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| Home > Evangelism > Is Baptism Required for Salvation: Part Three | Email this article |
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Is Baptism Required for Salvation?
Introduction
In Part One of this series we saw that there are literally dozens of passages in the New Testament which tell us that we can receive salvation, eternal life, forgiveness of sins, justification, and righteousness through faith in Jesus. Baptism is not mentioned in any of those passages. The amount of Scriptural testimony which shows that we are saved through faith far outweighs the few passages which appear to link baptism with salvation (and those few passages do not contradict the doctrine of salvation by faith). We also saw examples of numerous people who received salvation before they were baptized in water, which demonstrates that baptism is not necessary for salvation. Baptism is commanded in Scripture, which means that it is an important act of obedience, but it is not a requirement for receiving salvation. In Part Two we looked at Mark 16:16 and Acts 2:38, two of the main passages which some people use as evidence that baptism is a requirement for salvation. We saw that these passages do not prove that baptism is necessary for salvation because when we make such a claim then we have fallen victim to the error known as the Negative Inference Fallacy. In this article we will look at Acts 22:16, another one of the main passages which some people use as evidence that baptism is a requirement for salvation. We will also look at Galatians 3:27, Ephesians 5:26, and Titus 3:5. Acts 22:16
One important aspect of Bible study is to consider the context when we are interpreting a passage of Scripture, and we will see that carefully considering the context will help shed some light on Acts 22:16. In that verse, a disciple named Ananias told the apostle Paul to: "Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name" (Acts 22:16)The argument that some people make is that Saul of Tarsus (before he became the apostle Paul) was still "in his sins" at this point because he still had sins that needed to be "washed away," and that his baptism was the point at which his sins were washed away and the point at which he received salvation. However, this view contradicts the dozens of New Testament passages that we saw in Part One, all of which tell us that we can receive salvation, eternal life, forgiveness of sins, justification, and righteousness by faith, not by faith plus something else (such as baptism). In order to gain a better understanding of Acts 22:16 (above), let's look at the context of that event and see how well it agrees with the view that salvation is by faith alone. This event encompasses Saul's conversion to Christianity, which is described in three places in the book of Acts (Acts 9:1-19, 22:1-16, 26:4-20). In these three passages we are first told that Saul (before he became the apostle Paul) was a zealous Pharisee who was obsessed with destroying Christianity and persecuting Christians to their deaths: Acts 9:1: "Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord's disciples. He went to the high priest"So Saul was a zealous Pharisee doing all that was possible to oppose the Name of Jesus of Nazareth. Next we are told that on his way to Damascus, Saul had a supernatural encounter with Christ: Acts 9:3: "As he [Saul] neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him."Notice what happened to Saul on the road to Damascus. First, a great light from the sky, brighter than the sun, shone around Saul and his companions (Acts 9:3, 22:6, 26:12-13, above), and they fell to the ground (Acts 9:4, 22:7, 26:14, above). Then a voice (which they all heard but which only Saul was able to understand) said, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?" (Acts 9:4, 22:7, 26:14, above). Saul responded by asking, "Who are you, Lord?" (Acts 9:5, 22:8, 26:15, above). According to Bible scholars and Greek dictionaries, the Greek word for "Lord" here (kurios) can mean "Lord" in the divine sense (as in, "Jesus is Lord"), or it can mean "sir" in the human sense (as in, "Yes, sir."). Now, imagine the scene. Saul was persecuting the followers of a dead man named Jesus, when suddenly the very same Jesus revealed Himself to Saul. Because of this supernatural event, Saul realized that Jesus had been resurrected, and Saul immediately made a dramatic turnaround in his life. Notice that Saul did not react by saying something like, "Okay, very funny! You got me with your practical joke." Instead, Saul responded in faith to this revelation of Jesus by asking, "What shall I do, Lord?" (Acts 22:10, above). Is it reasonable to claim that Saul was using the word "Lord" (kurios) in the merely human sense at this point? After all, Saul had suddenly come face to face with the realization that his former religious views were fundamentally wrong, and he humbly submitted in faith to the Lordship of Christ. He was willingly renouncing the authority of the very Sanhedrin (the Jewish religious leaders) whose orders he was in the process of carrying out. Saul went through a radical change of mind and