Can a faithful Christian be damned for not being baptized?

Michie · Jan 5, 2026

I recently spent time at a well-known prayer retreat where believers gather to seek healing, repentance, and a closer walk with God. It was there where I met a fellow believer whose passion for repentance and obedience was unmistakable. Later, during fellowship in my own home, that passion collided with conviction.

What followed was not a calm theological discussion, but a raised-voice argument — one that escalated into a painful exchange in front of his wife. It was ugly. I regret letting it reach that point.

The issue at the center of the conflict was baptism — and whether a person who has never been baptized can truly be saved.

That experience forced me to step back, not just to reexamine the theology, but to ask a more sobering question: What happens when deeply held beliefs about obedience begin to eclipse grace—and fracture fellowship in the process?

Christians across Evangelical traditions agree on this much: baptism matters. Jesus commanded it. The apostles practiced it. The Church has cherished it as a public declaration of faith and identification with Christ.

Continued below.

Can a faithful Christian be damned for not being baptized?

When obedience becomes the doorway to grace, the Gospel is quietly altered

www.christianpost.com

bling · Jan 5, 2026

New Christians may not tap into everything that is available to them to help them experience the transformation:

I do not know of any Christian group, who believe the water itself saves you, since all believe it is God who saves and God is not limited by water.

Water baptism is not a “requirement” for salvation, since God does the saving, but is something Christians get to do to help them and others.

I know that I needed everything God could provide to assure me of my conversion, both outwardly and mentally. God wants you to physically feel the experience of what is going on Spiritually.

You would like to add to your conversion a definite time place and physical experience, which God has provided for you.

Adult believers water immersion is to be a physical outward representation of what had or is happening spiritually in the person being baptized. It is mainly to help the individual being baptized to better grasp what is going on, but it can “witness” to others observing the baptism. It has the elements of going down under the water (burying the old man), placing your dependence in another; the person baptizing you (surrendering your life to God), being washed (having your sins washed away), rising out of the water (rising from the old dead body), and stepping forth out onto the earth (a new person). The person is walking out into the hugs of his new family. It is also a sign of your humility, since it is a humbling act anyone can simple allow someone to do to them (so not a work) and since humility has been shown in the accept of charity (God’s free gift of undeserving forgiveness) it should just support and add to the memory of that acceptance. To refuse Christian water baptism when it is readily available might mean you are not ready to handle other responsibility like having the indwelling Holy Spirit and you are hurting yourself.

Christian Baptism replaced John’s Baptism and not circumcision, since circumcision went on at the same time as John’s baptism and it is not in the Bible where, Jewish Christians cease circumcising their boy children after baptism became available. Circumcision was a physical visible daily reminder to all Jewish boys and men that they were a Jew. The indwelling Holy Spirit is our literal daily reminder that we are Christians. The indwelling Holy Spirit replaced circumcision and is for both men and women.

NewLifeInChristJesus · Jan 5, 2026

bling said:
I do not know of any Christian group, who believe the water itself saves you, since all believe it is God who saves and God is not limited by water.

There are those who believe that water baptism washes away sins, that water baptism brings eternal life, and/or that water baptism makes a person a Christian. It is hard to separate these beliefs from the concept that "water itself saves you".

jas3 · Jan 5, 2026

NewLifeInChristJesus said:
There are those who believe that water baptism washes away sins, that water baptism brings eternal life

Those are just basic doctrines of Christianity: "I confess one baptism for the remission of sins."

NewLifeInChristJesus · Jan 5, 2026

jas3 said:
Those are just basic doctrines of Christianity: "I confess one baptism for the remission of sins."

The reply to the OP said, "I do not know of any Christian group, who believe the water itself saves you, since all believe it is God who saves and God is not limited by water." I was just pushing back on that.

You tell me. Does the Nicene Creed demand allegiance to the concept that "water itself saves you"?

jas3 · Jan 5, 2026

NewLifeInChristJesus said:
You tell me. Does the Nicene Creed demand allegiance to the concept that "water itself saves you"?

No, it refers to Christian water baptism as a whole, not one part of it.

