Resolved the Bible teaches: Salvation follows baptism and is for the remission of sins.

Greetings. I would like to thank my opponent, Ahijah, for issuing this challenge. I hope to be a worthy contender for my side of the argument. I contend that Baptism is a sacrament of the church in which every professing believer is required to go through or be disobedient to our Lord. However, it is not a requirement for salvation, as I will show. First, I will respond to his arguments, then I will argue my point. Matt. 28:19-20 Notice there's a very specific order given here. Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit. Belief must precede baptism. The disciples here were told to make disciples first, then baptize them. Mark 16:15-16 At first glance, this verse seems to indicate that baptism is, indeed, a prerequisite for salvation. However, if baptism is required for salvation and failure to do so will keep you out of Heaven, why, then, did Jesus not say, "he that disbelieves and is not baptized will be condemned"? Jesus inconspicuously skips over failure to baptize as condemnable. Remember that the most important way to properly interpret Scripture is to take it in context, and to compare it to itself. Here, failure to be baptized does not condemn you and in other places, there is no evidence to suggest that you must be baptized to be saved. Jesus in many other places told us to repent, for the kingdom of Heaven is at hand, but baptism was not included in those proclamations. Acts 2 I'm not sure which translation you're using, but I looked up several respected translations of the Bible (KJV, NKJV, NIV, NASB, and ESV), and they all say "repent and be baptized for the remission of your sins." The word for can have different meanings, but I believe, based on interpreting Scripture with itself, that the best translation here is "because of" the remission of your sins. I could say, I won the race for I came in first place. This is the same meaning the word "for" has in this passage. Also, notice that the believers believed first, then were baptized. This is important, for belief must always precede baptism. It is belief that saves you, not baptism (as I will show in a bit). Gal. 3:26-27 It is interesting Ahijah uses these two verses, taken out of context. If you read the passage before (in the interest of space, I won't quote it -- please search it out to read it). If you read the passage before it, you will see that it's quite clear that it is our belief, our faith that saves us, not baptism. We are "baptized into Christ" because being baptized is an outward expression of sharing in Christ's death, burial, and resurrection. "So if you have not repented of your sins, confessed Jesus, and been buried with Him in baptism." I find it telling that Ahijah actually misquotes a verse here. Romans 10:9 says, "…that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." Again, no baptism required. What is required for salvation is confession and belief. Confess your faith in the Lord, and believe in your heart God has raised Him from the dead. Now that we have shown these verses really aren't saying that we must be baptized to be saved, allow me to make a couple of key points here. Jesus did not need to be saved. Jesus, Himself, was baptized (and He had not yet died, been buried, or resurrected) (Matthew 3:13). He was our constant example of how to live. This was no different. He had no sins to wash away, and had not yet been to the cross. However, this was the key point at which He began His earthly ministry. Baptism is not required for salvation, but could possibly be seen as a prerequisite for work in the ministry. Ephesians 2:8-9 clearly states that we are saved by God's grace, through our faith, and not by works. By requiring baptism to save us, you are adding works to salvation by grace. If I am baptized and go to Heaven, I can boast that I'm there because of what I did. However, my salvation has nothing to do with me and everything to do with God. If we're going to boast, let us boast in what God has done, not what we have done (Galatians 6:14). Responding to Ahijah's questions: 1) I believe it can be logically inferred. After all, the thief on the cross wasn't hanging there because he claimed to be God. He was obviously a sinner and the Scriptures make no indication he was a believer until Jesus was crucified. If baptism was required for salvation apart from belief, it's an important enough detail that it would have been included. 2) We are saved by God's grace, through our faith (Ephesians 2:8-9). Baptism is not required for salvation. Confession and belief are (Romans 10:9). 3) I'm not entirely sure I understand this question. There were some who followed Paul and believed after he spoke at the Areopagus, namely Dionysius and Damaris. Belief is necessary to have your sins forgiven, so I would say they qualify. My questions for you: 1) If baptism is necessary for salvation, why did Jesus not preach to be baptized when he came to John to be baptized, Himself? 2) Can you find anywhere in the Scriptures that someone was baptized before they believed? 3) If baptism is necessary for salvation, why did Paul tell the Corinthians that Christ sent him not to baptize, but to preach the gospel? I look forward to your response.