a radical change of direction at the moment when Jesus revealed Himself on the road to Damascus, and Saul immediately became a person who had been completely converted to Jesus Christ. This is the very essence of salvation. Saul received salvation on the road to Damascus. Those who believe that baptism is necessary for salvation will sometimes argue that when Saul asked, "What shall I do, Lord?" (Acts 22:10, above), he was actually asking, "What shall I do for salvation, Lord?" They also argue that when Jesus said, "Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do" (Acts 9:6, above), Jesus was actually saying, "Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do in order to become saved." The conclusion of this line of argument is that Saul was told to be baptized for the purpose of washing away his sins and receiving salvation (based on Acts 22:16, which we'll look at in a moment). However, there are some problems in this line of reasoning. The first problem is that Saul was a zealous Pharisee who would have assumed that he was going to heaven. Therefore, it would never have occurred to him to ask what he needed to do for salvation. A second problem is that Saul did not ask, "What shall I do for salvation, Lord?," and Jesus did not say, "you will be told what you must do in order to become saved" (look closely at Acts 22:10 and 9:6, above). These are interpretations which people are reading into Scripture because of their belief that baptism is necessary for salvation. Another problem in that line of reasoning is that Scripture clearly tells us what Jesus meant when He said, "Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do" (Acts 9:6, above). Notice that the parallel passage in Acts 26:16-18 (above) specifically disproves the line of reasoning that some people have made. Here is that passage again: Acts 26:16: "'Now get up and stand on your feet. I [Jesus] have appeared to you [Saul] to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen of me and what I will show you."In this passage, Jesus told Saul what he must do, but notice that it had nothing to do with Saul's salvation. Jesus told Saul what he must do in his ministry as an apostle. Saul was already a Christian at this point, which is why Jesus told him, "I am sending you to them...so that they may receive forgiveness of sins." Jesus was not sending a non-Christian out into ministry, Jesus was sending a Christian out into ministry. Not only did Saul receive salvation on the road to Damascus, but the above passage tells us that he was commissioned as an apostle at that time. For example, notice that Jesus said that He had appeared to Saul in order to appoint him as a servant and as a witness of Christ (Acts 26:16, above). A number of New Testament passages indicate that one condition for apostleship is having seen Jesus (see for example Acts 1:22 and 1 Corinthians 9:1), and it is easy to demonstrate that Saul (i.e. the apostle Paul) actually saw Jesus on the road to Damascus: Acts 26:16: [on the road to Damascus] "'Now get up and stand on your feet. I [Jesus] have appeared to you [Saul] to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen of me and what I will show you."So Saul witnessed the risen Christ on the road to Damascus, and we saw that he immediately submitted in faith to the Lord. Then the Lord appointed Saul as a witness, and said that He was sending Saul out to carry the Gospel to the world (Acts 26:17, above). This is where the apostle Paul received his commission as an apostle. The word "sending" in Acts 26:17 (above) comes from the Greek word apostello, which is Strong's number G649 and which means, "set apart, that is, (by implication) to send out (properly on a mission) literally or figuratively: - put in, send (away, forth, out), set [at liberty]," according to Strong's Greek Dictionary. Notice two similar Greek words which are derived from apostello:
Acts 26:16: "'Now get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen of me and what I will show you."In verses 17 and 18 (above), Jesus said that He was sending Saul out to carry the Gospel to the world, "so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me." Jesus spoke of sanctification and forgiveness of sins in the context of faith, and He did not mention baptism at all. As we saw in Part Two, faith is a requirement for salvation but baptism is not a requirement for salvation. Now notice Saul's response to his commission. First, he said that he was not disobedient to the vision from heaven (Acts 26:19, above), which tells us that he recognized that this was a supernatural, heavenly event, and which further demonstrates that Saul had responded in faith and obedience to the Lordship of Christ on the road to Damascus. This fully agrees with the doctrine of salvation by faith alone. Next, Saul described how he began carrying out his apostolic commission, preaching that people "should repent and turn to God and prove their repentance by their deeds" (Acts 26:20, above). Again, this perfectly describes salvation by faith alone, and the apostle Paul never taught that people need to be baptized for salvation. In fact, Paul later wrote the book of Romans, in which he