Articles by: Kenneth J. Ester
False Doctrine: Saved by Water Baptism
There are a lot of denominations preaching that one must be baptized by water in order to be saved. That without water baptism, you cannot enter heaven. As with other false doctrines, this is a belief that comes from interpreting the scriptures to mean something they simply never say.
Let's take a look at some common scriptures used to support this belief.
John 3:5 (NASB)
5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
The most important thing I will point out in this verse is the lack of any form of the word "baptize". One is only assuming this s speaking of water baptism and baptism of the Holy Spirit. What else would it be speaking of you ask? The first place I know of where God gives us a peak at this answer is in Ezekiel.
Ezekiel 36:25-26 (NASB)
25 Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. 26 Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.
God does not say He will have someone sprinkle clean water on us, but that He will do it Himself.
1 Corinthians 6:10-11 (NASB)
10 nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.
Hebrews 10:22 (NASB)
22 let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.
Outside of water baptism, the Word of God also reveals that God washes us clean by sprinkling clean water on our hearts when He changes us. So now we must question whether being born of water, as Jesus said, is water baptism or if it is God sprinkling clean water on our hearts. I will return to this later. For now let's recognize that John 3:5 does not clarify what being born of water is. The Lord never actually says baptized by water in that verse.
The next verse that is often used to support the necessity of water baptism in order to be saved is this one...
Matthew 28:19-20 (NASB)
19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
If this debate was on whether or not we should be baptized, this verse would win it hands down. However, that is not even a question. We all agree that we should be baptized and that Jesus commands us to do it. The question is whether it is necessary to be saved. In this scripture, Jesus never says it is necessary to be saved. Jesus commands us to do many things, but not everything He tells us to do is necessary for salvation. Many things He teaches is for our personal relationship with Him. So we can grow closer to Him. This is one of those things. Jesus never says to baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit in order to be saved! He just says to baptize them.
Finally we have this verse...
Mark 16:16 (NASB)
16 He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned.
The first thing I will point out here is that it is strange how Jesus gives two stipulations to being saved but only one to being condemned. He who believes and is baptized will be saved. He who does not believe will be condemned. What about those who do believe and are not baptized? He does not say they are condemned. Why only those who do not believe are condemned if water baptism is necessary?
The second thing I want you to notice is the fact He doesnt actually say "water" baptism! He says that he who believes and is baptized will be saved, but He doesnt say that baptism is water baptism! Some just tend to assume that is what it is speaking of, when in fact it is not.
Remember in John 3:5 when it says one must be born of water and spirit to enter the kingdom of heaven? Even though I contend that it was not speaking of water baptism, I do however believe it was definitely speaking of baptism of the Holy Spirit. What is important to recognize here however is what exactly baptism of the Holy Spirit is.
Many believe you need to be prayed over and ask the Holy Spirit to enter you to be baptized by the Holy Spirit. That is not correct. You can be prayed over to receive the "gift" of the Spirit, but it never says to receive the Holy Spirit. That is because the very moment we believe in Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we receive the Holy Spirit.
Ephesians 1:13 (NASB)
13 In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise,
You see? After hearing the gospel of truth, the very moment you believe, God sends the Holy Spirit to you to seal you with a promise of salvation! That is the baptism of Holy Spirit. It happens automatically the very moment you believe in your heart.
So in Mark 16:16 when it says that he who believes and has been baptized, it is speaking of baptism of the Holy Spirit. When Jesus comes for us in the rapture, everyone with the seal of the Holy Spirit in them will be taken up. When we die, the seal of the Holy Spirit within us will take us to heaven.
Why doesn't it mention the baptism for those who are condemned? It is impossible for someone who does not believe, to be baptized by the Holy Spirit! The Holy Spirit is never going to enter someone who does not truly believe.
Let's talk simple logic here!
Imagine someone has never been told about Jesus dying for their sins and they get hit by a car. They are lying in the street, suffering and dying. As they are waiting for the ambulance, someone else kneels beside them and tells them about Jesus and they really do believe. They pray with that person and they ask Jesus to save them. They truly believe that Jesus is the Son of God and that He rose from the dead. Then they breathe their last breath and die. Never having the opportunity to be baptized by water. Where do they go? Heaven or hell?
If water baptism is absolutely necessary to be saved and go to heaven, then the answer must be that they are still condemned to hell. That even though they truly believed with all their heart, they will still go to hell because they were never baptized by water. However, if that is true, then we have a direct contradiction with these verses...
John 3:15 (NASB)
15 so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life.
John 3:18 (NASB)
18 He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
John 5:24 (NASB)
24 “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.
John 6:47 (NASB)
47 Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes has eternal life.
