I love ya posty, but you are smarter than this. What happened in that New York courtroom was a political hit job. If you can't step back and see how the New York criminal justice system just turned jurisprudence on its head head, you are either ignorant of the facts or sanctioning illegal...
Many people see it that way, but what is in view is spiritual birth. And this is in keeping with Acts 2 where the word is preached and the Spirit pricked the hearts of those who believed.
So a work of faith must come after belief, right? When you exercise faith, you must have already believed.
Faith always produces works, but works never produce faith.
BTW...water and the Spirit...the water there is the word of God which is what cleanses an individual...Ephesians 5:25-26.
Every thinking person has that. You set yourself up as an authority and your credentials come from yourself. That's why an earlier poster said you have deluded yourself. Your characterization of Christians is incorrect.
Most people I've talked with say 12 represents fulness or completeness. Another number is 144,000. 12 x 12 x 1000. The first 12 representing the OT saints, the second 12 the NT saints, and 1,000 representing the reign of Christ.