Recently I was on a forum, involved in a discussion regarding the necessity of water baptism for salvation. Some said yes, some said no and some had no opinion whatsoever. I chimed in and in true Aspie form, proclaimed boldly what I know to be true because scripture tells us water baptism is necessary. Of course, most, if not all, in the forum are NTs and they do not appreciate the boldness of Aspies. As usual, I received quite a bit of email and some nasty comments.
But I KNOW truth. I know for a fact what the Bible says. As a Spirit Filled Christian, a Christian who has been baptized in water AND spirit, I know what scripture tells us is necessary for salvation. I will outline it here in case you want to know the truth of the Bible as well.
Please, though, before you try to argue against what scripture tells us, please read this ENTIRE post. It has been my experience that many people will read only a portion of a post then go on the attack. I ask that you do not do that here. I have provided more than adequate scripture to support the Truth that water baptism is required for salvation. And if you have not been baptized in Jesus’ name, please, please find a Jesus name baptized, Holy Ghost filled person to baptize you the correct way. It is very important.
So, is water baptism necessary for salvation?
Yes, the Bible clearly tells us that water baptism by immersion in the name of Jesus is required for salvation as is baptism in the Holy Spirit.
Please note that by baptism I mean by immersion in water in the Name of Jesus for the remission of sins – NOT under titles. Luke 24:47 says that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name. Water baptism in Jesus’ name is for the remission of sins.
We see quite a few scripture where salvation and baptism are referenced together. Mark 16:16, He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.
Acts 2:38 lays out the Apostles doctrine for salvation: Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
Romans 6:1-4
What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?
2 God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?
3 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?
4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
Baptism saves us.
1 Peter 3:21
The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ
Faith alone is not enough.
James 2:24
Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.
Acts 22:15
And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.
Paul also stressed the importance of water baptism in Jesus’ name.
Acts 19:1-6
And it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper coasts came to Ephesus: and finding certain disciples,
2 He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost.
3 And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John’s baptism.
4 Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.
5 When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
6 And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied.
In Acts 10 we read of the story of Cornelius. When Peter witnessed to him all who heard the word received the Holy Ghost. At that time Peter COMMANDED that they be baptized. He did not ask or encourage or recommend, he COMMANDED. That is strong evidence that baptism is necessary for salvation.
The Christian Aspie 
Regarding your article surrounding the issue of baptism snd salvation, what happened to the man crucified next to Jesus that was not baptised, but was still saved? Also, if baptism is necessary for salvation, then aren’t we saying that Jesus’ perfect death was not perfect enough? If we try and add conditions onto our salvation, then we are saying that, even though Jesus died for our sins, I’ll just help Him out with my salvation.
After all, we are saved TO our works, not by them….
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Baptism IS necessary for salvation. Scripture tells us AND shows us again and again just how important it is to be baptized by immersion in Jesus’ name.
Regarding your question concerning the ‘thief on the cross,’ I would like to direct you to a post I wrote on the topic. It should answer any questions you have. If you are still seeking after reading the post I would be happy to share more information regarding what the Bible says is required for salvation.
Thank you for your comment.
The post can be found here The thief on the cross
God bless!
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After reading your post, I understand your point and where you are coming from. I also want to thank you for taking your time to get back to me. I have been baptized and have been a Jesus loving Aspie Christian (not always getting it perfect though) for about 6 years.
There is still one unanswered part that I have regarding baptism and salvation. Are we saying that, since we need to be baptized, that Jesus’ death was not perfect? I quote from your post regarding the ‘thief on the cross’:
“Then Jesus came, a perfect, sinless human. He lived a sinless life then shed His blood when He died on the cross to save us from the world, from sin. He paid with His life to buy us back so that we could have the chance to live eternally by Him”
By adding the condition of baptism, we are essentially saying that His death wasn’t perfect enough. If Jesus was perfect and lived a truly sinless life (which I believe he did) then nothing else needs to be added onto our salvation.
This isn’t an attempt at me trying to say that, since we have been saved, that we can do what we please. I am not advocating us becoming ‘Cardinal Christians’, since once we are saved, as Paul states, we should not conform to the ways of this world but be renewed by Christ (paraphrase of Collosians 3:1-17).
