Saved By Grace, Not By Water
Jared McKinney
Sunday 2026 • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Transcript
Baptism does not save the sinner, but it publicly identifies the saved sinner with Jesus Christ.
Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus. 36 And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? 37 And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. 38 And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him.
There is a lot of confusion in our day about salvation and baptism. Some people think baptism is what washes away sin.
Some think baptism is just a church tradition that does not really matter.
Others were baptized as children, but they were never truly born again.
Some have been saved but have never followed the Lord in believer’s baptism.
So we need to ask plainly: What does the Bible teach?
The Bible teaches that salvation is by grace, through faith, in Jesus Christ alone.
Baptism is not the root of salvation; it is the fruit of salvation.
Baptism does not put a person in Christ; it pictures that the person has already trusted Christ.
Baptism does not save the soul; it shows the world that the soul has been saved.
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
That is plain.
Salvation is not by church membership.
Salvation is not by turning over a new leaf.
Salvation is not by being a good person.
Salvation is not by being baptized.
Salvation is by grace through faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ.
But once a person is saved, the first public step of obedience is baptism.
That is what we see in Acts 8. Philip meets an Ethiopian eunuch. This man is religious, but lost. He is reading Isaiah 53, but he does not yet understand that the suffering servant is Jesus Christ. Philip climbs into the chariot and begins right where the man is reading.
The Bible says, “Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus.”
That is the message every sinner needs.
Not self-help.
Not religion.
Not ceremony.
Not moral improvement.
He preached unto him Jesus.
And after hearing about Christ, the eunuch sees water and asks, “What doth hinder me to be baptized?”
Philip’s answer is important: “If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest.”
In other words,
Belief comes before baptism.
Faith comes before the water.
Salvation comes before the symbol.
I. THE MESSAGE THAT SAVES
I. THE MESSAGE THAT SAVES
“Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus.”
The Ethiopian man had religion, but he needed redemption.
He had Scripture in his hand, but he needed the Saviour in his heart.
He had gone to Jerusalem to worship, but he was still searching.
That reminds us that a person can be religious and still lost.
A person can attend church and still not know Christ.
A person can be around spiritual things and still never be born again.
Jesus told Nicodemus in
“… Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
Nicodemus was moral. He was religious. He was respected. He knew Scripture.
But Jesus did not say, “Nicodemus, you need to join something.”
He said, “Ye must be born again.”
The word “salvation” in the NT carries the idea of rescue, deliverance, and being made whole.
The Greek word often used is sōzō, meaning “to save,” “to rescue,” or “to deliver.”
That is what Jesus does. He rescues us from sin’s penalty, sin’s power, and one day from sin’s presence.
The angel spoke to Joseph and said
“And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.”
Notice, it does not say He would help His people save themselves.
It does not say He would make salvation possible if we add enough works.
It says, “He shall save his people from their sins.”
The gospel message is that Jesus Saves.
“…Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures…”
That is salvation’s message.
Jesus died for our sins.
Jesus was buried.
Jesus rose again.
The sinner must repent and believe the gospel.
Baptism is important, but baptism is not the gospel.
💡 A wedding ring does not make a person married. It is a symbol that shows a covenant has already been made. If a man wears a wedding ring but has never entered marriage, the ring does not make him married. In the same way, baptism is the outward sign of an inward reality.
The water does not save; Jesus saves. Baptism shows that we belong to Him.
II. THE FAITH THAT RECEIVES
II. THE FAITH THAT RECEIVES
“And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? 37 And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest…”
Philip did not say, “If you understand all prophecy, you may.”
He did not say, “If you become perfect, you may.”
He did not say, “If you join our group, you may.”
He said, “If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest.”
The condition was faith.
9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Biblical faith is not merely believing facts about Jesus.
It is trusting Christ personally.
A man can believe facts about an airplane and still never get on board.
A person can believe facts about medicine and still never take it.
A sinner can believe facts about Jesus and still never surrender to Him by faith.
The eunuch’s confession was clear:
“I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”
That is the heart of saving faith. He believed in the person of Christ. He believed Jesus was more than a teacher, more than a prophet, more than a miracle worker. He believed Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
The word “believeth” is not casual acknowledgment.
It is personal trust. It is relying upon Christ. It is placing the weight of your soul upon Jesus.
That means salvation is not received through baptism, but through faith.
The thief on the cross is one of the clearest examples.
He was never baptized. He never joined a church. He never took communion. He never had time to do religious works. But he turned to Jesus and said,
“Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.”
And Jesus answered in Luke 23:43,
“Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.”
That man was saved without baptism.
That does not make baptism unimportant.
It proves baptism is not what saves.
If baptism were required to wash away sin, the thief could not have been saved. But Jesus saved him by grace through faith.
III. THE BAPTISM THAT FOLLOWS
III. THE BAPTISM THAT FOLLOWS
And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him.
Once the eunuch believed, he wanted to be baptized.
That is the Bible pattern: saved first, baptized next.
In Acts 2:41, the order is clear:
“Then they that gladly received his word were baptized…”
They received the word first. Then they were baptized.
In Acts 10, Cornelius and his household believed, received the Holy Ghost, and then Peter said in Acts 10:47
“Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we?”
They received the Spirit before they received water baptism.
That matters. The water did not bring the Spirit.
The Spirit had already come upon those who believed.
The word “baptize” comes from the Greek word baptizō, which means “to immerse,” “to dip,” or “to submerge.”
That is why believer’s baptism by immersion so beautifully pictures the gospel.
“Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? 4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.”
Baptism is a picture of death, burial, and resurrection.
When a believer goes down into the water, it pictures being buried with Christ.
When that believer comes up out of the water, it pictures being raised to walk in newness of life.
Baptism is a sermon without words. It says, “I believe Jesus died for me. I believe Jesus was buried. I believe Jesus rose again. I am not ashamed to identify with Him.”
Baptism is not private.
It is public.
It is the believer stepping out and saying, “I belong to Jesus Christ.”
So baptism is not optional in the sense that a believer may dismiss it as unimportant. Jesus commanded it.
The early church practiced it.
New believers obeyed it.
But we must keep the order right. Baptism is not before salvation. Baptism is after salvation. Baptism is not the cause of salvation. Baptism is the confession of salvation.
THE CONFUSION THAT MUST BE CORRECTED
There are some verses people use to teach baptismal regeneration, the idea that baptism itself causes a person to be born again or forgiven. But Scripture must be interpreted with Scripture.
“Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins…”
Some read that and say, “See, baptism is required for remission.”
But the word “for” can carry the idea of “because of” or “on account of.”
Like when we say, “A man is wanted for robbery,” we do not mean he is wanted so he can commit robbery.
We mean he is wanted because robbery has already been committed.
The consistent testimony of Scripture is that forgiveness comes through faith in Christ.
“He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.”
Notice the second half. It does not say, “He that is not baptized shall be damned.”
It says, “He that believeth not shall be damned.”
Unbelief condemns a person.
Baptism is the expected public response of the believer, but unbelief is what leaves a sinner lost.
Conclusion
So what does the Bible teach about salvation and baptism?
Salvation is by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.
Baptism is the believer’s public testimony after salvation.
Salvation is inward. Baptism is outward.
Salvation is by faith. Baptism is by obedience.
Salvation is what Christ does for us. Baptism is how we publicly identify with Him.
The Ethiopian eunuch said, “See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?”
Maybe the question today is: what is hindering you?
If you are lost, come to Christ.
If you are saved but unbaptized, follow Him in obedience.
If you have been baptized but never truly saved, do not trust the water. Trust the Lamb of God.
