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Faith vs Baptism (Part 1) Sinner's Prayer
Dear Friend,
I wanted to write to you concerning salvation and baptism. I'm sure that you would agree
that there is no more important subject than that of God's salvation and how a person can
obtain this salvation. Our eternal salvation hinges upon whether or not we understand
what God has revealed about the terms of salvation. Long ago the question was asked by
a man who was in desperate need: "WHAT MUST I DO TO BE SAVED?" (Acts 16:30).
How we need to see what God's answer is to that all-important question! The issues at
stake are nothing less than life and death, heaven and hell.
I greatly appreciate the desire of you to follow what the Bible says and what the New
Testament teaches, rather than to follow traditionalism and modern day teachings which in
most cases have departed from the true teachings found in God's Word. This is my desire
as well. There is a great departure from the faith in these days, and our only hope is to go
back to the Bible, which is the very Word of God.
I'm going to share several things from the Bible, and I hope that you will give this letter
careful thought and that you might search the Scriptures daily to see whether these things
be so (compare Acts 17:11). I'm not asking you to take me at my word. I simply want
you to take God at his Word and receive whatever He has said as absolute truth. The only
question we must ask is this: "What saith the Scriptures?" (Romans 4:3).
Let us now go to the scriptures to see what the Bible teaches about salvation, about what a
person must do to be saved and about the relationship between salvation and water baptism.
1. The Bible teaches that to be saved a person must "BELIEVE ON THE LORD
JESUS CHRIST". In Acts 16:30 the Philippian jailer asked Paul and Silas this crucial
question: "What must I do to be saved?" What answer did these men give to this needy
jailer? Did they say, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and be baptized and thou shalt be
saved"? If baptism is necessary for salvation, then why is nothing said about baptism in
Acts 16:31? It's true that this man was baptized (verse 33), and yet this does not change
the fact that Acts 16:31 says, :Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved."
If water baptism was a condition of salvation, then this would have been the perfect place
for Paul to have said so.
2. The Bible teaches throughout the New Testament that FAITH and FAITH ALONE
is necessary for salvation. I would urge you to read carefully and prayerfully the
following verses in the Scripture:
John 1:12-13 | John 3:15 | John 3:16 | John 3:18 | John 3:36 | John 5:24 | John 6:35 | John
6:40 | John 6:47 | John 7:38-39 | John 11:25-26 | John 20:31 | Acts 2:21 | Acts 10:43 | Acts
11:17 | Acts 13:38-39 | Acts 15:11 | Acts 16:31 | Acts 20:21 | Romans 1:16 | Romans 3:22 |
Romans 3:26 | Romans 3:28 | Romans 3:30 | Romans 5:1 | Romans 10:9 | Romans 10:11 |
Romans 10:13 | 1 Corinthians 15:1-2 | Galatians 2:16 | Galatians 3:2-9 | Galatians 3:14 |
Galatians 3:24 | Galatians 3:26 | Ephesians 2:8-9 | 2 Thessalonians 2:10 | 2 Thessalonians
2:12 | 1 Timothy 4:10 | 2 Timothy 3:15 | Titus 3:8 | 1 John 5:1 | 1 John 5:11-13 |
In all of these passages FAITH is mentioned as being essential for salvation. In none of
these passages is water baptism mentioned. If baptism is a necessary part or an essential
part of salvation, then why is nothing said about baptism in these passages? If a man must
be baptized to be saved, then why do all these verses fail to say so? For example, in Acts
10:43 why didn't Peter say, "whosoever believeth in Him and is baptized shall receive
remission (forgiveness) of sins"?
3. EPHESIANS 2:8-9 is a passage which God has given to answer this key question:
HOW IS A PERSON SAVED? This important doctrinal verse says nothing about
water baptism. How is a person saved? "For by grace are ye saved THROUGH FAITH,
and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast."
Why is there no mention of baptism? Why didn't Paul say, ''For by grace are ye saved
THROUGH FAITH AND BAPTISM..."?
4. Water baptism is a WORK (something that man does to please God), and yet the
Bible teaches again and again that a person is not saved by works. Here are some
examples:
Titus 3:15 - "Not by WORKS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS which WE HAVE DONE, but
according to His mercy He saved us."
