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UNION GROVE CHURCH OF CHRIST, CLEVELAND TN.

BAPTISM IS NOT ESSENTIAL, OR IS IT? (2)

Is it true that, "Baptism is in no wise essential to salvation?"

This article is the second portion of my response to a person that wrote by e-mail, stating, "Baptism is in no wise essential to salvation." In each case, the person’s statements are in italics and quotations, followed by my response.

"If baptism be necessary to salvation, then every professing believer who has died during this present dispensation is eternally lost, if he died without being baptized. And this would shut heaven's door upon the repentant thief."

Roger’s A: I am guessing that you have reference to the thief who died on the cross beside Jesus, and to whom the Master said, "Today shalt thou be with me in Paradise" (Luke 23:43). Please observe that when Jesus made such a promise to this thief, at that time His covenant was not yet in force. Jesus’ testament came into force only after He died. "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 they testator liveth" (Hebrews 9:16,17). Before that time (Jesus’ death and His testament/covenant coming into force) He could forgive sins as He saw fit (Mark 2:10). But you and I live "on this side of the cross," and so the question that we need to ask is this: "What was taught after Jesus’ covenant was in effect, and after He ascended to heaven? What did His preachers tell men to do in order to be saved?" The answer to that is found in Mark 16:16, Luke 24:47, and the Book of Acts.

"In the third place, if baptism be necessary to salvation, then we must ignore every passage in God's Word which teaches that salvation is by grace and not of works, that it is a free gift and not bought by anything the sinner does."

Roger’s A: There are several concepts that you mention in this statement, including grace, works, salvation as a free gift, and salvation not bought by anything that a sinner does. First, it is a fact that salvation is by God’s grace: "For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men" (Titus 2:11). Second, it is a fact that salvation is a gift of God: ". . .but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Romans 6:23). Also, Ephesians 2:9 calls salvation "the gift of God."

I certainly agree that no sinner can earn or merit his salvation, nor could he buy his salvation. But, should we conclude that since salvation is a "gift" that it is a gift that is received without any conditions? Consider if you would the ancient city of Jericho, about which Jehovah said to the Israelites, "See, I have given into thine hand Jericho, and the king thereof . . ." (Joshua 6:2). If God gave this city to Israel, then from the standpoint of the Israelites, Jericho was a gift from God. Yet, God also laid down the conditions by which the Israelites would be given the city – they were to march around the city each day for seven days, the priests were to blow the trumpets, and the people were to give out a shout at the appointed time (Joshua 6:3-5). The New Testament tells us, "By faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after they were compassed about seven days" (Hebrews 11:30). When did the walls of the city fall down? When the Israelites had fully obeyed the commands of the Lord, and He made those walls fall down as a consequence of their obedience. The history of the fall of the city of Jericho is a clear demonstration of the fact that it is possible for a gift from God to be conditional, that is, God gives such a gift or blessing only when man meets the conditions that the Lord has designated.

Would you not agree that man must do something in order to receive salvation through the Christ? In Acts 2:37, 16:30, and 22:10 we read that lost people in the first century asked what they must do (in order to be saved/receive the remission of sins). In each case they were told to do something – never were they told, "There is nothing that you can or need to do in order to be saved." It is true that even if they would do what the Lord commanded, they could never claim that they had earned or bought their salvation – salvation cannot be merited or bought. Yet, it stands as a biblical fact that man must act, do something, obey the Lord’s instructions in order to be saved. It is sometimes said that man does not have to do anything in order to be saved. I would remind those that have such an idea that even believing on Jesus is something that man must do for salvation. Believing on Jesus is a command (Acts 16:31), and a command of God is something that man must carry out, not God. So, if we suggest that man does not have to do anything in order to be saved, then it would follow that man does not have to believe in Jesus. However, such a conclusion would contradict too many plain biblical statements. Thus, it a false conclusion that says man is not required to do anything in order to be saved or justified.

Now to the thought of salvation not being by works. The Bible speaks of different types of works. There are (1) works of the Law of Moses, (2) works of merit by which one tries to set up a scheme by which he can earn his salvation, and (3) works of obedience. No person can be saved by works of the Law of Moses (Galatians 2:16), and no one can be saved by works of merit or those that humans devise (Ephesians 2:8,9).

Should we conclude, then, that a person is not saved by any type of works? Should we conclude that there is not one single work that is essential for man’s salvation? Once Jesus was asked, "What shall we do, that we might work the works of God." What was His response? "Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent" (John 6:28,29). Jesus said that believing on Him as the Son of God is a "work." Therefore, if we claim that all "works" are unnecessary for salvation, then it would be the case that believing in Jesus would be unnecessary, because by Jesus’ own words believing in Him is a "work." Put another way, if we say that there is no work which a person does that is connected with our salvation, then that would eliminate belief in Jesus as being connected with our salvation. But we have too many Bible passages that show that belief in Jesus as God’s Son is connected with our salvation. Since belief in Jesus is necessary, and it is a "work" that man is commanded to do (Acts 16:31), then it is false to say that our salvation is not by any type of works whatsoever.

Two final thoughts about "works." First, the Holy Spirit says that "by works a man is justified, and not by faith only" (James 2:24). In the context of James 2 the "works" under consideration are acts of obedience. Second, when the Bible declares that a person is not saved "by works" (as in Ephesians 2:8,9), does this mean that a person is not saved by obedience to the Christ? No, it cannot mean salvation without obedience, or that obedience is not required. How do we know this? "And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey Him" (Hebrew 5:9). Also, the Bible states that those who do not "obey the gospel" will "be punished with everlasting destruction" (2 Thessalonians 1:8). No obedience means no salvation. Therefore, when the Bible speaks of salvation being not "by works," the "works" under consideration cannot refer to acts of obedience to the Lord’s commands. Such obedience certainly is required.

"If baptism be essential to salvation, it is passing strange that Christ Himself never baptized any one (see John 4:2), for He came to ‘save His people from their sins.’"

Roger’s A: There may be a number of reasons why Jesus never personally baptized anyone. The Bible does not speak about what the reason(s) might have been. But there are two things of which we can be sure. First, what one living today must do in order to be saved is determined not by what men did or did not do before the death of Jesus. Again, Jesus’ testament did not come into force until after He died (Hebrews 9:16,17). In order to be saved we must act according to the teaching of that new covenant.

Second, although the Master did not personally baptize anyone, before He ascended to the Father He did have something to say about baptism and salvation. Thus, baptism is a part of Jesus’ teaching. In fact, He spoke of baptism and salvation in the same sentence. And just what did Jesus say about baptism and salvation? Jesus said, "He . . . shall be saved" (Mark 16:16). According to the words of Jesus that are recorded in Mark 16:16, which person ("he") shall be saved? Does that passage say, "He that believeth shall be saved?" No. Does that passage say, "He that is baptized shall be saved?" No. Well, just what did Jesus say? He said, "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved." It is clear that in this statement Jesus spoke of two things that one must do – there are two items that stand before "shall be saved" in Jesus’ declaration. What are those two things? Belief and baptism. There belief and baptism stand in front of "shall be saved," just where they have always been. [To be continued]

-- Roger D. Campbell