First of all, I do not teach salvation by works.
"Must be water baptized in order to be saved" = salvation by works. (See Matthew 3:13-15; Titus 3:5). Jesus was baptized to "fulfill all righteousness" so water baptism is a "work of righteousness" and we are
not saved by works of righteousness which we have done. We are saved by grace through faith, not works (Ephesians 2:8,9).
I teach that if you don’t obey God He won’t give it to you. The obedient ones are the ones He chooses to give it to. Their obedience does not earn it, cause it can’t.
OXYMORON. We obey God by choosing to repent and believe the gospel in order to become saved (Acts 11:17,18; 20:21). Acts of obedience which "follow" such as water baptism are works and we are not saved by works and if we were saved by works, then that would add merit on our part to receiving salvation. You try to "shoe horn" baptism "into" salvation through faith, but the shoe does not fit.
Second of all, whether you accept it or not, the Bible says “baptism saves”.
The Bible also says "women will be saved through childbearing.." (1 Timothy 2:15). It's imperative to read the Bible IN CONTEXT and not simply cherry pick part of a verse and try to make it fit your preconceived ideas. 1 Peter 3:21, Peter tells us that "baptism now saves you," *
yet when Peter uses this phrase he continues in the same sentence to explain exactly what he means by it.*
Peter says that baptism now saves you-
not the removal of dirt from the flesh (that is, not as an outward, physical act which washes dirt from the body--that is not what saves you),
"but an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ" (that is, as an inward, spiritual transaction between God and the individual, a transaction that is
symbolized by the outward ceremony of water baptism).
We could paraphrase Peter's statement by saying, "Baptism now saves you--not the outward physical ceremony of baptism but the inward spiritual reality which baptism represents." *By saying, "not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience-through the resurrection of Jesus Christ," Peter guards against saving power to the physical ceremony itself.
So in 1 Peter 3:21; it's not the water itself that saves us, but the "appeal-to-God-for-good-conscience" which baptism symbolizes. Just as the eight people in the ark were "saved THROUGH water" as they were IN THE ARK. They were not literally saved "by" the water. Hebrews 11:7 is clear on this point (..built an
ARK for the
SAVING of his household). *NOTE: The context reveals that ONLY the righteous (Noah and his family) were DRY and therefore SAFE. In contrast, ONLY THE WICKED IN NOAH'S DAY CAME IN CONTACT WITH THE WATER AND THEY ALL PERISHED.
If you say that you are saved before baptism, that means that baptism does not save- which makes God out to be a liar. And we know this baptism is speaking of H2O because it’s compared to Noah’s ark, and it points out that it is not a bath that removes dirt from the body.
If you read 1 Peter 3:21 IN CONTEXT you will find that Peter was not saying that we are literally saved by the mechanical act of being water baptized, but you simply isolate the words "baptism saves" and ignore the rest.
The Greek word "antitupon," as used in I Peter 3: 21, is "an adjective, used as a noun," and denotes, in the NT, "a corresponding type," being “said of baptism." "The circumstances of the flood, the ark and its occupants, formed a type, and baptism forms “a corresponding type," each setting forth the spiritual realities of the death, burial, and resurrection of believers in their identification with Christ.
It is not a case of type and antitype, but of two types, that in Genesis, the type, and baptism, the "corresponding type." Noah was saved by the ark "through (via) water." Water was not the means of their salvation, but the ark. The ark is what both delivered and preserved them, the two aspects of "salvation." Their salvation was typical of the salvation promised to the Christian. It pictured it. So also does Christian baptism picture the death, burial and resurrection of Christ.
Peter and the Eunich stopped the chariot to baptize where they did because there was much water (H2O).
AFTER be believed and was saved. Acts 8:36 - Now as they went down the road, they came to some water. And the eunuch said, "See, here is water.
What hinders me from being baptized?" 37 Then Philip said,
"If you believe with all your heart, you may." And he answered and said,
"I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God."
John 20:31 - John 20:31 - but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that
believing you may have life in His name.
Third of all, baptism envolves both physical water and spiritual living water anyways. Unlike us, when Jesus was pierced both blood and water flowed. This shows us that He is the living water that He spoke of with the woman at the well.
He is the source of living water that cleanses and saves. There is a "distinction" between water baptism and Spirit baptism (Matthew 3:11). Even in the OT we see that the Lord is the fountain of living water. Jeremiah 17:3 - O LORD, the hope of Israel, All who forsake You will be put to shame Those who turn away on earth will be written down, Because they have forsaken the
fountain of living water, even the LORD. In Isaiah 12:3, we read - Therefore with joy you will draw
water from the
wells of salvation.
