So being baptised by the Holy spirit into water must equal salvation 😊
Bit heavy--
Certain groups hold that water baptism is necessary for salvation. This view is held, for example, by the "Church of Christ" and the "Christian Church." The "Church of Christ" asserts that those who have not been baptized for salvation are lost.
This would mean that, throughout Christian history, the vast majority of those who confessed Christ, believed His Word, praised His holy name, and proclaimed His glories to the lost, were never saved! Even those who were martyred for Christ, and those who have translated our Bibles, and those who have given their lives to the mission field to proclaim Christ's glory to the lost, were, almost without exception, never saved and will end up in hell because they did not get baptized for salvation and join the so-called "Church of Christ."
Admittedly, there are passages of Scripture, which on the surface, seem to say that a person must be baptized in order to be saved…
Mark 16:16 – "He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned."
Acts 2:38 – Peter said to them, "Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Acts 22:16 – 'Now why do you delay? Get up and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on His name.'
However, as we examine the Scriptural teaching of baptism and of salvation, we will see that neither baptism nor any other ritual can save us from our sins. Salvation is by God's grace, through faith, apart from works (Ephesians 2:8). God has not ordained water baptism to be a magical ritual by which we may obtain salvation.
What Scripture says about Faith and Salvation.
What must a person do to be saved? Scripture repeatedly answers this question in literally dozens of different passages.
Let's examine one such passage…
Romans 10:8-13 – But what does it say? "THE WORD IS NEAR YOU, in your mouth and in your heart" —that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. For the Scripture says, "WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED." For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; for "WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED."
Notice the apostle's assertion that, if you do two things, you will surely be saved… (1) "confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord" and (2) "believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead." If you do these two things, then "you will be saved."
He does not add further requirements. Those who insist that you must be baptized to be saved are thereby rejecting this statement of Scripture, which plainly says that confession and faith are all that is required for the assurance of salvation. (We have a clear example of this in the thief on the cross.)
The apostle continues in verse 10, elaborating on his statement. He speaks first of the heart: "for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness." Next, he speaks of the mouth: "and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation." That's it! If the heart believes and the mouth confesses, then the person will be saved, with or without water baptism!
He concludes this section with a quotation from Joel 2:32: "WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED." Those who call upon God to save them will assuredly be saved. Again, no baptism required!
If the apostle believed that a baptismal ritual was required in addition to faith and confession, then he would surely have said so. Salvation is too important a matter to omit essential ingredients. What in the world could Paul have been thinking, to promise salvation on faith and confession alone, if he fully believed that no one could be saved without the water ritual?
This passage is not an isolated exception. Scripture literally teems with statements that we are saved through faith, apart from legalistic works, or that those who believe will assuredly be saved.
The passages cited below say specifically that the one who believes will assuredly be saved. Not one of these passages says that a person must also receive water baptism. Such passages make it clear that faith alone is sufficient for salvation. Surely, if water baptism were also required for salvation, God would not make statements in which He promises salvation to those who simply believe...
John 3:16 – "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
John 3:18 – "He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
John 20:31 – but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.
Acts 13:39 – and through Him everyone who believes is freed from all things, from which you could not be freed through the Law of Moses.
Acts 10:43 – "Of Him all the prophets bear witness that through His name everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins."
Acts 13:48 – When the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord; and as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed.
Romans 1:16 – For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
Romans 4:3 – For what does the Scripture say? "ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS CREDITED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS."
Romans 4:5 – But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness,
Romans 4:11 – and he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while uncircumcised, so that he might be the father of all who believe without being circumcised, that righteousness might be credited to them,
… and many, many more …
Does God Require 4 things for salvation?
Those who teach that water baptism is required for salvation usually keep a list of four items which, they assert, are required for salvation:
Faith
Repentance
Confession
Water baptism
They often deny that we are saved through faith alone.
Those who hold to the fourfold formula of "Faith + Repentance + Confession + Baptism" suppose that each passage which states what is needed for salvation leaves out certain necessary elements, and that we must pool all such statements together, if we wish to find out what God truly requires for salvation.
However, this approach does not really accept any of the statements which God has made about salvation. John 3:16 says that everyone who believes in Christ will be saved. It does not say merely that faith is one of many things required in order to be saved. It does not leave open such an interpretation of the passage. It says that whoever believes in Jesus Christ will not perish. Those who claim that they "believe just what the passage says" need to acknowledge that none of the passages listed above leaves room for additional requirements.
So then, why does Scripture sometimes list other things besides faith as necessary for salvation? Why, for example, does Romans 10:8-13 say that confession is also needed?
It is simply because true faith will confess Christ.
The Bible teaches that there is such a thing as counterfeit faith. In the eighth chapter of John, certain Jews came to believe on Jesus. Yet, as Jesus continued speaking with them, it soon became clear that their faith was not genuine, for Jesus accused them of seeking to kill Him:
John 8:30-40 – As He spoke these things, many came to believe in Him. So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, "If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free." They answered Him, "We are Abraham's descendants and have never yet been enslaved to anyone; how is it that You say, 'You will become free'?" Jesus answered them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin. "The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son does remain forever. "So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed. "I know that you are Abraham's descendants; yet you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you. "I speak the things which I have seen with My Father; therefore you also do the things which you heard from your father." They answered and said to Him, "Abraham is our father." Jesus said to them, "If you are Abraham's children, do the deeds of Abraham. "But as it is, you are seeking to kill Me, a man who has told you the truth, which I heard from God; this Abraham did not do.
It is clear that the "faith" which these individuals had was of a different kind than that of Cornelius (Acts 10:44-48) or the Ethiopian eunuch (Acts 8:26-39) or the Philippian jailer (Acts 16:34).
The purpose, therefore, of adding repentance or confession or baptism to simple faith is not to give a list of things which must added to faith, but to qualify the kind of faith which accompanies salvation. Saving faith is a faith which confesses Christ. Saving faith is a repentant faith. Saving faith is one which seeks to be joined to, or identified with Christ and His people.
http://members.toast.net/puritan/Ar...xt=Does Water Baptism Save?
by Mitch Cervinka