Part One of Four Introduction After prayerfully studying everything the New Testament says about baptism and salvation, my personal conclusion is that water baptism is not a requirement for receiving salvation and eternal life. Baptism is commanded in Scripture, which means that it is an important act of obedience, but it is not a requirement for salvation.
InPlainsite.org Note: The Bible clearly teaches that we are saved by faith. Many scriptural references teach this. The question is: Can we therefore conclude that we are saved by faith only? In reality, the bible teaches that there are many things by which we are saved. See The Myth We Are Saved By Faith Only
As I have mentioned in some of my other articles, the Bible has some similarities to a jigsaw puzzle. What I mean is that there are passages on various subjects (such as baptism) scattered throughout the New Testament, and these passages are kind of like the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. In order to fully understand what the Bible teaches on a particular subject, it is helpful to first prayerfully and objectively gather together all of the puzzle pieces that we can find throughout Scripture so that we can see as much of the full picture as possible. Then we should ask God to illuminate these passages of Scripture to our understanding. However, we need to be careful that we don't simply look for verses of Scripture which agree with our own beliefs. Instead, we should always try to discover the real truth, even if it turns out to be different than what we and our family and friends have always believed! Dozens of Salvation Passages When people discuss whether or not baptism is necessary for salvation, the tendency is to focus on a few passages of Scripture such as Mark 16:16, Acts 2:38, Acts 22:16, John 3:5, and 1 Peter 3:21 (we will examine all of these passages later in this series). However, there are many other New Testament passages which teach us something about salvation, and it is important to take those passages into consideration as well. [Also See Salvation] Now, what does it take for a person to become saved so that he will go to heaven and escape hell? That's the basic question which we are trying to answer here. What we find when we study about salvation in the New Testament is that there are dozens of passages of Scripture which tell us that we must believe in Jesus for salvation, and these passages do not say anything about being baptized. For example, take a close look at the words of Jesus in the well-known John 3:16 passage: "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16)
In this famous passage, Jesus said that whoever believes in Him will have eternal life. Jesus said nothing about baptism here, He simply said that we must believe in Him. In fact, just one verse earlier Jesus said: So again we can see that Jesus said that everyone who believes in Him may have eternal life. Notice that He did not qualify this statement by saying that we must be baptized, but instead He went on to repeat His point that whoever believes in Him will have eternal life (John 3:16, above). In fact, just a few verses later He repeated this same point yet again: "Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son." (John 3:18)
Once again Jesus said that whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already. The issue concerning salvation versus condemnation is our belief, not our baptism. Later in the same chapter Jesus made a similar statement: Whom did Jesus say has eternal life? Those who believe in Him. Therefore, if we believe in Him then we have eternal life. Jesus didn't mention baptism at all here. Here's another place where Jesus repeated this fact: "I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life." (John 5:24)
Jesus said that if we hear His Word and believe Him who sent Jesus then we have eternal life and we have crossed over from death to life. Jesus did not say anything about being baptized. Here's another place where Jesus said essentially the same thing: "For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day." (John 6:40)
Again, everyone who believes in Jesus shall have eternal life. And again, no mention of baptism. Here's another place where Jesus repeated this same fact: "I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life." (John 6:47)
Who has eternal life? Those who believe in Jesus. In fact, Jesus gave added emphasis to this statement by saying, "I tell you the truth." Therefore, if we believe in Him then we have eternal life. Jesus didn't mention baptism at all. Here's another one: "I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am the one I claim to be, you will indeed die in your sins." (John 8:24)
What is it that causes us to die in our sins? Not believing in Jesus. Therefore, believing in Jesus is a requirement for salvation. But the New Testament never says that if we are not baptized then we will die in our sins, which means that baptism is not a requirement for salvation (more on this in Part Two of this series). Here's another one: "Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?"" (John 11:25-26)
Whom did Jesus say will live (i.e. will have eternal life)? Those who believe in Him. Whom did Jesus say will never die (i.e. will have eternal life)? Those who believe in Him. Therefore, if we believe in Him then we will live forever (we will have salvation and eternal life). Jesus didn't mention baptism at all here. Now notice what the apostle John wrote: "Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name." (John 20:30-31)
How do we have life (eternal life) in His name? By believing that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. Nothing about baptism is mentioned here. The apostle Peter echoed this same fact: Who receives forgiveness of sins? Everyone who believes in Jesus. Peter said nothing about baptism here. Later Peter repeated this same fact: "Therefore, my brothers, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. Through him everyone who believes is justified from everything you could not be justified from by the law of Moses." (Acts 13:38-39)
Who receives justification and forgiveness of sins? Everyone who believes. Baptism is not mentioned at all in this passage. Now, here is a passage in which a man specifically asked how to become saved: ""Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" They replied, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved --you and your household."" (Acts 16:30-31)
The apostle Paul and Silas were specifically asked what must be done in order to receive salvation. Notice that they did not mention baptism at all. They specifically said that we must believe in the Lord Jesus and we will be saved. The apostle Paul said essentially the same thing in the following verse: "You know that I have not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you but have taught you publicly and from house to house. I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus." (Acts 20:20-21)
What did Paul preach and teach? That we must turn to God in repentance and have faith in Jesus. He said nothing at all here about being baptized for salvation. In another passage Paul repeated the fact that we receive salvation by faith: "I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile." (Romans 1:16)
