April 30, 2025 • 14 mins
What role does baptism play in salvation? Is it part of the gospel, or a response to it? In this episode, we examine what the New Testament really teaches about baptism—from the conversions in Acts to the plain words of Jesus and the apostles. We’ll confront common misunderstandings, explore the urgency of spontaneous baptism, and show how faith, repentance, confession, and baptism all work together in responding to the gospel.
Read: https://ready4eternity.com/is-baptism-a-part-of-the-gospel/
Dr. Stein's paper: https://equip.sbts.edu/publications/journals/journal-of-theology/sbjt-21-spring-1998/baptism-and-becoming-a-christian-in-the-new-testament/
https://x.com/Ready4Eternity https://www.facebook.com/ready4eternity
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Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
(Music)
Welcome to the Ready for Eternity
podcast, a podcast and blog dedicated to
inquisitive Bible students exploring
biblical truths that might not be fully
explored in typical sermons or Bible
studies. My name is Eddie Lawrence. Is
(00:23):
baptism part of the gospel
or something else entirely?
In this episode, we'll explore the
relationship between
the gospel and baptism.
Strictly speaking, baptism is not part of
the gospel. The good news, as the Bible
(00:46):
defines it, is about the death, burial,
and resurrection of Jesus. Baptism
therefore isn't a core part of the gospel
itself. However, it's inextricably linked
to the gospel. In every case of
conversion in the book of Acts, once a
person came to faith, they were
(01:07):
immediately baptized. Since baptism isn't
part of the gospel, if we teach that
immersion is necessary to become a
Christian, aren't we guilty of the
Galatian heresy? In Galatia, false
teachers said the gospel wasn't enough to
save people. They taught that in addition
(01:29):
to the gospel, those who wanted to be
Christians had to also undergo
circumcision and keep the law of Moses.
Paul said this teaching perverts the
gospel and is in reality no gospel at
all. However, the Bible clearly states
that baptism is a necessary condition to
(01:51):
become saved. Whoever believes and is
baptized will be saved, but whoever does
not believe will be condemned. Mark 16,
16. And Peter said to them, "Repent and
be baptized, every one of you in the name
of Jesus Christ, for the forgiveness of
(02:12):
your sins, and you will receive the gift
of the Holy Spirit." Acts 2, 38. And now,
why do you wait? Rise and be baptized,
and wash away your sins, calling on His
name. Acts 22, 16. Baptism, which
corresponds to this, now saves you, not
(02:33):
as a removal of dirt from the body, but
as an appeal to God for a good conscience
through the resurrection of
Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 3, 21.
These passages are very plain, and we
don't have to guess as to their meaning.
Peter says in certain terms that baptism
(02:54):
is related to our salvation. So how do we
reconcile this? In reality, baptism is
not an addition to the gospel, it's a
response to the gospel. This is also true
of repentance and confessing that Jesus
is the Christ. When a person hears and
(03:17):
believes the good news about Jesus, the
God-appointed means of responding is
repentance, confession, and baptism.
Because baptism is a
response to the gospel,
it's not an addition to it. It's not
something added to the gospel, and
(03:37):
therefore it is not the Galatian heresy
nor any other kind of heresy. Baptism is
the way God has instructed us to respond
to the gospel. Some people teach that the
response to the gospel is to say the
sinner's prayer. Interestingly, the Bible
says nothing about praying in order to
(03:59):
accept the good news about Jesus.
Although it's perfectly fine to pray to
God during one's conversion, it's not a
substitute for what God actually said to
do. The biblical response for one wishing
to accept the gospel is repentance,
confession, and baptism. In the earliest
days of the church, no one delayed
(04:21):
immersion by waiting days, weeks, months,
or years. After all, since repentance,
confession, and baptism are the means of
accepting the good news and being adopted
into God's family, why would they have
wanted to delay? Today, baptism is
routinely delayed because people think it
(04:44):
has nothing to do with accepting the
gospel. So by the same logic, would
people say it's okay to delay repenting
or confessing that Jesus is the Messiah?
In every recorded case of conversion in
the New Testament, baptism was immediate.
It would have never occurred to anyone in
(05:05):
the early church to wonder at what point
a person got saved. Repentance,
confession, and immersion immediately
followed when one came to faith.