These are only a few of the scriptures that says we are saved through believing and never mentions being baptized by water. There are 19 total Primary verses that state how we are saved. Nine from the writers of the New Testament books and ten from Jesus Himself. Not one of them mentions water baptism. Since Jesus repeatedly says you will be saved by believing and never mentions that you must be baptized by water to be saved, we are left with a choice on what to believe.
1) You can believe that Jesus is extremely neglectful to preach so often about how we are saved and never once clearly say that water baptism is necessary for salvation. And that if someone accepts Jesus as their Savior on their death bed but doesn't get baptized before they die, they are going to hell in direct contradiction to what Jesus says.
2) You can believe that water baptism is not necessary to salvation and suddenly there is no contradiction in God's Word, and people who accept Jesus on their death bed will be saved.
Finally we have this verse....
1 Peter 3:21 (NASB)
21 Corresponding to that, baptism now saves you—not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience—through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,
I have struggled to find a good explanation for this one for a long time. Even though I knew the truth, I could not explain what Peter was meaning by this statement. Recently I read an article that made a lot of sense.
Peter is not talking about the action of the water baptism... not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but he was speaking of what Water Baptism represents, ... but an appeal to God for a good conscience—through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,... is what saves you. In other words, it is not the act of being baptized by water that saves you, but it is "why" you are being baptized by water that saves you. That "why" is because you believe in your heart that Jesus is Lord and therefore are desiring to do the thing He commanded you to do. Get baptized by water!
One last point I would like to make is that all throughout the New Testament we have cases where people receive the Holy Spirit before they are baptized by water. Since the receiving of the Holy Spirit is a sign as proof that you have been saved, it is proof that one can be saved without being baptized by water. Just read Acts chapter 10 to see a very clear case of Cornelius and his entire household receiving the Spirit and speaking in tongues to prove it, and they had only heard the words from Peter's mouth and have not yet been baptized. In fact it is the very fact that they had received the Spirit that Peter says they should be allowed to be baptized. So clearly water baptism is very important, but it is also clearly not essential to our salvation.
Water Baptism is extremely important to our walk with God. It is a symbolic gesture we are commanded to do, to represent our washing away the old man and putting him to death and rising up as a new creature, washed clean and made righteous by God. It is extremely important because Jesus commanded it. How can we possibly accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior and truly believe in Him with all our hearts, but not be willing to do something He commanded all of us to do? Refusing to be baptized by water would be a lousy way to start off that relationship with the Lord.
Also read:
Why do we need Salvation?
What did God do to Save us?
How exactly are we Saved?
Return to:
The Truth of Salvation
Let's take a look at some common scriptures used to support this belief.
John 3:5 (NASB)
5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
The most important thing I will point out in this verse is the lack of any form of the word "baptize". One is only assuming this s speaking of water baptism and baptism of the Holy Spirit. What else would it be speaking of you ask? The first place I know of where God gives us a peak at this answer is in Ezekiel.
Ezekiel 36:25-26 (NASB)
25 Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. 26 Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.
God does not say He will have someone sprinkle clean water on us, but that He will do it Himself.
1 Corinthians 6:10-11 (NASB)
10 nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.
Hebrews 10:22 (NASB)
22 let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.
Outside of water baptism, the Word of God also reveals that God washes us clean by sprinkling clean water on our hearts when He changes us. So now we must question whether being born of water, as Jesus said, is water baptism or if it is God sprinkling clean water on our hearts. I will return to this later. For now let's recognize that John 3:5 does not clarify what being born of water is. The Lord never actually says baptized by water in that verse.
The next verse that is often used to support the necessity of water baptism in order to be saved is this one...
Matthew 28:19-20 (NASB)
19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
If this debate was on whether or not we should be baptized, this verse would win it hands down. However, that is not even a question. We all agree that we should be baptized and that Jesus commands us to do it. The question is whether it is necessary to be saved. In this scripture, Jesus never says it is necessary to be saved. Jesus commands us to do many things, but not everything He tells us to do is necessary for salvation. Many things He teaches is for our personal relationship with Him. So we can grow closer to Him. This is one of those things. Jesus never says to baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit in order to be saved! He just says to baptize them.
Finally we have this verse...
Mark 16:16 (NASB)
16 He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned.
The first thing I will point out here is that it is strange how Jesus gives two stipulations to being saved but only one to being condemned. He who believes and is baptized will be saved. He who does not believe will be condemned. What about those who do believe and are not baptized? He does not say they are condemned. Why only those who do not believe are condemned if water baptism is necessary?
The second thing I want you to notice is the fact He doesnt actually say "water" baptism! He says that he who believes and is baptized will be saved, but He doesnt say that baptism is water baptism! Some just tend to assume that is what it is speaking of, when in fact it is not.
