The biblical teaching on this subject would seem to indicate that the extreme positions of baptism as absolutely essential to salvation as taught by some in the Church of Christ and as an outmoded ritual that need not be practiced at all as taught by the Friends are aberrations that should be rejected as unbiblical and divisive though many in both those churches may be acknowledged as genuine Christians. To begin with, the Bible is very clear in its teachings that all Christians are expected to be baptized in water.
Jesus told His disciples that they were to baptize new disciples of all nations, not just Jews Matt. This means that to dispense with water baptism is to disobey Christ. On the other hand, the New Testament makes it equally clear that men can become saved as Christians prior to receiving water baptism. However, it was not obedience to this command that saved them, but their believing in Christ Baptism is the expected initial outward response to the gospel, but it is not a part of the gospel itself 1 Cor.
There are a number of prooftexts which are often cited to prove that the Bible makes baptism mandatory for salvation. Some of the most common such prooftexts are Acts , Acts , Mark , John , Romans , and 1 Peter A careful examination of each of these texts in context will show that none of them prove that baptism is necessarily prerequisite for salvation, though they do prove that baptism was an assumed initiatory response to the gospel of salvation.
For not only did God command that the two sacraments are signs of salvation to be continued until the end of the world, our Lord Jesus Christ forever linked baptism to the mission of the Church in the world. We are not only to make disciples of the nations, but the disciples should be baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
But we are back to our initial question: Do you have to be baptized to go to heaven? The Bible says that we are saved by grace through faith and that is not of ourselves. The Bible also commands baptism , but baptism does not save us from sin. Communion cannot save.
It is not even our faith that saves, only Jesus saves. Faith is a gift from God, made possible by the grace of Jesus Christ, whereby we lay hold of the promise offered freely. The greatest example of this truth is seen in the life of the thief on the cross. Did this man who repented and believed in Jesus Christ as God and Savior go to heaven? He was not baptized. Furthermore, he could never join in with the Christian community.
He would never take Communion. But he was as much a member of the body of Christ as any member of the Church today. The circumstances, however, were not the norm, but the exception. The norm is seen in many other places in the New Testament. Let's look at two. On the day of Pentecost, days after Easter, and in fulfillment of the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit proceeded from the Father and the Son and came down upon the disciples in an extraordinary demonstration of heavenly presence and power.
On that day the Apostle Peter preached before the great throng of humanity from every part of the Roman Empire, and what did he add to his preaching of repentance and faith? The other instance that I will refer to happens in Acts Paul and Silas were in prison at Philippi. We remember that God heard the hymns and prayers of the two apostolic missionaries and sent an earthquake to release them from prison. The Philippian jailer feared for his life because of the compromise of security. In fact, he preferred death by his own hand rather than to fall into the cruel charge of his severe superiors, but Paul stopped him.
Saint Paul and Silas declared the Good News and this man was saved. The Apostle Paul not only baptized him but the Bible says that Paul baptized the entire household Acts Luke is the first passage.
Here Jesus has just turned to a woman who had washed His feet and says,. Notice that Jesus did not say that her faith and baptism saved her. He said that her faith saved her. That is all! Of Him all the prophets bear witness that through His name everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins. Acts NASB. While Peter was still speaking. God tells us in Acts that Cornelius and his family were saved by faith without being baptized. Notice the Holy Spirit comes upon these new believers and Peter is surprised.
Not until verse 47 does Peter say there is no reason to keep them from being baptized. Water baptism did not save them. Baptism is only a symbol of an inward reality. Baptism is commanded in scripture as an act of obedience — as a statement that Jesus is our Savior.
Rom If baptism is essential for eternal life, then the thief who hung on a cross next to Jesus never made it to heaven. But that is not what Jesus said. Jesus did promise the thief eternal life because he believed Luke The thief died on the cross. He never had a chance to be baptized, but he did go to heaven — he believed — he trusted in Jesus. The discussion between Jesus and Nicodemus starts in John and goes until verse Baptism is not mentioned in John It is important to note that just because we see water in scripture, we should not conclude it refers to baptism.
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