Therefore, there was no speculation about
the exact point in time a person's sins
were taken away because there was no
concept of delaying baptism, repentance,
(05:27):
or confession. It all happened almost
simultaneously. Some well-known ministers
and scholars have come to recognize what
they call spontaneous baptism as the
biblical norm. For example, Dr. Bobby
Jamison, who is the associate pastor at
Capitol Hill Baptist Church in
(05:47):
Washington, D.C., says, "Explicitly in
the rest of Acts we read over and over
again of people accepting the gospel and
being immediately baptized." As the
Ethiopian eunuch put it, "Immediately
after hearing the gospel from Philip,
see, here is water. What prevents me from
being baptized?" Likewise, Dr. Tom
(06:11):
Schreiner, who is professor of New
Testament interpretation and biblical
theology at Southern Baptist Theological
Seminary, said, "In the New Testament
era, it was unheard of to separate
baptism from faith in Christ for such a
long period. Baptism occurred either
immediately after or very soon after
(06:31):
people believed. The short interval
between faith and baptism is evident from
numerous examples in the book of Acts."
And finally, J.D. Greer, former president
of the Southern Baptist
Convention, tells this story.
Our church chose to hold our first
spontaneous baptism service after we
(06:53):
noticed the biblical pattern of
spontaneous baptisms while preaching
through a series in the book of Acts.
After all, every single baptism recorded
in the New Testament, without exception,
is spontaneous and immediate. For New
Testament believers, the pattern was
alarmingly simple. Believe, confess, get
baptized. There was never a gap between
(07:15):
when a person trusted Christ and when
that person was baptized, not one.
The experience of conversion in the New
Testament involved faith, repentance,
confession, and baptism. This fact has
been noted by Dr. Robert H. Stein. Dr.
(07:36):
Stein, who is now retired, was senior
professor of New Testament interpretation
at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
in Louisville, Kentucky. In an article he
wrote entitled "Baptism and Becoming a
Christian in the New Testament," he
explains how Christians in the first
century viewed the relationship between
(07:58):
faith and baptism. Dr. Stein explains
using a hypothetical interview with Isaac
of Antioch, a first-century believer.
Monday, April 5th, 8049. Isaac, do you
remember the day when you were converted?
(08:19):
Oh yes, I remember clearly that Barnabas
preached that I was a sinner. Yet,
because of Jesus Christ, if I would turn
from my sin, God would forgive me. So, on
August 15th, AD 44, I repented of my sin
and became a Christian.
Tuesday, April 6th, AD 49. Isaac, do you
(08:43):
remember the day when you were converted?
Oh yes, I remember clearly that Barnabas
preached that God had fulfilled the
promises that he made to our fathers and
sent his Messiah, Jesus Christ. So, on
August 15th, AD 44, I confess Jesus as
the Messiah and Lord
and became a Christian.
(09:05):
Wednesday, April 7th, AD 49. Isaac, do
you remember the day when you were
converted? Oh yes, I remember clearly
that Barnabas preached that I could not
be saved by my own efforts, for all my
works were as filthy rags. He said that I
need to trust in the grace of God and
simply believe the gospel because God had
(09:27):
made salvation in Christ possible for me.
So, on August 15th, AD 44, I trusted by
faith in the grace of God and became a
Christian. Thursday, April 8th, AD 49.
Isaac, do you remember the
day when you were converted?
Oh yes, I remember clearly that Barnabas
(09:50):
preached that I needed to be born again
and that I should not marvel I needed to
be made new by the Holy Spirit. So, on
August 15th, AD 44, I was born again
through the Spirit of God and became a
Christian. Friday, April 9th, AD 49.
(10:11):
Isaac, do you remember the
day when you were converted?
Oh yes, I remember clearly that Barnabas
preached that I needed to die, be buried
with Christ and be raised in newness of
life. So, on August 15th, AD 44, I was
baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus
Christ and became a Christian. Now Isaac,
(10:34):
come on. You have told us five different
stories. Which is the true one? When were
you truly converted? When and how did you
really become a Christian? Was it when
you repented? When you believed? When you
confessed Christ? When you were born
again? Or was it when you were baptized?
