Note 10 at 1 Cor. 1:17: This is a very important statement of the apostle Paul that reveals a lot about the way Paul viewed water baptism. If he would have deemed water baptism necessary for salvation as some people proclaim today, he would never have made a statement like this.

Just as with Peter when he argued for the conversion of the Gentiles before the Jewish Christians in Jerusalem (see note 5 at Acts 11:18, p. 638), Paul did not consider baptism a requirement for salvation.

There is no argument that water baptism is a command of Jesus and should therefore be performed (Mt. 28:19), but it is error to teach that it is essential for salvation (see notes in ref. h).