NewLifeInChristJesus · Jan 5, 2026

jas3 said:
No, it refers to Christian water baptism as a whole, not one part of it.

It contains one phrase that contains the word baptism: "I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins...". The crux of the matter is the prepositional phrase "for the forgiveness of sins". This is very similar to the phraseology in Acts 2:38, "for the remission of sins".

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. (Ac 2:38)

And, of course, the debate concerning the meaning of the Scripture supersedes the debate over the Nicene Creed. And the debate over Sripture has groups at odds over the meaning of one word, "for". Does a person get baptized in order to secure the forgiveness of their sins, or does one get baptized because their sins have been forgiven already? To me, the first is untenable and adopting it is very close to believing "water itself saves you".

jas3 · Jan 5, 2026

NewLifeInChristJesus said:
And, of course, the debate concerning the meaning of the Scripture supersedes the debate over the Nicene Creed. And the debate over Sripture has groups at odds over the meaning of one word, "for".

There is no debate over the Nicene Creed, we know that in 4th century Christianity there was only one interpretation of "for the remission of sins." Go read St. Cyril of Jerusalem's catechetical homilies if you don't believe me. Similarly, the only people who argue for a pretzel reading of Acts 2:38 where the forgiveness of sins precedes baptism (a reading not really permitted by the Greek είς, "into" or "for," which in this use specifically signals something that occurs as a consequence of a preceding action or state) are modern credobaptists whose theology depends on a new reading of this passage.

concretecamper · Jan 5, 2026

Michie said:
I recently spent time at a well-known prayer retreat where believers gather to seek healing, repentance, and a closer walk with God. It was there where I met a fellow believer whose passion for repentance and obedience was unmistakable. Later, during fellowship in my own home, that passion collided with conviction.

What followed was not a calm theological discussion, but a raised-voice argument — one that escalated into a painful exchange in front of his wife. It was ugly. I regret letting it reach that point.

The issue at the center of the conflict was baptism — and whether a person who has never been baptized can truly be saved.

That experience forced me to step back, not just to reexamine the theology, but to ask a more sobering question: What happens when deeply held beliefs about obedience begin to eclipse grace—and fracture fellowship in the process?

Christians across Evangelical traditions agree on this much: baptism matters. Jesus commanded it. The apostles practiced it. The Church has cherished it as a public declaration of faith and identification with Christ.

Continued below.

Can a faithful Christian be damned for not being baptized?

When obedience becomes the doorway to grace, the Gospel is quietly altered

www.christianpost.com

The title is a false premise.

Since the beginning of His Church, being incorporated into His Body, being a members of His Church requires water Baptism. So it means you cannot be a faithful Christian without being Baptized.

seeking.IAM · Jan 5, 2026

concretecamper said:
Since the beginning of His Church, being incorporated into His Body, being a members of His Church requires water Baptism. So it means you cannot be a faithful Christian without being Baptized.

Uh oh. What about that thief on the cross?

concretecamper · Jan 5, 2026

seeking.IAM said:
Uh oh. What about that thief on the cross?

Christ had yet to die and rise from the dead, to defeat death. Therefore the thief was saved under the Old Law.

RandyPNW · Jan 5, 2026

Michie said:
I recently spent time at a well-known prayer retreat where believers gather to seek healing, repentance, and a closer walk with God. It was there where I met a fellow believer whose passion for repentance and obedience was unmistakable. Later, during fellowship in my own home, that passion collided with conviction.

What followed was not a calm theological discussion, but a raised-voice argument — one that escalated into a painful exchange in front of his wife. It was ugly. I regret letting it reach that point.

The issue at the center of the conflict was baptism — and whether a person who has never been baptized can truly be saved.

That experience forced me to step back, not just to reexamine the theology, but to ask a more sobering question: What happens when deeply held beliefs about obedience begin to eclipse grace—and fracture fellowship in the process?

Christians across Evangelical traditions agree on this much: baptism matters. Jesus commanded it. The apostles practiced it. The Church has cherished it as a public declaration of faith and identification with Christ.

Continued below.

Can a faithful Christian be damned for not being baptized?

