Water baptism does not literally save believers, but is a symbol of salvation in that it depicts Christ's death, burial and resurrection and our identification with Him in these experiences.
There are plenty of people who advocate salvation by water baptism (saved the moment we are water baptized) whether you call that baptismal remission (church of Christ) or baptismal regeneration (Roman Catholicism). Then you have those who advocate baptism for the dead (Mormons) and those who advocate must be baptized in "Jesus name only" and not in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, which the latter is said to be an invalid baptism (Oneness Pentecostals). Salvation and regeneration is through faith (rightly understood) IN CHRIST alone (Acts 10:43; 11:17; 15:8,9; Ephesians 1:13).
John 3:5 - Jesus answered, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is
born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.
John 4:10 - Jesus answered and said to her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, 'Give Me a
drink,' you would have asked Him, and He would have given you
living water.
John 4:14 - but whoever
drinks of the
water that I shall give him will
never thirst. But the
water that I shall give him will become in him a
fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.
John 7:37 - On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone
thirsts, let him come to Me and
drink. 38 He who
believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow
rivers of living water." 39 But this He spoke
concerning the Spirit, whom those
believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.
1 Corinthians 12:13 - For by
one Spirit we were all
baptized into one body--whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free--and have all been made to
drink into one Spirit.
Titus 3:5 - not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the
washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit.
John 15:3 - You are already
clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.
Ephesians 5:26 - that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the
washing of water by the word.
1 Peter 1:23 - having been
born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever.
The Holy Spirit is the instrument of both the cleansing and the birth of the divine nature within believers. "Water" intensifies and magnifies "Spirit" by means of the many figurative ways God's Holy Spirit is shown working: as a means of God's light-and life giving Word, of spiritual power, and of cleansing.
It does not prove or signify a reality
if such a person's
profession of faith is without possession, but for
genuine believers, water baptism and is our public confession of faith that
signifies we have been buried with Him in baptism and raised with Him to walk in newness of life.
I never said that receiving water baptism is proof of the reality for EVERYONE and is especially
not proof for unbelievers/make believers who receive water baptism in various false religions and cults. BUT for the
genuine believer, it
signifies we have been buried with Him in baptism and raised with Him to walk in newness of life.
No distraction at all. You have said numerous times that we are saved at the point/moment of receiving water baptism, which is saying that receiving water baptism is what literally causes the change in our salvation status. Before baptism (lost) after baptism (saved) is exactly what you are saying.
A man and a woman become united through their wedding vows and the ring
symbolizes this. Just as we become united with Christ through faith and water baptism
symbolizes this. Baptism is like the receiving of rings as tokens of the covenant. The rings, like baptism, is not what actually unites the hearts of two people, but is the formal acknowledgment of it. The ring is not what causes the change in our marital status and neither does water baptism cause the change in our salvation status, yet during the wedding ceremony, vows are exchanged, "with this ring I thee wed." The
symbol is used as the
picture of the
reality, just as in baptism. As Greek scholar AT Robertson said:
A symbol is not the reality, but the picture of the reality.
Water baptism
signifies that we have been buried with Christ and also raised up with Him through faith and, therefore, we are united to Him. For unbelievers/make believers, especially those in various false religions and cults, who go down into the waters of baptism without first genuinely receiving Christ through faith, become imposters, and are declaring, in baptism, to be what they are not. For such people, the symbol does not prove or signify the reality.
The word "symbol" does not need to be specifically spelled out in order to figure out that it's a symbol. I have already (through properly harmonizing scripture with scripture) thoroughly explained Acts 2:38 and Mark 16:16 to you.
Sugar coated double talk. To say that it's the ordained point/moment of the forgiveness of sins (even though scripture shows otherwise - Acts 10:43-47; 11:17,18; 15:8,9; 26:18 etc..) is to say that it saves. You can't have it both ways.
Acts 10:43 - Of Him all the prophets bear witness that through His name everyone who
believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins. BEFORE water baptism (Acts 10:47; 11:17,18).
Acts 26:18 - to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, that they may
receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been
sanctified by faith in Me.
Dying with belief in Jesus Christ without the forgiveness of sins is an oxymoron,
unless the belief is mere "mental assent" belief that
falls short of genuine or consummated belief resulting in salvation.
*Only genuine believers will go to the wedding feast wearing the proper clothing -- clothed in the righteousness of Christ.
John 3:18 - He who
believes in Him is not condemned; but he who (is not water baptized? - NO)
does not believe is condemned already, because he has not (been water baptized? - NO)
because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