How would Isaac respond to these
(10:55):
questions? I believe that he would
respond essentially as follows. All these
were involved and associated with my
becoming a Christian. When Barnabas
preached to me, he not only spoke of my
being a sinner and needing to repent, but
he also talked about my need to put my
faith in Jesus Christ, confess him as
(11:16):
Lord and Christ, be born of the Spirit
and be baptized. All these took place on
August 15th, AD 44, all five were
involved in my conversion. Perhaps an
analogy may prove useful. If I were asked
when I was married, I could respond when
I said I do, or when I put a ring on her
(11:39):
finger and she put one on mine, or when
the pastor pronounced us man and wife, or
when the witnesses and pastor signed the
marriage certificate, or when we sexually
consummated our marriage. If asked as to
exactly which one of these caused me to
become married, I would reply, "You
(11:59):
cannot separate them. They were all part
of my becoming married. When I mentioned
any one of these, I assumed the others."
Dr. Stein's paper is one of the best
articles on baptism I've ever read, and I
encourage you to follow the link in the
episode description and read it in its
(12:21):
entirety. When a New Testament author
mentions that someone was baptized, it
should be understood to be synonymous
with saying they were saved. The same is
true of repentance, confession, and
faith. The words were all used
interchangeably, and the use of one word
(12:42):
in the New Testament assumes the others.
Baptism isn't part of the gospel, but
since it is a response to the gospel,
just like repentance and confession, it's
the way that one expresses their faith in
Christ. It is not now, nor has it ever
been an additional requirement to be
(13:03):
saved. We aren't saved by the gospel plus
baptism. As Peter said, baptism is a
request or an appeal to God in 1 Peter 3,
21. Baptism is the means God has given us
to accept the gospel. It is the means by
(13:25):
which we enter into a covenant
relationship with Him. The biblical
pattern is faith, followed immediately by
repentance, confession, and baptism. They
cannot be separated. They are all
involved in becoming a Christian.
(13:46):
Thanks for listening to the podcast. We
hope this episode has deepened your
understanding of scripture. If you found
this content valuable, please share it
with your friends. For more biblical
studies, visit our website at
readyforeternity.com. That's the word
"ready," the number four, and the word
"eternity." Readyforeternity.com. Be sure
(14:08):
and leave a comment on the Ready for
Eternity Facebook page or reach out on
Twitter. That's all for now. Keep
studying your Bible, growing closer to
God, and getting ready for
eternity. See you next time.
(Music)
Welcome to the Ready for Eternity
podcast, a podcast and blog dedicated to
inquisitive Bible students exploring
biblical truths that might not be fully
explored in typical sermons or Bible
studies. My name is Eddie Lawrence. Is
(00:23):
baptism part of the gospel
or something else entirely?
In this episode, we'll explore the
relationship between
the gospel and baptism.
Strictly speaking, baptism is not part of
the gospel. The good news, as the Bible
(00:46):
defines it, is about the death, burial,
and resurrection of Jesus. Baptism
therefore isn't a core part of the gospel
itself. However, it's inextricably linked
to the gospel. In every case of
conversion in the book of Acts, once a
person came to faith, they were
(01:07):
immediately baptized. Since baptism isn't
part of the gospel, if we teach that
immersion is necessary to become a
Christian, aren't we guilty of the
Galatian heresy? In Galatia, false
teachers said the gospel wasn't enough to
save people. They taught that in addition
(01:29):
to the gospel, those who wanted to be
Christians had to also undergo
circumcision and keep the law of Moses.
Paul said this teaching perverts the
gospel and is in reality no gospel at
all. However, the Bible clearly states
that baptism is a necessary condition to
(01:51):
become saved. Whoever believes and is
baptized will be saved, but whoever does
not believe will be condemned. Mark 16,
16. And Peter said to them, "Repent and
be baptized, every one of you in the name
of Jesus Christ, for the forgiveness of
(02:12):
your sins, and you will receive the gift
of the Holy Spirit." Acts 2, 38. And now,
why do you wait? Rise and be baptized,
and wash away your sins, calling on His
name. Acts 22, 16. Baptism, which
corresponds to this, now saves you, not
(02:33):
as a removal of dirt from the body, but
as an appeal to God for a good conscience
through the resurrection of
Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 3, 21.
