Churches of Christ have always taught that water immersion is the dividing line between the lost and the saved. This means that a penitent believer remains unforgiven of sin until buried in the waters of baptism (Rom.6:4). Practically the whole denominational world disagrees with this analysis of Bible teaching, holding instead that one is saved at the point of faith before and without water baptism. Let's examine some of the points that are advanced in an effort to minimize the essentiality of baptism for salvation.
I. Jesus' Baptism
Some say Jesus could not have been baptized for the remission of sins because he was sinless; therefore, people today are not baptized in order to be forgiven. They merely imitate Jesus' example. But the baptism to which Jesus submitted himself was John's baptism (Matt.3:13; Mk.1:9). John's baptism's was for the remission of sins (Mk. 1:4; Lk. 3:3). This truth is particularly evident from the fact that when Jesus presented Himself to John for baptism, John sought to deter Him noting that, if anything, Jesus needed to baptize John (Matt. 3:14)! Jesus did not correct John, as many seek to do today, by falsely arguing that baptism is not for remission of sin. Rather, Jesus, in effect, agreed with John, but made clear that His baptism was an exception to the rule.
Jesus' baptism was unique and not to be compared to anyone else's baptism. Jesus' baptism had the unique purpose of "fulfilling all righteousness" (Matt. 3:15). In other words, it was necessary for Jesus to submit to John's baptism (1) to show His contemporaries that no one is exempt from submitting to God's will and (2) more specifically, Christ's baptism was God's appointed means of pointing out to John and the world the precise identity of His Son. It was not until John saw the Spirit of God descending on Jesus and heard the voice ("This is My Son") that he knew that "this is the Son of God" (Jn. 1:31-34; Matt. 3:16-17).
Of course, John's baptism is no longer valid (Acts 18:24-19:5). John's baptism paralleled New Testament baptism in the sense that both were for the forgiveness of sins. But John's baptism was transitional in nature, preparing Jews for their Messiah. Baptism after the cross is for all people (Matt. 28:19), in Jesus' name (Lk. 24:47; Acts 2:38; 19:5), into His death (Rom. 6:3), in order to be clothed with Him (Gal. 3:27), and to be added to His church (Acts 2:47; I Cor. 12:13). We must not use Jesus' baptism as a reason for believing that salvation occurs prior to baptism.
II. The Thief on the Cross
Another point that some make to hold that baptism is not essential to salvation is the idea that "the thief on the cross wasn't baptized, and he was saved." When we "handle aright the word of truth" (2 Tim. 2:15), we see that the thief was not subject to the New Testament command of immersion because this command was not given until after the thief's death. It was not until Christ was resurrected that He said "He that believeth and is baptized will be saved" (Mark 16:16). It was not until Christ's death that the Old Testament ceased, signified by the tearing of the temple curtain (Matt. 27:51). When Jesus died, He took away the Old Testament, "nailing it to the cross" (Col. 2:14).
The word "testament" means "covenant" or "will." The last will and testament of Christ is the New Testament and consists of those teachings that apply to God's people after the death of Christ. If we expect to receive the benefits of the New Testament (salvation, forgiveness of sin, eternal life), we must submit to the terms of the will for which Christ is mediator (Heb. 9:15), for "where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator; for a testament is of force after men are dead; otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator lives" (Heb. 9:16-17).
So prior to the Lord's death and the sealing of the N.T., New Testament baptism for the forgiveness of sins was not a requirement for those who wished to be acceptable to God. We now live under the Christian era of religious history. Prior to Christ's death, there were no Christians (Acts 11:26). For a person to reject water baptism as a prerequisite to salvation on the basis of what the thief did or did not do, is comparable to Abraham seeking salvation by building an ark--because that's what Noah did to please God. It would be like the rich young ruler (Matt. 19) refusing Christ's directive to sell all his possessions--because wealthy King David did not have to in order to please God!
The thief on the cross could not have been baptized the way the new covenant stipulates you and I must be baptized. Why? Rom. 6:3-4 teaches that if we wish to acquire "newness of life," we must be baptized into Christ's death, be buried with Christ in baptism, and then be raised from the dead. There was no way for the thief to comply with this New Testament baptism--Christ had not died! Christ had not been buried! Christ had not been raised! In fact, none of God's ordained teachings pertaining to salvation IN CHRIST (2 Tim. 2:10) and in His body THE CHURCH (Acts 2:47; Eph. 1:22-23) had been given! The church, which Christ's shed blood purchased (Acts 20:28), had not been established, and wasn't set up until weeks later (Acts 2).