When obedience becomes the doorway to grace, the Gospel is quietly altered

www.christianpost.com

No, I don't think the Church or the Bible commands water baptism except as a means of evangelism and securing fidelity to a Christian commitment. In other words, it is not taught as integral to Salvation, but rather, facilitating it as a kind of Initiation Ceremony into the Christian Religion.

When Peter said "Baptism now Saves you," it is not talking about Baptism being the vehicle of Salvation, but rather, part of the usual process that leads to Salvattion. Usually, a person is already Saved when he chooses to be Water Baptized.

Neither our choice to believe nor Water Baptism is a human accomplishment of self-Salvation. Rather, it it part of an appeal to God to receive Christ's Salvation, which he is willing to do strictly on the basis of our choice to accept him by faith.

Water Baptism is simply a reasonable way of expressing our acceptance of NT Law, as opposed to OT Law based on Moses' Temple system. It is a public expression of acceptance of Christ as the final replacement for OT Law.

It is not essential, but within the 1st generation, it became necessary to publicly express a differentiation from self-help legal ceremonies that only cleansed the exterior. Christ alone can cleanse the interior of a person.

As such, Water Baptism does not really cleanse at all. But it is an expression of our acceptance of Christ's willingness to cleanse those who choose to follow him by faith.

Those who argue it ignore the fact that both Christ and Paul depreciated Salvation as essential. And they ignore that we are told not to follow the Law or the Prophets, but only Christ. We go to him for everything---not to Water Baptism or Christian rituals.

Dan Perez · Jan 5, 2026

bling said:
New Christians may not tap into everything that is available to them to help them experience the transformation:

I do not know of any Christian group, who believe the water itself saves you, since all believe it is God who saves and God is not limited by water.

Water baptism is not a “requirement” for salvation, since God does the saving, but is something Christians get to do to help them and others.

I know that I needed everything God could provide to assure me of my conversion, both outwardly and mentally. God wants you to physically feel the experience of what is going on Spiritually.

You would like to add to your conversion a definite time place and physical experience, which God has provided for you.

Adult believers water immersion is to be a physical outward representation of what had or is happening spiritually in the person being baptized. It is mainly to help the individual being baptized to better grasp what is going on, but it can “witness” to others observing the baptism. It has the elements of going down under the water (burying the old man), placing your dependence in another; the person baptizing you (surrendering your life to God), being washed (having your sins washed away), rising out of the water (rising from the old dead body), and stepping forth out onto the earth (a new person). The person is walking out into the hugs of his new family. It is also a sign of your humility, since it is a humbling act anyone can simple allow someone to do to them (so not a work) and since humility has been shown in the accept of charity (God’s free gift of undeserving forgiveness) it should just support and add to the memory of that acceptance. To refuse Christian water baptism when it is readily available might mean you are not ready to handle other responsibility like having the indwelling Holy Spirit and you are hurting yourself.

Christian Baptism replaced John’s Baptism and not circumcision, since circumcision went on at the same time as John’s baptism and it is not in the Bible where, Jewish Christians cease circumcising their boy children after baptism became available. Circumcision was a physical visible daily reminder to all Jewish boys and men that they were a Jew. The indwelling Holy Spirit is our literal daily reminder that we are Christians. The indwelling Holy Spirit replaced circumcision and is for both men and women.

And you do have a verse that the indwelling HOLY SPIRIT. REPLACES circumcision and for both men and women ??

In 1 Cor 1:15 says :

#1 1 LEST //. ME is a DISJUNCATIVE PARTICLE NEGATIVE and means I never did BAPTIZED ANYONE

# 2 ANY ONE ///. is an. INDIFINTE PRONOUN. in. the NOMINATIVE CASE in the SINGULAR

#3 SHOULD SAY //. EIPON. in the AORIST TENSE in the ACTIVE VOICE in the SUBJUNCTIVE MOOD in. the SIGNULAR