2 Timothy 1:9 - "Who hath saved us, and called us with a holy calling, NOT ACCORDING
TO OUR WORKS,"
Ephesians 2:8-9 - "For by grace are ye saved THROUGH FAITH and that not of
yourselves, it is the gift of God, NOT OF WORKS, lest any man should boast."
Romans 3:28 - "Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith WITHOUT THE
DEEDS OF THE LAW."
In other words, salvation is not DOING something; it is knowing someone (John 17:3).
Salvation is not based on what we might do; it is based on what Christ has ALREADY
DONE (John 19:30). Salvation is not TRYING; it is TRUSTING (John 6:47). If salvation
could be earned by anything we do, then Christ's death was a waste (Galatians 2:21).
Salvation is not WORKING; it is RESTING on the WORK of Another (Romans 4:5).
Good works are not what a man DOES in order to be SAVED; good works are what a
SAVED MAN DOES (Ephesians 2:8-10; Titus 3:5-8). God's holiness utterly condemns the
best man (Romans 3:10-23); God's grace freely justifies the worst (1 Timothy 1:15)"!
See Part II of Faith vs Baptism
Listen to Faith vs Baptism Podcast
I wanted to write to you concerning salvation and baptism. I'm sure that you would agree
that there is no more important subject than that of God's salvation and how a person can
obtain this salvation. Our eternal salvation hinges upon whether or not we understand
what God has revealed about the terms of salvation. Long ago the question was asked by
a man who was in desperate need: "WHAT MUST I DO TO BE SAVED?" (Acts 16:30).
How we need to see what God's answer is to that all-important question! The issues at
stake are nothing less than life and death, heaven and hell.
I greatly appreciate the desire of you to follow what the Bible says and what the New
Testament teaches, rather than to follow traditionalism and modern day teachings which in
most cases have departed from the true teachings found in God's Word. This is my desire
as well. There is a great departure from the faith in these days, and our only hope is to go
back to the Bible, which is the very Word of God.
I'm going to share several things from the Bible, and I hope that you will give this letter
careful thought and that you might search the Scriptures daily to see whether these things
be so (compare Acts 17:11). I'm not asking you to take me at my word. I simply want
you to take God at his Word and receive whatever He has said as absolute truth. The only
question we must ask is this: "What saith the Scriptures?" (Romans 4:3).
Let us now go to the scriptures to see what the Bible teaches about salvation, about what a
person must do to be saved and about the relationship between salvation and water baptism.
1. The Bible teaches that to be saved a person must "BELIEVE ON THE LORD
JESUS CHRIST". In Acts 16:30 the Philippian jailer asked Paul and Silas this crucial
question: "What must I do to be saved?" What answer did these men give to this needy
jailer? Did they say, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and be baptized and thou shalt be
saved"? If baptism is necessary for salvation, then why is nothing said about baptism in
Acts 16:31? It's true that this man was baptized (verse 33), and yet this does not change
the fact that Acts 16:31 says, :Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved."
If water baptism was a condition of salvation, then this would have been the perfect place
for Paul to have said so.
2. The Bible teaches throughout the New Testament that FAITH and FAITH ALONE
is necessary for salvation. I would urge you to read carefully and prayerfully the
following verses in the Scripture:
John 1:12-13 | John 3:15 | John 3:16 | John 3:18 | John 3:36 | John 5:24 | John 6:35 | John
6:40 | John 6:47 | John 7:38-39 | John 11:25-26 | John 20:31 | Acts 2:21 | Acts 10:43 | Acts
11:17 | Acts 13:38-39 | Acts 15:11 | Acts 16:31 | Acts 20:21 | Romans 1:16 | Romans 3:22 |
Romans 3:26 | Romans 3:28 | Romans 3:30 | Romans 5:1 | Romans 10:9 | Romans 10:11 |
Romans 10:13 | 1 Corinthians 15:1-2 | Galatians 2:16 | Galatians 3:2-9 | Galatians 3:14 |
Galatians 3:24 | Galatians 3:26 | Ephesians 2:8-9 | 2 Thessalonians 2:10 | 2 Thessalonians
2:12 | 1 Timothy 4:10 | 2 Timothy 3:15 | Titus 3:8 | 1 John 5:1 | 1 John 5:11-13 |
In all of these passages FAITH is mentioned as being essential for salvation. In none of
these passages is water baptism mentioned. If baptism is a necessary part or an essential
part of salvation, then why is nothing said about baptism in these passages? If a man must
be baptized to be saved, then why do all these verses fail to say so? For example, in Acts
10:43 why didn't Peter say, "whosoever believeth in Him and is baptized shall receive
remission (forgiveness) of sins"?
