Does baptism have any part in salvation according to Les?
No. Baptism has no part in salvation today; salvation rests entirely on the finished work of the cross plus nothing. Making baptism part of salvation implies telling God His work was insufficient and that human effort must complete it, which is not the case. Believers rest totally on what Christ accomplished.
Les explains that in the earlier Jewish setting, baptism was tied to the message, and he would be the last to say it could be separated back there. But for today he maintains that baptism has no part in salvation. Salvation must be the finished work of the cross plus nothing. If a person makes baptism part of salvation, they are telling God He did not quite finish the work and that they must add their own contribution. Instead, believers rest totally on what Christ accomplished on their behalf. He also warns that priorities must be based on Scripture, contrasting that with Simon, who majored on signs and miracles and minored on the person of Christ.