As churches may encourage or even urge you to get baptised soon after you turn to God, you might be wondering if you must be baptised to be saved.

The short answer is: No. Baptism is a sign of salvation, not a requirement for it.

The Bible makes it clear that we are saved by Jesus through his death and resurrection, and nothing else: “God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it” (Ephesians 2:8–9). Nothing we can do—no ritual, tradition, or action—can save us.

However, as we mentioned earlier, baptism is something that Jesus wants us to do, because it shows that we have decided to follow Jesus. It is a public declaration of our faith. Your family may object to you being baptised because they don’t want you to declare your new faith officially, or because they don’t understand why you need to be baptised. You may need to address their concerns and explain why you want to be baptised. Ask God for wisdom and strength to speak to them sensitively, and to determine the right time to be baptised.