In John 3:5, Jesus said, "born of water and the Spirit". He did not say born of rivers of living waters and the Spirit. To automatically read rivers of living waters into this verse simply because it mentions "water" is unwarranted. Scripture interprets itself.
Jesus said rivers of living water in John 7:38 and
connects living water with eternal life in John 4:14, so it's not unwarranted and Scripture does interpret itself (John 3:5; 4:10,14; 7:37-39). Again, the Holy Spirit is the
source of living water and spiritual cleansing. If "water" is arbitrarily defined as baptism, then we could just as justifiably say, "Out of his heart will flow rivers of living baptism" in John 7:38. If this sounds ridiculous, it is no more so than the idea that water baptism is the source or the means of becoming born again.
Notice in Acts 2:38, "Peter replied, Repent and be baptized so that your sins will be forgiven and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit". As the scriptures say water and Spirit.
The scriptures say "water and Spirit," NOT baptism and Spirit in John 3:5. In John 4:10, Jesus said the
"water" I shall give him will become in him a
fountain of water springing up into everlasting life. He was not talking about plain ordinary H20. You need to go back and meditate on post #835 without the blindfold this time.
In Acts 2:38, "for the remission of sins" does not refer back to both clauses, "you all repent" and "each one of you be baptized," but refers only to the first. Peter is saying "repent unto the remission of your sins," the same as in Acts 3:19. The clause "each one of you be baptized" is parenthetical. This is exactly what Acts 3:19 teaches except that Peter omits the parenthesis.
*Also compare the fact that these Gentiles in Acts 10:45 received
the gift of the Holy Spirit (compare with Acts 2:38 -
the gift of the Holy Spirit) and this was
BEFORE water baptism (Acts 10:47).
In Acts 10:43 we read
..whoever believes in Him receives remission of sins. Again, these Gentiles received
the gift of the Holy Spirit - Acts 10:45 -
when they believed on the Lord Jesus Christ - Acts 11:17 - (compare with Acts 16:31 -
Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved) BEFORE water baptism - Acts 10:47. It was established that they believed on the Lord Jesus Christ BEFORE water baptism - Acts 11:17 - and this is referred to as
repentance unto life - Acts 11:18.
So the only logical conclusion *when properly harmonizing Scripture with Scripture* is that faith in Jesus Christ "implied in genuine repentance" (rather than water baptism) brings the remission of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit (Luke 24:47; Acts 2:38; 3:19; 5:31; 10:43-47; 11:17,18; 15:8,9; 16:31; 26:18). *Perfect Harmony*
*Did you see that?* The Holy Spirit is gifted at the act of water baptism.
The Holy Spirit was gifted when they
believed on the Lord Jesus Christ BEFORE water baptism (Acts 10:43-47; 11:17). *Did you see that?* Of course you didn't, because you are still wearing your blinders.
If "water" is arbitrarily denied as baptism, then we can insert any mention of water no matter how rarely mentioned in the bible, such as "rivers of living waters".
Just one chapter later, Jesus mentioned "water/living water/rivers of living water" and says whoever
drinks the "water" that he will give them will
never thirst and connects this water with
eternal life (John 4:10,14; 7:37-39) but you choose to ignore that for the sake of your biased church doctrine. You are drinking the wrong water.
If this sounds ridiculous, you are correct it is ridiculous.
The idea that plain, ordinary H20 is the source of spiritual cleansing and causes us to become born again is ridiculous. The natural man can only seem to understand natural water.
In Mark 16:16. Jesus said, "Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved but whoever does not believe will be damned.
Mark 16:16 - He who believes and is baptized will be saved
(general cases without making a qualification for the unusual case of someone who believes but is not baptized) but he who
does not believe will be condemned. The omission of baptized with "does not believe" shows that Jesus does not make baptism absolutely essential to salvation. Condemnation rests on unbelief, not on a lack of baptism. So salvation rests on belief. NOWHERE does the Bible say "baptized or condemned."
If water baptism is absolutely required for salvation, then why did Jesus not mention it in the following verses? (3:15,16,18; 5:24; 6:29,40,47; 11:25,26). What is the ONE requirement that Jesus mentions 9 different times in each of these complete statements?
BELIEVES. *What happened to baptism? *Hermeneutics.
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.
In 1st Peter 3:21 it states, "Baptism, which is like that water now saves you." Jesus connects water with the Holy Spirit the same as did Peter.
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. He said 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).
*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.
In Acts 22;16 Ananias commanded, "What are you waiting for, get up, be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord." Ananias is not speaking of "rivers of living waters" but the waters of baptism. Notice how I harmonized scripture with scripture before reaching my conclusion. Water baptism is not the source of our salvation but the point of our salvation.
You actually did a terrible job of harmonizing scripture with scripture and water baptism is NOT the point of salvation (John 3:18; Acts 10:43; 11:17; 13:39; 16:31; Romans 1:16; 3:22-28 etc..).
As Greek scholar AT Robertson points out - baptism here pictures the washing away of sins by the blood of Christ. Water baptism does not wash the soul. This occurred earlier when Paul came to faith in Christ. Paul tells that he did not receive or hear the Gospel from Ananias, but rather he heard 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." 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) and this was
before he was water baptized (Acts 9:18).
Jamison, Fausset, and Brown Commentary makes not of the importance of the Greek in Ananias' statement. When Ananias tells Paul to "arise, be baptized, wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord," the tense of the last command is literally "having called" (aorist middle participle). "Calling on [epikalesamenos] --- 'having (that is, after having) called on,' referring the confession of Christ which preceded baptism." [Jamison, Fausset, and Brown Commentary, vol. 3 pg. 160]. Kenneth Wuest picks up on this Greek nuance and translates the verse as follows: "And now, why are you delaying? Having arisen, be baptized and wash away your sins, having previously called upon His Name." (Acts 22:16, Wuest's Expanded NT).