Articles by: Kenneth J. Ester
Is Water Baptism Necessary for Salvation?
When it comes to Water Baptism, I want to make something very clear from the start. This is not a discussion on whether Water Baptism is necessary or not. Every Christian believes it is necessary to be baptized by water. The question is whether it is necessary in being saved or not. Can someone go to heaven if they are not baptized by water?
It is also important to decide before you read this. Are you looking to follow the truth of God's Word, or are you looking to satisfy your pride by believing what you already think is true? So many are so filled with pride that even when they are presented with absolute proof their belief is wrong, they still wont accept it. They will continue to insist they are right even when they know they are wrong. It is no different than what the Pharisees did in rejecting Jesus. He contradicted some of their traditional beliefs and refused to accept Him as the Messiah, no matter how many miracles He performed to prove He was of God.
In a recent debate on whether water baptism is necessary for salvation or not, I asked a question. I will ask it here.
A man is at home on a Saturday night and sees a preacher preaching the gospel on TV. Something about it grabs his attention and he really begins listening and the words really touch his heart. Right there in his living room, he falls to his knees and prays to the Lord, asking Him to forgive his sins. He calls his Christian cousin and tells him how he truly believes that Jesus is Lord and asks him if he could go to church with him in the morning. Says he wants to talk to the pastor about getting baptized. Then as he is taking a shower, he slips in the tub and hits his head on the faucet and dies. Does he go to heaven or hell?
I asked for someone who believes that water baptism is necessary for salvation to answer that question. I got no answers. In a post on Facebook where many were arguing it was necessary, not a single person was willing to answer this question. Why is that?
If you truly believe that one must be baptized by water to go to heaven, then you are forced to say this man will go to hell. There is no getting around that. If you say it isn't for us to judge and it's for God to judge, then you are saying it is not absolutely necessary to be baptized by water. That there is a chance God will still save someone who was not baptized. Yet nobody was willing to say that this man would go to hell. Why? because in their heart, they know that this fellow should go to heaven. They cannot believe in their heart that God would still cast him into hell. That would be unfair of God. Actually it would be in direct contradiction to God's Word!
Acts 2:21 (NASB)
21 And it shall be that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’
Romans 10:13 (NASB)
13 for “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
That is both Luke and Paul who states this very clearly. These scriptures are what you call a primary scripture. They can only have one possible interpretation without throwing logic out the window. If you want more information on Primary Scriptures, read this... "The Power of Primary Scriptures".
To say that the man in my scenario would not go to heaven would be a direct contradiction to these scriptures. For he clearly calls on the name of the Lord. In fact, he also does exactly what Paul says one must do to be saved.
Romans 10:9-10 (NASB)
9 that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; 10 for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.
Now we have three scriptures that are in direct contradiction of saying this man in my scenario would not go to heaven. And that's not all of them. So far I have found 19 Primary scriptures on "how" we are saved. Every single one says we are saved by believing in Jesus. Not one primary scripture ever says that we are saved by any other means.
Primary Salvation Verses
Of course there are plenty of scriptures people will want to throw out there saying that water baptism is necessary for salvation. The problem is, not one of them are primary scriptures. Every single one of them are verses that are only interpreted to mean something they never actually say. Now I can go through them, but that would make this article way too long. So instead I will name the verses and link them to articles I have already written about them. So if you want to see how they are often misinterpreted, or in the very least see evidence that they are not a primary scripture, please click on the verse of your choosing.
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.”
Mark 16:16 (NASB)
16 He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned.
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.
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,
Whether you agree with my interpretations or not, if you are being honest, you will at least admit that the interpretations I give are logical. They can in fact be interpreted to mean what I say. What this proves is that these scriptures are in fact nothing more than interpretations. They do not state anything clear enough to be listed as a primary scripture.
I will not deny that the interpretations of those verses are only what I interpret them to mean. Who's to say whether my interpretation is right or your interpretation is right. Right? However, my interpretations allow for the entire Bible to line up perfectly with no contradictions. To say these scriptures mean we must be baptized by water to be saved, you have to do so in direct contradiction to the 19 Primary scriptures telling us how we are saved.
You have every right to believe what you want. Personally, if God's Word has even one primary scripture stating one thing, I will accept that as the truth over even a thousand interpreted scriptures. I have learned not to trust man's ability to interpret scriptures. So when someone interprets a verse in a way that it directly contradicts a primary scripture, I know they are wrong in their interpretation.
Again, every Christian should agree that we need to be baptized by water. But water baptism is not what saves us. It is an act me take to symbolize our dedication to living for the Lord. It is to symbolize the death of the old and the resurrection of a new creature in the Lord. Jesus told us to be baptized. He never said to be baptized or you will go to hell. It is about starting our relationship with the Lord and not the cause of our salvation.
What will you choose to follow? The primary scriptures that God wrote plainly, or man's interpretation? Are you willing to accept the truth of what God's Word actually says, or will you be like the Pharisees and hold onto your beliefs even if they contradict the Word of God?