3. EPHESIANS 2:8-9 is a passage which God has given to answer this key question:
HOW IS A PERSON SAVED? This important doctrinal verse says nothing about
water baptism. How is a person saved? "For by grace are ye saved THROUGH FAITH,
and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast."
Why is there no mention of baptism? Why didn't Paul say, ''For by grace are ye saved
THROUGH FAITH AND BAPTISM..."?
4. Water baptism is a WORK (something that man does to please God), and yet the
Bible teaches again and again that a person is not saved by works. Here are some
examples:
Titus 3:15 - "Not by WORKS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS which WE HAVE DONE, but
according to His mercy He saved us."
2 Timothy 1:9 - "Who hath saved us, and called us with a holy calling, NOT ACCORDING
TO OUR WORKS,"
Ephesians 2:8-9 - "For by grace are ye saved THROUGH FAITH and that not of
yourselves, it is the gift of God, NOT OF WORKS, lest any man should boast."
Romans 3:28 - "Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith WITHOUT THE
DEEDS OF THE LAW."
In other words, salvation is not DOING something; it is knowing someone (John 17:3).
Salvation is not based on what we might do; it is based on what Christ has ALREADY
DONE (John 19:30). Salvation is not TRYING; it is TRUSTING (John 6:47). If salvation
could be earned by anything we do, then Christ's death was a waste (Galatians 2:21).
Salvation is not WORKING; it is RESTING on the WORK of Another (Romans 4:5).
Good works are not what a man DOES in order to be SAVED; good works are what a
SAVED MAN DOES (Ephesians 2:8-10; Titus 3:5-8). God's holiness utterly condemns the
best man (Romans 3:10-23); God's grace freely justifies the worst (1 Timothy 1:15)"!
See Part II of Faith vs Baptism
Listen to Faith vs Baptism Podcast
Faith vs Baptism. This is a letter from someone who truly believes that Faith and
Faith Alone is enough to get into heaven. The author points out many passages that
talk about Faith but do not mention Baptism. I do not agree with the points that
are raised in this email. Faith proceeds Baptism.
The Devil wants us to believe that we can be saved from our sins simply by praying the
sinner’s prayer. But the idea of praying our way into Christ is not in the Bible. It cannot be
found! There is not one example anywhere in the Bible of an alien sinner being forgiven of
his sins by praying the sinner’s prayer!
A person is translated into Christ when he is baptized into Christ. Every time the phrase
"into Christ" appears in your Bible, it is always preceded by the word "baptized", without
exception.
The sinner's prayer was invented by twentieth century preachers as a quick and easy way
to save people. This is false doctrine. People who believe they have been saved by praying
a sinner's prayer have believed a false doctrine originating from men.
See Part II of Faith vs Baptism
Listen to Faith vs Baptism Podcast
Faith Alone is enough to get into heaven. The author points out many passages that
talk about Faith but do not mention Baptism. I do not agree with the points that
are raised in this email. Faith proceeds Baptism.
The Devil wants us to believe that we can be saved from our sins simply by praying the
sinner’s prayer. But the idea of praying our way into Christ is not in the Bible. It cannot be
found! There is not one example anywhere in the Bible of an alien sinner being forgiven of
his sins by praying the sinner’s prayer!
A person is translated into Christ when he is baptized into Christ. Every time the phrase
"into Christ" appears in your Bible, it is always preceded by the word "baptized", without
exception.
The sinner's prayer was invented by twentieth century preachers as a quick and easy way
to save people. This is false doctrine. People who believe they have been saved by praying
a sinner's prayer have believed a false doctrine originating from men.
See Part II of Faith vs Baptism
Listen to Faith vs Baptism Podcast
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