But circumstances do not change the word of God. There have been many unbelieving people that have lived and died that would have believed if they only lived longer. Will they be saved anyway since they never had the chance to believe?
The thief on the cross was promised paradise under the OT law and is not an example of NT salvation. The thief lived and died before the NT came into effect (Heb 9:16,17), that is, before Mk 16:16, Acts 2:38 came into effect so he was not accountable to being baptized as we today are who live after the NT gospel has come into effect.
Presbyterians, myself nor anyone else DO NOT determine how man is saved...God does and God has made water baptism the means by which He saves. And who gets to decide for others what is or is not essential?
You speak of "unity". The bible says God word is "truth" Jn 17:17 and truth does not contradict itself as all these various religious groups do. That's all the proof I need to know for certain that all these groups DO NOT have the truth of God's word. There is no unity in contradiction..."Can two walk together, except they be agreed?" No! So all these groups cannot contradict each other and all be biblically right, impossible for them all to be going by the word of God. If Christianity was really made up of all the conflicts and contradictions it would be a very sorry, sick joke that I would not waste my time with. There is no truth, no credibility no unity in contradictions. Anyone has a desire to be lost? Just go along with all the contradictions. In the same context Paul said ONE baptism he said ONE body yet man has tried to corrupt that into many bodies that contradict each other.
Well, 'baptismal regeneration' is a belief that I'm familiar with but don't agree with - but I do believe that a person is responsible before GOD to "search the Scriptures" for themselves and to never learn from man alone. Bereans, if you will.
When we stand before Him, He will ask us where we learned what we believe - and if we answer that it's because that's what our demonination or Pastor or favorite radio preacher taught, He will not take that as an exceptable answer.
We're to search the Scriptures on our own. It grieves me more than anything to see that on the internet there's every type of concordance and means to do cross-references and study with ease yet most don't know most of their New Testament - a book that's only a 1/2 inch thick.
Some can say they love Jesus, but give little time to The Word of God, which is His Name and function as well as the means of Salvation. That's my pet peeve and I grieve that His Spirit of Truth is not depended on to "teach us all things".
I grieve that we stay in just one denomination and say that we only agree with that group or feel that they're the only ones out there that have the way to Salvation. I refuse to be linked to any denomination - I'm just a Christian and want to fellowship with all those that are born-again into His Kingdom.
Jesus had his disciples baptizing believers and John's disciples told John about it - so the thief on the cross was saved after Christ's baptism was acted upon. His reputation had already been established by then. Yes, the thief knew that Jesus was LORD and Messiah, after he had just finished mocking Him - but that thief knew about why Jesus was on that cross and knew enough about Jesus' ministry to know that he was speaking more than O.T. knowledge.
Your last paragraph sounds just like something I would have written at one time.
All I can say in closing and leaving this to you men is - Don't you realize that people have come to Christ with their heart and mind wide open for forgiveness and for salvation, truly believing that He is Who He said He is but for some reasons could never get to water? Like in Hospital death bed conversions and the like. Having worked in health-care - I surely wouldn't have said, Well, they did it all right but because they died before we could baptize them, they fell out from between His fingers.
