³⁶As they went along the road they came to some water; and the eunuch said, “Look! Water! What prevents me from being baptized?” ³⁷And Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.” And he answered and said, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”

The first response to receiving the message of the Gospel is baptism. But how did the eunuch know to ask about it? The answer is quite simple: he was just returning from Jerusalem (Acts 8:27), where he had been worshiping. Hardly could he have missed the commotional aftermath of the explosive birth of what some would have called the new Jewish sect called “the Way” (see Acts 9:2). The large scale baptism would undoubtedly have brought a lot of attention, as did the incipient persecution seen in Stephen’s martyrdom (chapter 7).

All this left an impression on the eunuch’s mind and a readiness in his spirit to receive a personalized message from Philip. As with many souls, a more personal presentation of the message is needed than responding to a mass appeal. His heart had not been ready. As Philip expounded to him about Jesus (all from the Old Testament), the light dawned, his heart sprang open. He wanted what he saw in Jerusalem, to be baptized, that is, outwardly identified with Jesus Christ. There was no time to waste, in his mind!

Baptism did not save the eunuch, nor does it save anyone. It is not a necessary prerequisite to salvation, as some theologians and denominations pontificate. Some have misunderstood what Peter later wrote: “[B]aptism 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…” (1 Peter 3:21). Peter used the word “baptism” to indicate a conscious response of faith to God and invoked the symbolism of resurrection (see Rom. 6:1-4). The outward act portrays an inward reality. It is not something a person does out of obedience as a requirement to be right with God. As Philip, in our passage today, puts it, baptism must be preceded by saving faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Where Scripture specifically addresses this issue of what is necessary and sufficient for salvation, there is no mention of anything we can do or obey to earn or merit salvation. The apostle Paul succinctly articulated this issue:

For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. (Eph 2:8–9)

To hold that baptism is necessary for salvation is a frontal contradiction to the teaching of Scripture, God’s Word.

Lord, I hold fast and unwaveringly to the Gospel of grace through faith alone!