specifically described the essentials of salvation in this way: Romans 10:9: "That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved."The apostle Paul specifically said that we must confess that Jesus is Lord, and we must believe that Jesus has risen from the dead. This is how Saul/Paul described the essentials of salvation, and baptism is conspicuously absent. Notice that when Jesus appeared to Saul on the road to Damascus and Saul responded in faith by saying, "What shall I do, Lord?," Saul at that moment had fulfilled both of the essentials of salvation that he himself later described in Romans 10:9-10 (above). This is further evidence that Saul/Paul was saved on the road to Damascus just before receiving his commission as an apostle. These things happened before Saul was baptized in water, which demonstrates that baptism is not a requirement for salvation. We have now looked at most of the context surrounding the passages in which the apostle Paul was baptized, so now let's look at the remaining verses: Acts 9:10: "In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision, "Ananias!" "Yes, Lord," he answered."Here we see a man named Ananias who laid hands on Saul and told him to be baptized. In Acts 9:12 (above), the Lord said to Ananias, "In a vision he [Saul] has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight." Notice that the Lord did not say anything here about preaching the Gospel to Saul or leading Saul to salvation. While this isn't a proof, it is fully in agreement with the view that Saul was already saved before Ananias went to him. Then in Acts 9:17 (above), Ananias told Saul why he had come. Here is that verse again: Acts 9:17: "Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, "Brother Saul, the Lord--Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here-- has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.""Notice that when Ananias entered the room, he placed his hands on Saul just as Jesus had told him to do. Then Ananias said that the Lord had sent him to Saul for two reasons:
Acts 9:13: ""Lord," Ananias answered, "I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your saints in Jerusalem."So Ananias initially considered Saul to be a dangerous enemy. However, after Jesus answered Ananias' concerns about Saul (Acts 9:15, above), notice how Ananias addressed Saul when Ananias met him: Acts 9:17: "Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, "Brother Saul, the Lord--Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here--has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit"When Ananias entered the room and began speaking to Saul, Ananias addressed Saul as his brother. Saul was no longer an enemy to be feared, Saul was now a brother in the Lord. Again, all of the evidence that we have seen fully supports the doctrine of salvation by faith alone, and it demonstrates that Saul had received salvation (and his commission as an apostle) before he was baptized. None of the evidence that we have seen supports the view that baptism is necessary for salvation. This brings us to Acts 22:16: Acts 22:12: ""A man named Ananias came to see me. He was a devout observer of the law and highly respected by all the Jews living there."Some people believe that Acts 22:16 (above) is proof that baptism is necessary for salvation (in other words, we are still "in our sins" until we get baptized and "wash our sins away"). But remember that we should be careful not to divorce a verse of Scripture from its context. We have just seen that the entire context of Acts 22:16 describes Saul receiving salvation and his commission as an apostle before he was baptized in water. We have also seen that Ananias considered Saul to be a Christian brother, not an unsaved enemy of the Kingdom. Since Ananias knew that Saul was already saved, there would be nothing wrong with Ananias saying, "Brother Saul, now that your sins have been forgiven, let's go wash those sins away." This sense of "wash away your sins" is even more likely when we take into account the next thing that Ananias said, which was "calling on his name." There are two other places in the context of Saul's conversion where similar expressions are used, and in one of those places it is Ananias himself who used that expression. So what did this phrase mean to Ananias and other people in the first century? Here is the first place where this expression is used in the context of Saul's conversion: Acts 9:21: "All those who heard him [Saul] were astonished and asked, "Isn't he the man who raised havoc in Jerusalem among those who call on this name? And hasn't he come here to take them as prisoners to the chief priests?""Notice that it was Christians who were referred to as "those who call on this name." Ananias understood that this was a term which referred to Christians because he used this term himself when referring to Jesus' disciples: Acts 9:13: ""Lord," Ananias answered, "I have heard many reports about this man [Saul] and all the harm he has done to your saints in Jerusalem."So "those who call on His Name" was a form of expression which specifically referred to Christians in these passages, and Ananias used this term in this