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Not only that, but how many people have sat in their homes, cars, and other places and have been led to the Lord, acknowledged saving faith and didn't get immersed until Sunday at (church) or maybe in a month or maybe not at all....ridiculous to think that they were not saved.......My bible teaches me that if you believe and confess Jesus you are born again, saved and are presently, continually having everlasting life which cannot be lost!
Be of good cheer, my sister. Most guests are actually members who are browsing this site, but did not log in, and that shows up as being a guest. For those who are in fact guests, keep them lifted. 
I've had hundreds of PMs and emails for years from pastors who are counting on sermon material from people like us. I've had to hide my email addy, not having time to read it all. So I know there's a world of spiritually hungry folks looking for someone that preaches like Jesus did. His words were often abrasive, tough, sometimes very gentle. The mix needs to match His model. If you only spread honey on everything, half the truth is ignored.
K
That was what Paul was charged to do, just preach the word.
His co-workers ( brothers and sisters in Christ, fellow apostles/disciples ) he sent before him, came with him, and sent after to do the other parts of fulfillment.
Paul makes that clear when he says that he was glad he only was called on to baptize a few, because division started up in the church between members because of who they were baptized by and claimed to follow. Paul did not want to be called on like some do even today, some go by what Paul said over what Jesus said as if he taught differently.
The problem with that is through proper studying they would see that Paul taught exactly the same things the Lord Jesus taught, and didn't add anything different or take away from what He taught. And if you look in scripture in studying you would see that even Peter, James, John, and the writer of Hebrews even carried on the same teachings.
There is a title for those who go by a Paul gospel, and that is Paulinians. Thing is even Paul said he, other apostles, or even an angel claiming to be from God can not preach a different gospel or Jesus then what Jesus had already taught.
True. I will never worry over stating what the Bible says, in context.
Paul's ministry was not for water baptizing, that not being a requirement for him. His emphasis was on preaching the gospel, training pastors in the churches he established. It needed to be written that an apostle, or evangelist, or teacher needed to have a staff doing the water baptisms so he could just preach. Peter went as far as requiring deacons to serve the congregation so he was free to preach.
Tradition requires water baptism for salvation. Jesus gives the spirit baptism that saves. and seals us for eternity.
Paul's ministry was not for water baptizing, that not being a requirement for him. His emphasis was on preaching the gospel, training pastors in the churches he established. It needed to be written that an apostle, or evangelist, or teacher needed to have a staff doing the water baptisms so he could just preach. Peter went as far as requiring deacons to serve the congregation so he was free to preach.
Tradition requires water baptism for salvation. Jesus gives the spirit baptism that saves. and seals us for eternity.
So please prove Paul sent people ahead to water baptize before he preached, or came with him to finish the commandments? I know the Jews stayed ahead of him to make just showing up to be dangerous. How can any of us declare a Christian is sinning by not following Jesus' general orders which you say include a mandate to water baptize? Now we have it that the Lord exempts some from doing His commandment, passing that on to others? Do I get credit for obeying an order if someone else carries out that order for me? Was that the role Barnabus performed, doing all the water baptizing while Paul watched? I don't believe it's good to assume so much. Billy Graham preached to millions, many saved. He encouraged them to go to church, not knowing whether they did or not, not knowing about their water baptisms. It was hoped church workers would follow up.
Many evangelists travel the world, some preaching to hundreds of thousands at a time, with reports of thousands saved per meeting. The evangelist and crew go on together to the next place. I've been in contact with pastors left behind trying to deal with the results. Just finding the new believers is often impossible. So hundreds of thousands return home where there is no church and nobody around that has a clue what to do next, including water baptism. Are they all lost until they get water baptized?
Please let's clear that up for the sake of many interested in a yea or nay that fits all scriptures.
Many evangelists travel the world, some preaching to hundreds of thousands at a time, with reports of thousands saved per meeting. The evangelist and crew go on together to the next place. I've been in contact with pastors left behind trying to deal with the results. Just finding the new believers is often impossible. So hundreds of thousands return home where there is no church and nobody around that has a clue what to do next, including water baptism. Are they all lost until they get water baptized?