Also, if baptism is required of us for salvation, then what do we do with the many verses that speak of us being saved by grace alone through faith in Jesus? What do we do with verses such as Acts 15:11, Romans 5:1-2, Romans 11:6, Ephesians 2:5-10 (especially verses 8 and 9) and others then?
This isn’t me hurling stones at you or trying to trip you up. From what I’ve been been taught by multiple people, we are saved by grace alone, not works. Baptism, just like good works, is our way of SHOWING that we are saved and is in response to this amazing gift of salvation!!!!
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Thank you for your comment! Now to address your questions (if I miss something, please let me know!).
First, Jesus’ death was absolutely perfect! His death was to buy us back.
It is about being baptized in the NAME. See, without being baptized in His name we cannot stand in His authority. We have no authority and that authority is one of the promises of salvation, when we become ‘one of His’ we are able to operate under His authority which is absolutely necessary for spiritual warfare.
Mark 16:16-18
16 He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned. 17 These signs will accompany those who have believed: in My name they will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues; 18 they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”
Even in this verse it says those who have believed AND have been baptized. It is about being baptized in name so that you can have the authority to do those things.
God’s wonderful grace makes salvation possible. Without His grace we would be forever trapped by our sins in the world. It is His grace that made salvation possible. But there is more.
Faith is the fuel, if you will. We must absolutely have faith in order for us to even be able to take that first step. But faith is only the beginning.
Acts 15:11 – But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they.
That is true; we are saved ‘through’ grace because grace makes salvation possible. However, we are not saved ‘by’ it.
The verses in Romans (and much of Romans) is about how absolutely vital faith is to salvation and living for God. It also shows that ‘just being a good person’ is not going to get you into Heaven.
Now for the verses in Ephesians, I turned to my Amplified Bible for a better explanation. It expounds on certain word usage. I believe you may find it helpful here. I only copied verses 8 and 9 because those are really the most relevant here. But you can certainly check out the rest.
8 For it is by free grace (God’s unmerited favor) that you are saved ([c]delivered from judgment and made partakers of Christ’s salvation) through [your] faith. And this [salvation] is not of yourselves [of your own doing, it came not through your own striving], but it is the gift of God;
9 Not because of works [not the fulfillment of the Law’s demands], lest any man should boast. [It is not the result of what anyone can possibly do, so no one can pride himself in it or take glory to himself.]
I use Biblegateway.com because I can juxtapose more than one translation at a time. I pretty much only stick with the KJV, NASB and AMP. The KJV is a literal translation. the NASB is also a literal translation without the thee’s and thou’s. The AMP expands on terms to increase understanding.
We also need to keep in mind that while Jesus did come to die for us, that is not all that He came to do. His life is a perfect example of how we, as Christians, are to live. He shows us how to pray, fellowship, teach, touch people, everything. He also showed us how to be baptized because He, Himself, was baptized.
In Acts 19:1-6 we read about Paul encountered some disciples and asked them if they had been baptized since they believed. They had not and he baptized them in the Name of Jesus straightaway.
Acts 10 is the story of Cornelius. In verses 44-48 we see that they received the Holy Ghost and Paul ordered them to be baptized in Jesus’ name.
In fact, we see many examples throughout the New Testament where believers were baptized in Jesus’ name. One interesting aspect is that there was no delay. They wasted no time getting the believers baptized.
In John 3:5 Jesus told Nicodemus that you must be born again of water and of the spirit. John 3:1-21 tells of the New Birth Experience.
John 3:17 For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.
Again, that word ‘through.’ His death made it possible but we must go through Him to be saved, meaning we must be baptized in Jesus’ name.
This has turned out to be rather long. So I will stop here for now and let you read and absorb this. I would love to discuss it further if you would like.
Have a great day and thank you for commenting.
God bless!
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I am also an Aspie Christian and I always get nervous when it comes to this topic. I actually read this and I was freaking out because the fact that I have only been sprinkled as a raised catholic and Jesus could return or I could die at anytime, even this hour (only God knows). As of now, there is no way I can get baptized because there is nobody to take me to a church just for baptism in HIS name because they want to wait a while until I get connected. Along with that, what about those who live in areas with no church at all like in some third-world countries? As a result, I often get thought of self-baptism.
Is self baptism okay in your opinion? I do not see a topic on this blog site about it and I am curious to know.
God bless.
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