How many times have you heard someone claim that water baptism is just an outward sign of an inward grace (or something similar to that)? It’s claimed that baptism simply shows to others that you’re already saved. This claim flies in the face of what Scripture actually teaches. It’s simply not found in the Bible. The next time you hear someone make this claim, simply ask, “How did you come to that conclusion?” Be prepared for an awkward silence.
Instead, read what the Bible says about baptism:
- In Mark 16:16, Jesus says, “He who believes and is baptized will be saved.”
- In Acts 2:38, Peter says, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins.”
- In Acts 22:16, Ananias asked Saul of Tarsus, “Why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord.”
- In Romans 6:1–7, Paul says that baptism is when we crucify and bury the old life, so we can be raised to walk a new life, freed from sin.
- In Galatians 3:26–27, baptism is presented as a faithful act of clothing yourself with Christ.
- In Colossians 2:9–14, Paul says that baptism is where God works, cutting away sin from the heart.
- In 1 Peter 3:21, Peter says, “baptism now saves you—not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience—through the resurrection of Jesus Christ” (NASB).
Even after seeing what Scripture says about baptism, some people still point to Cornelius and his household in Acts chapter 10. They argue that Cornelius was already saved because he received baptism with the Holy Spirit first. And it’s true—what happened to Cornelius and his family was baptism with the Holy Spirit. Peter explicitly calls it that in Acts 11:15–17. So the claim is: Cornelius received the Holy Spirit (which evidently proves he was saved), and then afterward, Peter commanded him to be baptized in water.
But there’s a big problem with that idea: the Bible never says that simply having the Holy Spirit proves you are saved.
In fact, there are people in Scripture who had the Spirit of God come upon them but were not saved. Have you considered Balaam? He was a pagan diviner. Yet Numbers 24:2 says, “the Spirit of God came upon him.” He had God’s Spirit, but, in that moment, he wasn’t right with God. What about Caiaphas? He prophesied by the Spirit of God in John 11, and yet he was in open rebellion to God’s plan and later played a key role in putting Jesus to death.
In Acts 10, baptism with the Holy Spirit was a sign to Peter and the rest of the Jewish believers—not that Cornelius and his household were already saved—but that the Gentiles were to be accepted into the kingdom. That’s what Peter says in Acts 11. He explains that the Spirit falling on the Gentiles was God’s way of showing that they too were offered repentance that leads to life (see Acts 11:15–18).
But if Cornelius was already saved before water baptism, and if baptism is just a way to show others that you’ve already been saved, then what are we to make of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit? Wasn’t that enough of a sign? Acts 10 says that Peter and the Jewish Christians were astonished. Tongues were spoken. God was praised. What more did they need to see? After these people had received the Holy Spirit, Peter didn’t ask, “Can anyone deny they are saved?” Instead he asked:
Can anyone forbid water, that these should not be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?
Acts 10:47
If baptism with the Holy Spirit were enough to prove someone is already saved, then why would Peter command another, lesser sign to follow it? Why treat something that’s “just a symbol” as an urgent command after the greatest outward display had already occurred? The doctrine of water baptism as “just a sign” is beginning to fall apart.
The only coherent explanation is this: water baptism was still necessary—not as a symbol only, but as a part of the salvation process that God offers.
Please stop trying to hold together a man-made doctrine that falls apart under the weight of Scripture. That’s what happens when you try to create new teachings that aren’t supported by the Bible. You either have to twist another passage or invent a second doctrine to cover the holes in the first one.
Why don’t we just stick with what the Bible says? In reality, water baptism is a symbol. According to Romans 6:1–7, It symbolizes the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. But it’s not just a symbol. According to God Himself, it is so much more.1
Baptism is where He works on us.
It’s when He cuts away our sins.
It’s when we put to death and bury the old self.
It’s when we rise to a new life.
It’s when we’re born again.
It’s when we’re clothed with Christ.
It’s when we’re added to the body—the church.
It’s when He forgives our sins and washes them away by the blood of Jesus.
It’s when we’re saved.
Baptism with the Holy Spirit was something Jesus did on a couple of occasions in Scripture. It was never commanded. It was always promised. We’ve got study on this very subject. Grab your Bible and join us here.
- For the following points, see Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38; 22:16; Romans 6:1–7; 1 Corinthians 12:12–13; Galatians 3:26–27; Colossians 2:9–14; and 1 Peter 3:31 ↩︎