These passages are very plain, and we
don't have to guess as to their meaning.
Peter says in certain terms that baptism
(02:54):
is related to our salvation. So how do we
reconcile this? In reality, baptism is
not an addition to the gospel, it's a
response to the gospel. This is also true
of repentance and confessing that Jesus
is the Christ. When a person hears and
(03:17):
believes the good news about Jesus, the
God-appointed means of responding is
repentance, confession, and baptism.
Because baptism is a
response to the gospel,
it's not an addition to it. It's not
something added to the gospel, and
(03:37):
therefore it is not the Galatian heresy
nor any other kind of heresy. Baptism is
the way God has instructed us to respond
to the gospel. Some people teach that the
response to the gospel is to say the
sinner's prayer. Interestingly, the Bible
says nothing about praying in order to
(03:59):
accept the good news about Jesus.
Although it's perfectly fine to pray to
God during one's conversion, it's not a
substitute for what God actually said to
do. The biblical response for one wishing
to accept the gospel is repentance,
confession, and baptism. In the earliest
days of the church, no one delayed
(04:21):
immersion by waiting days, weeks, months,
or years. After all, since repentance,
confession, and baptism are the means of
accepting the good news and being adopted
into God's family, why would they have
wanted to delay? Today, baptism is
routinely delayed because people think it
(04:44):
has nothing to do with accepting the
gospel. So by the same logic, would
people say it's okay to delay repenting
or confessing that Jesus is the Messiah?
In every recorded case of conversion in
the New Testament, baptism was immediate.
It would have never occurred to anyone in
(05:05):
the early church to wonder at what point
a person got saved. Repentance,
confession, and immersion immediately
followed when one came to faith.
Therefore, there was no speculation about
the exact point in time a person's sins
were taken away because there was no
concept of delaying baptism, repentance,
(05:27):
or confession. It all happened almost
simultaneously. Some well-known ministers
and scholars have come to recognize what
they call spontaneous baptism as the
biblical norm. For example, Dr. Bobby
Jamison, who is the associate pastor at
Capitol Hill Baptist Church in
(05:47):
Washington, D.C., says, "Explicitly in
the rest of Acts we read over and over
again of people accepting the gospel and
being immediately baptized." As the
Ethiopian eunuch put it, "Immediately
after hearing the gospel from Philip,
see, here is water. What prevents me from
being baptized?" Likewise, Dr. Tom
(06:11):
Schreiner, who is professor of New
Testament interpretation and biblical
theology at Southern Baptist Theological
Seminary, said, "In the New Testament
era, it was unheard of to separate
baptism from faith in Christ for such a
long period. Baptism occurred either
immediately after or very soon after
(06:31):
people believed. The short interval
between faith and baptism is evident from
numerous examples in the book of Acts."
And finally, J.D. Greer, former president
of the Southern Baptist
Convention, tells this story.
Our church chose to hold our first
spontaneous baptism service after we
(06:53):
noticed the biblical pattern of
spontaneous baptisms while preaching
through a series in the book of Acts.
After all, every single baptism recorded
in the New Testament, without exception,
is spontaneous and immediate. For New
Testament believers, the pattern was
alarmingly simple. Believe, confess, get
baptized. There was never a gap between
(07:15):
when a person trusted Christ and when
that person was baptized, not one.
The experience of conversion in the New
Testament involved faith, repentance,
confession, and baptism. This fact has
been noted by Dr. Robert H. Stein. Dr.
(07:36):
Stein, who is now retired, was senior
professor of New Testament interpretation
at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
in Louisville, Kentucky. In an article he
wrote entitled "Baptism and Becoming a
Christian in the New Testament," he
explains how Christians in the first
century viewed the relationship between
(07:58):
faith and baptism. Dr. Stein explains
using a hypothetical interview with Isaac
of Antioch, a first-century believer.
Monday, April 5th, 8049. Isaac, do you
remember the day when you were converted?
(08:19):
Oh yes, I remember clearly that Barnabas
preached that I was a sinner. Yet,
because of Jesus Christ, if I would turn
from my sin, God would forgive me. So, on
August 15th, AD 44, I repented of my sin
and became a Christian.
