Is baptism necessary for salvation? The Bible’s answer is yes. Peter could not have been clearer when he wrote about it in his first epistle.
1 Peter 3:21 (ESV)
21 Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Why did Peter say that we are saved by baptism? The first answer is that the Holy Spirit moved him to write it. Let us not forget that all scripture is given by the inspiration of God (2 Timothy 3:16). But also, he remembered, no doubt, the teaching of his Savior.
Mark 16:15–16 (ESV)
15 And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.
16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.
How is it possible to misunderstand these words from Jesus? But then there is Acts 2:38, a passage that one needs help to misunderstand. The time is the Day of Pentecost. Peter is preaching the first gospel sermon to the house of Israel. His preaching had already been confirmed by the miracle of tongue speaking. The theme of his message was the resurrection of Christ (Acts 2:22-35). Several of the Jews were convicted when Peter told them that God had made this man whom they had crucified both Lord and Christ (Acts 2:36-37), leading them to ask the question, “Brothers, what shall we do?” The answer was clear to them.
Acts 2:38 (ESV)
38 And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Did they understand that baptism was a part of what they had to do? Yes, and their response is undeniable evidence of this. The Bible says, “Then they that gladly received his words were baptized: and the same day there were added to them about three thousand souls” (Acts 2:41).
Notice the words “added to them.” They tell us what baptism does. Baptism adds a person to Christ. Three passages in the New Testament tell us this (Romans 6:3; 1 Corinthians 10:13; Galatians 3:21). Outside of Christ there is no salvation. In Christ where salvation is found (2 Timothy 2:10), a state of “no condemnation” is realized (Romans 8:1), and all spiritual blessings can be enjoyed (Ephesians 1:3). Whatever the benefits of being in Christ are, and one of them is without doubt justification, it is baptism that the Bible tells us puts us there.
Finally, we know that baptism is necessary because it is in it that our sins are washed away by the blood of Christ (Acts 22:16). This is substantiated by the words of Paul in Romans 6:4.
Romans 6:4 (ESV)
4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.
What does it mean to be baptized into our Lord’s death? It is figurative language, but the rest of the verse tells us what it means. It means it is in baptism that we take advantage of Jesus dying for us on the cross. How do we know this is what it means? We know because it goes on to tell us that the purpose of baptism is to allow us to walk in the newness of life. Do not miss this. Here is a passage where an inspired apostle tells us why he and others were baptized—in order that they might walk in the newness of life. Why did they have to be baptized to do that? It is because that is where they figuratively contacted the blood, and, as a result, their sins were washed away.
So, the biblical answer to the question, “Is baptism necessary for salvation” is yes. When one is baptized, along with believing that Christ is the Son of God, which he heard from God’s Word, repenting of his sins, and confessing Christ, that person is born again and becomes a child of God. These steps are simple to understand and easy to take, and none of them are in any way meritorious. They simply constitute obeying the gospel, which is the power of God unto salvation (Romans 1:16).
As you wind down for the night, think about these things.