Is a Christian who believes baptism is necessary for salvation not saved?

DanLW

Active Member
I'm not interested in the arguments of either side - I am well aware of the opinions on both sides, and I can easily search out hundreds if not thousands of articles on both sides of the topic. What I am interested in is if people who believe salvation is by faith alone consider "baptism necessary" Christians as unsaved or merely in error but not unsaved.

I am well aware of both sides of the issues, and there is a convenient sticky post at the top of the subforum that covers these topics. I am more interested in the status of Christians who believe baptism is necessary rather than a result.

As for my opinion, I think such a Christian is saved, and Romans 14 is my basis. To paraphrase and re-phrase, if a Christian believes baptism is necessary, such a Christian does it to the Lord and God has received him.
 

ozaprah

Active Member
True baptism is an outward response to a inward change.
Salvation is by faith in Christ alone. It is a repentance, or change of mind. The thief on the cross was not baptized, yet was promised paradise that very day.

As to your question, it is hard to answer simply.
Some believe baptism, amongst other actions (confession etc) is necessary for salvation. (eg Catholics). Many are baptized, yet I believe many are also not saved.
Some believe truly in Jesus as Savior, but also hold to the belief of the requirement for baptism for salvation. I believe they are both saved and in error.

The issue is has the "baptism necessary" Christian ever put their faith in Christ. If so, they are saved.
 

Andy C

Well-Known Member
True baptism is an outward response to a inward change.
Salvation is by faith in Christ alone. It is a repentance, or change of mind. The thief on the cross was not baptized, yet was promised paradise that very day.

As to your question, it is hard to answer simply.
Some believe baptism, amongst other actions (confession etc) is necessary for salvation. (eg Catholics). Many are baptized, yet I believe many are also not saved.
Some believe truly in Jesus as Savior, but also hold to the belief of the requirement for baptism for salvation. I believe they are both saved and in error.

The issue is has the "baptism necessary" Christian ever put their faith in Christ. If so, they are saved.

Good question, and Jack Kelley answered this same question.

Question: If some people believe that water baptism is required for salvation, does this mean that they are not saved since they aren’t depending fully on the Lord’s work on the cross for salvation? I ask this, because I have come across people that are putting water baptism into John chapter 3, which is just a misinterpretation. I know its impossible to say if a person is truly saved or not, but if they are claiming Jesus’ death plus water baptism, is there a reason to be concerned for these people?

Answer: Adding anything to believing in the Lord’s death as a requirement for salvation contradicts the clearest statements the Lord made on the issue. For example, in John 6:28-29 the people asked him point blank about the work God requires of us, and He answered, “The work of God is this, to believe in the one He sent.” If ever there was an opportunity for Him to list every requirement for salvation that was it. But He only mentioned belief.
Baptism is an important part of a believer’s confession of faith because it’s a public declaration of belief. But the Bible does not define it as an essential component of salvation. I wouldn’t go as far as to say a person who believes baptism is necessary for salvation is not saved. But to say a person is not saved unless they’ve added baptism to belief is incorrect.
I agree with you that using John 3:5 to support the requirement for baptism is an incorrect interpretation. Being born of water is the first birth, the physical one. Being born of the spirit is the second one, when we’re born again.
And as John 3:25 indicates, baptism is a form of ceremonial washing. John the Baptist adapted it from the Mikvah, an immersion in flowing water that the Jews used to symbolically cleanse themselves in preparation for important events in their life.
https://gracethrufaith.com/ask-a-bible-teacher/more-on-baptism-and-salvation/
 

Tall Timbers

Imperfect but forgiven
The very question, as you've posed it, contains a contradiction:
is if people who believe salvation is by faith alone consider "baptism necessary" ....
Believing that baptism is necessary removes that person from the group that believes salvation is by faith alone because it adds an additional requirement.

I believe that in most cases, I'm not able to judge whether a person is saved, and I don't believe that's my place. Of my four children, three have asked Christ into their life and the forth believes himself a Christian. By his fruits, I believe I can know that one of my sons in a True Believer, but they may all be...
 

DanLW

Active Member
The very question, as you've posed it, contains a contradiction: Believing that baptism is necessary removes that person from the group that believes salvation is by faith alone because it adds an additional requirement.

I believe that in most cases, I'm not able to judge whether a person is saved, and I don't believe that's my place. Of my four children, three have asked Christ into their life and the forth believes himself a Christian. By his fruits, I believe I can know that one of my sons in a True Believer, but they may all be...

You misunderstood the question and pulled it out of context.

To rephrase, does a salvation by faith alone Christian consider a Christian who believes baptism is necessary to not truly be a Christian, and therefore believe that person to be unsaved.
 

lightofmylife

Blessed Hope-Prepare To Fly!
Yes, it does at the beginning it says we adamantly reject baptism as being required for salvation. The thief on the cross was not baptized, and Jesus said today thou shalt be with me in paradise. If a person believes that Jesus died on the cross, was buried, and rose again accepts him as their personal Savior they are born again. Baptism just represents the death, burial, and resurrection the water does not wash away your sins. Only the blood forgives us of our sins.
 
