Is Water Baptism Essential?

Yes(and No)!

When discussing baptism there are many issues that can arise: sprinkle or immerse, can it be done more than once, is it connected with salvation, can infants participate and is it essential to be practiced?  Today, I will focus my attention on two of those issues, leaving the others for another time.

Throughout the New Testament we see a pattern when it comes to salvation:
Matthew 3:2--Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!
Matthew 4:17--Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
Mark 1:15--Repent, and believe in the gospel.
Mark 6:12--So they went out and preached that people should repent.
Acts 3:19--Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord

For salvation to occur in any individual, genuine, sincere repentance must be there.

We also see a pattern of what is to follow salvation: baptism (Matt. 3:6; 28:19; Luke 3:21; Acts 2:41; 8:12)
John the Baptist taught it, Jesus practiced it, and Peter, Paul and all the other disciples did it.  So, when asking is baptism essential the answer is clearly "yes."  Once a person humbles themselves and accepts the free gift of salvation, they are then instructed to obey the command to be baptized.  There are no other alternatives.  Many may site different reasons for not following through with baptism (fearful of, water, fearful of crowds, fearful of appearance, etc.), but any excuse is an act of disobedience to God's plan and will.  Baptism is the clearest external example of what has occurred inwardly to the saved individual. 

When asking if water baptism is essential, the answer is also clearly "no."  There are some doctrines that believe baptism is essential for salvation.  Verses such as Acts 2:38 (Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit) and Mark 16:16 (He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned) may be used to validate this point. 

When studying God's Word it is mandatory that we always compare scripture with scripture to make sure we have a balanced and correct view.  Let's compare Acts 2:38 and Mark 16:16 with Ephesians 2:8-9.  It says, "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast."  Clearly, Paul is stating that salvation is a gift, one that can not be purchased with any works, including baptism.  We must be very careful to understand this point: There is no work that you can do to earn salvation, none; it is a gift.

Let's also look at the example of the thief on the cross.(Luke 23:39-43)  Here, the thief acknowledges that Jesus is the King of kings and asks that Jesus remember him when He comes into His kingdom.  Jesus tells him, "today you will be with me in Paradise."  Jesus did not ask him to be baptized, that would have been impossible, but He saw a heart that truly acknowledged who He was and that this man desired to have fellowship with Him.  That is all it takes.

As I close, I strongly desire that each of you turn from your sin.  Repent and cry out to God for forgiveness.  Allow Him to wash and cleanse you from all unrighteousness.  Then submit to His will and be baptized, not as a part of your salvation, but from a desire to please the Savior who asked it of you.

May Christ richly bless you as you obey His every command.