Pastor Ryan of Palm Valley Church: No. Next question.
Well, perhaps we can spend a little more time on this. Although the answer is simple, the question itself brings up some deeper questions. Why doesn’t baptism get me to Heaven? If baptism isn’t what gets me to Heaven, what does? And if baptism doesn’t get me to Heaven, is it important?
Let’s start with the question about what gets us into Heaven. This specific topic was covered in another post, but I will restate it here for clarity. Every person is in need of salvation. We are all separated from God because of our sin and we are helpless on our own to solve that problem. When Jesus Christ gave up His life on the cross, it was a sacrifice for mankind’s sin. Upon Christ’s sacrifice, God did not automatically forgive all sin. Forgiveness is available to everyone, but only if we believe or have faith that God forgives and saves us.
If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved. Romans 10:9-10
We must be careful not to misunderstand the role of our belief or faith. Our forgiveness and salvation are completely undeserved and unearned. Salvation is a gift from God, His grace to us. It would be incorrect to think of our belief step as something we must do to earn our salvation in some way.
God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. Ephesians 2:8-9
So, there is this interesting dynamic and tension. The truth is, in order to be saved, to receive God’s gift of salvation, we must do something—believe. Our belief is active, not passive, meaning that it is a conscious decision to accept God’s forgiveness. It is also an individual decision. We cannot believe for others. Every individual must come to a point in their life where they make that conscious decision for themselves.
God’s grace, forgiveness of sins because of what Jesus Christ did for us on the cross, is available to anyone who believes. It is impossible to earn or do anything to deserve that forgiveness. This includes baptism. Baptism is something we do, therefore it cannot be something that saves us.
So what is baptism?
Baptism is a demonstration of our faith. Once we believe, we publicly declare our faith to others through the act of baptism. It is a symbol of our relationship with God in the same way that my wedding ring is a symbol of my relationship with my wife. My ring does not make me married. It’s a symbol to show others and remind myself of the commitment I made to my wife.
As we look throughout the early church, the pattern for baptism is clear. People believe, and then they are baptized. It happened on the day of Pentecost when 3,000 people believed and were baptized in one day (Acts 2), as well as Philip’s conversion of the Ethiopian official in Acts 8.
I also need to be clear that, although baptism is not what saves us (gets us to Heaven), it is not optional. Christ commands us to make this public declaration. Baptism is a step of obedience in what Christ commands of all who believe.
Jennifer: I look at it this way: Salvation lets ME know that I’m going to Heaven; and baptism lets OTHERS know to look for me there!