way himself. Ananias knew that "calling on His Name" was something which was done by people who had already received salvation. Therefore, if Saul was a Christian even before he was baptized (remember that Ananias called him "Brother Saul"), then it would be natural for Ananias to encourage Saul to "call on His Name" (as in Acts 22:16, above). Because of the way in which the reference to "those who call on His Name" is used in the context of Saul's conversion (as an action which was done by people who were already saved), and because the context of Saul's conversion totally supports the doctrine of salvation by faith alone, there is no reason for concluding that Ananias would have considered "calling on His Name" to be an element of receiving salvation in Acts 22:16. For further proof that Paul's baptism was not for the purpose of his salvation, let's look at what Paul wrote to the church in Galatia: "I want you to know, brothers, that the gospel I preached is not something that man made up. I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ." (Galatians 1:11-12)This proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that Ananias was not sent to bring the Gospel to Paul for his salvation, because Paul said that he had not received the Gospel from any man. He received it by revelation from Jesus Christ. Again, Paul's baptism was not for the purpose of salvation because Paul was already saved before Ananias came to him. For further proof, let's take a look at what Paul told various people concerning how to receive salvation: "The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. He then brought them out and asked, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" They replied, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved --you and your household."" (Acts 16:29-31)In Acts 16:29-31 (above), a jailer asked what he must do in order to be saved. Paul said that he must believe in the Lord Jesus, and that by believing he would be saved. This jailer specifically asked how to be saved, and Paul said nothing about baptism. In Acts 20:20-21 (above), Paul said that he had not hesitated to preach anything that might be helpful. What did he specifically preach? He preached that Jews and Greeks must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus. Once again we can see that Paul did not preach that baptism is a requirement for salvation, which means that Paul did not believe that he himself had received salvation through faith plus baptism. For all of these reasons, Acts 22:16 is not a proof that water baptism is a requirement for receiving salvation. Galatians 3:27
Here is Galatians 3:27 in both the NIV and the KJV: Galatians 3:27 (NIV): "for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ."Based on this verse, some people argue that we have not "put on Christ" (i.e. received salvation) until we have been baptized in water. However, that argument is based on people's assumptions. For example, when people use Galatians 3:27 (above) to support the idea that water baptism is required for receiving salvation, they are assuming that this verse is referring to water baptism. However, Bible scholars are divided on this point. Some scholars believe that Paul was talking about water baptism, but other scholars believe that he was referring to the baptism of the Holy Spirit, as in these examples: "Gal 3:27 - As many of you as have been baptized into Christ - All of you who have believed in Christ as the promised Messiah, and received baptism as a public proof that ye had received Christ as your Lord and Savior, have put on Christ" (Clarke, from http://www.e-sword.net/commentaries.htmlAs we can see, Bible scholars have different opinions about whether Paul was talking about water baptism or whether he was talking about the baptism of the Holy Spirit, and there is nothing in the context of Galatians 3:27 (above) which conclusively proves the issue one way or the other. Therefore, when people use this verse to argue that water baptism is necessary for receiving salvation, their argument is based on nothing more than an assumption. Personally, I tend to feel that Paul was speaking of water baptism in this verse, but there's no way to prove that. Consider that we can't honestly use this verse to "prove" that water baptism is necessary for salvation if we can't even prove that this verse is talking about water baptism in the first place! For the sake of discussion, however, let's pretend that Galatians 3:27 (above) is referring to water baptism. This still doesn't prove the argument that water baptism is necessary for salvation because that argument is based on at least one more faulty assumption. The problem is that when Paul spoke of being "clothed" with Christ in Galatians 3:27, some people are assuming that this means salvation. But is that an accurate assumption? The Greek word for "clothed" (or "put on") in Galatians 3:27 is enduo, and Paul used this same Greek word when he told the Roman Christians to "clothe" themselves with (or "put on") the Lord Jesus Christ in Romans 13:14: Romans 13:12: "The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light."As we can see by the context above, Paul was writing to the Christians in Rome, which means that he was writing to people who had already received salvation. In verse 14 (above), notice that Paul told them to "clothe" themselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, using the same Greek word that he used in Galatians 3:27 when he referred to being "clothed" with Christ. Since Paul was writing to people who had already received salvation, clearly he was not telling them to receive salvation. Therefore, we can't argue that being "clothed with Christ" in Galatians 3:27 (above) means receiving salvation. So when people use Galatians 3:27 to argue that water baptism is necessary for salvation, their argument is based on faulty assumptions. Ephesians 5:26 and Titus 3:5
