Short answer: no\u2014water baptism is not required for salvation<\/strong>, but it is<\/em> very important.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Bible teaches that we are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ<\/strong>, not by any work we perform. \u201cGod saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can\u2019t take credit for this; it is a gift from God\u201d<\/em> (Ephesians 2:8, NLT). Salvation happens when a person truly trusts in Christ, not when they go into the water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A clear example is the thief on the cross. He believed in Jesus, and Jesus told him, \u201cI assure you, today you will be with me in paradise\u201d<\/em> (Luke 23:43, NLT). He was never baptized, yet he was saved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That said, baptism matters<\/strong>. Jesus commanded it, and it is an outward expression of an inward change. It shows obedience, identifies us with Christ, and publicly declares our faith. \u201cThose who believed what Peter said were baptized and added to the church that day\u201d<\/em> (Acts 2:41, NLT).<\/p>\n\n\n\n So baptism doesn\u2019t save you\u2014but if you belong to Jesus, you\u2019ll want to follow Him in it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Short answer: no\u2014water baptism is not required for salvation, but it is very important. The Bible teaches that we are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, not by any work we perform. \u201cGod saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can\u2019t take credit for this; it is a gift from […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-130","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\n