Expert: Dr. Billy Kryger - 7/24/2007

Question
I was saved when i was nine at my church but i never got baptized, and i have heard that if your no bapitised you wont go to heaven.Is this true?

Answer
    No.  Although many churches teach that baptism is a necessary part of salvation it is not true.  The Bible teaches that nothing we do (church membership, giving to charity, being faithful to our spouse, baptism, nothing) can save us.  It is only through trusting Jesus Christ as Saviour that we can obtain salvation (Ephesians 2:8, 9; Titus 3:5).
    There are a number of examples in the Bible, but one that immediately comes to mind is the thief on the cross.  He asked the Lord Jesus to save him as he was dying and Christ promised him that he would be with Him in Paradise.  If baptism were necessary for salvation then the Lord wouldn't have made that promise.
    That being said, every time in the Bible you read about somebody trusting Christ as Saviour, it was immediately followed by baptism by immersion.  Baptism does not save, but it is the first command given to a new Christian.  Baptism identifies us with the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  I would encourage you to be baptized if you have not--not as a part of salvation but as an act of obedience and identification with Jesus Christ.
    I hope this is helpful.