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Amethyst

Angie ... †
I am interested in whether a Christian who believes baptism is necessary is not saved.
If someone claims to believe that Jesus death and resurrection paid for their sins and believe on him as their Savior, I don't think we can judge beyond that what the state of their salvation is. We can't inspect every misconceived notion. We have to take them at belief.
However, more often than not, people who do believe that also believe in other works contributing to salvation. I do not believe those people are saved bc they're trusting gin their works and not Jesus.

But each situation/person is different so beyond saying they believe in Him as their Savior.... :idunno
 
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Steve53

Well-Known Member
....To rephrase, does a salvation by faith alone Christian consider a Christian who believes baptism is necessary to not truly be a Christian, and therefore believe that person to be unsaved.

With all due respect, I don't believe TT misunderstood you or abandoned the context. He merely used a truncated version of your OP to illustrate the contradiction inherent in the question. In other words, you answered your own query. Regardless, I think we all know what you're driving at...

A horribly oversimplified answer would be, yes. That person may be unsaved. Why? Because that person has declared themselves worthy of salvation by virtue of a "work" in addition to Christ's work upon the cross.

Yet we cannot know the heart of another. We know that the Scriptures make the case that Christ finished His work upon the cross. Adding to or subtracting from that finished work, means by implication, that the person doing the adding or subtracting doesn't believe in their heart that Christ's sacrifice was sufficient. They believe in effect, that something else must be done also - some kind of work.

Nonetheless, it's not for us to judge them unto salvation. What is incumbent upon us to do in those situations, is to use the Scriptures to explain to that person that any "attachments" or rituals or works of any kind, have the effect of projecting the idea that they don't believe the simple Gospel truth that salvation is achieved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone; and that they may potentially be in peril by believing something else is also required...some kind of "work."

We should encourage those professing Christians to seek God's advice and help encourage them to study His Word to find the reassurance that yes, salvation is indeed a free gift with no strings attached. And illustrate that by adding strings, they may be creating a rope by which they will hang themselves.
 
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Everlasting Life

Through Faith in Jesus
I wouldn’t go as far as to say a person who believes baptism is necessary for salvation is not saved. But to say a person is not saved unless they’ve added baptism to belief is incorrect.


We should encourage those professing Christians to seek God's advice and help encourage them to study His Word to find the reassurance that yes, salvation is indeed a free gift with no strings attached. And illustrate that by adding strings, they may be creating a rope by which they will hang themselves


I really appreciate this. As one who came out of a cult, I accepted Jesus Christ as my Savior (and was baptized) while in the cult (strangely it was the one thing they got biblically right), then left the cult.

Later I was drawn to the Word again and it took time and studying God's Word to little by little replace untruth with biblical truth. While I was in process of doing this, I believe I was saved (faith in Christ was there), but still hashing through false teachings, taking in God's Word and gradually developing that assurance of salvation through faith in Christ, period. My situation was such that I simply was at home reading my bible and reading RR to get me to this point (we didn't have a church home at the time).

So, as I was reading this thread I felt concern about those who are indeed saved but in process of growing in understanding in Christ and sifting through teachings to discard or hang onto (biblical ones) as they grow in Christ and feel cautious about dogmatically saying one is not saved.
 

mattfivefour

Well-Known Member
I really appreciate this. As one who came out of a cult, I accepted Jesus Christ as my Savior (and was baptized) while in the cult (strangely it was the one thing they got biblically right), then left the cult.

Later I was drawn to the Word again and it took time and studying God's Word to little by little replace untruth with biblical truth. While I was in process of doing this, I believe I was saved (faith in Christ was there), but still hashing through false teachings, taking in God's Word and gradually developing that assurance of salvation through faith in Christ, period. My situation was such that I simply was at home reading my bible and reading RR to get me to this point (we didn't have a church home at the time).

So, as I was reading this thread I felt concern about those who are indeed saved but in process of growing in understanding in Christ and sifting through teachings to discard or hang onto (biblical ones) as they grow in Christ and feel cautious about dogmatically saying one is not saved.
Excellent!
 

ozaprah

Active Member
But maybe the person doesn't think of it as a "work" but maybe rather just a part of salvation???
And in that they would be correct. Salvation involves justification, sanctification and glorification. It is clear that baptism is part of God's plan for us in the sanctification journey as an outward sign of our inward change. But it is not required to BECOME saved.. ie: justification. Maybe the problem is their understanding of the concepts of the tenses of salvation.
 

lightofmylife

Blessed Hope-Prepare To Fly!
I’m more concerned about those that baptize infant thinking ‘there that’s done’
I agree a person has to understand about salvation, and a baby sure doesn't. You are to be saved and then baptized. In the :bibleeven Jesus was baptized by immersion because it represents the death, burial, and resurrection. Sprinkling and pouring water do not.
 
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