If I have asked this question once I bet I have asked it 100 times and no one has given me an answer back. I got saved while I was out at sea; I served in the Navy, there was not a baptismal on board the ship. There was not a swimming pool on board ship. We were not allowed to go swimming even when we were anchored which did not happen very often. The people I studied with on board the ship did not say to me lets go down to the beach and you can get baptized. The Chaplin on board the ship never told me that I needed baptized. One of the first chapters in the bible I ever studied was John 3 about being born of water and being born of the spirit. Water birth is when you come out of your mothers womb. Spiritual birth is when you get your new spirit from God. The Holy spirit.
1There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: 2The 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. 3Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
4Nicodemus 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? 5Jesus 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. 6That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. 8The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.
9Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be? 10Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things? 11Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness. 12If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things? 13And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven. 14And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: 15That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
For God So Loved
(Genesis 22:1-10; Romans 5:6-11)
16For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 18He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. 21But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.
There is not room for the rest of this but show me in there where Jesus said “you must be baptized to be born again.
I will grant you it goes on to say that: 22After these things came Jesus and his disciples into the land of Judaea; and there he tarried with them, and baptized 23And John also was baptizing in AEnon near to Salim, because there was much water there: and they came, and were baptized.
You can not tell me that the people John Baptized or the people Jesus's disciples baptized were saved.
It dose say14And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: 15That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
Jesus explained the new birth right here and never said one thing about being baptized.
John 3 :16 does not say : That God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him and is baptized shall be saved. If Jesus explained the new birth to Nicodemus and us and never said a thing about baptism can baptism really save you!
John Chapter 3
1There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: 2The 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. 3Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
4Nicodemus 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? 5Jesus 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. 6That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. 8The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.
9Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be? 10Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things? 11Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness. 12If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things? 13And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven. 14And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: 15That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
For God So Loved
(Genesis 22:1-10; Romans 5:6-11)
16For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 18He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. 21But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.
There is not room for the rest of this but show me in there where Jesus said “you must be baptized to be born again.
I will grant you it goes on to say that: 22After these things came Jesus and his disciples into the land of Judaea; and there he tarried with them, and baptized 23And John also was baptizing in AEnon near to Salim, because there was much water there: and they came, and were baptized.
You can not tell me that the people John Baptized or the people Jesus's disciples baptized were saved.
It dose say14And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: 15That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
Jesus explained the new birth right here and never said one thing about being baptized.
John 3 :16 does not say : That God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him and is baptized shall be saved. If Jesus explained the new birth to Nicodemus and us and never said a thing about baptism can baptism really save you!
All detailed conversion experiences confirm the need to be baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus (water) and to be filled with the Holy Ghost. The only thing that differs is the sequence in which this happens. (Acts 2:38-41, 8:12-18, 10:43-48, 19:1-7, 22:16) As such, we know that as long as a person is alive they have the opportunity to believe and obey the command to repent and be water baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus for remission of their sin.
John's water baptism for remission of sin was an introduction to what was later modified to include the name of the Lord Jesus after His death, burial and resurrection.
When the name of the Lord Jesus is referenced in baptism it is water baptism as confirmed elsewhere in scripture. Jesus spoke of this in Luke 24:47, and Matt. 28:19-20. Peter first mentioned the need for everyone to be baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus in Acts 2:38-39. Peter also confirmed this when he baptized Cornelius and others in Acts 10:47-48. Also, as the preceding scriptures show baptism in Jesus' name is not when a person receives the Holy Ghost. That experience takes place separate from water baptism. And, is confirmed, yet again, by the Samaritan's experience in Acts 8:12-18. They did not receive the Holy Ghost until days after being baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. (water)
Each and every one of these experiences parallel what Jesus said about being born of water and Spirit.