commands that we be baptized.\u00a0\u00a0 As one supporter put it, \u201cHow much clearer must we have it said […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[42,158,464,728,821,1144],"class_list":["post-573","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-christianity","tag-1-cor-117","tag-baptism","tag-eph-28-9","tag-john-1421-24","tag-mark-1616","tag-salvation"],"yoast_head":"\nIs Baptism necessary for Salvation? - Politics and Religion<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/hushbeck.com\/blog\/2011\/04\/is-baptism-necessary-for-salvation\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Is Baptism necessary for Salvation? 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