Paul said that the Gospel is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes, and he did not say that baptism is required. Paul went on to say that we receive righteousness by faith: "For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: "The righteous will live by faith."" (Romans 1:17)
How did Paul say that we receive righteousness? By faith. Paul said nothing about baptism here. Once again Paul repeated the fact that righteousness comes through faith to all who believe: Again, there is no mention of baptism here, only faith. Here's another one: "God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished-- he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus." (Romans 3:25-26)
Notice how we appropriate Christ's atonement: Through faith in His blood. Notice how we receive justification: Through faith in Jesus. Once again there is no mention of baptism here. In fact, just two verses later the apostle Paul repeated the fact that we are justified by faith: How are we justified? By faith. Paul didn't say that we are justified by faith and baptism. One chapter later, Paul repeated this fact once again: "However, to the man who does not work but trusts God who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness." (Romans 4:5)
How are we credited with righteousness? By our faith, and notice that baptism is not mentioned at all here. Several verses later, Paul said the same thing: "And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. So then, he is the father of all who believe but have not been circumcised, in order that righteousness might be credited to them." (Romans 4:11)
Again, how did the apostle Paul say that we have righteousness credited to us? By believing. Baptism is not listed as a requirement here. Two verses later, Paul repeated this fact: "It was not through law that Abraham and his offspring received the promise that he would be heir of the world, but through the righteousness that comes by faith." (Romans 4:13)
Again, righteousness comes by faith, with no additional requirements such as baptism. Ten verses later, Paul repeated the fact that righteousness is credited to us through our faith: "The words "it was credited to him" were written not for him alone, but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness--for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead." (Romans 4:23-24)
Over and over we have seen that salvation, eternal life, forgiveness of sins, justification, and righteousness all come by faith, and baptism is not mentioned at all in these passages. Here's another one: "Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand." (Romans 5:1-2)
Justification is by faith. Nothing is said about baptism being a requirement. Here's another place where the apostle Paul said that righteousness is by faith: "What then shall we say? That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith; but Israel, who pursued a law of righteousness, has not attained it. Why not? Because they pursued it not by faith but as if it were by works." (Romans 9:30-32)
Again, righteousness comes by faith. Baptism is not mentioned here at all. Here is another place where the apostle Paul said that righteousness is for everyone who believes: "Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes." (Romans 10:4)
Again, righteousness is for everyone who believes, and baptism is not listed as a requirement. Here's a place where the apostle Paul was more specific about how to receive salvation: "That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved." (Romans 10:9-10)
In this passage, the apostle Paul was very clear that we need to believe and confess (notice that baptism is not mentioned at all here). For example, John 12:42-43 describes some people who believed in Jesus, but they were unwilling to confess their faith because they loved praise from men more than praise from God. The implication is that they did not have saving faith. If we truly have saving faith then we are willing to confess Jesus as our Lord, but the point here is that baptism is not listed as an element of salvation. A few verses later Paul repeated this point: ""Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in?" (Romans 10:13-14)
Paul said that everyone who calls on the Name of the Lord will be saved, and then Paul pointed out that we can't call on the Name of the Lord if we don't believe in Him. Again, if we truly have saving faith then we will be willing to confess Jesus as our Lord and call on His Name (notice that Paul did not mention baptism at all here). The apostle Peter echoed this same fact: Again, everyone who calls on the Name of the Lord will be saved. The apostle Peter said nothing about baptism here. Here's another verse which says that those who believe are saved: "For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe." (1 Corinthians 1:21)
Once again we are told that God saves those who believe. Nothing about baptism is mentioned here. The following passage tells us that we are justified by our faith in Jesus Christ: "We who are Jews by birth and not 'Gentile sinners' know that a man is not justified by observing the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by observing the law, because by observing the law no one will be justified." (Galatians 2:15-16)
How do we receive justification? By faith in Christ. Baptism is not listed as a requirement here. A few verses later, the apostle Paul repeated this fact: "Understand, then, that those who believe are children of Abraham. The Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: "All nations will be blessed through you." So those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith." (Galatians 3:7-9)
Once again we are told that we are justified by faith, and baptism is not mentioned at all here. Later, Paul said that we are all sons of God through faith: How do we become sons of God? Through faith in Christ (it doesn't say through faith and water baptism). Here is another place where the apostle Paul said that we are saved through faith: "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith" (Ephesians 2:8)
How have we been saved? Through faith (it doesn't say through faith and baptism). And again: "and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ --the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith." (Philippians 3:9)
Over and over we have seen that salvation, eternal life, forgiveness of sins, justification, and righteousness all come through faith in Christ. None of these passages has said anything about water baptism as a requirement for salvation. Here's another example: "But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers loved by the Lord, because from the beginning God chose you to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth." (2 Thessalonians 2:13)
How are we saved? Through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth. It doesn't say anything about baptism. Here's another passage which says that we receive eternal life by believing in Jesus: "But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life." (1 Timothy 1:16)
How do we receive eternal life? By believing in Jesus. Baptism is not mentioned here at all. The apostle John pointed out that everyone who believes in Jesus is born of God: "Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well." (1 John 5:1)
Notice that we are born of God by believing in Jesus, and nothing is said about baptism. Here's another one: 1 John 5:4: "for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith."
