By teaching that baptism is essential for salvation we are often ridiculed and accused of discounting grace or of trying to earn our salvation. Many will argue that one only needs to believe to be saved.

What Does the Bible Say?

What do the Scriptures reveal about baptism and the role it plays in our salvation? I believe they show that baptism is not only essential in our transition from sinner to disciple, but that it is the very point at which God’s grace is applied and we are saved by faith.

It is important to point out that baptism alone cannot save us. In Mark 16:16, Jesus said, “He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.” Baptism only saves when it is coupled with faith. The question is what must one believe? It’s not enough to just believe in God. James says even the demons believe this (2:19)—even acknowledging that Jesus is the Son of God (Mark 1:24). To be saved one must believe the gospel taught by Jesus. We must believe that His death, burial, and resurrection paved the way for our salvation. In addition, we must believe that His teachings are the words of eternal life (John 6:68), and those words demand our obedience, including the action of baptism.

Baptism Brings About the Forgiveness of Sins

There is no shortage of passages in the New Testament discussing baptism and helping us to see what it accomplishes. First we learn that baptism washes away sins. After Saul of Tarsus met Jesus on the road to Damascus and had prayed and fasted for three days, Ananias came to him and said, “And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord”(Acts 22:16). In spite of all that he had experienced, Ananias speaks of Saul’s urgent need to be baptized. None of the things Saul had endured were able to take away his sins. Only baptism was capable of doing so. The same was true for those who heard Peter preach on Pentecost. He commanded them to repent and be baptized “for the remission of sins” (Acts 2:38).

Baptism Brings Life

We also see that baptism makes one alive after being dead. Jesus told Nicodemus in John 3 that he needed to be born again to see the kingdom, explaining in verse five that this was a spiritual rebirth. Paul further explains this passage from death to life in Colossians 2:11-13. He says that we are buried with Christ in baptism, raised with Him through faith, and made alive together with Him. Paul uses very similar language in Romans 6:3-8.

• We cannot be born again unless we die.
• We cannot be raised unless we are buried.

Baptism, thus, marks the point where the old man of sin is buried, and we rise up as the new man of faith. There is no way a person can call themselves “born again” unless they have been baptized for the remission of their sins.

Baptism Makes One a Disciple of Christ

We further note that baptism makes one a disciple of Christ. Jesus commanded the apostles saying, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matt.28:19-20). The very construction of this passage shows that one does not become a disciple until after he/she is baptized. It is cause and effect. Baptism is the cause and becoming a disciple is the effect. In Galatians 3:26-27 Paul says that we are “baptized into Christ” and that in baptism we “put on Christ.” There is no other way found in the Scriptures to get into Christ.

Baptism Brings Salvation

“There is also an antitype which now saves us–baptism (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ” (1 Pet.3:21). In the previous verse, Peter speaks of the eight souls on Noah’s ark that were saved through water. He then connects their salvation through water to our salvation through water (baptism). Clearly, Peter connects salvation to baptism and shows its necessity. The words of Paul agree. Paul says, “according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and the renewing of the Holy Spirit” (Titus 3:4-7). The “washing” is baptism, and the “renewing” is the new life we have in Jesus through His word.

To say that we are saved any time prior to, or outside of, baptism, is to ignore the simplicity of the Scriptures.

Diminished Faith and/or Grace?

Some might scoff that such emphasis on baptism diminishes the role of grace and faith, yet nothing could be further from the truth. Baptism is the point at which both grace and faith come together to achieve our salvation (Eph.2:8). God demonstrated His grace by the sending of His Son, and without that gift we cannot be saved (Luke 24:46; Titus 2:11). Salvation through faith requires the demonstration of our faith (Matt.7:21; Rom.1:5; James 2:18), and that begins with baptism. Paul makes this connection in Romans 6:3-4 when he said we are buried with Christ (grace) and raised to walk in newness of life (faith). The power of the gospel to save comes from God’s gift at the cross, but that power only affects change in those who respond to God’s grace with obedient faith. Emphasizing baptism does not weaken salvation by grace through faith. It highlights and magnifies the wonderful saving power of our Heavenly Father.

Often, people will try to ask unanswerable questions to dismiss clear teachings of the Bible. For example, “What about the man who wants to be baptized but is killed on the way?” I will not pretend to know what God will do in these cases. I trust Him to be just and merciful. I do, however, know what He has commanded for those who wish to be saved, and clearly, God

commands baptism for the remission of sins. Like I heard another preacher once say, “I’d rather be the man who wanted to be baptized but died before he was able, than the person who could be baptized, but refused!”

“He that believes and is baptized shall be saved.” That’s plain.

God, please use Kelsey to bring glory to your Name. We know the odds are against us, but we trust in You. Please use our daughter as a living example of Your power to heal, that all may glorify You as the Great God of Heaven.

