When the leaders and members of churches are confronted with the topic of what is the exact moment that one is saved, then there is a list of differing and contradicting beliefs. Many churches believe that one is saved at first belief, and then some may believe at confession of sins or confession of Christ or accepting Christ into one’s heart. Some say when a believer accepts Christ’s grace, says the “sinner’s prayer”, repents, joins a church, “Holy Spirit baptism,” water baptism, “speaking in tongues,” an anointing, or a preacher’s prayer before a congregation. Some believe that any such experiences is when someone could become saved and that salvation depends on the individual.
Should there be so many contradicting beliefs? Ephesians 2:4–7 depicts an actual moment when Christ saves believers. Make a mental note now and think about when did you believe that Christ saved you. Consider some Scriptures and confirm or reconsider at what exact moment that Christ saves.
The Gospel is the power of God unto salvation to every one who believes (Rom 1:16), and the Holy Spirit seals believers of the Gospel (Eph 1:13). Salvation is through faith (Acts 15:11; Eph 2:8; 2 Tim 3:15), and those justified by faith are justified by Christ’s blood (Rom 5:1, 9). This faith is not only a belief in Jesus, but also a belief in Jesus’ raising from the dead (Rom 10:9). In John 3:16, Jesus affirmed that whoever believes in Him “should not perish, but have eternal life.” Looking at John 3:16, the phrase “should not perish” is translated from one word in the subjunctive mood, which is conditional. This means that salvation is dependent upon other factors than belief alone. Translators could translate “should not perish” as “may not perish”.
Faith is certainly essential and necessary for salvation, but Jesus saves those who obey Him (Heb 5:9). True faith is one consisting of works for faith without works is dead (Jas 2:17, 26). Even the demons believed and yet they are condemned (Jas 2:19). Man is justified by works and not by faith only (Jas 2:24). Works are essential to the faith by which Christ saves believers.
In Acts 16:30–34 when the Philippian jailer asked Paul and Silas, “what must I do to be saved?”, Paul and Silas said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you shall be saved, you and your household.” Would the jailer’s personal belief save his family who did not believe at that point? After the jailer’s household heard the Word, their immediate response was to be baptized that hour. The jailer is told that he and his household should believe, and they responded to the Word by being baptized. Evidently, it appears that the Word must have consisted of the act of baptism as a work of faith. This is certainly true throughout Scripture that baptism is a part of the Gospel of Christ. People are to obey the Gospel to be saved, and the Gospel is the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ (2 Thess 1:7–9; cf. 1 Cor 15:1–4). Baptism is a burial into the death of Christ (Rom 6:3–6, Col 2:12–13). Baptism is an essential part of the Gospel.
Because believers are not saved of their own works but by the works of God in grace through faith, then baptism is a work from God and not from man. Jesus did tell His disciples that “Whoever believes and is baptized shall be saved” (Mark 16:16). Again, faith includes baptism, because faith includes the Gospel of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Baptism does not omit belief or grace at all, but baptism is a part of belief unto grace. In Christ’s authority, Jesus told the Apostles, “Go you therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit” (Matt 28:19). Jesus would not command a meaningless ritual that would hinder and, or take away from His Gospel — the power of God unto salvation (Rom 1:16).
Now, nothing can be so apparent as 1 Peter 3:21 that shows the necessity of water baptism. Peter wrote that “now baptism saves you,” which is water baptism (1 Pet 3:20). Knowing that salvation is “not of yourselves” (Eph 2:8) and that “baptism saves” (1 Pet 3:21), then baptism is not included among these works of the Law of Moses mentioned in Ephesians 2:8–9. Baptism like faith is a work of God to which people must submit. Is baptism the exact of moment of salvation?
Ananias told Paul, “Arise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord” (Acts 22:16). According to this passage, baptism is the exact moment of salvation for at that point sins are washed away. This is not the only passage. In Acts 2:38, Peter proclaimed, “be baptized everyone of you in the name of Jesus Christ unto the remission of your sins.” Baptism in the name of Jesus Christ is water baptism (Acts 10:47–48). “In the name of Jesus Christ,” one is “washed,” “sanctified,” and “justified” in the Spirit of God (1 Cor 6:11), so it makes sense that baptism in the name of Jesus Christ is “unto the remission of sins.” “Unto the remission of sins” in Acts 2:38 is the same phrase that Christ used in Matthew 26:28, “this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many unto remission of sins.” Jesus’s blood was not poured out “because of the remission of sins” that people already had, but Jesus’s blood and baptism are “unto the remission of sins,” so that at the exact moment of the pouring of His blood, believers are saved.
