Water Baptism:

[justbyfaith]

Yes they can and do but I suspect most people who say they are think they are because they believe in God and maybe go to church.

So then, what is the delineating factor that determines whether someone is really a true Christian?

water baptism does not save

That's absolutely true.

It is actually false if you consider every Bible verse that speaks on the subject specifically. While it is clear that we are justified by faith and that this is often related apart from baptism, it should also be clear that baptism can be a point of contact for faith and that by coming into contact with that point and exercising faith a man can receive salvation.

To be baptized is always to confess the Lord Jesus Christ; and He will confess you before the angels of God.

Is it possible to confess Jesus apart from the element of water? Surely you can; but I would say that without the water a man cannot identify himself with the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. Something special takes place when that occurs.

 

[Pearl]

So then, what is the delineating factor that determines whether someone is really a true Christian?

You really have to ask? It is by repenting and accepting Jesus as your Saviour in a personal way. True Christians know that.

Is it possible to confess Jesus apart from the element of water? Surely you can; but I would say that without the water a man cannot identify himself with the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. Something special takes place when that occurs.

Yes it is possible. I myself was a born again Christian for over six years before I was baptised. And also during that six years I was filled with the Holy Spirit.

 

[H. Richard]

So what are you going to do with Acts 1:5? Decide he was just kidding in Matthew? Or he didn't know what he was talking about? Oh, wait! Jesus is God! That means He told a lie!

Eventually you have to admit that water baptism is not logical nor scriptural for Christians.

The gospel of God's grace is not the same as the gospel of the KINGDOM PROMISED TO THE NATION OF ISRAEL.

Neither Jesus or the 12 taught that man was no longer under the condemnation of the law of Moses. Under the Law of Moses it was all about what the Jews did for their salvation. However, under grace it is all, and I say ALL, about what Jesus did for mankind on the cross where He gave a FREE GIFT to mankind by paying for all their sins of the flesh. Rituals that men do will not save anyone. In this age it is all about what Jesus did on the cross. If a person wants to add what they do they have fallen from grace into law.

Then what are the children of God to do. They are to confess (teach) that Jesus made a way for sinners to be saved and teach what they believe to others. If they teach grace then they are children of God. If they teach works (rituals) of mankind to earn salvation then they are refusing the work of Jesus on the cross.

 

[justbyfaith]

You really have to ask? It is by repenting and accepting Jesus as your Saviour in a personal way. True Christians know that.

And I know that. But my point being, that there is an outward indication that someone is truly born again; and that outward indication is obedience to the word of the Lord. The first thing on the list of things to accomplish, for someone who wants to be obedient to the gospel, is to get baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins. The Holy Ghost is absolutely promised (you can be certain that you will not have a counterfeit) for those who surrender to this.

Yes it is possible. I myself was a born again Christian for over six years before I was baptized. And also during that six years I was filled with the Holy Spirit.

In Acts 10, Cornelius and his friends were filled with the Holy Ghost before they were baptized in water. They were, however, required by Peter to be baptized in water. It was not to be forbidden that a person who has received the Holy Ghost should be baptized in Jesus' Name.

I would say, also, that until you have fulfilled the condition of the promise in Acts 2:38-39, you cannot be certain that you have received the promise. You may think that you have received the promise but in all reality have a counterfeit.

 

[Pearl]

And I know that. But my point being, that there is an outward indication that someone is truly born again; and that outward indication is obedience to the word of the Lord. The first thing on the list of things to accomplish, for someone who wants to be obedient to the gospel, is to get baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins. The Holy Ghost is absolutely promised (you can be certain that you will not have a counterfeit) for those who surrender to this.

In Acts 10, Cornelius and his friends were filled with the Holy Ghost before they were baptized in water. They were, however, required by Peter to be baptized in water. It was not to be forbidden that a person who has received the Holy Ghost should be baptized in Jesus' Name.

I would say, also, that until you have fulfilled the condition of the promise in Acts 2:38-39, you cannot be certain that you have received the promise. You may think that you have received the promise but in all reality have a counterfeit.

Oh I was certain. The Holy Spirit would not have filled me otherwise. And then as soon as God showed me that my infant so-called baptism was meaningless I found a church where I could be baptised for real. God treats us all as individuals and knows our circumstances and looks upon our hearts and knows if we love him or not.

 

[justbyfaith]

I also had a major experience with the Lord before being water baptized in Jesus' Name.

I believe that He called me out before I received that point of contact because He knew that when faced with a decision to receive or refuse baptism in Jesus' Name, that I would not refuse. According to foreknowledge and predestination, the order of the things doesn't really matter. What matters is that they are accomplished in our lives.