That was my prayer when we first learned that our beautiful daughter, Kelsey, had an aggressive brain tumor in the worst possible location. We learned that less than 5% of the children who get this tumor survive longer than 14 months, BUT we also knew that our God was more than capable of healing her. I repeated this prayer for months, but somewhere along the way, I stopped praying that particular prayer, not because I had given up or lost hope—my prayer simply changed.

Not until April 10, 2009 as we were leaving the funeral home to go to the cemetery to bury the “tent” our daughter had occupied for 16 years and 28 days did I realized that God had answered my prayer in accordance with Ephesians 3:20 and had done so in an “exceedingly abundant” way. While I was praying that my daughter would be a living example of His power to heal, He was using her as an everlasting example of His power to save. Where I prayed for God to be glorified as the God of all healing, He has shown Himself to be the Great God of salvation. It was His will to use Kelsey in a way that went far beyond anything I could have ever comprehended.

Unanswered or…Answered – ?

In a time like this some might question God, wondering why He didn’t answer the prayers of so many who fervently brought Kelsey’s name before His throne in their daily petitions, but we must realize that He did hear our prayers and He did what He always does. He answered them according to His will. As always, His thoughts are higher than our thoughts and His ways higher than our ways (Isa.55:8-9). What God did for Kelsey was so much better than what I was asking Him to do.

If God had answered my prayer according to my will, Kelsey would still have had a broken body. The tumor had damaged the nerves that controlled the left side of her body and the right side of her face. Even in a “best case scenario” she would still have had those limitations. But God dealt with her broken body by removing the corruptible so that she could put on incorruption (2 Cor.4:16-5:4). He set aside the temporary so she could put on the perfect and permanent.

God’s answer to my prayer was “exceedingly abundantly” above what I could have thought in that He removed all her suffering. Too often we think about the suffering of a cancer patient only in terms of physical pain, but pain was the least of Kelsey’s suffering. Her greatest suffering was simply not being about to live like a normal sixteen-year-old girl. God removed all that, so that she is now in a place where suffering does not exist (Rev.21:4). It’s not that He just removed the suffering of cancer, but she will never face the suffering that comes from living in a world filled with sin and heartache.

A Bigger Perspective—For Her, For Me, For You

It’s natural to think about the things Kelsey will miss out on, but my friends, we are the one’s missing out! Romans 8:18-25 makes it clear that we are the ones groaning to be with the Lord. Think about this (only if you’re over thirty!), would you really want to be sixteen again, knowing you’d have to live through the pain and sadness all over again?

God’s answer was merciful in that He removed her fears. Not until the week before Kelsey died did she confess that she had some fears about what she was facing. My initial reaction was to assure her that I understood why she was scared, but also to reassure her that she was going to a place where she would never be afraid again—forever! Most of us would admit to having fears as we contemplate that ultimate test of our faith. But imagine facing it at sixteen. While I could only offer words of comfort, God was able to provide true comfort. Notice what Jesus said about the time of Lazarus’ death in Luke 16:22. “So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom…” There may be points to argue in this passage, but one thing is for sure, God gives comfort to His children at the very moment of their departure.

God’s answer to my petition was also better for me as well. First, He has removed a major source for worry from my life. Almost as soon as Kelsey was diagnosed my wife said to me, “We are going to be dealing with this for the rest of her life.” Had God answered my prayer according to my will, five, ten, and even twenty years from now, I would still be worrying about Kelsey. Thanks be to God I will never worry about Kelsey again. She had committed herself to Him, and He never disappoints (2 Tim.1:12). Second, and more importantly, throughout this trial I have gained a greater spiritual focus. My eyes have been opened to what is really important, and it cannot be seen with eyes of flesh. Jesus warned us about not having a spiritual focus in Matthew 6:19-21. He told us that those who lay up treasure on the earth are always disappointed, but those who set their sights on heaven are never let down. It has been rightly said that this life isn’t about this life. It is about preparing for the next. God has certainly shown this to me.

God’s answer was also better for everyone else who can see this shining example of His glory and power that goes beyond what we can ask or think. He has given us yet another reason to praise Him! That should be our reaction when we see Him answer our prayers in an exceedingly abundant fashion (Eph.3:21). He has again shown Himself to be trustworthy. In Kelsey’s life, and her death, we have seen a wonderful illustration that all things do work together for good to those who love God (Rom.8:28), and I do not believe He is finished showing us all the good that He is working!

A Small Man and a Big God

In all of this, God has given us yet another lesson on why it is so wise to serve Him. We often talk about why it is unwise to rebel against God, but there is good reason to serve Him. “If God is for us, who can be against us? Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies… Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord (vv.31-39). That is reason to serve God with every fiber of your being!

I started this journey as a small man looking for a small favor from a big God. What I got was an answer that was bigger than anything I could have imagined from a God who is even more awesome than I ever knew! I never asked, “Why Kelsey? and Why me?” Now, looking back, I know why. God was using Kelsey to bring glory to His Name. When I was thinking about God using Kelsey as a living example of His power to heal, He was using her as an everlasting illustration of His power to save. For that I simply say, “Praise God!”