Is Baptism necessary for Salvation?

"In the name of" means by the authority of. By the authority of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit they are to teach all nations and water baptize them. Humans can't perform Holy Spirit baptisms.

Acts 8: 12

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Agreed. Water baptism comes after believing. There are many verses to support this, but the verse you quoted above will suffice. We know this is water baptism since in Acts 19 the believers did not have the Holy Spirit once they believed, but rather received the Holy Spirit after their water baptism.

Acts 9: 17-18

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I'm not sure what your point is here. Miracles can happen to people without that person already having the Holy Spirit as documented by the gospels.

Matt 20: 18-19

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Jesus also called the experience He was going to have a cup. It wasn't literally a cup or a water baptism in this specific case. Jesus was using figurative language here.

Rom 6: 3

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This requires more context to understand correctly.

Romans 6:3-5
3Or aren’t you aware that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?
4We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may walk in newness of life.
5For if we have been united with Him like this in His death, we will certainly also be united with Him in His resurrection.

This passage says that Jesus was raised from the dead. This is comparing something we do to something Christ did. Water baptism is like being buried because we go down into the water and like being resurrected because we rise up out of the water. Notice the word "like" in the above passage. If we identify with the death of Christ through water baptism we will also be resurrected. Again, Christ literally died and resurrected. We will literally die and be resurrected because of water baptism.

1 Cor 12: 13

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The context of the passage is about the body of Christ in the sense that the church is Christ's body. This is talking about flesh and blood people with gifts of the Holy Spirit in the church and they were water baptized. Also note Acts 2:38.

1 Cor. 12:27-30
27Now you are the body of Christ, and each of you is a member of it. 28And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, and those with gifts of healing, helping, administration, and various tongues. 29Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? 30Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret?

Acts 2:38
38Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

1 Cor 12: 3

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Convicts us into believing and trust that Jesus is Lord and Savior? That verse doesn't say that.

Eph 3: 14-15

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They've been baptized by the authority of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Acts 1: 5

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A cursory glance through Acts and the rest of the New Testament proves water baptism never ceased nor was commanded to cease.

Acts 8: 12

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That's water baptism again. People are always water baptized after believing.

Acts 8:36
36As they traveled along the road and came to some water, the eunuch said, “Look, here is water! What is there to prevent me from being baptized?”

Acts 11: 18

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Where do you see that anyone was baptized in the name of only the Father?

Ezek 36: 25-27

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This refers back to being born of water and Spirit. Water is water baptism and Spirit is spiritual rebirth.

John 3:5
5Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit.

After the discourse in John 3, Jesus went into the countryside with His disciples and performed water baptisms.

John 3:22
22After this, Jesus and His disciples went into the Judean countryside, where He spent some time with them and baptized.

I responded to one of your posts as I said I would. I didn't forget, but it's time consuming because there's so much to respond to. Maybe I'll reply to your second post later if I feel like it.

My honest advice for you, if you will accept it, is that your foundation of Biblical knowledge is mostly inaccurate. I understand your line of thinking, I think, but you make a lot of unwarranted assumptions and disregard a lot of context to reach conclusions. Please accept that constructively.

To offer you a solution, I think you should learn the importance of water baptism. It was very important to the early church so there's our biggest clue it should be important to us, too. Also, I think we need to stay grounded. Come back down to Earth. You're a flesh and blood human who needs to serve Christ's church using your body to exercise any gifts of the Holy Spirit you may have.

Joh 3:2 The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him. 3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. 4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born? 5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.

To be saved you must be born again.

Baptism is the outward proclamation that you have been born again.

Jesus will judge the heart, and knows the circumstances.

Ephesians 4:5-6

Titus 3:4-5

Isaiah 12:2-3

I believe that what we disagree on is that you believe that any time you see the word baptism, you think of water baptism. That is why when you commented of Matt 28: 19 you stuck in water baptism. You did that with almost every verse that mentions Baptism. That is why I started my posts showing that when Jesus used the word Baptism, He did not mean water baptism.

