Verses Misapplied to Teach Water Baptism Salvation
We have the baptismal salvation crowd that would actually write down verses to try and justify their heresy. As said, baptism is NOT necessary for salvation. However baptism is a requirement for the Christian life to follow in obedience and to be rewarded. Please note that sacraments (another word for ordinance) DO NOT SAVE or imply any graces.
Note: The Westminister Confession of faith says this of baptism, "Although it be a great sin to contemn or neglect this ordinance, yet grace and salvation are not so inseparably annexed to it as that no person can be regenerated or saved without it, or that all that are baptized are undoubtedly regenerated." meaning that it has NOTHING to do with salvation although we disagree with it's being rewritten to the point that baptism is not necessarily by dipping.
Now to go straight forward to the verses used by the baptismal salvationists and refuting their claims and there will be more added soon:
Mark 16:16- "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned."
Comment: Please NOTICE the second statement that says, "... but he that believeth not shall be damned." However baptism in the Scripture is NOT limited to the water baptism, rather, we have the baptism into the body of Christ in 1 Corinthians 2:13 which says, "For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit."
John 3:5 says, "Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God."
Comment: Water here DOES NOT refer to baptism but rather to the natural birth. Man is naturally born of water. Looking at biology, during the first stages of pregnancy when the heartbeat is established, the baby is in the form of a living blob before it becomes more solid. Also, the placenta is filled with WATER. Also, Jesus referred to the living water that He has- John 4:14 and John 7:37-39, Jesus talks of living water and the Word of God. Again in both of these views coming together, water baptism again is NOT required for salvation.
John 19:34- "But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water."
Comment: Again, NOTHING to do with baptism. When death occurs, both blood and water are separated in the process.
Acts 2:38- "Then Peter said unto them, 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."
Comment: One needs to examine the use of the word "for" here. As said, "for" here is "eis" in which it means "because of" NOT "in order to" attain salvation. That means baptism is because a person has already had the remission of sins.
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:"
Comment: Again, one needs to take a CLOSER look at the verses. Again look at the terms "like figure" and "but the answer of a good conscience toward God". The Greek word antitupon is used here for figure meaning "a thing resembling another" that is baptism pictures salvation NOT salvation by baptism. It is an illustration. To save here means to be saved from a bad conscience NOT from sin. Again, also a reread of Matthew Henry's complete commentary, he refers to baptismal covenant as not to water but to the Holy Ghost.
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:"
Comment: Again, one needs to take a CLOSER look at the verses. Again look at the terms "like figure" and "but the answer of a good conscience toward God". The Greek word antitupon is used here for figure meaning "a thing resembling another" that is baptism pictures salvation NOT salvation by baptism. It is an illustration. To save here means to be saved from a bad conscience NOT from sin. Again, also a reread of Matthew Henry's complete commentary, he refers to baptismal covenant as not to water but to the Holy Ghost.
It's definitely crazy how several quacks actually fail to interpret the Bible with the Bible. Most of them interpret the Bible with the catechism, a confession of faith and whatever rather than by itself. Water baptism is for the saved, not the unsaved and NOBODY is ever saved by water baptism!