Have You Been Scripturally Baptized?
By Earl Fly

Baptism Is Essential to Salvation
Scriptural baptism is essential to the soul's salvation. Therefore, no sinner can enter heaven without first being baptized. Because many people deny this fact, we present the following Bible passages which clearly prove that baptism is necessary to salvation. As you read the passages, remember this one: "For what if some did not believe? Shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect? God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar." (Romans 3:3-4) Paul's statement concerning the Jews' unbelief still applies to every unbeliever and denier of God's word.

Bible Proof

Salvation is IN Christ (2 Timothy 2:10); when we are baptized INTO Christ, by faith, we become God's children (Galatians 3:26-27). Christ's blood washes away sins (Revelation 1:5); He shed it IN His death (John 19:34); we are baptized INTO his death (Romans 6:3). Hence, Ananias told Saul of Tarsus, "Arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord." (Acts 22:16)

There Is One Baptism
While man-made religions preach and perform many unscriptural baptisms, God approves of and accepts only one (Ephesians 4:5). This one baptism must be according to the Scriptures. God rejects all others; hence, they are null and devoid of value. The following Bible example is proof of this:

"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, 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.' And he said unto them, 'Unto what then were ye baptized?' And they said, 'Unto John's baptism.' 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.' When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus." (Acts 19:1-5)

The evidence clearly indicates that these religious people were honest, sincere, and conscientious. They actually thought they had been baptized to obey God. But they had received John's baptism, which had been superseded by Christ's baptism. Though these people had already been buried in water, as commanded by God, for the remission of sins (Mark 1:4); and though they believed on Christ, yet they were required to be baptized again. There are two reasons for this:

  1. Wrong authority. They had been baptized by John's authority, not Christ's.

  2. Wrong faith. They believed on Christ that should come; whereas, Christ had already come. This proves that one cannot be baptized right by the wrong authority and/or upon the wrong faith. Therefore, to determine whether we have been scripturally baptized, we must compare our baptism to God's requirements on every point. What are the requirements of Bible baptism?

Right Subject Required

  1. One must be TAUGHT the gospel of Christ.
    • "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them ..." (Matthew 28:19).

    • "And he said unto, them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature" (Mark 16:15).

    • "No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the prophets, 'And they shall be all taught of God.' Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me." (John 6:44-45)

  2. After being taught the right doctrine to produce the right faith (Romans 10:17), a person must BELIEVE before he can be baptized.
    • "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned." (Mark 16:16)

    • "And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water, and the eunuch said, 'See here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?' And Philip said, 'If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest.' And he answered and said, 'I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.'" (Acts 8:36-37)

  3. The next step is to REPENT.
    • "Then Peter said unto them, 'Repent, and be baptized everyone of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.'" (Acts 2:38)

    Repentance precedes baptism.

  4. After repentance, one CONFESSES with the mouth unto salvation.
    • "For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." (Romans 10:10)

    What is this confession? The eunuch confessed, "I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God." (Acts 8:37) The wrong confession would render a person's baptism unscriptural. Some confess, "I believe that God for Christ's sake has pardoned my sins." This shows that the person was taught wrong and believed wrong, for one is NOT pardoned of sins before baptism. Regardless of sincerity, such a confession of a falsehood renders the baptism null and void.

After Scriptural teaching, belief of truth, sincere repentance, and the right confession, one is a Scriptural subject for Scriptural baptism. Obviously, in view of these requirements, infidels and infants cannot be Scripturally baptized. An infidel does not believe; hence, he will not repent or confess. An infant has no sins and consequently does not need baptism; but he could not be a Scriptural subject anyway, for he cannot believe, repent, or confess.

Right Element Required
Some manmade religions teach that the Holy Spirit and fire are baptismal elements to be administered today, as well as water baptism. One preacher even used rose petals as the element for baptism! But there is only ONE baptism (Ephesians 4:5). Jesus instructed MAN to administer it until the end of the world (Matthew 28:18-20). What is this ONE baptism? Man never has baptized, and cannot now baptize, people with the Holy Spirit. And he certainly must not immerse a subject in fire! God will do that at the judgment (Revelation 20:15). Therefore, the one baptism to be administered by man until the end of the world is water baptism. We have many Bible examples as proof (See Acts 8:38-39).

Right Action Required
Many human churches offer a choice of sprinkling, pouring, or immersion, as if there are three ways to baptize. What does the Bible say?

Both Philip and the eunuch had to go down into the water (Acts 8:36-39). No man on earth can cite one Scripture that instructs anyone to have water sprinkled on or poured over his head for baptism. Neither is there any example of such being done. Furthermore, no baptismal subject was ever offered a choice. Therefore, if one who intends to be baptized has instead had water sprinkled on, or poured over him, he has not been Scripturally baptized.

Right Design Required
Some people are baptized for the wrong purpose. They say they are being baptized to show the world they have already been saved. But Bible baptism is for the remission of sins (Acts 2:38); to wash away sins (Acts 22:16); to enter into Christ's death (Romans 6:3) where He shed His cleansing blood (Revelation 1:5; John 19:34); to be saved (1 Peter 3:20-21; Mark 16:16). In Bible baptism, God performs the operation "in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ" (Colossians 2:11-13). The wrong purpose renders the baptism void.

Right Authority Required
Bible baptism is by the authority of Christ (Acts 2:38), not by the authority of a church or the vote of the people. We are to be baptized in the name (by the authority) of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19). But the baptism is not made valid merely by the preacher saying, "I baptize you in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit." These words are said when babies and adults are sprinkled, and when people are baptized for the wrong purpose. They could be said while baptizing a goat, but they would mean nothing! No man can baptize by the authority of Christ unless he is baptizing a fit subject (one who believes the truth, repents, and makes the right confession), using the right element (water), performing the right action (burial), and for the right purpose (salvation).

Conclusion
Dear reader, have you been Scripturally baptized? Or have you received one of the many false baptisms concocted by men? Compare your baptism with God's requirements. Were you taught (before baptism) the gospel of Christ or a manmade doctrine? Did you believe truth or error? Did you believe your baptism was to bring salvation from Christ (truth), or that you were already saved (error)? Did you sincerely repent? Did you confess that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, or did you make the false confession that you had already been saved through Christ? Do not be afraid or ashamed to admit error and change to truth. Your eternal salvation depends on your being Scripturally baptized. If you find that your baptism was in error, then be baptized, as did those in Acts 19:1-5, to please God. Do it today! Call the nearest gospel preacher or any member of the church for assistance.

Brother Fly wrote this article back in December, 1960. Sadly, baptism is still one of the most controversial subjects. Why do people work so hard to get around this simple command? One of the arguments often offered is that being baptized is salvation by works. How can this be? Baptism is an act of obedience and a work commanded by God-not men. Christ's blood is the only means of salvation from sin (Colossians 1:14; Ephesians 1:7; Romans 5:9; Hebrews 9:22). The blood is the deciding factor. We do well to study the nine conversions in the book of Acts. All end with water baptism. Why? In baptism, one contacts the saving blood of Jesus Christ. The same book that teaches faith, grace, and repentance also teaches baptism. How can these other steps be necessary, while the last one is not? Such unbalanced reasoning occurs because people refuse to let go of human wisdom and theology. Scriptural baptism is essential for salvation because God demands strict obedience to ALL of His commands--not just the ones we agree with or can rationalize in our minds. (KMG)


Go Back to our Main Page