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michaelvpardo

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Feb 26, 2011
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I would like to discuss Baptismal Regeneration here.
I don't believe that there is such a thing, though I'm clearly at odds with some theologies.
Belief in the Lord is the result of the conviction of the Holy Spirit. Being born again is receiving His Spirit through faith in our Lord and asking for Him as Jesus promised. Baptism is a public confession of faith and an identification with Christ in His death with the commitment to follow Him in new life. Some refer to the new birth as baptism in the Spirit, others believe that there is an anointing with the Holy Spirit that follows the new birth (something like pentacost), while others believe that getting dunked or sprinkled in obedience to the risen Lord is a sacramental work that imparts grace to the believer and in some cults, salvation itself.
In any case, the commandment is to believe and be baptized, not to be baptized and believe.
Personally I don't understand why any genuine believer would refuse to obey the scriptural instruction (unless they had a deep phobia about water), but Paul is pretty clear in the book of Romans:
8 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach): 9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. Romans 10:8-10
If you can accept this as inspired text, then it's a safe bet that the Holy Spirit didn't simply forget to mention baptism.
Christians are supposed to identify with Christ in His death, baptism is supposed to include personal testimony and the confession that Christ is Lord.
Some people are so hesitant about sharing their faith that their baptism is the only time that they actually confess Christ with their mouth and even Jesus made such a requirement of all of us. (I suspect that mutes are an exception)
32 “Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. Matthew 10:32