Expert: Thurman C. Petty, Jr. - 1/31/2007

Question
"Is water baptism essential for salvation? Was Jesus talking about water or the Holy Spirit when He said, They that believe and are baptised shall be saved. "

Answer
Dear Pastor Rich,

Thank you for your question about baptism. Yes, baptism is necessary for salvation.

The text you are quoting from is:

Mark 16:16  Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be
condemned.

Jesus helps us understand this:

John 3:5  Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is
born of water and the Spirit.

Born of water = baptism by water; born of the Spirit = baptism of the Spirit. These usually occur
at the same time, but in some instances in the Bible, the baptism of the Spirit came somewhat after
the baptism of water. And in the case of the centurion Cornelius, the baptism of the Spirit came
before the baptism of water.

But both are absolutely necessary for salvation.

Mat 28:19  Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the
Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
Mat 28:20  and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with
you always, to the very end of the age."


Acts 2:38  Peter replied, "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.

There are many other passages in Scripture that affirm these. In order to be born again, you must
be baptized by both water and the Spirit. Baptism by water is a public act bearing witness that you
have given your life to Jesus. It is a personal act as well.

Rom 6:4  We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as
Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. (Also
Col. 2:12)

Baptism then, is an acted symbol which we go through that recognizes our belief in the death,
burial, and resurrection of Jesus. And when we rise from the “watery grave” we live a new life
with Jesus. We let the Holy Spirit guide us so that we will know when temptation comes, and can
ask Jesus for strength to resist the temptation. In this way Jesus will make us victors over sin, just
like He was.

So you can see that baptism is very important for us as we enter the Christian life.

But what about the thief on the cross? We have no record that he was baptized, but Jesus
promised that he would be saved in God’s kingdom. Evidently in this case, God made an
exception. If the thief had been able to come down off the cross and live on, then one of the things
he would do as a follower of Christ would have been to be baptized. You’ll notice here, that the
theif didn’t make the exception, God did.

And it’s the same with us. If we accept Jesus as our Savior and have the opportunity to be
baptized, then that is a requirement for salvation. And we should seek for an opportunity. If we
should die before we have the opportunity, then it would be that God would place us in the arena
of the thief on the cross: He would make an exception for us. But we cannot make that exception
for ourselves. Only God can. It is our duty to believe and to be baptized.

If you have any more questions you may write directly to me.

Thurman C. Petty, Jr.
petty@hyperusa.com
Take a look at my web site. I’ve posted the entire text of 16 of my books there, along with 40
Bible lessons, 100 Bible questions answered, and much more. www.PettyPress.com.