Tuesday, April 6th, AD 49. Isaac, do you
(08:43):
remember the day when you were converted?
Oh yes, I remember clearly that Barnabas
preached that God had fulfilled the
promises that he made to our fathers and
sent his Messiah, Jesus Christ. So, on
August 15th, AD 44, I confess Jesus as
the Messiah and Lord
and became a Christian.
(09:05):
Wednesday, April 7th, AD 49. Isaac, do
you remember the day when you were
converted? Oh yes, I remember clearly
that Barnabas preached that I could not
be saved by my own efforts, for all my
works were as filthy rags. He said that I
need to trust in the grace of God and
simply believe the gospel because God had
(09:27):
made salvation in Christ possible for me.
So, on August 15th, AD 44, I trusted by
faith in the grace of God and became a
Christian. Thursday, April 8th, AD 49.
Isaac, do you remember the
day when you were converted?
Oh yes, I remember clearly that Barnabas
(09:50):
preached that I needed to be born again
and that I should not marvel I needed to
be made new by the Holy Spirit. So, on
August 15th, AD 44, I was born again
through the Spirit of God and became a
Christian. Friday, April 9th, AD 49.
(10:11):
Isaac, do you remember the
day when you were converted?
Oh yes, I remember clearly that Barnabas
preached that I needed to die, be buried
with Christ and be raised in newness of
life. So, on August 15th, AD 44, I was
baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus
Christ and became a Christian. Now Isaac,
(10:34):
come on. You have told us five different
stories. Which is the true one? When were
you truly converted? When and how did you
really become a Christian? Was it when
you repented? When you believed? When you
confessed Christ? When you were born
again? Or was it when you were baptized?
How would Isaac respond to these
(10:55):
questions? I believe that he would
respond essentially as follows. All these
were involved and associated with my
becoming a Christian. When Barnabas
preached to me, he not only spoke of my
being a sinner and needing to repent, but
he also talked about my need to put my
faith in Jesus Christ, confess him as
(11:16):
Lord and Christ, be born of the Spirit
and be baptized. All these took place on
August 15th, AD 44, all five were
involved in my conversion. Perhaps an
analogy may prove useful. If I were asked
when I was married, I could respond when
I said I do, or when I put a ring on her
(11:39):
finger and she put one on mine, or when
the pastor pronounced us man and wife, or
when the witnesses and pastor signed the
marriage certificate, or when we sexually
consummated our marriage. If asked as to
exactly which one of these caused me to
become married, I would reply, "You
(11:59):
cannot separate them. They were all part
of my becoming married. When I mentioned
any one of these, I assumed the others."
Dr. Stein's paper is one of the best
articles on baptism I've ever read, and I
encourage you to follow the link in the
episode description and read it in its
(12:21):
entirety. When a New Testament author
mentions that someone was baptized, it
should be understood to be synonymous
with saying they were saved. The same is
true of repentance, confession, and
faith. The words were all used
interchangeably, and the use of one word
(12:42):
in the New Testament assumes the others.
Baptism isn't part of the gospel, but
since it is a response to the gospel,
just like repentance and confession, it's
the way that one expresses their faith in
Christ. It is not now, nor has it ever
been an additional requirement to be
(13:03):
saved. We aren't saved by the gospel plus
baptism. As Peter said, baptism is a
request or an appeal to God in 1 Peter 3,
21. Baptism is the means God has given us
to accept the gospel. It is the means by
(13:25):
which we enter into a covenant
relationship with Him. The biblical
pattern is faith, followed immediately by
repentance, confession, and baptism. They
cannot be separated. They are all
involved in becoming a Christian.
(13:46):
Thanks for listening to the podcast. We
hope this episode has deepened your
understanding of scripture. If you found
this content valuable, please share it
with your friends. For more biblical
studies, visit our website at
readyforeternity.com. That's the word
"ready," the number four, and the word
"eternity." Readyforeternity.com. Be sure
(14:08):
and leave a comment on the Ready for
Eternity Facebook page or reach out on
Twitter. That's all for now. Keep
studying your Bible, growing closer to
God, and getting ready for
eternity. See you next time.
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