# 4. THAT I BAPTIZD ///. BAPTISO in. the AORIST TENSE in. the ACTIVE VOICE in. the INDICATIVE MOOD. in the SIGNULAR

# 5. IN ///. EIS is a PREPOSITION

# 6 MINE. OWN. /// EMOS. is a POSSESSIVE. PRONOUN. in. the ACCUSATIVE CASE. in. the SIGNULAR in. the NEUTER

# 7 NAME ///. ONOMA. in. a ACCUSATIVE CASE. in the SINGULAR and in v the NEUTER

# A. Matt 28 :19. says the. 12 APOSTLES were the only ones sent to BAPTIZED and no ONE ELSE , PERIOD !!

# B And Paul NEVER BAPTIZED anyone , EVER !!

dan. p

dalejrfan1673 · Jan 5, 2026

Michie said:
I recently spent time at a well-known prayer retreat where believers gather to seek healing, repentance, and a closer walk with God. It was there where I met a fellow believer whose passion for repentance and obedience was unmistakable. Later, during fellowship in my own home, that passion collided with conviction.

What followed was not a calm theological discussion, but a raised-voice argument — one that escalated into a painful exchange in front of his wife. It was ugly. I regret letting it reach that point.

The issue at the center of the conflict was baptism — and whether a person who has never been baptized can truly be saved.

That experience forced me to step back, not just to reexamine the theology, but to ask a more sobering question: What happens when deeply held beliefs about obedience begin to eclipse grace—and fracture fellowship in the process?

Christians across Evangelical traditions agree on this much: baptism matters. Jesus commanded it. The apostles practiced it. The Church has cherished it as a public declaration of faith and identification with Christ.

Continued below.

Can a faithful Christian be damned for not being baptized?

When obedience becomes the doorway to grace, the Gospel is quietly altered

www.christianpost.com

You handled this with honesty, and that matters. Baptism is commanded and important, but Scripture never presents it as the gate that creates grace. When obedience turns into a condition for salvation, the gospel shifts from Christ’s work to ours. Holding truth and preserving fellowship both require humility, especially when conviction starts to harden into certainty without love.

seeking.IAM · Jan 5, 2026

seeking.IAM said:
Uh oh. What about that thief on the cross?

concretecamper said:
Christ had yet to die and rise from the dead, to defeat death. Therefore the thief was saved under the Old Law.

John baptized. Christ was baptized. Why not the thief? Interesting theory you offer, but I think it is only a theory, or maybe even wishful thinking. I think baptism was not required for the thief because Christ did not require it. God will save whom He will.

concretecamper · Jan 5, 2026

seeking.IAM said:
John baptized. Christ was baptized. Why not the thief?

Different baptism

Mat 3:11 I indeed baptize you in water unto penance, but he that shall come after me, is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you in the Holy Ghost and fire.

seeking.IAM said:
Interesting theory you offer, but I think it is only a theory, or maybe even wishful thinking.

Not a theory, Christ actually wasn't dead and didn't rise from the dead. So death wasn't yet defeated.

seeking.IAM said:
I think baptism was not required for the thief because Christ did not require it. God will save whom He will

Why would Christ require New Covenant things when the Old Covenant was still operative?

seeking.IAM · Jan 5, 2026

concretecamper said:
Why would Christ require New Covenant things when the Old Covenant was still operative?

That is above my pay grade to speak for what Christ would require. Seems to me when you are the God and Father of all, you can require pretty much anything you please...or extend any grace you please.

concretecamper · Jan 5, 2026

seeking.IAM said:
That is above my pay grade to speak for what Christ would require. Seems to me when you are the God and Father of all, you can require pretty much anything you please...or extend any grace you please.

Remember that thought when someone says that Mary was Immaculately conceived.

jas3 · Jan 5, 2026

RandyPNW said:
No, I don't think the Church or the Bible commands water baptism except as a means of evangelism and securing fidelity to a Christian commitment.

Your denomination today might not command it, but it's incorrect to say that the Church doesn't command it when it's in the Nicene Creed written by the Church.

RileyG · Jan 5, 2026

jas3 said:
Those are just basic doctrines of Christianity: "I confess one baptism for the remission of sins."

Agreed, also part of the Great Commission per Matthew’s Gospel.

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Can a faithful Christian be damned for not being baptized?

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