1 John 5:5: "Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God."
In 1 John 5:5 (above), the apostle John said that only those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God can overcome the world. In the previous verse (1 John 5:4, above), John said that everyone who is born of God overcomes the world. Putting these two verses together tells us that everyone who believes that Jesus is the Son of God is born of God. Again, it is our faith in Christ which saves us, and baptism is not mentioned here at all. We have seen that there are literally dozens of passages in the New Testament which say that we can receive salvation, eternal life, righteousness, justification, forgiveness of sins, and so on, through faith in Christ. Notice that baptism was not mentioned in any of the above passages, good works were not mentioned, penance was not mentioned, church membership was not mentioned, and so on, because those things are not necessary for salvation. So why do some people believe that baptism is a requirement for being saved? The reason is because they are trying to be true to what they see in Scripture, and there are actually a handful of passages which seem to link baptism with salvation. In Parts Two, Three, and Four of this series we will examine the main passages which are sometimes used as evidence for the doctrine that baptism is necessary for salvation, but for the moment let's consider some implications of this doctrine. If we believe that a person will not go to heaven unless he has faith in Christ and has been baptized in water then we would be contradicting all of the dozens of passages above. We would be basing our view of salvation on a minority of passages rather than on the great majority of passages concerning salvation, eternal life, forgiveness of sins, justification, and righteousness. We would be saying that salvation is only available to people if there is enough water to perform a baptism and if there is a Christian available to baptize the person and if there is enough time to baptize the person. This means that unsaved people in life-threatening situations cannot receive salvation if there is not enough time to baptize them before their deaths. This means that unsaved people who die all alone cannot receive salvation because there are no Christians available to perform the baptisms. This means that unsaved people in areas with little water cannot receive salvation if there is not enough water for performing the baptisms. All of these implications contradict the dozens of passages which we have just examined. At the top of this article I pointed out that we should try to examine all of the "puzzle pieces" in Scripture in order to see the full picture which God is trying to teach us about a particular doctrine. Otherwise our views will be based on incomplete information. We can easily demonstrate that salvation by faith is the true doctrine because the Scriptural testimony for this view far, far outweighs the few passages which seem to say that salvation requires faith plus water baptism. Later we will see that those few passages do not contradict the doctrine of salvation by faith alone. Examples of People Who Were Saved Before Being Baptized Not only does the weight of Scriptural testimony support the doctrine that salvation is by faith alone, but the New Testament actually gives us examples of numerous people who received salvation before they were baptized. In Part Three of this series we will see plenty of evidence which shows that Saul of Tarsus (who later became known as the apostle Paul) received salvation on the road to Damascus before he was baptized in water. In fact, we will even see that he received his commission as an apostle before he was baptized. Since Saul received salvation before he was baptized, this demonstrates that his water baptism was not for the purpose of his salvation. In Part Four of this series we will see that a eunuch received salvation before he was baptized. Here's another example. After a lame man received healing, the apostle Peter began sharing the Gospel message with a crowd that had gathered: Acts 3:11: "While the beggar held on to Peter and John, all the people were astonished and came running to them in the place called Solomon's Colonnade."
Acts 3:12: "When Peter saw this, he said to them: "Men of Israel, why does this surprise you? Why do you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk?"
Acts 3:13: "The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus. You handed him over to be killed, and you disowned him before Pilate, though he had decided to let him go."
Acts 3:14: "You disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a murderer be released to you."
Acts 3:15: "You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this."
Acts 3:16: "By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus' name and the faith that comes through him that has given this complete healing to him, as you can all see."
Acts 3:17: ""Now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did your leaders."
Acts 3:18: "But this is how God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, saying that his Christ would suffer."
Acts 3:19: "Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord,"
Acts 3:20: "and that he may send the Christ, who has been appointed for you--even Jesus."
Acts 3:21: "He must remain in heaven until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets."
Acts 3:22: "For Moses said, 'The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people; you must listen to everything he tells you."
Acts 3:23: "Anyone who does not listen to him will be completely cut off from among his people.'"
Acts 3:24: ""Indeed, all the prophets from Samuel on, as many as have spoken, have foretold these days."
Acts 3:25: "And you are heirs of the prophets and of the covenant God made with your fathers. He said to Abraham, 'Through your offspring all peoples on earth will be blessed.'"
Acts 3:26: "When God raised up his servant, he sent him first to you to bless you by turning each of you from your wicked ways.""
In the above passage, Peter spoke to a crowd about Jesus, and then Peter told the people to repent so that their sins would be wiped out (Acts 3:19, above). Peter did not mention baptism at all here. Notice that as Peter and John were speaking to this crowd, they were arrested: Acts 4:1: "The priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to Peter and John while they were speaking to the people."
Acts 4:2: "They were greatly disturbed because the apostles were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead."
Acts 4:3: "They seized Peter and John, and because it was evening, they put them in jail until the next day."
Acts 4:4: "But many who heard the message believed, and the number of men grew to about five thousand."
Acts 4:5: "The next day the rulers, elders and teachers of the law met in Jerusalem."
Acts 4:6: "Annas the high priest was there, and so were Caiaphas, John, Alexander and the other men of the high priest's family."
Acts 4:7: "They had Peter and John brought before them and began to question them: "By what power or what name did you do this?""
Many people responded by believing the Gospel message which was preached to them by Peter and John, and these people were considered to be new Christians. But notice that Peter and John were arrested while they were still preaching, and they were locked up until the next day. Peter and John had no opportunity to baptize any of these new believers, and we can't point to any Scriptural evidence that anyone else baptized them at that time, yet these new believers were counted as brothers in the Lord. Now let's look at another group of people who received salvation before they were baptized. The following passage tells us that a Gentile named Cornelius (and his family) received salvation and then received the exact same baptism of the Holy Spirit that the disciples received on the day of Pentecost: "[Cornelius the Gentile] told us how he had seen an angel appear in his house and say, 'Send to Joppa for Simon who is called Peter. He will bring you a message through which you and all your household will be saved.' As I [Peter] began to speak, the Holy Spirit came on them as he had come on us at the beginning. Then I remembered what the Lord had said: 'John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.' So if God gave them the same gift as he gave us, who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to think that I could oppose God?" When they [the Jews in Jerusalem] heard this, they had no further objections and praised God, saying, "So then, God has granted even the Gentiles repentance unto life."" (Acts 11:13-18)
This passage says that the apostle Peter was summoned to the house of a Gentile named Cornelius. An angel had told Cornelius that Peter would bring them a message by which they would all be saved. When Peter began to preach the Gospel message to them and they accepted it, God granted them repentance unto life. As soon as they received salvation, God gave them the gift of the baptism of the Holy Spirit, exactly like on the day of Pentecost. In fact, Cornelius the Gentile and his household spoke in tongues after the Holy Spirit came on them (just like on the day of Pentecost), as the next passage shows: "While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message. The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles. For they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God." (Acts 10:44-46)
