Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved
Mark 16:16 - Baptism cannot be a requirement for salvation. To make it such is an attack on the sufficiency of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ (GotQuestions.org)
Image of baptism in the Jordan River, Yardenit, Israel © 2018, Steven Sande.
“Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.”
Mark 16:16 NIV
Today’s verse is from Jesus after His resurrection, and He is talking to the Eleven — the remaining disciples minus Judas Iscariot. This statement from Jesus is rather confusing, as it appears to say that baptism — full immersion in water as seen in today’s image — is a requirement for salvation. It isn’t.
Baptism is a very important step to take for a person who is born again in Christ, as it is the way for a Christian to publicly demonstrate their understanding and belief in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. The immersion in water illustrates dying and being buried with Christ; coming out of the water is symbolic of Christ’s resurrection.
That’s why I personally chose to be baptized by total immersion not that many years ago. Sure, I had water sprinkled on my head by a priest when I was an infant, but as an older person I personally wanted to make a public demonstration of my faith. I knew that it wasn’t needed for my salvation, but it was showing that I had made the choice to follow Jesus, not my parents.
The only requirement for salvation is our faith in Jesus Christ. Adding anything else to the requirements for salvation is essentially saying that we must “do good works” or follow a specific ritual to be saved. As Christians, we must realize that the death of Jesus was the sole act that paid for our sins. This is made clear in the words in Romans 5:1-11 and also in 2 Corinthians 5:21:
“God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
The “requirement” of baptism for salvation seems to have had its roots in biblical times. I found that this information on GotQuestions.org was quite helpful in understanding that baptism isn’t a necessity for salvation (highlights are mine):
Therefore, baptism is an important step of obedience after salvation but cannot be a requirement for salvation.
Yes, there are some verses that seem to indicate baptism as a requirement for salvation. However, since the Bible so clearly tells us that salvation is received by faith alone (John 3:16; Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5), there must be a different interpretation of those verses. Scripture does not contradict Scripture. In Bible times, a person who converted from one religion to another was often baptized to identify conversion. Baptism was the means of making a decision public. Those who refused to be baptized were saying they did not truly believe. So, in the minds of the apostles and early disciples, the idea of an un-baptized believer was unheard of. When a person claimed to believe in Christ, yet was ashamed to proclaim his faith in public, it indicated that he did not have true faith.
The apostle Paul made it clear that baptism is unnecessary for salvation in many of his epistles. For example, he says in 1 Corinthians 1:17: “For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel—not with wisdom and eloquence, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.” Later, in 1 Corinthians 15:1-8, Paul expounds on the gospel in detail, but never mentions baptism.
GotQuestions.org summarizes today’s lesson perfectly (once again, highlights are mine):
Baptism is not necessary for salvation. Baptism does not save from sin but from a bad conscience. In 1 Peter 3:21, Peter clearly taught that baptism was not a ceremonial act of physical purification, but the pledge of a good conscience toward God. Baptism is the symbol of what has already occurred in the heart and life of one who has trusted Christ as Savior (Romans 6:3-5; Galatians 3:27; Colossians 2:12). Baptism is an important step of obedience that every Christian should take. Baptism cannot be a requirement for salvation. To make it such is an attack on the sufficiency of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Heaven On Wheels Daily Prayer:
Lord, we thank You that the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ was sufficient for my salvation and that the act of baptism as an fully aware adolescent, teen or adult is a way that we can show publicly that we trust in Christ as our Savior. AMEN.