Together, we have faith

Oct 20, 2025
Week #42 — Day 2
Does Baptism Guarantee Salvation?
Q. 94. What is Baptism?
A. Baptism is a Sacrament, wherein the washing with water, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, doth signify and seal our ingrafting into Christ, and partaking of the benefits of the covenant of grace, and our engagement to be the Lord’s.
Matt. 28:19; Rom. 6:4; Gal. 3:27.
“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of theSon and of the Holy Spirit,”
“We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.”
“For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.”
“Inclusion in the covenant and reception of the sign of baptism never guarantees salvation; those who later prove to be false disciples, like Simon Magus, will be excluded (Acts 8:9–25). Covenant members, in fact, will be judged more strictly (Matt. 11:20–24).. . . Baptism through Jesus’s resurrection saves us (1 Peter 3:21). The sprinkling of water is not salvation. But when baptism is energized by Christ’s resurrection, it is a vital link in the application of God’s grace.”
Excerpt From Glorifying and Enjoying God: 52 Devotions through the Westminster Shorter Catechism (Boekestein & Cruse & Miller)
Does baptism guarantee salvation? Sadly, many of us know men and women and children who have been baptized sometime somewhere and are not truly and genuinely saved. They possess the mark of salvation, but their hearts and lives are far from Christ as Lord and Savior. This has been the case since the early days of gospel witness. Washing with water does not wash sins away nor does it make the recipients children of God. Identification as Christians does not necessarily grant or guarantee discipleship in Christ. For baptism to be effectual, it must be “energized by Christ’s resurrection” in the candidate. They must experience union with Christ. Repentance and faith must be experienced for baptism to indicate salvation. And, a person can be saved without being baptized.
KevinDeYoung points out in his Daily Doctrine — “While the meaning of baptism is mainly positive, there is also an element of warning in the symbolism of water. The water that saves the righteous is also the water that overwhelms the wicked. Noah and his family were brought safely through water, while the rest of the world perished in the flood (1 Pet. 3:20; 2 Pet. 3:5–6). When the spiritual import of baptism is ignored, rejected, or despised, the blessing can turn to cursing, just as things will turn out worse for those who profane the blood of the covenant (Heb. 10:29).”
A Puritan Prayer —
“ALL-SEARCHING GOD,
Thou readest the heart,
viewest principles and motives of actions,
seest more defilement in my duties
than I ever saw in any of my sins.
The heavens are not clean in thy sight,
and thou chargest the angels with folly;
I am ready to flee from myself because of my abominations;
Yet thou dost not abhor me
but hast devised means for my return to thee,
and that, by thy Son who died to give me life.
Thine honour is secured and displayed even in my escape from thy threats,
and that, by means of Jesus
in whom mercy and truth meet together,
and righteousness and peace kiss each other.
In him the enslaved find redemption,
the guilty pardon,
the unholy renovation;
In him are everlasting strength for the weak,
unsearchable riches for the needy,
treasures of wisdom and knowledge for the ignorant,
fullness for the empty.
At thy gracious call I hear, take, come, apply, receive his grace,
not only submit to his mercy but acquiesce in it,
not only glory in the cross but in him crucified and slain,
not only joy in forgiveness but in the one through whom
atonement comes.
Thy blessings are as secure as they are glorious;
Thou hast provided for my safety and my prosperity,
and hast promised that I shall stand firm and grow stronger.
O Lord God, without the pardon of my sin I cannot rest satisfied
without the renovation of my nature by grace I can never rest easy,
without the hopes of heaven I can never be at peace.
All this I have in thy Son Jesus; blessed be his name.”
Excerpt From
The Valley of Vision
Edited by Arthur Bennett