on baptism

Right now there is a debate within this site going on between a friend and me about whether baptism is essential for salvation. I will attack this prayerfully and try to uncover the truth. But for right now, I will post arguments for both sides.

Anti-Baptism Needed for Salvation

Jesus forgave many people without them being baptized--the paralyzed man lowered on a mat through a roof (Luke 5:17-26); a woman caught in adultery (John 8:3-11); a woman who annointed Jesus' feet with oil (Luke 7:47-50); Peter, for denying he even knew Jesus immediately prior to Jesus' crucifixion (John 18:15-27; 21:15-19); the criminal on the cross (Luke 23:39-43); and those who killed him (Luke 23:34). If baptism was essential for salvation (and, yes, Jesus had commanded baptism to all believers prior to these incidents, and John the Baptist had been baptizing, too, before he had been decapitated) then all these (and many more Jesus forgave) wouldn't be entering the Kingdom of Heaven, yet by Jesus' word they did. Jesus says in Mark 16, "Anyone who believes and is baptized will be saved. But anyone who refuses to believe will be condemned." It is the refusing to believe--not the refusing to be baptized--that drops us out of the Kingdom of Heaven. Acts 13:39 says, "Everyone who believes in [Jesus] is freed from all guilt and declared right with God..." Once again, baptism isn't an ESSENTIAL agreement to salvation--faith in Jesus is. Also, in Acts 2--the Pentecost--the Holy Spirit descends on those gathered together, and now--without baptism, which many say brings the Holy Spirit into us), people are speaking in tongues, a gift bestowed by the Holy Spirit. How could this be, if the Holy Spirit is brought about by baptism by water?

Pro-Baptism Needed for Salvation

Baptism for the remission of our sins (Acts 2:38) and into Christ (Rom. 6:3; Gal. 3:27) is essential for salvation. If you have not been baptized with Christ's baptism (as opposed to man's baptism), you can have no hope of salvation (Rom. 10:17; 2 Cor. 5:7). Paul was commanded to arise and be baptized washing away his sins (Acts 22:16). He was lost without being baptized. Today, denominational preachers incorrectly tell us that our sins are washed away before and without baptism. The Bible says, there is an antitype which now saves us, namely baptism (1 Pet. 3:21). We are not saved without being baptized. Nevertheless, denominational preachers try to add the word "not" to this verse saying, "baptism does not save us." Men in Ephesus who had been baptized with John's baptism had to be baptized with the baptism authorized by Jesus (Acts 19:1-5). If we have been baptized with any baptism other than the one authorized by Jesus Christ (Eph. 4:5; Col. 3:17; Acts 19:5), we must be baptized with the Lord's baptism to be saved. Today, denominational preachers incorrectly tell us that it does not matter with which baptism (if any) we are baptized. If we expect to go to heaven, we must obey the gospel of Jesus Christ (Rom. 1:16; 2 Th. 1:8; Heb. 5:9). The gospel makes it abundantly clear that we must be baptized for the remission of our sins and into Christ to be saved (Acts 2:38; 22:16; Rom. 6:3; 1 Pet. 3:21). Therefore if we are not baptized, then we are not entering the Kingdom of Heaven.

Hit this with prayer and humility. Maybe God will change peoples' minds (including my own). This isn't an issue to be taken lightly (if I'm wrong, I'm just glad I've been baptized haha).