Peter said that Cornelius and his household had received the same gift of the Holy Spirit (the "baptism" of the Holy Spirit) that the disciples had received at Pentecost. When Cornelius and his household received this gift they immediately began speaking in tongues, and notice that this happened before they were baptized in water: "While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message. The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles. For they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God. Then Peter said, "Can anyone keep these people from being baptized with water? They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have." So he ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked Peter to stay with them for a few days." (Acts 10:44-48)
If water baptism is a requirement for salvation (as some people believe) then the only way that Cornelius and his household could have received the baptism of the Holy Spirit is if they had first been baptized in water for salvation. However, Cornelius and his household received salvation and the baptism of the Holy Spirit before they were baptized in water! People who believe that water baptism is necessary for salvation sometimes say that God must have allowed Cornelius and his household to receive the Holy Spirit before they were saved. However, the New Testament clearly teaches that the gift of the Holy Spirit is only given to Christians (see for example John 7:37-39, Acts 1:4-8, 2:1-4, 38-39, 8:14-20, 19:1-7), so it violates Scripture to say that God would give this gift to people who are not yet saved. In fact, Scripture specifically says that God accepted Cornelius and his household and purified their hearts by faith before He gave them the Holy Spirit: "After much discussion, Peter got up and addressed them: "Brothers, you know that some time ago God made a choice among you that the Gentiles [Cornelius and his household] might hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe. God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us. He made no distinction between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith."" (Acts 15:7-9)
This passage says that when Cornelius and his household believed the message of the Gospel, God saw their hearts and accepted them and purified their hearts by their faith, and He showed that He had accepted them into the Kingdom by giving them the Holy Spirit. All of this happened before they were baptized in water. Neither Peter nor any other Christians ever said that Cornelius and his household were a "special case." In fact, Peter specifically said that God had "made no distinction between us and them" (Acts 15:9, above). In other words, God brought Cornelius and his household into the Kingdom in exactly the same way that He brings everyone else into the Kingdom. Cornelius and his household received salvation before they were baptized in water, and the apostles and other Christians considered this to be the normal way that salvation works. We have now looked at several examples in which numerous people received salvation before they were baptized in water. Consider that if baptism is a requirement for salvation then no-one can be saved without being baptized (otherwise baptism wouldn't be a requirement after all). Therefore, either we have to say that the numerous people in the above examples were all "special cases" of some kind, or else we have to say that baptism cannot be a requirement for salvation. When our doctrines force us to claim that certain Scripture passages are all "special cases," then it's quite likely that there is something wrong with our doctrines! In fact, in Acts 15:7-9 (above) the apostle Peter specifically said that God had made no distinction between the Gentile converts and the original disciples, which indicates that the Gentiles received salvation in exactly the same way that the original disciples did. Therefore, the Gentiles in the house of Cornelius (who received salvation before they were baptized) were not a "special case" at all. Since the "special case" argument is erroneous, the only remaining conclusion that we can make is that baptism is not necessary for salvation. Part Two of Four In this article we will look at Mark 16:16 and Acts 2:38, two of the main passages which some people use as evidence that baptism is a requirement for salvation. Mark 16:16 Notice that Mark 16:16 seems to add baptism as a requirement for salvation: "Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned." (Mark 16:16)
Some people use this passage (and several others) as proof of the view that baptism is a requirement for receiving salvation and eternal life. However, it turns out that this view creates a contradiction in Scripture. To see why, notice first of all that if we are saved then we have eternal life, and that if we have eternal life then we are saved. For example, John 3:36 says that those who believe in Jesus have eternal life, but those who reject Jesus are still under God's wrath: "Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him." (John 3:36)
Therefore, if we have eternal life then we are no longer under God's wrath (which implies that our sins are forgiven). To make this same point a different way, consider that Jesus said that those who do not believe in Him will die in their sins (which implies that God's wrath will remain on them): "I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am the one I claim to be, you will indeed die in your sins." (John 8:24)
The point here is that if we have eternal life then we are saved, and if we are saved then we have eternal life. With that in mind, let's compare Mark 16:16a with another verse: "Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life" (John 3:36a) "Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved" (Mark 16:16a)
Now, here's the problem. If Mark 16:16 (above) says that baptism is a requirement for receiving salvation and eternal life, as some people believe, then John 3:36 (above) cannot be true. Take a close look at those two verses and think about what they are saying, keeping in mind that only those who are saved will have eternal life in Christ. To help us see the contradiction, here's an example which will make it clearer. There is a website for the Mensa organization which makes the following statement: "The only requirement for joining is that an individual's IQ falls within the top two per cent of the population."
In order to examine this rule for membership in Mensa, it is helpful to write it as a conditional statement: IF a person's IQ falls within the top two per cent of the population
THEN the person is allowed to join Mensa
We can see from this rule that there is one (and only one) condition which is a requirement for membership in Mensa. Now, if the Mensa organization decides to add a new requirement for membership (such as a rule that new applicants must have a referral from an existing member) then the above statement will no longer be true. The new conditional statement of the requirements for membership would be: IF a person's IQ falls within the top two per cent of the population
AND the person has a referral from an existing member
THEN the person is allowed to join Mensa
Notice that this new rule and the original rule cannot both be true at the same time. In the same way, if baptism is a requirement for salvation then John 3:36 (above) and Mark 16:16 (above) cannot both be true at the same time. To understand why, let's look at the conditional thoughts in these two verses: IF a person believes
THEN the person has eternal life (from John 3:36) IF a person believes
AND the person is baptized
THEN the person will be saved (from Mark 16:16)
Notice that if Mark 16:16 says that both belief and baptism are requirements for salvation and eternal life (as some people believe), then John 3:36 cannot be true, just as the two rules for membership in Mensa cannot both be true at the same time. So if we use Mark 16:16 to say that baptism is necessary for salvation then we are creating a contradiction in Scripture. Plus, if we say that baptism is a requirement for salvation then we are contradicting the dozens of Scripture passages that we saw in Part One which say that we can receive salvation, forgiveness of sins, eternal life, justification, and righteousness through faith alone. Baptism is not mentioned in any of those dozens of New Testament passages. Furthermore, we would be contradicting the Scripture passages that we saw in Part One which describe numerous people receiving salvation before they were baptized. If we use Mark 16:16 (above) to claim that baptism is necessary for salvation then we are making a common error which is known as the Negative Inference Fallacy. This fallacy can be stated as follows: "If a statement is true, we cannot assume that the negation (or opposite) of that statement is true."
