"If we are saved by faith, then we are saved by faith when we believe, not when we get baptized, otherwise we are not saved by faith" - from www.carm.org
Faith has been the way people are saved (even in the Old Testament)
- Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness Romans 4:3
- ...the righteous shall live by his faith Habakkuk 2:4
- You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you
- Isaiah 26:3
- ...if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (10) For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved Romans 10:9-10
Salvation is a work of God, not man. Only He has the power to change someone from the inside. Because of this, only God should receive the glory for salvation.
The false doctrine of baptismal regeneration tries to steal glory from God by making salvation a ritual performed by and dependent upon man.
This "glory test" is usually a good test of the validity of doctrine.
You can read more about baptism and salvation here:
http://carm.org/is-baptism-necessary-salvation