Steve,Bro Steve Winter said:
I am certainly filth and even so much less than that so we are in agreement about that. See how easy this can be to agree?
So I have already demonstrated for you (from my perspective) that water baptism for the remission of sins was instituted before Christ's sacrifice...even His ministry, so the point about not taking effect until after He was dead is void. In my opinion, God made sure to point out that Jesus never baptized anyone because He knew we would already be confused enough over the baptism issue.
Notice also, God even re-points out the difference beginning in Acts. It is a very simple truth, but one can not make it to Acts chapter 2 without going through Acts chapter 1. Why do you suppose God felt the need to point to the difference between Johns baptism and Jesus baptism right before Peter makes his often misused statement? Has Jesus baptized any people since He died? Oh so many...into His baptism.
You also can not get to Acts chapter 2 verse 38 without going through 2:37. Notice their hearts were "pricked" and that "dagger cutting through them" spurred them to action? Then they asked the question as to what action to take. Somewhere in between their hearts being pricked and the decision to action....Christ saved them...we see that call to action that James and Paul tell us about that is so evident in a Christ changed heart. They had already repented! That is why they wanted to know what action to take!
Poor Peter. This is all my opinion, viewpoint and conjecture....completely made up by my head (I have no bible for this next statement) but I can so easily identify with the man. Here was Peter, just gave the sermon of his life and it worked (thanks to the Holy Spirit)....people want to know what to do, so He just tells them the same thing they had been preaching since John...forgetting that just 36 verses earlier he received the gift of the Holy Spirit without water, but instead with Christs baptism. Of course we all know that Peter was prone to trying to get people to still abide by the things of the past. (Galatians 2:14)
Do we need to be baptized in water? Yes. Is there something spiritual about it? Yes. Do we come up a new man? Yes, I believe so. Do we need to be baptized in water to be saved? No, I don't believe so. Do we need to be baptized with Jesus baptism to be saved? Bet the bank on it. Have I been baptized in water? Yes. Would those men and women who had their hearts pricked have gone to heaven if they had died before verse 38? Well...that, my friend, is up to the Lord to decide...the point of the whole thing. It is up to God, not you or I.
In general, be very careful making a doctrine out of a single verse, out of a single chapter, out of a single book, out of the entire bible.
Just the musings of an idiot take them for what they are worth.
SL