If you still think it is necessary to be baptized by water in order to go to heaven, I would suggest you read the articles in this link on salvation. These articles will help you understand salvation from a very logical point of view. Once you truly understand how salvation works, then you can ask yourself this question. Where does water baptism fit into that understanding?
The Truth of Salvation
It is also important to decide before you read this. Are you looking to follow the truth of God's Word, or are you looking to satisfy your pride by believing what you already think is true? So many are so filled with pride that even when they are presented with absolute proof their belief is wrong, they still wont accept it. They will continue to insist they are right even when they know they are wrong. It is no different than what the Pharisees did in rejecting Jesus. He contradicted some of their traditional beliefs and refused to accept Him as the Messiah, no matter how many miracles He performed to prove He was of God.
In a recent debate on whether water baptism is necessary for salvation or not, I asked a question. I will ask it here.
A man is at home on a Saturday night and sees a preacher preaching the gospel on TV. Something about it grabs his attention and he really begins listening and the words really touch his heart. Right there in his living room, he falls to his knees and prays to the Lord, asking Him to forgive his sins. He calls his Christian cousin and tells him how he truly believes that Jesus is Lord and asks him if he could go to church with him in the morning. Says he wants to talk to the pastor about getting baptized. Then as he is taking a shower, he slips in the tub and hits his head on the faucet and dies. Does he go to heaven or hell?
I asked for someone who believes that water baptism is necessary for salvation to answer that question. I got no answers. In a post on Facebook where many were arguing it was necessary, not a single person was willing to answer this question. Why is that?
If you truly believe that one must be baptized by water to go to heaven, then you are forced to say this man will go to hell. There is no getting around that. If you say it isn't for us to judge and it's for God to judge, then you are saying it is not absolutely necessary to be baptized by water. That there is a chance God will still save someone who was not baptized. Yet nobody was willing to say that this man would go to hell. Why? because in their heart, they know that this fellow should go to heaven. They cannot believe in their heart that God would still cast him into hell. That would be unfair of God. Actually it would be in direct contradiction to God's Word!
Acts 2:21 (NASB)
21 And it shall be that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’
Romans 10:13 (NASB)
13 for “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
That is both Luke and Paul who states this very clearly. These scriptures are what you call a primary scripture. They can only have one possible interpretation without throwing logic out the window. If you want more information on Primary Scriptures, read this... "The Power of Primary Scriptures".
To say that the man in my scenario would not go to heaven would be a direct contradiction to these scriptures. For he clearly calls on the name of the Lord. In fact, he also does exactly what Paul says one must do to be saved.
Romans 10:9-10 (NASB)
9 that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; 10 for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.
Now we have three scriptures that are in direct contradiction of saying this man in my scenario would not go to heaven. And that's not all of them. So far I have found 19 Primary scriptures on "how" we are saved. Every single one says we are saved by believing in Jesus. Not one primary scripture ever says that we are saved by any other means.
Primary Salvation Verses
Of course there are plenty of scriptures people will want to throw out there saying that water baptism is necessary for salvation. The problem is, not one of them are primary scriptures. Every single one of them are verses that are only interpreted to mean something they never actually say. Now I can go through them, but that would make this article way too long. So instead I will name the verses and link them to articles I have already written about them. So if you want to see how they are often misinterpreted, or in the very least see evidence that they are not a primary scripture, please click on the verse of your choosing.
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.”
Mark 16:16 (NASB)
16 He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned.
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.
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,
Whether you agree with my interpretations or not, if you are being honest, you will at least admit that the interpretations I give are logical. They can in fact be interpreted to mean what I say. What this proves is that these scriptures are in fact nothing more than interpretations. They do not state anything clear enough to be listed as a primary scripture.
I will not deny that the interpretations of those verses are only what I interpret them to mean. Who's to say whether my interpretation is right or your interpretation is right. Right? However, my interpretations allow for the entire Bible to line up perfectly with no contradictions. To say these scriptures mean we must be baptized by water to be saved, you have to do so in direct contradiction to the 19 Primary scriptures telling us how we are saved.
You have every right to believe what you want. Personally, if God's Word has even one primary scripture stating one thing, I will accept that as the truth over even a thousand interpreted scriptures. I have learned not to trust man's ability to interpret scriptures. So when someone interprets a verse in a way that it directly contradicts a primary scripture, I know they are wrong in their interpretation.
Again, every Christian should agree that we need to be baptized by water. But water baptism is not what saves us. It is an act me take to symbolize our dedication to living for the Lord. It is to symbolize the death of the old and the resurrection of a new creature in the Lord. Jesus told us to be baptized. He never said to be baptized or you will go to hell. It is about starting our relationship with the Lord and not the cause of our salvation.
What will you choose to follow? The primary scriptures that God wrote plainly, or man's interpretation? Are you willing to accept the truth of what God's Word actually says, or will you be like the Pharisees and hold onto your beliefs even if they contradict the Word of God?
If you still think it is necessary to be baptized by water in order to go to heaven, I would suggest you read the articles in this link on salvation. These articles will help you understand salvation from a very logical point of view. Once you truly understand how salvation works, then you can ask yourself this question. Where does water baptism fit into that understanding?
The Truth of Salvation