To illustrate the Negative Inference Fallacy, consider this conditional statement: According to the Negative Inference Fallacy, if the above statement is true then we cannot assume that the negation (or opposite) of that statement is true. To see why, here is the negation of that statement: It is easy to see that this is not a true statement. Again, if a statement is true, this does not automatically mean that the negation of that statement is true. The above example only has one condition, so now let's look at an example of the Negative Inference Fallacy using two conditions: This is a true statement which tells us something about people in Texas who are male, but notice that it does not address females (non-males) at all. We cannot assume anything about females from this statement. What the Negative Inference Fallacy tells us is that even though we can phrase the negation (or opposite) of the above statement in three different ways, we cannot assume that any of these negations will be true. Here are the three negations of the above statement: IF a person does not live in Texas
AND the person is male
THEN the person does not live on earth IF a person lives in Texas
AND the person is not male
THEN the person does not live on earth IF a person does not live in Texas
AND the person is not male
THEN the person does not live on earth
Notice that all three of these negations are false statements. What this demonstrates is that if a statement is true, we cannot assume that a negative inference (a negation) from that statement is also true. Now let's examine the first half of Mark 16:16 in light of the Negative Inference Fallacy: Based on this verse we can make the following conditional statement: This is a true statement which tells us something about believers who have been baptized, but notice that it says nothing about believers who have not been baptized (compare this with the example of people in Texas who are male, which says nothing at all about people in Texas who are not male). As in the previous example, we can phrase the negation of the above statement in three different ways, but we cannot assume from Mark 16:16 that any of these negations are true. Here are the three negations of the above statement: IF a person does not believe
AND the person has been baptized
THEN the person will not be saved IF a person believes
AND the person has not been baptized
THEN the person will not be saved IF a person does not believe
AND the person has not been baptized
THEN the person will not be saved
As the Negative Inference Fallacy shows, we cannot assume that any one of the above statements is true (unless we have more information, as we'll see in a moment). To help us understand this better, let's compare Mark 16:16a with the example of people in Texas who are male: "Whoever lives in Texas and is male lives on earth" "Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved" (Mark 16:16a)
Both of these statements are true. Notice that the first statement tells us nothing about people in Texas who are not males, and in the same way, Mark 16:16a tells us nothing about believers who have not been baptized. If we try to make an assumption about females in Texas or about unbaptized believers based on the above statements then we are making an error in our thinking: "Whoever lives in Texas and is not male does not live on earth" "Whoever believes and is not baptized will not be saved"
This is the error that some people have made. They have assumed that since Mark 16:16a says that baptized believers will be saved, this must mean that unbaptized believers will not be saved. By making this assumption, they have fallen victim to the Negative Inference Fallacy. The important thing to understand is that just because Mark 16:16a contains two conditions relating to salvation, this does not mean that both conditions are requirements for being saved. To help make this clearer, let's use three conditions instead of only two conditions. For example, if I believe in Jesus and I have received a Christian baptism and I live in Texas, I am saved, right? Now we have three conditions in a statement about salvation, and everyone who meets these three conditions is saved. However, these three conditions are obviously not all requirements for salvation because we know that people who believe in Jesus and have received a Christian baptism and live in Australia are saved as well. So just because we have three conditions in a statement about salvation, this doesn't mean that they are all requirements for being saved. Now, if we can find a passage in the New Testament which says something like, "whoever does not live in Texas is condemned," then we would know for certain that living in Texas is a requirement for salvation. This point is easy to understand when we're talking about a condition such as living in Texas, but the same point applies to the other two conditions as well (belief and baptism). In other words, if we can find any passages in the New Testament which are direct negations of these two conditions (belief and baptism) then we would know for certain that belief and baptism are requirements for receiving salvation. It is easy to demonstrate that belief is a requirement for salvation because Jesus specifically gave us the negation of belief: "Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned." (Mark 16:16)
We can see that Jesus has given us both the positive condition of belief ("Whoever believes...") and the negative condition of belief ("whoever does not believe will be condemned"). Therefore, we can say with absolute certainty that belief is a requirement for salvation. Now, notice in Mark 16:16 (above) that Jesus has given us the positive condition of baptism ("Whoever...is baptized..."), but nowhere does the New Testament ever give us the negative condition of baptism (such as, "whoever is not baptized will be condemned"). Therefore, we cannot say that baptism is a requirement for salvation. If we claim that baptism is necessary for salvation based on Mark 16:16 then we are making the error which is known as the Negative Inference Fallacy. Acts 2:38 Now that we understand about the Negative Inference Fallacy as it relates to Mark 16:16, we can see how the same principle applies to Acts 2:38: Mark 16:16a: "Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved" Acts 2:38: "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins."