In the New Testament Scriptures, baptism in the name of Jesus Christ was neither accomplished in response to salvation in Scripture nor was it an outward showing of an inward grace. Baptism was and is the exact of moment of salvation, because baptism in the name of Jesus Christ is not “because of the remission of sins,” but “unto the remission of sins” at that exact moment of immersion. This baptism is the one baptism of Ephesians 4:5, which is the water baptism of Jesus in which Christ sanctified and cleansed His church by the washing of water with the Word (Eph 5:26). This water baptism is not the same and is set apart from John’s water baptism of repentance (Acts 19:1–5). Baptism in Jesus’s name is for all repentant believers to submit to have the blood of Jesus wash away sins. Let not this work cloud with previous ideas and the word-wrangling of false teachers. Christ’s baptism is one of immersion in water not pouring or sprinkling (Acts 8:36). Baptism is for believers and not for children who are not accountable (Mark 16:16; Matt 19:14; Rom 2:12; 4:15; 7:9).
Remember that Christians are saved by the Gospel (Rom 1:16; 1 Cor 15:1–2). People must obey this Gospel to avoid the just vengeance of God and to avoid suffering the punishment of eternal destruction from the face of the Lord (2 Thess 1:7–9). People are made alive at the same moment that Christ rose alive from His tomb. Likewise, in obeying the Gospel — the death, the burial, and the resurrection in Romans 6 — people are made alive rising from their watery graves in this spiritual burial. “We were buried therefore with Him by baptism into death. […] For one who has died has been set free from sin” (Rom 6:4, 7). See those who already believe and have died to their sins must be buried in the waters of baptism to rise alive from sin’s death (Rom 6:22–23). One is not saved that person believes and has died to sins unless that believer is buried with Christ unto death and is raised into the new life. Then, they are saved (Rom 6:4–5). This is also as Colossians 2:12 and 13 teach that one is buried with Christ in baptism and then Christians are raised through faith in the working of God thus making one alive (salvation) with Him, and at that exact moment, forgiving all one’s trespasses at baptism.
Remember your previous mental note. At what moment did you believe that you were saved? If you have not been baptized for remission of sins and for salvation as the Scriptures teach, then “Arise, and be baptized, and wash away your sins” (Acts 22:16). Appeal to God for a good conscience (1 Pet 3:21).
Salvation is not permanent and unconditional after baptism. One must live the new life starting from baptism. One must walk in the light for the blood of Jesus to continue washing one’s sins away (1 John 1:7, 9). I hope grace and peace in Christ Jesus to all who read this.
The Breath of God 
Gordy, thanks for support.
To Cary,
At what point during baptism does salvation occur? A moment being a brief period of time would still consist of an infinite number of points like a measurement of length, so at what point during the act of baptism are sins washed away from the very last cell of the human body being immersed to the very first cell to raise from the watery grave? Even with infinite points in measurement of length and time, a centimeter and a meter are exact points in length and in time so are an hour and a minute exact points in time though one point of measurement may contain a number of the other points. I must conclude that the point of salvation would be the complete time of immersion even when that one point of immersion is be divided by someone, the Scriptures do not. What if one divided faith on what is believed? At what point from belief in God to Christ to Christ’s deity to Christ’s resurrection would be saved in accepting salvation at belief?
If you don’t understand what I’m saying then my post above suffices to say, “It is baptism that Paul was told to do, ‘Arise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord’ (Acts 22:16). Just based on this passage, it is evident that baptism is the exact moment of salvation for at that point sins are washed away.” I would also remember the necessity of raising from the water into the new life though it is not after baptism that one is saved.
Thank you for your question and reading. Grace and peace to you in Christ Jesus.
No, truth be told Gordy…about this one I am not playing devil’s advocate. I really do have some serious theological misgivings here. I ask these questions because I think that the moment we stop questioning and critiquing oursleves, and changing based on said critique, we will stop being Christ’s church.
And, given that it would take a lot more time than anyone would want to devote to address everything in the previous comments, I simply address a few:
Yes, I do see the Church of Christ as a denomination. I think it is almost dishonest if we say that it is not. If it looks like a duck and walks like a duck, chances are it’s a duck. Brothers, we look like ducks and we most assuredly walk like ducks in Churches of Christ.
But that does not mean that we are wrong…or that anyone else is, for that matter. It just means that we read the texts and our traditions in different ways. I am not so sure that saying we are the only ones who have got this figured out appropriately is allowing any form of intellectual humility. Because the fact of the matter is that the Church of Christ, as it looks in really any context (traditional or progressive), is a child of the 19th century. Christendom never saw a group look like us in almost 2,000 years. That doesn’t mean that we are wrong, it just means we’re not the only ones who are right. So, in identifying some faithful and pious people, we need look no further than down the street or in a history book.
