The New Testament teaches that the penitent believer must be baptized for the remission of sins.

I appreciate this challenge. May we discover truth.I will be supporting that salvation is by grace through faith, not by works. Meaning, that all one has to do in order to achieve everlasting life, is accept Jesus Christ as their savior; rituals not withstanding. I also accept Pro's terms. I will be using the NIV translation of the Bible.REBUTTALSMark 16:15-16There are several flaws with my opponent's argument. Firstly, my opponent is unaware of what baptism truly is. Baptism is not merely the submerging of someone under water, but the social proclamation of the acceptance of Jesus Christ. In Biblical times, baptism was seen as a means for which believers could identify each other; it was often shocking to find a follower of Christ who was not baptised. In Christian baptism, the action of being immersed in water symbolizes dying and being buried with Christ. The action of coming out of the water pictures Christ’s resurrection.[1] In this sense, baptism is simply symbolization of a new life with Christ.Now to address my opponent's line of logic: “He that goes down the stairs and leaves the building will be saved, but he that does not go down the stairs will be killed.” This is a terrible metaphor, in that, both instances of "going down the stairs" and "leaving the building," in no way relate to salvation or baptism in any way. My opponent believes that baptism is necessary for salvation, in this case, my opponent would be correct. However, this does not prove his point. I could easily say this:"He that leaves the building will be saved, but he that does not leave the building will be killed.”The problem lies in the fact that one can replace the highlighted words with anything to make it seem reasonable. Ergo, this line of logic does not prove that baptism is necessary for salvation. Not being baptised in biblical times did equate to not believing, however, this was only from a social standpoint. If one person refused to be baptised, this would seem like the person lacked faith, and would be too afraid to proclaim Christ's name. The act of baptism in the early church was punishable by death, so it would make sense as to why one would rather not be baptised.One must remember that salvation cannot be formulated in two steps: "going down the stairs" and "leaving the building." Salvation can be achieved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone. This is not because of man's doing, but because of God's grace. Anything else is idolatrous, because it claims that Jesus' death on the cross was not sufficient."For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast." Ephesians 2:8-9"He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit." Titus 3:5Acts 2:38-41, 47A great summery, I might say. Nonetheless, it does not prove that baptism is necessary for salvation. Again, baptism was only a symbolic proclamation of faith in Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit enters the hearts of those who gain salvation, yet baptism is not needed for this to happen. Peter was proclaiming the importance of baptism, in that it separates believers from the unbelievers, however, he was not claiming it was needed for salvation. My opponent fails to understand that Jesus Christ IS baptism in the sense that we are wiped clean of our transgressions upon trusting in him to set us free from captivity:“I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire." Matthew 3:11"I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” Mark 1:18Acts 22:16Baptism, in a social sense, is calling on the name of the Lord. However, baptism, in a spiritual sense, is salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. My opponent brings to rise an interesting contention:"If belief alone brought forgiveness, then his sins would have already been washed away."My opponent is unaware of the very meaning of what he speaks. To repent, is to ask for forgiveness, but with a plan; such is the nature of the Sinner's Prayer. Furthermore, my opponent's statement contradicts a very vital instance in scripture. An instance that defined Jesus as the savior that he is; on the day that he was put on the cross:"One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: 'Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!' But the other criminal rebuked him. 'Don’t you fear God,' he said, 'since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.' Then he said, 'Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.' Jesus answered him, 'Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.'" Luke 23:32-43Was this faithful criminal baptised? Certainly not. Therefore, baptism is not necessary for salvation."Do you think that just maybe, possibly, any of his prayers were asking God to forgive him? But when Ananias comes to him, Paul is told he still has sins that need to be washed away."This no surprise, nonetheless, it doesn't favor my opponent's benefit. My opponent claims that prayer for forgiveness is not sufficient to dismantle sins. Claiming this is belittling God's power:“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you." Matthew 7:7"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:9"Notice also, Paul is not told to 'pray for Jesus to come into your life.' He is not led in a prayer requesting salvation. No, Paul is told to 'be baptized!' And the reason he was told to 'be baptized' was that his sins were still counted against him--and it is in baptism that they are washed away."Paul was not led to a prayer requesting salvation because he was already saved. The moment he saw Christ, the moment he prayed to him; this was the moment that he was saved. Again, baptism was only a form of social acceptance; a symbol that Paul was a changed man. As for the "sins still counted against him," this was no doubt in reference to his mass genocide of Christians. The sins "counted against him" in this case, were none other than the uncertainty of fellow Christians, this is why it was necessary for Paul to be baptised; to make a public statement.1 Peter 3:21Again, a public statement of faith.Was Peter really saying that the act of being baptized is what saves us? If he were, he would be contradicting many other passages of Scripture that clearly show people being saved prior to being baptized or without being baptized at all. [2] I will provide instances, if needed.Colossians 2:12-13Simply because this verse contains the word, "baptism," my opponent decided to use it. Nonetheless, this verse is referring to God's grace not public baptism."...God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins."Romans 6:3-4"Newness of life" in this case, is not referring to everlasting life. But to the transformation of life on earth, upon accepting Christ."The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." John 10:10Galatians 3:27All of these verses pertain to the ceremonial aspect of public baptism. "baptism into Christ" is the acceptance of Christ into one's life, and the transformation that one receives upon acceptance:"Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." Romans 12:2Onto Pro.[1] http://www.gotquestions.org...[2] http://www.gotquestions.org...