Is Baptism required for Eternal Life?

Baptism is a central part of both Mormonism and Christianity. And while the way baptism is performed in each of these religions may appear the same, the REASON is very different. The simple difference?

The Bible teaches that baptism is NOT required for eternal life.

First and foremost, the Bible is emphatically clear that Eternal life is by belief alone!

Jesus said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life” (John 5:24).
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).
The Apostle Paul taught: “‘Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved’” (Acts 16:31).
“If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9)

When a person believes, and receives this free gift of salvation, he is immediately sealed with the Holy Spirit as a GUARANTEE of his redemption. In other words, everyone who has the Spirit has eternal life.

The Apostle Peter was once sent by God to the house of a Gentile man named Cornelius. He taught them the good news of Jesus saying,

“’to [Jesus] all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.’ While Peter was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the Word” (Acts 10:43-44).

The people believed and were SAVED! Peter and his companions were amazed and he said,

“Can anyone withhold water for baptizing these people, who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?” (Acts 10:47).

Baptism does not precede–or result in–saving faith.

But Wait! Isn’t Baptism commanded?

Yes! baptism is commanded—just like loving our neighbor, giving away our possessions, not lusting, enduring persecution in faith. Jesus even commands us to BE PERFECT. But these commands are not PRE-CONDITIONS for eternal life!

Baptism is not a prerequisite for conversion, but a SYMBOL of it!

Think of baptism as a “wedding ring”. The wedding ring does not “cause” anyone to be married, just like NOT wearing a wedding ring doesn’t mean that a person is NOT married. The wedding ring is merely the symbol of the marriage. But the idea of marriage and wedding rings is so closely connected in our culture that if a young man asked me for advice on marrying his girlfriend (to whom I thought he should be married), I could rightly say, “Marry that girl, and put a ring on her finger”. Certainly that, in no way, offers undue power to the symbol of the wedding ring. But the ideas are so intertwined that we often use the terms interchangeably without hesitation. The power though, is not in the ring. It’s in the commitment that leads to the ring.

While God does command us to do good works, and Baptism is a good work, our works are powerless to save us. As the Apostle Paul wrote: