BELIEF AND BAPTISM
Mike Johnson
Mark 16:16 says, “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved, but he that believeth not shall be damned.” Jesus spoke these words just prior to his ascension. Here, salvation is promised but it is conditional. Actually, there are two conditions stated as being necessary for salvation. They are belief and baptism.
The word “and” is a coordinating conjunction which joins elements of equal rank. It would be incorrect to strike out belief and say we are saved by baptism only. It would also be wrong to strike out baptism and say we are saved by faith only. So belief AND baptism are stated as being necessary for salvation. Just as one must believe in order to be saved, one must also be baptized in order to be saved.
There are various illustrations which can be considered. Suppose someone should say, “He that believeth AND is baptized shall receive a new car.” I’m sure most people would have little trouble understanding that to get a new car one would have to comply with both of the conditions. They could not just believe or just be baptized and expect to receive the new car. Why? The statement was, “He that believeth and is baptized shall receive a new car. In arithmetic, we know 2 and 2 equals 4. Again, you must have both of the 2’s to get the 4. In like manner, verse 16 says that both belief and baptism equals salvation. It seems help would be needed to misunderstand verse 16. Baptism is clearly stated as being essential for salvation.
Someone may say, “Well, I agree with that passage, but I still feel that one can be saved without baptism. This attitude is alarming. Everyone must put aside their opinions and simply accept God’s Word. (Please note also Acts 2:38, 10:48, 22:16; Matthew 28:18-20; Galatians 3:27; I Peter 3:21; Romans 6:3-4.)