Works and Salvation
Those who believe in salvation by “faith only” are quick to recite Ephesians 2:8-9 when a discussion of baptism arises. They assert that baptism is a work, and, “For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God; not of works, lest any man should boast.” Think with us for a minute about their claim. If this text precludes baptism because it is a “work” then what could we say about…
Repentance? Repentance is clearly necessary for salvation (Luke 13:3) but it involves work (see Matthew 3:1-10; Acts 26:20).
Confession? It is a prerequisite for salvation, and it obviously requires work on our part (Romans 10:9-10).
But the real clincher is that faith itself is termed a work by Jesus: “Then they said to Him, ‘What shall we do, that we might work the works of God, that you believe on Him whom He ha s sent” (John 6:28-29). And so, if we are going to throw out baptism because it is a “work” then we must also reject repentance, confession, and even faith!
Look again at Ephesians 2:8-9:...the works being denounced are those that would serve as a basis for “boasting.” In other words, Paul is saying that there are no meritorious works that we may do to “earn” our way into heaven. He explains that salvation is a “gift.” But do not forget that conditions are often attached to gifts. In this case, the conditions are faith, repentance, confession and baptism (Acts 2:38; Mark 16:16; 1 Peter 3:21, etc.).