3. Baptism is necessary to go to heaven
Baptism is not a means to save but a public declaration of faith. Paul made a distinction between baptism and the gospel. He said, “For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel.”
Paul also described the gospel as “the message of the cross,” which is “God’s power to save (1 Corinthians 1:17-18), not baptism.
It is essential to realize that infants were never baptized during Biblical times. The concept of original sin promoted early Rome to institute infant baptism around 2 A.D.
How is it twisted? “Infants should be baptized”
Baptism is one of the holy sacraments of Roman Catholicism. It is a requirement to go to heaven, the reason infants are baptized, even if they do not understand “the “saving faith.”
They refer to Mark 16:16, which says, “He who believes and is baptized will be saved, but he who does not believe will be condemned.” While the passage indicates that baptized believers are saved, it does not mean those not baptized will not go to heaven.
Other religions reason that Mark says, “He who believes and is baptized will be saved” (Mark 16:16). Jesus told Nicodemus, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water [baptized] and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God” (John 3:5).
However, the Bible clearly shows no saving virtue or merit in baptism. Jesus is our only Savior (John 3:16; Acts 4:12; 2 Corinthians 3:11; 2 Corinthians 5:17-21).