Both of these verses are favorites among those who believe that baptism is necessary for salvation, but the Negative Inference Fallacy demonstrates the error that they are making. Both of these verses are true, but we have seen that we cannot assume that the negations (or opposites) of these verses are true. In the case of Acts 2:38 (above), the basic conditional thought can be expressed as: Just as in Mark 16:16a, there are two conditions here (repentance and baptism in this case). As the Negative Inference Fallacy shows, we cannot take the above true statement and assume that the negation (or opposite) must also be true. In other words, it is erroneous to conclude from Acts 2:38 (above) that we are not saved unless we both repent and receive baptism. That would be a false conclusion. There are numerous Scripture passages which say that if we believe in Jesus then we will be saved (such as John 3:36, as we saw above), and therefore belief is a "condition" which relates to a person's salvation. But there are also Scripture passages which explicitly say that if we do not believe then we will not be saved, such as Mark 16:16 ("whoever does not believe will be condemned"). Since the New Testament specifically gives us the negation of belief, we can therefore state with absolute certainty that belief is a requirement for salvation. This is not true of baptism, however. There are no passages in the New Testament which give us the negation of baptism (such as, "whoever is not baptized will be condemned"), and therefore we have no valid basis for claiming that baptism is a requirement for salvation. In Acts 2:38, the apostle Peter did not say that unbaptized believers can't receive forgiveness of sins, and therefore Acts 2:38 does not contradict other statements that Peter made concerning the forgiveness of sins: "Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord" (Acts 3:19) "All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name." (Acts 10:43)
In these statements, the apostle Peter said that everyone who has a repentant, believing heart will receive forgiveness of sins. He did not list baptism as a requirement for receiving forgiveness here, and these verses harmonize well with Acts 2:38 (above) because we cannot assume that Acts 2:38 is making baptism a requirement for receiving forgiveness. The New Testament specifically says that unbelievers are condemned (see for example Revelation 21:8), and therefore belief is a requirement for salvation. However, the New Testament never says that "the unbaptized" are condemned. The New Testament sometimes refers to Christians as "the believers" (as in 1 Timothy 4:12), and it sometimes refers to the unsaved as "unbelievers" (as in Revelation 21:8), but the New Testament never refers to Christians as "the baptized," and it never refers to the unsaved as "the unbaptized." Baptism is commanded in Scripture, which means that it is an important act of obedience, but it is not a requirement for receiving salvation. For more on the Negative Inference Fallacy (especially as it relates to Mark 16:16 and Acts 2:38), as well as other common fallacies, here are a couple of interesting websites: Part Three of Four In this article we will look at Acts 22:16, another one of the main passages which some people use as evidence that baptism is a requirement for salvation. Acts 22:16 One important aspect of Bible study is to consider the context when we are interpreting a passage of Scripture, and we will see that carefully considering the context will help shed some light on Acts 22:16. In that verse, a disciple named Ananias told the apostle Paul to: "Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name" (Acts 22:16) The argument that some people make is that Saul of Tarsus (before he became the apostle Paul) was still "in his sins" at this point because he still had sins that needed to be "washed away," and that his baptism was the point at which his sins were washed away and the point at which he received salvation. However, this view contradicts the dozens of New Testament passages that we saw in Part One, all of which tell us that we can receive salvation, eternal life, forgiveness of sins, justification, and righteousness by faith, not by faith plus something else (such as baptism). In order to gain a better understanding of Acts 22:16 (above), let's look at the context of that event and see how well it agrees with the view that salvation is by faith alone. This event encompasses Saul's conversion to Christianity, which is described in three places in the book of Acts (Acts 9:1-19, 22:1-16, 26:4-20). In these three passages we are first told that Saul (before he became the apostle Paul) was a zealous Pharisee who was obsessed with destroying Christianity and persecuting Christians to their deaths: "Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord's disciples. He went to the high priest" "and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem." Acts 9:1, 2: ""I [Saul] am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city. Under Gamaliel I was thoroughly trained in the law of our fathers and was just as zealous for God as any of you are today." "I persecuted the followers of this Way to their death, arresting both men and women and throwing them into prison," "as also the high priest and all the Council can testify. I even obtained letters from them to their brothers in Damascus, and went there to bring these people as prisoners to Jerusalem to be punished." Acts 22:3-5: "The Jews all know the way I [Saul] have lived ever since I was a child, from the beginning of my life in my own country, and also in Jerusalem." "They have known me for a long time and can testify, if they are willing, that according to the strictest sect of our religion, I lived as a Pharisee." "And now it is because of my hope in what God has promised our fathers that I am on trial today."
"This is the promise our twelve tribes are hoping to see fulfilled as they earnestly serve God day and night. O king, it is because of this hope that the Jews are accusing me." "Why should any of you consider it incredible that God raises the dead?" ""I too was convinced that I ought to do all that was possible to oppose the name of Jesus of Nazareth." "And that is just what I did in Jerusalem. On the authority of the chief priests I put many of the saints in prison, and when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them." "Many a time I went from one synagogue to another to have them punished, and I tried to force them to blaspheme. In my obsession against them, I even went to foreign cities to persecute them." Acts 26:4-11:
So Saul was a zealous Pharisee doing all that was possible to oppose the Name of Jesus of Nazareth. Next we are told that on his way to Damascus, Saul had a supernatural encounter with Christ: "As he [Saul] neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him." "He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?"" ""Who are you, Lord?" Saul asked. "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting," he replied." ""Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do."" "The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone." "Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus." "For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything." Acts 9:3-9:
""About noon as I [Saul] came near Damascus, suddenly a bright light from heaven flashed around me."
