Today as we continue in our study of the book of Acts we look at a passage that is both encouraging for its simplicity but also confusing because of how some have interpreted it throughout history. It gives us an opportunity to do some good old fashioned Bible study, applying a very important hermeneutical principle. We’ll get to all of that in just a second, but first let’s take a look at the question that it will help us to answer in our study today: Q. Do You Have to Get Baptized to Be Saved?
In simplest terms there are two sides to this debate:
some people say that yes, baptism in water is required for salvation.
One of their key verses comes from our text today.
other people say no, baptism is not required for salvation.
Full disclosure, I am squarely on the side of the “No’s”. I believe the Bible is very clear in teaching that we are saved by faith, and baptism is something that we do after we are saved. we do it out of obedience to Christ’s commands, just like we obey in a thousand other ways.
God does not wait to save us until after we are baptized; that goes against the clear teachings of scripture. I’ll show you those teachings today.
Before we get to that, you might be asking why it even matters?
Is this just a side issue, something that everyone can simply decide about for themselves and we don’t really need to fight over it? Like pre-trib versus post-trib or wine versus juice
I believe it is a fundamental issue that everyone needs to wrestle with. If you get this wrong, you might be getting salvation wrong! that’s a big deal, so let’s not take this question lightly.
If baptism is required for salvation, I would want to know it. I would not want to teach the wrong gospel or lead people astray.
I spent 4 hours watching a debate on this. (See Bible Thinker for more.) I seriously listened to it with a willingness to change my mind if the Bible made it clear that baptism is a requirement for salvation. but at the end of the video, I was more convinced than ever that my viewpoint really is the more biblical one.
So wherever you stand on this issue, whether you’ve thought about it a lot or are just now learning about it, I invite you to let God’s word speak for itself and make your own decision about whether you have to get baptized to be saved. let’s get into this
For the last 2 weeks we’ve been studying Peter’s first ever sermon preached in the church age. it was a two-part sermon where he first started with teaching about the Holy Spirit and then he finished a teaching about the basic gospel message, which is all about Jesus and his death and Resurrection. it must have been a great sermon because as we continue to read the text for today, we can see that it had a great impact…
Acts 2:37 (NLT) 37 Peter’s words pierced their hearts, and they said to him and to the other apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?”
You’ve come to church, you’ve heard the message, now what?
Acts 2:38-41 (NLT) 38 Peter replied, “Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 This promise is to you, to your children, and to those far away—all who have been called by the Lord our God.” 40 Then Peter continued preaching for a long time, strongly urging all his listeners, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation!” 41 Those who believed what Peter said were baptized and added to the church that day—about 3,000 in all.
Wow! The church went from 120 people to 3,000 in one day!
First I want to make some general observations about what is going on here. then we will take a deep dive on verse 38 and answer our question for the day.
Peter is preaching to a Jewish audience, and his charge to them to get baptized is actually surprising. The Jewish people in Jesus’s day already had a context for baptism, but now Peter is giving it a completely different meaning.
(Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Abridged Edition (2 Volumes)) The Jews generally looked on baptism as a rite only for Gentile converts (i.e., proselytes), not for one born a Jew, and it symbolized the break with one’s Gentile past and the washing away of all defilement.
Peter was telling them that they too had to repent and get baptized. he was essentially telling them that they were no better than gentiles! this would have been very offensive to a proud jew, but not to the people that day. notice that they were cut to the heart and genuinely wanted to know what they had to do to respond to this radical message about jesus.
Remember that Peter had said in the message (last week) that they were partly responsible for the death of jesus. they were the ones who put him on the cross, along with Lawless Gentiles and God himself.
The true gospel offends our sensibilities. true believers respond anyway.
Second he says that they should be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. this is different than the baptism of John that we read about in the gospels. John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance. this new baptism is something more. yes, it’s a baptism of repentance, but it’s specifically a baptism into the name of Jesus Christ, the one who died and rose again.
We see the distinction later in Acts chapter 19. that’s where Paul encounters a group of quote unquote disciples who had only heard about the baptism of john. they didn’t even know about the Holy Spirit, so they clearly weren’t in Jerusalem on the day of pentecost! so Paul Shared the gospel with them and they were baptized into the name of Jesus. then they received the Holy Spirit just like we read about and Acts chapter 2. pretty cool.
Third he says “every one of you”. Baptism is an individual response to the gospel message. No one can do it for you.
Acts 2:38 (ESV) 38 And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
Peter is saying do __ and then __ will happen
It’s descriptive for sure
But is it prescriptive?
Is it prescribing this to everyone?
Namely, repentance + baptism = forgiveness of sins
is required for salvation
If this was all the Bible said about it, we might say yes
But the Bible says a lot more!
To answer this question we start with the most basic hermeneutical principle: let the Bible interpret the Bible. Use clearer parts of Scripture to help interpret more difficult passages. It’s clear throughout the New Testament that salvation is by faith alone. Here are some examples:
Peter’s very next “sermon”: Acts 3:19 (ESV) 19 Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out…
Just repent. No mention of baptism. Did he so quickly forget the requirement?
More on repentance later…
Peter with Cornelius: Acts 10:43-48 (ESV) 43 To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.” 44 While Peter was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word. 45 And the believers from among the circumcised who had come with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out even on the Gentiles. 46 For they were hearing them speaking in tongues and extolling God. Then Peter declared, 47 “Can anyone withhold water for baptizing these people, who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?” 48 And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.
