There are four different Baptisms in Scripture. The most common that everyone's mind goes to is water baptism but after the Book of Acts water baptism is only mentioned once. Why does Paul the Apostle to the Gentiles in his letters only mention water baptism once? It is because God did not send Him to baptize but to preach the gospel. In I Cor 15, Paul boldly proclaims that the gospel is the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and Paul declares that the gospel in which we stand is what saves us. In Romans, Chapter 1, Paul states that the gospel of Christ is the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes. for in it (the gospel) the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith, as it is written the just shall live by faith.

Hundreds of verses in the Bible tell us that salvation is granted to us by believing the truth of the gospel and a few verses say that if we believe and are baptized we are saved which is true. If we believe we are are saved and if we believe and are baptized we are saved. Because the Bible does not ever contradict itself then both of these must be true but this is saying that water baptism is something that we do but that is not what saves us. The four baptisms in the New Testament let us know how we are saved.

1. Baptism in Water----- A declaration and testimony that we have been washed and cleansed by the shedding of the blood of Jesus.
2. Baptism into the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ----- Rom 6 tells us that this is a spiritual baptism into Christ. This happens the moment we believe and are saved. We are baptized by God into Jesus's crucifixion, His death, His burial, and His resurrection. It is called the circumcision without hands in Col 2.
3. The Baptism with the Holy Spirit-----The baptism with the Holy Spirit is the Holy Spirit with us, the Holy Spirit in us, and the Holy Spirit upon us. This also happens the moment we believe. Our spiritual baptism into Christ and to be baptized with Holy Spirit, both happen at the same time and are connected to each other.
4. The Baptism with the cup of suffering and death-----Jesus spoke of this baptism when he spoke about his time of suffering and death was near. Paul spoke of this baptism in I Cor 15 when he declared why suffer and die daily if the dead are not raised?

It is the washing and cleansing by the blood of Jesus Christ that saves us and gives us eternal life. Rev 5b-6   To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood and made us a Kingdom of Priests unto His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.