My point is that it is about the heart. It is easy to be baptised in a river or pool, but the real issue is are you born again spiritually. I find reason in the Bible to be baptised when you have chosen to follow Jesus.

Mat 21:25 The baptism of John, whence was it? from heaven, or of men? And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say unto us, Why did ye not then believe him?

Act 2:37 Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? 38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

Water is not natural birth. To be born again of water you’d have to die then be reincarnated and birthed a second time by a woman. Doesn’t make sense. Jesus said be born again as in a second time of water and Spirit. The natural birth from a woman is the first birth and it’s impossible to have a natural birth again so the water is certainly water baptism.

Water is certainly water baptism here.

I think I see where your misunderstanding is though. You think water birth and Spirit birth are two separate births, but they are occur together.

Do all of the references about being water baptized and then receiving the Holy Spirit make more sense now?

More proof that water and Spirit go together:

Ezekiel 36:25-27
25I will also sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. I will cleanse you from all your impurities and all your idols. 26I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.27And I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes and to carefully observe My ordinances.

Another clue water isn’t live birth:

John 1:12,13
12But to all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God— 13children born not of blood, nor of the desire or will of man, but born of God.

No I don’t think every time the word baptism is mentioned that it means water.

Calling upon the name of the Lord occurs in water baptism. (Acts 22:16...)

Again, as I have stated numerous times, obedience to the God-given command to be water baptized would be pointless if not for the shed blood of Jesus.

The directive in Acts is to believe and respond to the entire message that includes the requirement to both repent, AND submit to baptism in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ in order for one's sins to be washed away. (Acts 2:37-38, 22:16)

Acts 22:16
And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.

Acts 2:37-42
Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?
38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
39 For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.

40 And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation.

41 Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.
42 And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine

As Ananias told Paul, be baptized in order that YOUR sins are washed away. (Acts 22:16) Jesus' sacrifice provided for everyone's sins to be dwelt with. However, individual's are required to obey God's command in order to partake of that reality.

Notice the following scripture makes the point that in believing in Jesus you MIGHT have life through His name. Life only becomes a reality when a fallen man's sins are washed away. And according to the word this occurs upon obedience to water baptism in the name of the Lord Jesus.

John 20:31
But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.

I think you are going in the wrong direction. We should be restoring the practice of baptizing people in water the same day they repent and confess faith in Christ instead of putting it off for a future date. The New Testament knows nothing about a concept of not baptizing new converts until Jesus comes again.

After Jesus' death, burial and resurrection water baptism was modified to include the name of the Lord Jesus for the remission of one's sin. (Luke 24:47, Acts 2:38, 10:43-47) Paul said, Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? (Romans 6:3) As such, not before, but after a person is obedient to the NT command they are considered buried with Jesus into His death. "Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life." (6:4)

Notice what verse 5 promises IF a person is obedient to the command: "For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:"

It is during baptism that the body of sin is destroyed as confirmed in verse 6: "Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin."

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).

For further study on Acts 22:16 see - https://kentbrandenburg.blogspot.com/2015/03/acts-2216-baptism-essential-for.html

Actually many accept what "religious" people say about water baptism rather than believe and obey what scripture reveals about it. And sadly, even those who accept the command should be obeyed, follow a tradition of men being baptized using the phrase in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost. Rather than accepting what Jesus revealed by His own words, Baptize people in the NAME of ... What is the Name? Scripture reveals that too.

1. Many don't believe it remits sin even though that is what is stated in the word of God. (Acts 22:16, 2:38)
2. And many refuse to accept that baptism is to be administered in the name of the Lord Jesus even though it is confirmed by the apostles actions. And witnessed by their words:

"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." Acts 10:47-28


"Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul?
I thank God that I baptized none of you, but Crispus and Gaius;
Lest any should say that I had baptized in mine own name." 1 Cor 1:13-15