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Baptism — A Condition That Must Be Met

Many sincere religious folks turn to Ephesians 2:8-9 to show that baptism is not necessary for salvation “” that grace is a “gift” based solely upon one condition “” faith. Using the American Standard Version – 1901, the text under consideration reads:

“For by grace you have ye been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God – not of works, that no man should glory.”

Let us compare and analyze this passage with one similar to it that the inspired apostle Paul wrote in Colossians 2:11-13:

Ephesians 2:5 —- “dead through our trespasses”.
Colossians 2:13 — “dead through your trespasses”.
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Ephesians 2:5 —- “alive together with Christ”.
Colossians 2:13 — “make alive together with him”.
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Ephesians 2:6 —- “raised us up with him”.
Colossians 2:12 — “raised with him”.
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Ephesians 2:8 —- “ye have been saved”.
Colossians 2:13 — “having forgiven us all our trespasses”.
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Ephesians 2:8 —- “saved through faith”.
Colossians 2:12 — “raised with him through faith”.
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Ephesians 2:9 —- “not of works”.
Colossians 2:11 — “not made with hands”.
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Note the perfect correlation of similar words used in past tense between the two above passages we have just compared. This indicates that the apostle Paul was writing about the same event. What was the event? The equivalent comparison tells us:

Ephesians 2:8a —- “by grace have ye been saved”.
Colossians 2:12a — “buried with him in baptism”.

After analyzing and demonstrating the harmony between these two passages, can there be any doubt that baptism is a condition that must be met to receive salvation?