There's too much confusion on the role of the Holy Spirit and Christ and translation errors coming from bad use of applying appropriate context fellas. Just a few baptized from above? Going through everything said this far baptism is to be immersed in something. Let's take Jesus and Jesus alone. He was the only perfect sacrifice for us for our atonement because the Big Man knew that more opportunities to fall or trip up would occur so He wanted to give people a better chance to obtain eternal paradise. Now, the perfect example was baptized, so because I don't want to follow a perfect example I rebel and find it not nessecary to try and be perfect as He was. GRANTED the context of baptism when John was baptizing and the effect it has after the crucifixion are a little bit different. The idea of baptism with John (pre-death Jesus) was to renew the mind and purifying ones self for the Lord and living for Him. IT DID NOT take away the animal sacrifice needed for attonement. So Christ's baptism was one of purifying Himself to God. Now today, baptism is a part of being saved according to Mark 16:16 saying he that believes AND (joining two actions here) be baptized (why? Well read the rest of the verse) because you shall be saved. Later in the verse why would it condemn an action of not doing so? Sure it only says he who does not believe, but then if I read that I need both to be saved them I can't have one and expect to be saved. Why would Philip even suggest to be baptized if it was not told to do so? Now I find commands to be baptized but who has the command to baptize? Well I find here there is no command for everyone to baptize others just as one preaches, I could say well everyone has to do it. Same with singing, if one does it everyone does it. Noted people decide what they want and don't want to do for service. How does this make baptizing others any different. It's performed by those who want to, have the authority for it, and want to continue doing it. Saying no to baptizing someone is not sinful. You may get questioned on it, but no direct command is given to do such. Does this mean it is required of us?
Word usage in the quoted text above, "if water baptism were a necessity in order to be saved, then one would think he would have went around baptizing every single person he witnessed to." I don't completely agree with this because some people need more time than others in order to even believe and making it a command does not mean that we would assume everyone would do it since its commanded. As we are free to do what we want to do being free moral agents. Tell me the last time you saw everyone doing the same command everytime because they had to. We know some people just don't do it because they don't want to or it's just not time yet. It doesn't make the action any less important to do on a personal level. Now if you show me ONE verse that says it is sinful to not baptize everyone you see, then I can agree with the statement above.
Now as for the context of the passage in question which people keep getting sidetracked on and is the reason this thread was created.. Understand the topic Paul is writting to the Corinthians is dealing with who is getting the praise and doing so with unity. Paul did not want them to say that they were saved through Paul, Christ was the sacrifice and took all the sins and blotted them out for the true and sincere repenting heart. Now thanking God that he did not baptize them, he's just saying I know my name is spread around the 'world' and if I did baptize you there'd be confusion with people saying Paul washed my sins away (thinking THROUGH Paul). He did not want to confuse them. He did not baptize many at all but yet even in the kingdom, God knows that people have better suited talents than othes so He wants us to use them to the best of our use. Paul may have not felt comfortable in doing it or it wasn't strickly on his mind to do and he had someone else who would not be seen as another testament or praise to anyone but God alone. Hope this help from a very tired man!
