Do you have to be baptized to go to heaven?

I see this question asked many times on the internet and many times a preacher will go out of his way to assure everyone that it is not necessary to be baptized.

I have a very important question to those why make such a claim. What if you are wrong? How many, if after hearing you, are not baptized, and therefor, if it baptism is necessary, are lost. Don’t you think that you should risk your own salvation on your own beliefs; not the eternal life of someone else?

Those preachers acknowledge (Mark 16:16 NIV) “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.” There are two requirements in this verse, believe and be baptized. Does either nullify the other?

Then there is (Acts 2:38 NIV) “Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” Is there any other way to receive the Holy Spirit?

Then it is said that the thief on the cross was not baptized! Well I wrote on this and it is clear to me that he was baptized. And it is said that Jesus was not sacrificed before the thief died, but that is not accurate either. Jesus was already dead before the other two and that is why His legs were not broken.

It is said and/or inferred that baptism is a work, but it is not. Someone else must baptize the believer, it is not a work for the believers salvation. Others, obeying Jesus, must do the work (Mat 28:19), but not the one who is baptized.

(Mat 28:18-20 NIV) “Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Did He say, “Teach them it is not necessary to be baptized? Didn’t He just say baptize them and was that something to obey and is that not part of what He commanded us; to obey?

John came to teach baptism in order to prepare the way for the Lord. It was not John that prepared the way, but baptism that prepares the way.

It is said that all of the prophets in the Old Testament were not baptized and therefore baptism is not necessary, but were does it say they were not baptized? Just because the Bible does not say something it is not wise to claim that it did not happen. The thief on the cross is a good example. It is not said that the thief was baptized, however Mark 16:16 says, “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved”. Jesus said that the thief would be saved and so because Scripture cannot be broken, the thief would have to meet both requirements, he believed and had been baptized.

If you believe that it is not necessary to be baptized, keep it to yourself. Perhaps you might renounce your baptism, because of your great wisdom and strong beliefs. If you are not willing to do so, then obey Jesus and “go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you”.

How would you convince them to be baptized when you teach them it isn’t necessary?