I really don't like the idea of using this blog to discuss a "debatable theological issue"; but I guess my conscience forbids me to be silent. Twice in the last few days, I have been asked whether I believed that baptism was necessary for salvation. (Not that it matters what I think - the question really is: what does God want.) I only know one way to discover what God wants, and that is from His scriptures. I know that He does not want any to perish; so He sent His Son to bear the burden for our sins so we could be reconciled to Him. I know that Jesus was baptized, although John thought he (John) should be baptized by Christ instead of the other way around. I know that Jesus commanded His disciples to "go and make disciples ... baptizing them..." But does that make baptism necessary for salvation or is it just a symbol of obedience? Interesting question. A signature on a contract is "just a symbol" of acceptance of a contract; but it is required to make the contract binding. However, this is man's law and man's understanding. What does God say?
Romans 6 reads:
1What then are we to say? Should we continue in sin in order that grace may abound? 2By no means! How can we who died to sin go on living in it? 3Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4Therefore we have been buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.
5For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6We know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be destroyed, and we might no longer be enslaved to sin. 7For whoever has died is freed from sin. 8But if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. 10The death he died, he died to sin, once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. 11So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

Paul gives the clearest, most decisive explanation of Christian baptism found anywhere in the Bible. He says plainly that: "all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4Therefore we have been buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life." This plainly indicates that in order to live a new life, we have to die to the old life. Verse 4 clearly states that when we are baptized into Christ we are baptized into His death. How can we live a new life unless we first symbolically die to our old life? Paul says further this is a death to sin, and that those who have died are freed from sin. In verse 5, "5For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his." I read this as the only certainty of being united with Him in His resurrection comes from having been united with Him in His death, and Paul says this happens in baptism.

Is being united with Christ in His resurrection the same as salvation? I know of no other definition. I know of no other way that is promised anywhere in the word. Jesus "symbolically" took the sins of the world upon Himself and died on the cross. Does it being symbolic make it unnecessary? Apparently not to God, who refused Christ's prayer to "let this cup pass from me."

Thanks be to God that I am not the one to judge for others which portions of Christ's and His apostles commands that they must follow - I can only judge for myself. What I must teach and reply when asked is that I know what He commanded and what his "apostle out of due season", Paul, explained; and I could not possibly consider doing any other than submit to their commands, teaching, and wisdom.