Notice that these two verses make a reference to "washing": Ephesians 5:26: "to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word,"Sometimes people use the above verses to argue that the "washing" of baptism is necessary for receiving salvation. But like we saw with Galatians 3:27, Bible scholars are divided about whether or not the above verses are referring to water baptism, as in these examples: "With the washing of water - Baptism, accompanied by the purifying influences of the Holy Spirit." (Clarke, from http://www.e-sword.net/commentaries.htmlAs some of the quotes above point out, the New Testament passages which refer to water baptism never describe baptism as a "washing." In fact, the idea of "washing" does not always imply water. In the following passages, the verb forms of the Greek words for "wash" are all synonymous with each other (according to Greek dictionaries such as The Complete Word Study Dictionary of the New Testament, Spiros Zodhiates, p.1180,927. See also Strong's and Thayer's Greek dictionaries), so these Greek words for "wash" all have the same basic meaning. Notice how salvation is pictured in this verse: Revelation 7:14: "I answered, "Sir, you know." And he said, "These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb."In the verse above, some people's "robes" were "washed" in the blood of Jesus, which is a picture of salvation (forgiveness of sins through the blood of Christ). The same thing is implied in the following verse (which is worded differently in the KJV): Revelation 22:14: ""Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city."The following verse says that we were washed, sanctified, and justified by the Holy Spirit: 1 Corinthians 6:11: "And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God."The above verse specifically says that we are washed, sanctified, and justified by the Spirit (not by water baptism). Notice that there is no mention of water and no mention of baptism in the above verse. The washing/sanctification/justification are all inward, and they are all done by the "living water" (John 7:38-39) of the Holy Spirit. In Ephesians 5:26, notice that the Church has been cleansed "by the washing with water through the word": Ephesians 5:25: "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her"The above passage doesn't say that individual Christians have been baptized with water, it says that the Church has been cleansed "through the Word." The "washing with water" is not physical, it is done by the living water of the Holy Spirit. Notice the after-effect of this "washing": The above verse says that all of the "stains" and so forth have been washed away from the Church. These stains and wrinkles and blemishes are not referring to our human bodies, they are spiritual stains and wrinkles and blemishes. This is indicated by the fact that when these things are washed away by the Holy Spirit (through the process of sanctification), then the Church is left "radiant" and "holy and blameless" (verse 27, above). The "washing" is not external and physical, it is internal and spiritual. Similarly, in Titus 3:5 we can see once again that the "washing" is not external and physical, it is internal and spiritual: Titus 3:4: "But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared,"In the passage above, notice that we receive the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Spirit (not by water baptism). It is a spiritual cleansing, not a physical cleansing (as in the other verses above). In fact, notice what Titus 3:6 (above) says. It says that the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit happens when the Holy Spirit is poured out on us! It is the living water of the Holy Spirit which is being referred to here, not physical water. As we have seen, Ephesians 5:26 and Titus 3:5 are talking about spiritual cleansing, not water baptism. Conclusion
So far in this series of articles we have seen that:
Water baptism was commanded by Jesus (Matthew 28:19), and it was taught and practiced by the apostles and early Christians (possible examples are: Acts 2:38, 41, 8:12, 16, 36-39, 9:18, 10:47-48, 16:15, 33, 18:8, 19:5, 22:16, Hebrews 6:2, 1 Peter 3:21, Romans 6:3-4, 1 Corinthians 1:13-17, Galatians 3:27, Colossians 2:12). Therefore, water baptism is an important act of obedience, even though it is not a requirement for receiving salvation. I hope this has been helpful, and may the Lord abundantly bless you as you study His Word! |