"I fell to the ground and heard a voice say to me, 'Saul! Saul! Why do you persecute me?'" ""'Who are you, Lord?' I asked. "'I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting,' he replied." "My companions saw the light, but they did not understand the voice of him who was speaking to me." ""'What shall I do, Lord?' I asked. "'Get up,' the Lord said, 'and go into Damascus. There you will be told all that you have been assigned to do.'" "My companions led me by the hand into Damascus, because the brilliance of the light had blinded me." Acts 22:6-11: ""On one of these journeys I [Saul] was going to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests." "About noon, O king, as I was on the road, I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, blazing around me and my companions." "We all fell to the ground, and I heard a voice saying to me in Aramaic, 'Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.'" ""Then I asked, 'Who are you, Lord?' "'I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,' the Lord replied." "'Now get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen of me and what I will show you." "I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them" "to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.'" ""So then, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the vision from heaven." "First to those in Damascus, then to those in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and to the Gentiles also, I preached that they should repent and turn to God and prove their repentance by their deeds." Acts 26:12-20:
Notice what happened to Saul on the road to Damascus. First, a great light from the sky, brighter than the sun, shone around Saul and his companions (Acts 9:3, 22:6, 26:12-13, above), and they fell to the ground (Acts 9:4, 22:7, 26:14, above). Then a voice (which they all heard but which only Saul was able to understand) said, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?" (Acts 9:4, 22:7, 26:14, above). Saul responded by asking, "Who are you, Lord?" (Acts 9:5, 22:8, 26:15, above). According to Bible scholars and Greek dictionaries, the Greek word for "Lord" here (kurios) can mean "Lord" in the divine sense (as in, "Jesus is Lord"), or it can mean "sir" in the human sense (as in, "Yes, sir."). Now, imagine the scene. Saul was persecuting the followers of a dead man named Jesus, when suddenly the very same Jesus revealed Himself to Saul. Because of this supernatural event, Saul realized that Jesus had been resurrected, and Saul immediately made a dramatic turnaround in his life. Notice that Saul did not react by saying something like, "Okay, Menachem, very funny! You got me with your practical joke, now come out from wherever you're hiding and let's go persecute those people." Instead, Saul responded in faith to this revelation of Jesus by asking, "What shall I do, Lord?" (Acts 22:10, above). Is it reasonable to claim that Saul was using the word "Lord" (kurios) in the merely human sense at this point? After all, Saul had suddenly come face to face with the realization that his former religious views were fundamentally wrong, and he humbly submitted in faith to the Lordship of Christ. He was willingly renouncing the authority of the very Sanhedrin (the Jewish religious leaders) whose orders he was in the process of carrying out. Saul went through a radical change of mind and a radical change of direction at the moment when Jesus revealed Himself on the road to Damascus, and Saul immediately became a person who had been completely converted to Jesus Christ. This is the very essence of salvation. Saul received salvation on the road to Damascus. Those who believe that baptism is necessary for salvation will sometimes argue that when Saul asked, "What shall I do, Lord?" (Acts 22:10, above), he was actually asking, "What shall I do for salvation, Lord?" They also argue that when Jesus said, "Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do" (Acts 9:6, above), Jesus was actually saying, "Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do in order to become saved." The conclusion of this line of argument is that Saul was told to be baptized for the purpose of washing away his sins and receiving salvation (based on Acts 22:16, which we'll look at in a moment). However, there are some problems in this line of reasoning. The first problem is that Saul did not ask, "What shall I do for salvation, Lord?," and Jesus did not say, "you will be told what you must do in order to become saved" (look closely at Acts 22:10 and 9:6, above). These are interpretations which people are reading into Scripture because of their belief that baptism is necessary for salvation. Another problem in that line of reasoning is that Scripture clearly tells us what Jesus meant when He said, "Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do" (Acts 9:6, above). Notice that the parallel passage in Acts 26:16-18 (above) specifically disproves the line of reasoning that some people have made. Here is that passage again: "'Now get up and stand on your feet. I [Jesus] have appeared to you [Saul] to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen of me and what I will show you." "I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending [apostello] you to them" "to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.'" Acts 26:16-18:
In this passage, Jesus told Saul what he must do, but notice that it had nothing to do with Saul's salvation. Jesus told Saul what he must do in his ministry as an apostle. Saul was already a Christian at this point, which is why Jesus told him, "I am sending you to them...so that they may receive forgiveness of sins." Jesus was not sending a non-Christian out into ministry, Jesus was sending a Christian out into ministry. Not only did Saul receive salvation on the road to Damascus, but the above passage tells us that he was commissioned as an apostle at that time. For example, notice that Jesus said that He had appeared to Saul in order to appoint him as a servant and as a witness of Christ (Acts 26:16, above). A number of New Testament passages indicate that one condition for apostleship is having seen Jesus (see for example Acts 1:22 and 1 Corinthians 9:1), and it is easy to demonstrate that Saul (i.e. the apostle Paul) actually saw Jesus on the road to Damascus: Acts 26:16: [on the road to Damascus] "'Now get up and stand on your feet. I [Jesus] have appeared to you [Saul] to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen of me and what I will show you." Acts 9:17: [in Damascus] "Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, "Brother Saul, the Lord-- Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here --has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit."" Acts 9:26: "When he [Saul] came to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he really was a disciple."
Acts 9:27: "But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. He told them how Saul on his journey had seen the Lord and that the Lord had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had preached fearlessly in the name of Jesus." 1 Corinthians 15:8: "and last of all he [Jesus] appeared to me [Saul] also, as to one abnormally born."
So Saul witnessed the risen Christ on the road to Damascus, and we saw that he immediately submitted in faith to the Lord. Then the Lord appointed Saul as a witness, and said that He was sending Saul out to carry the Gospel to the world (Acts 26:17, above). This is where the apostle Paul received his commission as an apostle. The word "sending" in Acts 26:17 (above) comes from the Greek word apostello, which is Strong's number G649 and which means, "set apart, that is, (by implication) to send out (properly on a mission) literally or figuratively: - put in, send (away, forth, out), set [at liberty]," according to Strong's Greek Dictionary. Notice two similar Greek words which are derived from apostello: · apostole - "From G649; commission, that is, (specifically) apostolate: - apostleship." (Strong's Greek Dictionary) · apostolos - "From G649; a delegate; specifically an ambassador of the Gospel; officially a commissioner of Christ ("apostle"), (with miraculous powers): - apostle, messenger, he that is sent." (Strong's Greek Dictionary) These words describe a person who has been commissioned by Christ as an apostle, which is what happened to Saul (the apostle Paul) on the road to Damascus in Acts 26:16-18 (above). Now, as Jesus was commissioning Saul as an apostle, notice what Jesus said and notice how Saul responded: Acts 26:16: "'Now get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen of me and what I will show you."
Acts 26:17: "I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending [apostello] you to them"
Acts 26:18: "to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.'"
Acts 26:19: ""So then, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the vision from heaven."
Acts 26:20: "First to those in Damascus, then to those in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and to the Gentiles also, I preached that they should repent and turn to God and prove their repentance by their deeds."
