Is water baptism a work?<\/p>\n\t
I have always been amazed at the dread shown by people toward the word “work.” You would think that it was a dreaded disease or something equivalent to sin.<\/p>\n
The word “work” by itself is neither good nor bad. It simply refers to something that takes effort.<\/p>\n
Faith is a work. “Then they said to Him, “What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?” Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent”<\/i>” (John 6:27-28). Faith is not necessarily automatic or naturally ingrained. Faith is something that we are commanded to have. “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him<\/i>” (Hebrews 11:6). This is why James tells us, “Faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works<\/i>” (James 2:17-18). And Paul speaks of the obedience of faith (Romans 1:5; 16:26). Faith and works are not two disjoint topics, but two subjects that are closely intermeshed.<\/p>\n
God’s intention is that man accomplish the work God has set out for him. “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them<\/i>” (Ephesians 2:10). In fact, it was Solomon who noted it was, for this reason, that\u00a0man was placed on the earth. “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man’s all. For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil<\/i>” (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14).<\/p>\n
Like faith, baptism is also called a work of God. “In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead<\/i>” (Colossians 2:11-12).<\/p>\n
When Paul told us, “work out your salvation with fear and trembling<\/i>” (Philippians 2:12) he was not referring to works of man’s choosing, but those works laid out for man by God Almighty. There are those who claim to reject all works, claiming that they will be saved by faith alone. Yet, how much faith do they have in God when they will not obey His commands? Perhaps you believe that if a man truly believes, of course, he will do the will of God. So, I must ask, if a person claims faith, but does not do the will of God, will he be saved? James tells us, “You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only<\/i>” (James 2:24).<\/p>\n
And if God says something saves but man claims it is unnecessary, does that man truly believe God? God said through Peter, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins<\/i>” (Acts 2:38). Was Peter right that man must repent and be baptize to be forgiven or was he wrong? Or when Peter said, “baptism now saves you–not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience–through the resurrection of Jesus Christ<\/i>” (I Peter 3:21), was he right or wrong? Those who claim that salvation comes without works appear to lack the very faith that is necessary to save them from their sins.<\/p>\n
Martin Luther coined the phrase, “salvation by faith only,” yet even he understood the role of baptism. In his Small Catechism in answer to the question “What gifts or benefits does Baptism bestow?”, Luther responded, “It effects the forgiveness of sins.” Concerning the sinner, Luther wrote, “Through Baptism he is bathed in the blood of Christ and is cleansed from sins.” He also wrote, “To put it most simply, the power, effect, benefit, fruit, and purpose of Baptism is to save.” In response to those who would call this a salvation by works, Martin Luther wrote, “Yes, it is true that our works are of no use for salvation. Baptism, however, is not our work but God’s.”<\/p>\n
Now Martin Luther is just a man, but if the man who touted “faith only” understood that baptism was not a work that earns salvation, then it causes me to wonder why so many others do not understand.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Question: Is water baptism a work? Answer: I have always been amazed at the dread shown by people toward the word “work.” You would think that it was a dreaded disease or something equivalent to sin. The word “work” by itself is neither good nor bad. It simply refers to something that takes effort. Faith…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[52,49,161],"class_list":["post-761","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-answer","tag-baptism","tag-faith","tag-water"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":94420,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/faith-takes-work\/","url_meta":{"origin":761,"position":0},"title":"Faith Takes Work","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 9, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"by Terry Wane Benton The argument that baptism is a \"work\" but faith is not is not sound. There is far more work involved in faith than in passively letting someone immerse you in water. Think about it. Faith comes by hearing the word of God (Romans 10:17). Think of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":28071,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-washing-of-regeneration\/","url_meta":{"origin":761,"position":1},"title":"The Washing of Regeneration","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"December 1, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jim Ward via The Lost River Bulletin, Vol. 58, No. 4, September 2008. The denominational world has spent centuries trying to oust baptism from God's plan of salvation. One of the most common efforts centers on works. Notice this argument in syllogistic form: First Premise: Works do not save:\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":14708,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/did-the-thief-on-the-cross-work-when-he-rebuked-the-other-thief\/","url_meta":{"origin":761,"position":2},"title":"Did the thief on the cross work when he rebuked the other thief?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"April 25, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I noticed your 'Is water baptism is a work?' and I found it very insightful. I was curious about the thief on the cross. Did\u00a0this thief\u00a0do a 'work' before he died by rebuking his neighbor? Answer: Obviously the thief demonstrates faith in Jesus. \"Then one of the criminals who\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":27880,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/is-faith-a-work-that-god-does-to-a-person\/","url_meta":{"origin":761,"position":3},"title":"Is faith a work that God does to a person?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"June 30, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Recently someone told me that they believed that the work of God in John 6:29 means that God makes a person believe. I assume they think the Holy Spirit works in a person making them believe. I know that faith comes from hearing the Word of God but would\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":15168,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/doesnt-colossians-212-clearly-show-that-baptism-is-a-work-of-god\/","url_meta":{"origin":761,"position":4},"title":"Doesn’t Colossians 2:12 clearly show that baptism is a work of God?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"June 25, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Doesn't the following verse very plainly show that baptism is not a work of man, but rendering obedience to God's will? \"buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead\" (Colossians 2:12).\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":63804,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-work-of-baptism\/","url_meta":{"origin":761,"position":5},"title":"The Work of Baptism","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"November 2, 2004","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Romans 6:1-11 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A frequent objection raised to baptism is that it is a work \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u201cWe are not saved by works.\u201d we are told. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a01.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Romans 4:4-5 - Faith justifies \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a02.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Ephesians 2:8-9 - Saved not as a result of works \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0B.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Now certainly baptism is something done,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Sermon"","block_context":{"text":"Sermon","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/sermon\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/761","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=761"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/761\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=761"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=761"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=761"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}