And yes, I do disagree with the whole notion of a “Plan of Salvation” (whatever that means). I used to buy in to that. But I just can’t keep reading into the text something that was never meant to be there—such as a consolodated “plan” making sense of texts that seem to be saying something a little different. I just don’t hear the NT writers asking any of the same questions we seem to keep asking.
If there were a 5-step (or however many steps you want to put into it) plan endorsed by Scripture that people must obey in complete understanding, and in its totality, then why is it never spelled out in one single passage? That just doesn’t make any sense.
And I am not so sure that all the NT writers had exactly the same concept of salvation. That would much more easily explain why they never seem to all be saying quite the same thing when it comes to salvation. Could it not be that the purpose of the canon was to seal in a discussion of the salvific process (and many other theological topics), and not to seal in a unanimous chorus of the same theology?
And to say that we approach these texts without any hermeneutic is simply dishonest. No one is objective. No one. We all interpret.
And finally, doesn’t it seem like 2 Corinthians 1:20 is only calling for an “Amen”?
This is not a case for “faith only salvation”—I am far from being there. But am not quite at a 5-step “plan” either.
Hi. Random blog reader here.
Scott, if I understand you correctly, your assertion is that there is a singular point of salvation, and it happens at baptism. My question is this: at what point during baptism does salvation occur?
Matt, when I said:
That wasn’t aimed at you. Sorry if that was taken the wrong way.
– Gordy
Whew! You two “greekies” are almost too much for me.
Okay Scott, I am currently unable to find any reason to doubt what you’ve said here. This is great stuff! I could totally understand it; and that fact alone should mean something. I think we can all say that it’s a certain idea that baptism literally equals salvation (Scripturally speaking).
Matt, don’t take this the wrong way, but I can’t help but think that you might be playing devil’s advocate, here. I don’t really get why there would be a reason to alter this view in any way. Sure, there will always be “those questions” about God’s “unfair judgement”, but then again; there will also always be “those people” who ask “irrelevant questions”. Also, the whole “denominations” thing, I believe, was also portrayed accurately. Listen there will always be exceptions, but that’s doesn’t mean that we can’t make general statements like that.
Finally, I am convinced that we can know such things about the Scriptures… even though it is not explicitly said to us. For example, although the Bible does not clearly tell us how old the earth is, we can still come to a conclusion about how old is it based on genealities, ages of certain people, and some historical events.
Anyways, great post Scott. You guys have fun greeking each other and all that jazz.
I’m not being disrespectful by saying “denominations”. Most protestant bodies claim to be a “denomination”. Those churches who have separated themselves from the Church are divisions/denominations and this is not to say thatsuch exist in the Church (1 Cor 1:10). Most are not insulted by this except for maybe the Roman Catholic church or any of the Orthodox sects, and I’m not so sure that they would be offended or disagree. It is true that the Catholic and the Orthodox has referred to each other as divisions.
Matthew, I haven’t drawn any lines that God hasn’t. God tells us who goes to Heaven and Hell in the Scriptures, so to some extent, I can look at Scripture and look at the fruits of a person and know sometimes. I have not condemned babies and those with mental disabilities. I can and will say that “we” are right about baptism, because “we” are the Church, and “we” are right when “we” believe what God has told us in Scripture. How do you know that you are saved? First John 5:13, “These things I have written unto you, that you may know that you have eternal life”. I know of no “faithful and pious” person who did and does not follow God’s Word, the Gospel. Though one’s understanding of baptism is not complete and does have to be, this does not mean that they cannot pick up the book and read it. Seek and you shall find. Who are these people that you refer to who are “faithful and pious” outside of the Gospel?
I referred to the plan of salvation in title and I should have used quotes. Everyone who knows me knows that I call this “plan” the “way of salvation” as found in Acts 16:17 unless I’m singing the “Plan of Salvation Song” with the little ones. This way is a plan for man, so what is wrong with it. I will judge no man for using the word “plan”. All because a phrase is not word-for-word Scriptural does not make it unScriptural and therefore wrong. Like the term “worship service” for “the assembly”, we do assemble to worship and the word “service” is used to refer to important assemblies in our culture like wedding services and funeral services, so “worship service” not being the best word is also not wrong.
When you say “Church of Christ”, it sounds like the Church is a denomination and that you are referring only to those who assemble at buildings with a sign that says “church of Christ”. That is a very narrow definition of the Church. The Church of Jesus Christ can only be entered by immersion (1 Cor. 12:13), and only those who have obeyed the Gospel are in the Church (1 Pet. 4:17). Jesus did build His Church and it has always existed since the 1st century (Matt. 16:18).
