The Bible Teaches That Water Baptism Is Necessary For Salvation

First I would like to thank my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ as well as Dan123 for accepting this debate. I can see from his first round post that he has a good general understanding of the scriptures. That being said, I will first make my case that we do not need baptism to be saved and then I will go through ever single one of the verses Dan123 provided and show that they do not say that baptism is necessary for salvation. I also want to point something out. While I do not believe baptism is necessary for salvation, I do believe Christians should be baptized because Jesus told us to and we should be obedient. First we must understand that God works covenantally. There is a latin word "testamentum" which means covenant. This is where we get the word testament. So the old and new testament are actually the old and new covenant. "If you do not understand covenant you cannot understand, in totality, the issue of baptism because baptism is a covenant sign."[1] We can also see that God works through the everlasting covenant in Hebrews 13:20.[2] I like how Carm.org puts it, "If you fail to understand that God works covenantally and that He uses signs as manifestations of his covenants (rainbow, circumcision, communion, etc.) then you will not be able to understand where baptism fits in God's covenant system."[3] Baptism is a representation of what I believe. It represents the death of a person in Romans 6. It represents the union of a person with Christ in Galatians 3. It represents the cleansing of a persons sins in acts 22. There are many other examples of things it represents in scripture. "The Covenant of Grace is the covenant between God and Mankind where God promises to Mankind eternal life. It is based upon the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross and the condition is faith in Jesus Christ. As the Communion Supper replaced Passover, baptism, in like manner, replaces circumcision."[4] "They represent the same spiritual blessings that were symbolized by circumcision and Passover in the old dispensation."[5] Circumcision did not save. "If the children were not circumcised, they were not considered to be under the promissory Abrahamic covenant. This is why Moses' wife circumcised her son and threw the foreskin at Moses' feet (Ex. 4:24-25). She knew the importance of the covenant between God and her children. But at the same time we must understand that circumcision did not guarantee salvation to all who received it. It was a rite meant only for the people of God, who were born into the family of God (who were then the Jews)." What does the bible say saves us? The bible says the the gospel saves us (1 Cor 15:2). The gospel is also found in 1 Corinthians 15:1-4. "Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures" The gospel is the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus for our sins. No mention of baptism. Still think Paul thought baptism was necessary for salvation? "I thank God that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius, so no one can say that you were baptized in my name. (Yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I don't remember if I baptized anyone else.) For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel—not with wisdom and eloquence, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power." (1 Cor 1:14-17). "If baptism is necessary for salvation, then why did Paul downplay it and even exclude it from the description of what is required for salvation? It is because baptism is not necessary for salvation."[7] I will now address my opponents verses: Mark 16:16: Here my opponent uses an illustration of the text by comparing it to his school uniforms and I.D. I think that illustrations are great but can also be used to illustrate false truths which i what I believe my opponent did here. "A superficial reading of Mark 16:15-16 would suggest that sinners must be baptized to be saved, but this misinterpretation disappears when you note that the emphasis is on believing. If a person does not believe, he is condemned, even if he has been baptized." [8] "The omission of baptized with "disbelieveth" would seem to show that Jesus does not make baptism essential to salvation. Condemnation rests on disbelief, not on baptism. So salvation rests on belief. Baptism is merely the picture of the new life not the means of securing it." [9] Acts 2:38: "This verse is often used to say that baptism is part of salvation, but we know from other scriptures that it is not, lest there be a contradiction. What is going on here is simply that repentance and forgiveness of sins are connected. In the Greek, "repent" is in the plural and so is "your" of "your sins." They are meant to be understood as being related to each other. It is like saying, "All of you repent, each of you get baptized, and all of you will receive forgiveness." Repentance is a mark of salvation because it is granted by God (2 Tim. 2:25) and is given to believers only. In this context, only the regenerated, repentant person is to be baptized. Baptism is the manifestation of the repentance, that gift from God, that is the sign of the circumcised heart. That is why it says, "repent and be baptized." Also, please notice that there is no mention of faith in Acts 2:38. If this verse is a description of what is necessary for salvation, then why is faith not mentioned? Simply saying it is implied isn't good enough. Peter is not teaching a formula for salvation, but for covenant obedience, which is why the next verse says that the promise is for their children as well." [10] Acts 22:16: "Is the washing away of sins done by baptism, the representation of the circumcised heart (Col. 2:11-12) which means you are already saved, or is it by the blood of Christ (Heb. 9:14; Rom. 5:9; Eph. 1:7)? Obviously it is the blood of Jesus and the washing here refers to the calling on Jesus' name." [11] Romans 6:1-4: "Because the believer is so closely united to Christ it is said that the symbol of baptism is our death, burial, and resurrection. Obviously we did not die -- unless, of course, it is a figurative usage. And that is what it is here. The figure of baptism represents the reality of Christ's death, burial, and resurrection."[12] Colossions 2:13 and Gal 3:27: "This is speaking of the believer's union with Christ. It is an identification with, a joining to, a proclamation of loyalty to, etc. In 1 Cor. 10:2 the Israelites were baptized into Moses. That means they were closely identified with him and his purpose. The same thing is meant here." [13] I have very little room left but in conclusion should Christians be baptized? Yes because we should be obedient to what Jesus commanded, but not because we are saved by baptism. Thank you for your time and I look forward to hearing my opponents next round argument. [1] http://carm.org... [2] You can read about the everlasting covenant here http://carm.org... [3] http://carm.org... [4] ibid [5] Berkhoff, Lewis, Systematic Theology, 1988, p. 620 [6] http://carm.org... [7] ibid [8]http://enduringword.com... [9] ibid [10] http://carm.org... [11] ibid [12] ibid [13] ibid