Aleksander Gurtaev

Alex is the dean and New Testament Chair at Samara Center for Biblical Training in Samara, Russia, and an associate pastor at Transfiguration Church in Samara. He holds degrees from Samara Center for Biblical Training (MDiv) and The Master’s Seminary (ThM).

22 October 2026

Water Baptism’s True Role in the Gospel

Do you have the right view of water baptism? Many Russian evangelicals have unknowingly absorbed Russian Orthodoxy’s sacramentalism into their doctrine of water baptism. Departing from the doctrine of water baptism as an outward sign of an inward grace, many now treat it as a means of grace, rebirth, and salvation itself. But Scripture teaches that baptism is never part of the gospel; salvation comes by faith alone.