I have no pre-developed hermeneutics. I use “hermeneutics” that are Scriptural. It is not unfair for the Biblical witnesses. They all knew the same way of salvation, so what if they did not spell it out all the time to those who had already obeyed it though Peter did on Pentecost and Paul does in Romans. They present the hearing, believing, confessing, repenting death to sins, baptism, and new life; and the death, burial, resurrecton, and appearing. There’s the “systematic” as you seem to ignore that you affirm the Gospel to be simple and plain and yet not systematic which is your definition in the 2nd paragraph. There is also the “Plan of Salvation”. Our understanding of the New Testament is the same as those who believe the New Testament Scriptures to be God’s breath since the 1st century. The Bible writers received the same Word and all the Truth. Their words can certainly interpret the words of others within context. We can use the writings of all the writers to interpret each other. Was Jesus wrong to do this with the Old Testament Scriptures (Luke 24:27), which were written across 1000 years by different authors?
I could have typed out Acts 22:16, Acts 2:38, etc. and that be it, but I will explain things just as Philip did for the Eunuch and Christ to the disciples and the writers of Scripture to thier recipients and to us.
Lastly, I can’t find any support for this “In some passages, obedience is as simple as accepting it.” Which passages are you thinking of?
I write these things in love and respect.
First off, I think it is overly simplistic to say “the denominations” in reference to all those who are questioning the validity of saying someone is going to hell if they aren’t dunked. That implies that we alone are right about this issue (throughout the majority of Christian history), and I think that is really unfair. I can’t go there. Some really faithful and pious, not to mention influential, people have disagreed with our understanding of the nature and function of baptism. We have to respect that–even if we do not agree.
Second, when using the word “systematic” I am addressing the fact that nowhere in the NT is the information presented above plainly presented–by that I mean “in a way that needs no explanation.” That is not to say that I necessarily disagree or think it wrong. But you used a great deal of pre-developed hermeneutical methods to arrive at the above thesis. I mean, there isn’t one single NT reference that has this so-called “Plan of Salvation” in it. Not one. It is, therefore, wrong to call it purely biblical.
And yes, obedience to the DBR is simple–and wholly sufficient. It is not, however, systematized (as Churches of Christ do) in the NT. In some passages, obedience is as simple as accepting it. We then go to other verses by other authors addressing other contexts to spell out what they mean. And I think that is unfair to the individual biblical witnesses.
But again, that does not mean that I think baptism is unnecessary. That is far from what I am saying.
All I am saying is that it is not for us to decided when/where someone is or isn’t saved–even if they do not have a history in keeping with our understanding of the NT. That sounds an awful lot like playing God to me. Doesn’t it?
How is it not simple? Actually, I think I tend to make things too complex. I do not understand this unless you are referring to the long list of “unjust damnation” scenarios presented by the denominations throughout the centuries against baptism. What do you mean by systematic? Do you mean the commonly stitched Scriptures for the Plan of Salvation? Also, is not obedience to the death, burial, and resurrection a simple and systematic approach presented in Scripture?
Believe it or not. I think I understand part of what you’re saying. To be honest, such scenarios like what if someone died on the way to the water has played through my mind for years. Now, the following is not directed at you, but it must also be presented and considered. What if someone along the way of life, who being led astray or just plain ignorant of the truth, died not being baptized and therefore burn in Hell? The first impression is that this would be very unjust and who could follow and love that God. I believe this reservation and the hope for one’s relatives and friends, who were never immersed, has long kept many from accepting exactly what the Scriptures say. I believe in God’s plan and in His great providence, so I believe that such scenarios cannot happen. There is no injustice of any accountable person dying without being immersed and receiving God’s vengeance. “O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and the knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments, and His ways past tracing out! For who has the mind of God? Or who has been His counselor?” (Romans 11:33-34).
I’d love to consider your thoughts. Maybe you’ve thought and studied a little further on this subject than me.
Oh, the infamous soteriological debate. 2,000 years in the making, and I think we are just as confused by it now as we were in the first few centuries after Christ. That should tell us something.
I think the overall theology of baptism presented here is a good one. I could not agree more that it is an integral (if not essential) part of the salvific process. My only concern is that we not over-simplify a process that I am not so sure we were ever supposed to understand completely in the first place. I mean, this is never really systematized in the Bible at all.
We could play the “what if?” game all day with different scenarios that would prove that this is a much more complicated matter than Churches of Christ typically presume. I won’t insult you with that.
What I will do is simply say that I am not so sure it is as simple as we might want it to be. I think it is always a bad idea to claim that someone else is or isn’t saved–no matter at what point/moment in life they find themselves in.