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Salvation By Baptism?

Lesson No. 47: Water Baptism, Part 2

  1. Salvation by grace becomes salvation by "works" when baptism is a requirement.
  2. Ephesians 2:4,8-10 talk of salvation by grace alone.
  3. Important acts of obedience are:
    • baptism
    • witnessing
    • living holiness and purity
    • fearing and worshiping God
  4. Damnation comes from lack of repentance and belief.
  5. The thief on the cross was never baptized, and who could blame him. Certainly not Christ.
  6. Paul was sent to preach the gospel.
I love how obvious these things are in scripture. Baptism is one example of how easy it is for people to go wrong, but how easy it is to show them the truth. Baptism is not a precondition of salvation, but instead a post-condition of belief. It is a command as the result of our faith, to show our obedience to all of Christ's commands. It is no more a condition for salvation than complete sinlessness is for a saved person.

It is also interesting to note that baptism is more a command for the giver of the gospel than the receiver. Jesus says "Baptize them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit." He didn't say, "I really hope you're reading this because you need to be baptized and if you miss this little tidbit, you're out of luck."

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