nicene,i think it is very dangerous for you to say it is not necessary for one to be baptized in order to receive salvation.you mention that there were people who had received the holy spirit before they were baptized which is very true BUT PETER still made sure they were baptized in order to fulfill all righteousness.why didnt Peter skip the baptism for these individauls seeing as they had already received the holy spirit?(this is the question you need to ask yourself).Apostle PETER, having been given the keys to the Kingdom, commanded the JEWS, saying, “
REPENT everyone of you and BE BAPTIZED in the NAME OF JESUS CHRIST for the remission of sins” (Acts 2:38) “and you shall receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit.”
ACTS 16:29-33
29Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas,
30And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?
31And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.
32And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house.
33And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed
their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway..
MARK 16:16 states, “He that believeth and is baptized shall be SAVED; but he that believeth NOT shall be damned.”
I Peter 3:21 also reads, “The like figure whereunto [even] baptism doth also now SAVE us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ.”
The same FORMULA was used by Saint PAUL. Paul himself REBAPTIZED the disciples of John the Baptist (Acts 19:1-5) in this same manner, saying, “Have ye received the Holy Ghost SINCE you believed? They said, ‘We know not whether there be any Holy Ghost.’ Paul said, “How was you baptized?” They said,’ We’ve been baptized unto John.’ Then said Paul, “John verily baptized with baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe on Him that should come after him, that is on CHRIST JESUS.” WHEN THEY HEARD THIS, they were baptized in the NAME of the LORD JESUS” .
PETER AND JOHN did the same to the SAMARITANS as well in Acts 10:48,” And he commanded them to be BAPTIZED in the NAME of the LORD JESUS” .
The GENTILES who were in the house of Cornelius who first received the Gospel were also baptized in this same manner (Acts 10:46-48) , “For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnified God. Then answered PETER, “Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we? AND HE COMMANDED them to be BAPTIZED in the NAME of the LORD JESUS” (NIV).
ALL true believers in the Bible, both Jews, Gentiles and Samaritans, were ALL baptized in the NAME of JESUS CHRIST
Jesus himself made sure he was baptized even when John the baptist responded with surprise that Jesus would surrender to what seemed an uneccessary ritual for him.If there was ever anyone that could have decided to skip water baptism it was Jesus because he was SINLESS but yet he allowed John to baptize him saying he must fulfill ALL RIGHTEOUSNESS.Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him. 14But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me? 15And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him. 16And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: 17And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
I think we all must remember that it was ONE word that was added to Gods word that caused the downfall of mankind.The serpent told eve"ye shall NOT surely die".eve believed this and look what happened as a result.so when we see case after case in scripture of Jesus himself then everyone that became a follower was baptized in his name by immersion in water then you come along and say it doesnt matter.Theres a problem with that friend.why would anybody who reads these scriptures take a chance on omitting baptism from their lives?