Please let's clear that up for the sake of many interested in a yea or nay that fits all scriptures.
K
The thing is though is by going the other way and trying to say Paul's fellow helpers in Christ didn't baptize in water also, would be over stating the Bible to. Because you can not prove by scriptures they didn't.
That is why history all the way up to today is what we must use to determine if it was still used, and to be still used.
To start off with you only have the main 11 Apostles, if water was to be omitted these 11 would have stopped it right then before even passing it on to new converts when the church was started. They didn't though, and when Matthias was chosen to replace Judas he was baptized in water. Then Saul when he was sent by the Lord to start his work in the ministry was baptized in water as well, going by Paul then. Paul then along with the other apostles continued baptizing with water, and when the divisions started between the members. Paul just said he was glad he only baptized a few, because his main role was to preach the gospel only while the other apostles continued to baptize......That scripture does not say in any way that it was no longer needed, just that he didn't do it.
K
What I say is this;
The greatest commandment from the Lord
Matthew 22:37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
Our Lord Jesus said that if you love Him you will keep His commandments. ( John 14:15,23 )
Our Lord Jesus commanded baptism in water (baptizo) in Matthew 28:19 and Mark 16:16.
If these two scriptures was not referring to water usage in baptism, Peter would not have still continued using water in Acts 2:38 and 1 Peter 3:21.
Being as how Peter was chosen to lead and carry on the church by our Lord Jesus, he would have been told to stop using water by our Lord if not needed to be used anymore. We would not of have had to wait for Paul, who was commissioned to give the same teaching's Peter and the other 11 (Matthias) gave to the Jews to us gentiles.
Then Jesus tells us this;
Luke 6:46-49
And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say? Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like: He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock. But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great.
Notice how he says here that if they are a hearer only, and not a doer. They have no foundation in their faith, and when it comes to trials, tribulations, troubles, and deception they will falter and fall away from salvation. Jesus gave us this same standard in the sower and the seed, and also when he warned the Apostles in Matthew 10 if they don't stay faithful to Him in going through the trials, and tribulations they were about to face.
I gave two examples where Jesus says if you love Him you will keep His commandments, and Jesus questioning people why do you call Him Lord if you don't do what He said to do. Which leads into Jesus saying this;
Matthew 7:21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
Another scripture that says you have to be a doer again, and only the doer of God's will enter the kingdom of heaven.
John 12:49 For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak.
John 14:24 He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father's which sent me.
Here Jesus says whatever He has said is from God, not of Himself, so anything He said to do is directly from God.
And those who do not love Him are those who do not keep and do His teachings.
Now this leads us to where we are going, and that is that baptism was commanded by the Lord Jesus in His teachings. Which means that the command to be baptized came from God, and Jesus says that if you love Him you will do what He said; if you don't love Him you will not do what He said.
This would be disobeying the Lord our God, and the bible says that disobedience is a sin of unbelief.
[h=1]Hebrews 3:18-19And to whom did God swear that they would never enter his rest if not to those who disobeyed? So we see that they were not able to enter, because of their unbelief.[/h]
K
No there are no hidden commands, and the only reason He pointed out just two main ones is because if you follow those two you will follow the rest.
[h=1]Matthew 22:36-40King James Version (KJV)[/h]36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
38 This is the first and great commandment.
39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
Look at your scattered confusion, you're all over the place...
You say Paul said he was sent to preach the gospel, not baptize :
1 Corinthians 1:17 (NKJV)
17 For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect.
Yet above you admit (and rightly so) the scriptures say he did baptize, in fact Paul said in the previous two verses :
1 Corinthians 1:14-16 (NKJV)
14 I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15 lest anyone should say that I had baptized in my own name. 16 Yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas. Besides, I do not know whether I baptized any other.
Now either Paul was sent to baptize, or he sinned when he did (and he did baptize), he may not have been sent to Corinth to baptize, but he was commissioned to baptize just like everyone else (Matt 28:19-20), you as others lift scripture out of context to make your man made doctrine work, and fall all over yourself while doing it, you flop like a fish.
