THE NECESSITY OF BAPTISM

By Gary Ray Branscome

While the words, “He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be damned,” tell us that faith in Christ is absolutely necessary for salvation, they also tell us that baptism is not absolutely necessary (Mark 16:16). In saying this I want to make it clear that baptism is not an indifferent matter that we can dispense with on a whim. The visible church is God’s earthly kingdom, and those who refuse to join themselves to it through baptism place themselves in opposition to His will. The words, “All the people, even the publicans, who heard John agreed with God, by being baptized with the baptism of John. But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the counsel of God against themselves, by refusing to be baptized by him,” tell us that just as coming to baptism is an act of faith, a refusal to be baptized is evidence of unbelief, and that is a serious matter (Luke 7:29-30).