Salvation by Baptism?

Dear Brother,I have a question: in the beginning chapter of the Book of Luke, we read that Zechariah was working in the temple when he allegedly had a “divine” visit from the angel Gabriel. This visit was to advise that Zechariah and his wife, Elizabeth, were going to have a son, even though they were “advanced” in child bearing years. And we have come to know that this son would be known as “John the Baptist.” We learn that this John the Baptist did, in fact, baptize Jesus the Christ to “fulfill all righteousness.”Allowing his baptism, Jesus did “command” at least three times, when he stated, “Except ye be baptized, ye can in no wise enter the kingdom of heaven.” This “command” begs the question, what is the fate of all those who were not baptized while in earthly life? Now to complete my question, the Apostle Paul, in his letter to the Corinthians, asked a strange question (1 Corinthians 15:29): “Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all?” Does this mean that there was baptism for the dead at one time? And secondly, does any church today baptize for the dead? -S. Bennett, WA


Arno's Answer:


The statement, “Except ye be baptized, ye can in no wise enter the kingdom of heaven” is not found in the Bible.  The word “believe” appears 114 times in the New Testament, and baptism 51 times.  

There are different types of baptism, such as that recorded in Matthew 20:22-23.  Of Israel it says in 1 Corinthians 10:2, “And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea.”

First Corinthians 15:29 is not a proxy baptism for a person who has died, but for the old body of the believer—I have died in baptism (see Romans 6:3-6).

The assumption that I can be baptized for someone who has passed away would put their salvation into my hands, and that contradicts Scripture.

Historically speaking, there have been several groups practicing the substitutionary baptism for the dead.  The Mormons, which are not a church but a self-styled religion based on visions by a man named Joseph Smith, do practice proxy baptism.

When unsure about a statement in Scripture, use cross-reference to eliminate potential false interpretation.

Midnight Call - 05/2015

Arno Froese is the executive director of Midnight Call Ministries and editor-in-chief of the acclaimed prophetic magazines Midnight Call and News From Israel. He has authored a number of well-received books, and has sponsored many prophecy conferences in the U.S., Canada, and Israel. His extensive travels have contributed to his keen insight into Bible prophecy, as he sees it from an international perspective.

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