If you throw your man made doctrine out the window, you would find the contradiction you display now, would go out the window with it.
You would find Paul was only glad he did not baptize many in Corinth so those in Corinth could not boast that they were baptized by him as they were others that baptized them...
You so entrenched in your man made doctrine you fly right by the actual teaching of the text.
You say Paul said he was sent to preach the gospel, not baptize :
1 Corinthians 1:17 (NKJV)
17 For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect.
Yet above you admit (and rightly so) the scriptures say he did baptize, in fact Paul said in the previous two verses :
1 Corinthians 1:14-16 (NKJV)
14 I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15 lest anyone should say that I had baptized in my own name. 16 Yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas. Besides, I do not know whether I baptized any other.
Now either Paul was sent to baptize, or he sinned when he did (and he did baptize), he may not have been sent to Corinth to baptize, but he was commissioned to baptize just like everyone else (Matt 28:19-20), you as others lift scripture out of context to make your man made doctrine work, and fall all over yourself while doing it, you flop like a fish.
If you throw your man made doctrine out the window, you would find the contradiction you display now, would go out the window with it.
You would find Paul was only glad he did not baptize many in Corinth so those in Corinth could not boast that they were baptized by him as they were others that baptized them...
You so entrenched in your man made doctrine you fly right by the actual teaching of the text.
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baptized in the name of Father Son and Holy spirit guaranty salvation, water baptism not.
Peter baptized Cornelius with water after Cornelius save. After his baptism with Holy spirit.
To confess/witnessing to public that now he is Jesus follower.
A Christian after save witnessing to other, but witnessing is not requirement for salvation. It is fruit of salvation. After save, abide to the vine, than branch will bear fruit. Not bear fruit for salvation, but bear fruit is product of salvation.
No body bear fruit before save, because branch can't bear fruit of itself.
I always recommend taking in enough context to understand scriptures. I try to keep posts as small as possible, yet try to make a debate type statement. So far this has not been a debate, but is an argument of letters mailed back and forth.
Let's back up a bit. I will only make one point in the following so as hopefully you will not be confused too much.
1 Corinthians 1:11-13 (KJV)
[SUP]11 [/SUP] For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you.
[SUP]12 [/SUP] Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ.
[SUP]13 [/SUP] Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul?
There's the first reason Paul avoided water baptism. In addition to many identifying with John the Baptizer, some clung to Peter, some Apollos, some Christ, etc. No other name ought be promoted but Jesus. Paul didn't want division anywhere, not just in Corinth. Poor exegesis lets a statement like Paul's in verse 17 suggest such a mission from Christ applied only to one city. The rest of the chapter is devoted to explaining verse 17.
It appears to me that you think Paul wouldn't mind people in other cities to be divided over who baptized them. It would be OK for those in Philippi to be divided, some saying they were baptized by Peter, and others by Paul? No.
I don't see that would be tolerated anywhere in scriptures. I had somewhat else to say about that but I realize it is often fruitless to write too much at a time.
Let's back up a bit. I will only make one point in the following so as hopefully you will not be confused too much.
1 Corinthians 1:11-13 (KJV)
[SUP]11 [/SUP] For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you.
[SUP]12 [/SUP] Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ.
[SUP]13 [/SUP] Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul?
There's the first reason Paul avoided water baptism. In addition to many identifying with John the Baptizer, some clung to Peter, some Apollos, some Christ, etc. No other name ought be promoted but Jesus. Paul didn't want division anywhere, not just in Corinth. Poor exegesis lets a statement like Paul's in verse 17 suggest such a mission from Christ applied only to one city. The rest of the chapter is devoted to explaining verse 17.
It appears to me that you think Paul wouldn't mind people in other cities to be divided over who baptized them. It would be OK for those in Philippi to be divided, some saying they were baptized by Peter, and others by Paul? No.
I don't see that would be tolerated anywhere in scriptures. I had somewhat else to say about that but I realize it is often fruitless to write too much at a time.