Just believe (v43), no mention of baptism.
Then they received HS before baptism.
We’ve already seen: salvation means you’re forgiven + receive gift of HS
So their reception of gift of HS indicated that they were saved, forgiven
See Eph 1:13, 2 Cor 1:22 – sealed w HS at moment of salvation, guarantee
Yet they were not yet baptized
Romans 10:9 (ESV) 9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
Once again, no mention of baptism
In fact, Paul quotes Joel 2 just like Peter did in Acts 2:
Romans 10:13 (ESV) 13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
This speaks to repentance and faith. Nothing more required.
Ephesians 2:8-9 (ESV) 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
Saved through faith. Not faith + baptism.
If God waited for you to get baptized to be saved, it would be dependent upon a work.
But it’s not, and it never was…
Even before Christ’s death and resurrection people were saved by faith. Abraham and the thief on the cross are clear examples of this – and neither of them was baptized.
Romans 4:2-3 (ESV) 2 For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. 3 For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.”
This is a direct quote from Gen 15
God had made a promise to Abraham in Gen 12 (through your seed, all nations will be blessed)
But there was no progress on the promise, and Abraham began to doubt
Then the bombshell: Gen 15:6 “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.”
Not “Abraham went and did something…” He just believed
Paul saw this as the gospel in the OT
Abraham wasn’t righteous, but his faith changed everything. NOT his works.
Romans 4:5 (ESV) 5 And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness.
Piper: “When faith is born in the soul, we are still ungodly.”
We haven’t done a single good work.
We haven’t obeyed even one commandment.
We haven’t even yet been baptized!
And then Paul says something that couldn’t be clearer re: baptism…
Romans 4:10-11 (ESV) 10 How then was it counted to him? Was it before or after he had been circumcised? It was not after, but before he was circumcised. 11 He received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised.
In the same way, righteousness is counted to us before baptism, not after!
Note: one of Paul’s points is that Gentiles do not need circumcision to be saved.
It goes against the argument to say they need to be baptized instead!
Just replacing one outward symbol with another
The thief on the cross is another example of this principle: salvation has always been by faith
For those before Christ, faith is looking forward
For us today, faith is looking backward
Either way, it’s all salvation by faith in Jesus
There wasn’t one way to be saved in OT and a different way in NT
For thief on cross, his salvation worked just like Abraham
He believed Jesus,
repented of his previous way of thinking (mocking)
And Jesus said “today you’ll be with me in paradise”
But he had not been baptized!
Here’s the point: Baptism is an important symbol and ordinance, but it’s not the active ingredient of salvation. We are saved by faith alone, and Peter’s first sermon teaches us that true faith requires repentance.
God is not waiting for us to get baptized to declare that our sins are forgiven
He clearly didn’t require it before Jesus died (eg. Abraham and the thief)
Why would he make salvation harder after Jesus died?!
Baptism is an ordinance and a symbol
An ordinance: a commandment that we should obey!
Not a sacrament that saves us
Don’t miss the point and neglect baptism
You should do it if you have trusted in Jesus
And a symbol of the death and resurrection of Jesus
Romans 6:3-4 (ESV) 3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.
So what’s the active ingredient?
Faith. (We are saved by faith alone.)
But that is not simply believing a bunch of facts about Jesus.
True faith requires repentance
Repent = metanoia = change your mind and attitude
(Pillar New Testament Commentary) In Acts 2:38, repentance means a radical reorientation of life with respect to Jesus, expressing sorrow for having rejected the one accredited by God as Lord and Christ (cf. 2:22-36).
In The Pursuit we call it a new “attitude”
A submitted heart toward Jesus: “What should we do?”
It will eventually impact our actions
But at the point of faith it is only an attitude of submission.
Talking Points:
Acts 2:38 is both encouraging for its simplicity but also confusing because of how some people interpret it. It triggers an important question: Do you have to get baptized to be saved? Acts 2:37-41
To answer this question we start with the most basic hermeneutical principle: let the Bible interpret the Bible. It’s clear throughout the New Testament that salvation is by faith alone. Acts 3:19, Acts 10:43-48, Romans 10:9, Ephesians 2:8-9
Even before Christ’s death and resurrection people were saved by faith. Abraham and the thief on the cross are clear examples of this – and neither of them was baptized. Romans 4:2-5
Baptism is an important symbol and ordinance, but it’s not the active ingredient of salvation. We are saved by faith alone, and Peter’s first sermon teaches us that true faith requires repentance. Romans 6:3-4
Discussion
Read the talking points above as a group, including scripture references. What are your initial thoughts about these points or about the podcast lesson (see audio above)?
What has been your experience with baptism in the past? What’s the most powerful baptism you have ever witnessed?
For you, which New Testament verse is the most compelling to prove that baptism doesn’t save a person? Defend your answer.
Read Romans 4:2-3. How were people in the Old Testament saved? What’s the difference between then and now?
What are some reasons people might neglect or put off baptism? What are we called to do instead?
What is the point of baptism? What is the ‘active ingredient’ of salvation? Explain.
The official faith and life podcast for the discipleship resources at pursueGOD.org. Great for families, small groups, and one-on-one mentoring. New sermonlink topics every Friday.