And just as when we take the Lords Supper, it is both physically and spiritually done, and it envolves Christ’s spiritual blood, baptism is both physically and spiritually done, and envolves Christ’s spiritual blood. For we are baptized into His death- where both His blood and water flow- which saves us and makes us Holy. (Romans 6:3). For it is during baptism that we are placed in Christ, and God performs circumcision of the heart not by human hands. (Colossians 2).
You are confusing the picture (water baptism) with the reality (Spirit baptism). As Greek scholar AT Robertsons points out - A symbol is not the reality, but the picture of the reality. During Spirit baptism (prior to receiving water baptism) believers are placed into the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:3) and God performs circumcision of the heart not by human hands (Romans 2:29). You would walk around mountains of grace in order to find water as a result of your church of Christ indoctrination.
Did belief save Paul? No. Did prayer save Paul? No. Did fasting save Paul? No. Did being physically healed save Paul? No. Did obeying God save Paul? No. Ananias said to him “What are you waiting for? Arise, be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord.”
You contradicted yourself. The first question that must be answered is "when was Paul saved?" Paul tells that he
did not receive or hear the gospel from Ananias, but rather
he received it directly from Christ. Galatians 1:11-12 says,
"For I would have you know, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ."
Paul had repented (Acts 9:6). "Lord, what will you have me to do?" Repentance means a "change of mind," and is wrought by the grace of God. Paul once persecuted the Lord (Acts 9:5), but is now ready to serve Him demonstrating the fruit of repentance (Matthew 3:8; Acts 26:20).
Paul had believed. He had Christ as his Lord (Acts 9:6). The Bible tells us that "no man can say that Jesus is Lord except "by" the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:3). Paul had, by the work of the Holy Spirit, submitted to Christ as Lord. Paul prayed (Acts 9:11). "Behold, he is praying," the Lord said to Ananias. This indicates that Paul's praying was pleasing to God. Church of Christ preachers teach that God does not hear an unsaved man's prayer, quoting in this regard John 9:31 - "We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly man who does his will." Well, Paul was a worshipper of God, calling Christ "Lord" and ready to do His will. All of these things characterized Paul
before he was water baptized.
So, Paul heard and believed in Christ on the road to Damascus. Paul had already believed in Christ when Ananias came to pray for him to receive his sight (Acts 9:17). It also should be noted that Paul at the time when Ananias prayed for him to receive his sight, he was
filled with the Holy Spirit (Acts 9:17)--this was
before he was baptized (Acts 9:18). Acts 9 does not specifically tell us when Saul was filled with the Spirit, but verse 17 connects his being filled with the Spirit with the receiving of his sight. *We know that he received his sight prior to his water baptism.
It's also interesting that when Paul recounted this event again later in Acts (Acts 26:12-18), he did not mention Ananias or what Ananias said to him at all. Verse 18 again would confirm the idea that Paul received Christ as Savior on the road to Damascus since here Christ is telling Paul he will be a messenger for Him concerning forgiveness of sins for Gentiles as they have faith in Him. It would seem unlikely that Christ would commission Paul if Paul had not yet believed in Him and was not saved.
The only thing that saves is Christ’s spiritual blood, because it spiritually washes away our sins. How did Paul get this spiritual blood of Christ in order to wash away his sins? Does this verse say “What are you waiting for, believe in God in order to wash away your sins.”
This "washing away of sin" in water baptism was only
"formal" or symbolic. As Greek scholar AT Robertson points out -
baptism here pictures the washing away of sins by the blood of Christ.
No, it does not say that. I know you have many more verses, good verses about the importance of faith, but what does this scripture mean to you? Cause to me it means I must obey the gospel by baptism in order to receive Christ’s blood.
I thoroughly explained what that verses means to mean IN HARMONY WITH THE REST OF SCRIPTURE. The gospel is
not "water baptized or condemned." The gospel is the "good news" of the death, burial and resurrection of Christ (1 Corinthians 15:1-4) and is the
power of God unto salvation to everyone that
BELIEVES.. (Romans 1:16). To "believe" the gospel is to
trust in the death, burial and resurrection of Christ as the ALL-sufficient means of our salvation. To trust in "water and works" for salvation is to NOT believe the gospel (2 Corinthians 4:3,4).
“With flames of fire (hell) He will take vengeance on those who know not God, and who obey not the gospel of His Son.”
We obey the gospel by choosing to believe the gospel.Romans 10:16 - But they have not all
obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, "Lord, who has
believed our report?" *Choosing to believe the gospel by trusting in the death, burial and resurrection of Christ as the ALL-sufficient means of our salvation is to obey the gospel.
Good day to you too.