Acts 26:21: "That is why the Jews seized me in the temple courts and tried to kill me."
Acts 26:22: "But I have had God's help to this very day, and so I stand here and testify to small and great alike. I am saying nothing beyond what the prophets and Moses said would happen"
In verses 17 and 18 (above), Jesus said that He was sending Saul out to carry the Gospel to the world, "so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me." Jesus spoke of sanctification and forgiveness of sins in the context of faith, and He did not mention baptism at all. As we saw in Part Two, faith is a requirement for salvation but baptism is not. Now notice Saul's response to his commission. First, he said that he was not disobedient to the vision from heaven (Acts 26:19, above), which tells us that he recognized that this was a supernatural, heavenly event, and which further demonstrates that Saul had responded in faith and obedience to the Lordship of Christ on the road to Damascus. This fully agrees with the doctrine of salvation by faith alone. Next, Saul described how he began carrying out his apostolic commission, preaching that people "should repent and turn to God and prove their repentance by their deeds" (Acts 26:20, above). Again, this perfectly describes salvation by faith alone, and the apostle Paul never taught that people need to be baptized for salvation. In fact, Paul later wrote the book of Romans, in which he specifically described the essentials of salvation in this way: "That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." "For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved." Romans 10:9-10:
The apostle Paul specifically said that we must confess that Jesus is Lord, and we must believe that Jesus has risen from the dead. This is how Saul/Paul described the essentials of salvation, and baptism is conspicuously absent. Notice that when Jesus appeared to Saul on the road to Damascus and Saul responded in faith by saying, "What shall I do, Lord?," Saul at that moment had fulfilled both of the essentials of salvation that he himself later described in Romans 10:9-10 (above). This is further evidence that Saul/Paul was saved on the road to Damascus just before receiving his commission as an apostle. These things happened before Saul was baptized in water, which demonstrates that baptism is not a requirement for salvation. We have now looked at most of the context surrounding the passages in which the apostle Paul was baptized, so now let's look at the remaining verses: "In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision, "Ananias!" "Yes, Lord," he answered." "The Lord told him, "Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying." "In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight."" ""Lord," Ananias answered, "I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your saints in Jerusalem."
"And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name.""
"But the Lord said to Ananias, "Go! This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel." "I will show him how much he must suffer for my name."" "Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, "Brother Saul, the Lord--Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here--has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit."" "Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul's eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized," "and after taking some food, he regained his strength. Saul spent several days with the disciples in Damascus." "At once he began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God." "All those who heard him were astonished and asked, "Isn't he the man who raised havoc in Jerusalem among those who call on this name? And hasn't he come here to take them as prisoners to the chief priests?"" (Acts 9:10-21) ""A man named Ananias came to see me [Saul]. He was a devout observer of the law and highly respected by all the Jews living there." "He stood beside me and said, Brother Saul, receive your sight!' And at that very moment I was able to see him." ""Then he said: 'The God of our fathers has chosen you to know his will and to see the Righteous One and to hear words from his mouth."
"You will be his witness to all men of what you have seen and heard." Acts 22:12-15:
Here we see a man named Ananias who laid hands on Saul and told him to be baptized. In Acts 9:12 (above), the Lord said to Ananias, "In a vision he [Saul] has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight." Notice that the Lord did not say anything here about preaching the Gospel to Saul or leading Saul to salvation. While this isn't a proof, it is fully in agreement with the view that Saul was already saved before Ananias went to him. Then in Acts 9:17 (above), Ananias told Saul why he had come. Here is that verse again: Acts 9:17: "Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, "Brother Saul, the Lord--Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here-- has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.""
Notice that when Ananias entered the room, he placed his hands on Saul just as Jesus had told him to do. Then Ananias said that the Lord had sent him to Saul for two reasons: So that Saul would be able to see again So that Saul would be filled with the Holy Spirit
Again, there is no mention of Ananias being sent to preach the Gospel to Saul, nor is there any mention of Ananias leading Saul to salvation. In fact, when Ananias entered the room and placed his hands on Saul, Ananias began by saying, "Brother Saul, the Lord--Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here--has sent me" (Acts 9:17, above). Ananias immediately pointed out that he had been sent by the same Lord Jesus whom Saul had recently witnessed on the road to Damascus. Ananias was acknowledging that Saul already knew that Jesus is the risen Lord. Ananias did not try to explain anything about who Jesus is and why He is the Lord and the fact that He is alive even though He had been crucified, and so on. Instead, Ananias treated Saul as a brother in the Lord rather than treating him as an unsaved man who needed to receive salvation. To demonstrate this further, notice in Acts 9:13-14 that when Jesus told Ananias to go to Saul, Ananias' initial reaction was to remind the Lord that Saul was an enemy of the Kingdom: ""Lord," Ananias answered, "I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your saints in Jerusalem." "And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name."" "But the Lord said to Ananias, "Go! This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel." Acts 9:13-15:
So Ananias initially considered Saul to be a dangerous enemy. However, after Jesus answered Ananias' concerns about Saul (Acts 9:15, above), notice how Ananias addressed Saul when Ananias met him: Acts 9:17: "Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, "Brother Saul, the Lord--Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here--has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit"
When Ananias entered the room and began speaking to Saul, Ananias addressed Saul as his brother. Saul was no longer an enemy to be feared, Saul was now a brother in the Lord. Again, all of the evidence that we have seen fully supports the doctrine of salvation by faith alone, and it demonstrates that Saul had received salvation (and his commission as an apostle) before he was baptized. None of the evidence that we have seen supports in any way the view that baptism is necessary for salvation. This brings us to Acts 22:16: ""A man named Ananias came to see me. He was a devout observer of the law and highly respected by all the Jews living there." "He stood beside me and said, Brother Saul, receive your sight!' And at that very moment I was able to see him." ""Then he said: 'The God of our fathers has chosen you to know his will and to see the Righteous One and to hear words from his mouth." "You will be his witness to all men of what you have seen and heard." "And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, ca
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