Anthony Pritchard
Well-Known Member
Where Was Baptism? The Missing Sacrament
Baptism Series Part 5The debate over baptism often begins in Acts, Romans, or the Gospels. I wish to begin somewhere else. Abraham was justified. David was forgiven. Moses was accepted by God. Elijah was God’s prophet. Daniel was among the faithful. Not one of them was baptized. Before discussing baptismal typology, sacramental grace, or New Covenant ordinances, we should answer a simpler question: Where was baptism in the salvation of the Old Testament saints?
Those who argue that baptism imparts saving grace face a problem that is often overlooked.
The Scriptures present numerous individuals who were accepted by God, counted righteous, forgiven, saved by faith, and heirs of eternal life long before Christian baptism existed.
Where was baptism in their salvation?
Abraham
The clearest biblical example of justification is Abraham.
Paul writes:
“For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.” (Romans 4:3)
- Abraham was justified before God.
- Abraham was counted righteous.
- Abraham was accepted through faith.
- Yet Abraham was never baptized.
If baptism is necessary because it is the God-appointed instrument for receiving saving grace, what was the God-appointed instrument before baptism existed?
The answer is simple and has never changed.
Abraham’s righteousness was received through faith.
David
Paul also appeals to David:
“Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works.” (Romans 4:6)
- David knew forgiveness.
- David knew imputed righteousness.
- David knew saving grace.
If baptism is necessary for the reception of saving grace, David becomes an impossible example.
Nevertheless Paul presents him as proof of justification by faith.
The Prophets
The same difficulty appears throughout the Old Testament.
- Was Isaiah saved?
- Was Jeremiah saved?
- Was Daniel saved?
- Were Elijah and Elisha saved?
Yet none were baptized.
The entire history of Old Testament redemption testifies that sinners can be justified before God apart from water baptism.
The Testimony of Hebrews 11
Hebrews 11 provides a catalog of Old Testament saints.
- Abel.
- Enoch.
- Noah.
- Abraham.
- Sarah.
- Moses.
- Rahab.
- Gideon.
- Barak.
- Samson.
- Jephthah.
- David.
- Samuel.
- The prophets.
“By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice...” (Hebrews 11:4)
“By faith Noah, being warned of God...” (Hebrews 11:7)
“By faith Abraham, when he was called...” (Hebrews 11:8)
“By faith Moses...” (Hebrews 11:24)
The chapter’s emphasis is unmistakable.
Faith.
Faith.
Faith.
Faith.
Yet water baptism appears nowhere.
The Problem for Sacramental Theology
If baptism is the instrument through which saving grace is conferred, then two classes of believers exist.
One class received grace through faith. The other class received grace through baptism.
But Scripture never presents two methods of justification.
Instead it presents one.
“The just shall live by faith.” (Habakkuk 2:4)
Paul repeats the same principle in the New Testament:
“For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.” (Romans 1:17)
The principle did not begin at Pentecost.
The principle existed before the Law.
During the Law.
And after the Law.
What About The Types?
At this point typological arguments are often introduced.
- Israel passed through the Red Sea.
- Noah passed through the flood.
- Various ceremonial washings occurred under the Law.
But they do not answer the question.
Types cannot overturn explicit examples.
- Abraham was justified.
- David was justified.
- The prophets were justified.
Therefore no typological argument can establish baptism as the source of justifying grace.
At most, typology can illustrate truths already established elsewhere.
It cannot create a doctrine that contradicts the explicit examples of Scripture.
Conclusion
Before discussing the Red Sea, Noah’s flood, ceremonial washings, or any alleged type of baptism, a simpler question must be answered.
- Where was baptism in the salvation of Abraham?
- Where was baptism in the salvation of David?
- Where was baptism in the salvation of Isaiah, Daniel, or Elijah?
The Old Testament repeatedly demonstrates that sinners are accepted by God through faith in His promise.
That is why Paul points to Abraham when explaining justification.
Not because Abraham underwent a saving ceremony.
But because Abraham believed God.
“For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.” (Romans 4:3)
That single verse explains justification more clearly than all appeals to ceremonial grace. Abraham received righteousness through faith, and Scripture presents him as the pattern for all who believe.
Closing Statement
The debate over baptism will no doubt continue. Passages will be cited, typologies will be examined, and traditions will be defended. Yet before any of those discussions begin, a simple question remains.
- Abraham was justified.
- David was forgiven.
- Moses was accepted by God.
- Elijah was God’s prophet.
- Daniel was among the faithful.
- The saints celebrated in Hebrews 11 were commended by God.
If baptism is the means by which saving grace is ordinarily conferred, its absence from the salvation of the Old Testament saints demands explanation.
The apostles themselves point us back to Abraham when explaining justification:
“For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.” (Romans 4:3)
The emphasis is not upon a ceremony, an ordinance, a sacrament, or a ritual act. The emphasis is upon faith.
That does not diminish baptism. Baptism remains a precious ordinance appointed by Christ and practiced by the earliest churches. But Scripture consistently presents baptism as the testimony of faith, not the source of faith; as the confession of salvation, not the cause of salvation.
Before the Red Sea, before Pentecost, before the churches, before the New Testament itself, God was already declaring sinners righteous through faith in His promises.
The question therefore remains:
Where was baptism in the salvation of Abraham?
Until that question is answered, the claim that baptism imparts saving grace remains unsupported by the very saints whom Scripture presents as examples of saving faith.
Fides ante ritum - Faith before ritual.
~Tony
© A.K. Pritchard 2026 - Free to use with proper attribution.