We need to forget the thief as an example of salvation and obey "from the heart that form of doctrine" (Rom. 6:17)--the form of Christ's death, burial and resurrection through baptism (Rom. 6:3-4). Only then can we be "made free from sin to become the servants of righteousness" (Rom. 6:18).
III. The Door of Your Heart?
A third objection to the necessity of baptism: doesn't the Bible say "Christ stands at the door of your heart" and all we have to do to be forgiven of sin and become a Christian is to "invite Him into our hearts"? No. The Bible simply does not teach this doctrine.
The phraseology is reminiscent of Rev. 3:20--the passage usually quoted to support the above idea. What does Rev. 3:20 teach? Rev. 2 & 3 consists of 7 specific messages directed to 7 churches of Christ in Asia Minor in the 1st century. Thus, at the outset, we must recognize that Rev. 3:20 is addressed to Christians--not non-christian on the verge of conversion.
Secondly, Rev. 3:20 is found among Christ's remarks to the church in Laodicea. Jesus makes clear that the church had moved into a lost condition. They were unacceptable to God since they were "lukewarm" (3:16). They had become unsaved since their spiritual condition was "wretched and miserable and poor" (3:17). Thus, in a very real sense, Jesus had abandoned them by removing His presence from their midst. Now He is on the outside looking in. He still wants to be among them, but the decision is up to them. They must recognize His absence, hear Him knocking for admission, and open the door--all of which is figurative language to say that they must repent (3:19). They must return to the obedient lifestyle so essential to sustaining God's favor (Jn. 14:21, 23).
This means that Rev. 3:20 in no way supports the idea that non-Christians merely have to "open the door of their heart" and "invite Jesus in" with the assurance that the moment they mentally/verbally do so, Jesus comes into their heart and they are simultaneously saved from all past sin and have become Christians! The context of Rev. 3:20 shows that Jesus was seeking readmission into an apostate church.
But doesn't the Bible teach that Christ does come into a person's heart? Yes. But not the way the religious world suggests. For instance, Eph. 3:17 states that Christ dwells in the heart through faith. Faith can only be acquired by hearing biblical truth (Rom. 10:17). When Bible truth is obeyed, the individual is "saved by faith" (Heb. 5:9; James 2:22; I Peter 1:22). Thus Christ enters our lives when we "draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience (repentance) and our bodies washed with pure water (baptism)" (Heb. 10:22).
IV. Accept Christ as Personal Savior
What did Jesus mean when He said in Matt. 7:21, "Not everyone that says unto me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven"? The predominant viewpoint in the religious world today is that salvation comes to the unsaved the moment he "accepts Christ as his personal Saviour." What is meant by this phrase is that all one has to do to receive the forgiveness of God and become a Christian is simply mentally accept Jesus into one's heart and make a verbal statement of that fact.
To be sure, oral confession of Christ is one of the prerequisites to salvation (Rom. 10:10). But Jesus is saying there is more to becoming a blood bought follower of His than merely calling on His name and inwardly accepting Him as Savior. He is telling us that before we can even consider ourselves God's children (Christians), we must show our acceptance through outward obedience ("He that doeth the will of my Father"). Notice the significant contrast being made: the difference between mental/verbal determination to accept and follow the Lord versus verbal confession coupled with action or obedience (James 2:14, 17). This is why we must do everything the Lord has indicated must be done prior to salvation. Jesus is telling us that it is possible to make the mistake of claiming we have found the Lord, when we haven't done what He plainly told us to do.
Jesus plainly said: "Except a man be born of water and of the spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God" (Jn. 3:5). Jesus plainly said "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved" (Mk. 16:16).
Honestly, have you accepted Christ as your personal savior," the way He said it must be done? "Why call ye me `Lord, Lord,' and do not the things which I say?" (Lk. 6:46).
V. Putting Christ On
Listen closely to Gal. 3:26-27: "You are all children of God by faith in Christ Jesus, for as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ." The word "put on" comes from the Greek word "enduo" which signifies "to enter into, get into, as into clothes, to put on." Can we be saved prior to "putting Christ on" or "being clothed" with Christ? Those who teach we can be saved before baptism are, in reality, teaching we can be saved while spiritually naked and without Christ! Paul affirms that Christ is "put on" at the point of baptism--not before.
When Paul wrote these words to the Galatian churches, he was writing to people who were already saved. They had been made "sons of God." But how? At what point had they been "clothed with Christ"? When were they made "sons of God"? When were they saved? Paul makes the answer to these questions very plain: they were united with Christ, they put on Christ, they were clothed with Christ when they were baptized. Please be honest with yourself. Your eternal destiny depends on it! Have you been clothed?This item originally appeared in The Truth In Love Television Program