Remember in John 3:5 when it says one must be born of water and spirit to enter the kingdom of heaven? Even though I contend that it was not speaking of water baptism, I do however believe it was definitely speaking of baptism of the Holy Spirit. What is important to recognize here however is what exactly baptism of the Holy Spirit is.
Many believe you need to be prayed over and ask the Holy Spirit to enter you to be baptized by the Holy Spirit. That is not correct. You can be prayed over to receive the "gift" of the Spirit, but it never says to receive the Holy Spirit. That is because the very moment we believe in Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we receive the Holy Spirit.
Ephesians 1:13 (NASB)
13 In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise,
You see? After hearing the gospel of truth, the very moment you believe, God sends the Holy Spirit to you to seal you with a promise of salvation! That is the baptism of Holy Spirit. It happens automatically the very moment you believe in your heart.
So in Mark 16:16 when it says that he who believes and has been baptized, it is speaking of baptism of the Holy Spirit. When Jesus comes for us in the rapture, everyone with the seal of the Holy Spirit in them will be taken up. When we die, the seal of the Holy Spirit within us will take us to heaven.
Why doesn't it mention the baptism for those who are condemned? It is impossible for someone who does not believe, to be baptized by the Holy Spirit! The Holy Spirit is never going to enter someone who does not truly believe.
Let's talk simple logic here!
Imagine someone has never been told about Jesus dying for their sins and they get hit by a car. They are lying in the street, suffering and dying. As they are waiting for the ambulance, someone else kneels beside them and tells them about Jesus and they really do believe. They pray with that person and they ask Jesus to save them. They truly believe that Jesus is the Son of God and that He rose from the dead. Then they breathe their last breath and die. Never having the opportunity to be baptized by water. Where do they go? Heaven or hell?
If water baptism is absolutely necessary to be saved and go to heaven, then the answer must be that they are still condemned to hell. That even though they truly believed with all their heart, they will still go to hell because they were never baptized by water. However, if that is true, then we have a direct contradiction with these verses...
John 3:15 (NASB)
15 so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life.
John 3:18 (NASB)
18 He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
John 5:24 (NASB)
24 “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.
John 6:47 (NASB)
47 Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes has eternal life.
These are only a few of the scriptures that says we are saved through believing and never mentions being baptized by water. There are 19 total Primary verses that state how we are saved. Nine from the writers of the New Testament books and ten from Jesus Himself. Not one of them mentions water baptism. Since Jesus repeatedly says you will be saved by believing and never mentions that you must be baptized by water to be saved, we are left with a choice on what to believe.
1) You can believe that Jesus is extremely neglectful to preach so often about how we are saved and never once clearly say that water baptism is necessary for salvation. And that if someone accepts Jesus as their Savior on their death bed but doesn't get baptized before they die, they are going to hell in direct contradiction to what Jesus says.
2) You can believe that water baptism is not necessary to salvation and suddenly there is no contradiction in God's Word, and people who accept Jesus on their death bed will be saved.
Finally we have this verse....
1 Peter 3:21 (NASB)
21 Corresponding to that, baptism now saves you—not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience—through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,
I have struggled to find a good explanation for this one for a long time. Even though I knew the truth, I could not explain what Peter was meaning by this statement. Recently I read an article that made a lot of sense.
Peter is not talking about the action of the water baptism... not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but he was speaking of what Water Baptism represents, ... but an appeal to God for a good conscience—through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,... is what saves you. In other words, it is not the act of being baptized by water that saves you, but it is "why" you are being baptized by water that saves you. That "why" is because you believe in your heart that Jesus is Lord and therefore are desiring to do the thing He commanded you to do. Get baptized by water!
One last point I would like to make is that all throughout the New Testament we have cases where people receive the Holy Spirit before they are baptized by water. Since the receiving of the Holy Spirit is a sign as proof that you have been saved, it is proof that one can be saved without being baptized by water. Just read Acts chapter 10 to see a very clear case of Cornelius and his entire household receiving the Spirit and speaking in tongues to prove it, and they had only heard the words from Peter's mouth and have not yet been baptized. In fact it is the very fact that they had received the Spirit that Peter says they should be allowed to be baptized. So clearly water baptism is very important, but it is also clearly not essential to our salvation.
Water Baptism is extremely important to our walk with God. It is a symbolic gesture we are commanded to do, to represent our washing away the old man and putting him to death and rising up as a new creature, washed clean and made righteous by God. It is extremely important because Jesus commanded it. How can we possibly accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior and truly believe in Him with all our hearts, but not be willing to do something He commanded all of us to do? Refusing to be baptized by water would be a lousy way to start off that relationship with the Lord.
Also read:
Why do we need Salvation?
What did God do to Save us?
How exactly are we Saved?
Return to:
The Truth of Salvation
