Featured Bible, sole authority?

Only if it agrees completely & absolutely with Scripture, free of any additions or subtractions.

Cults and spurious authorities function by adding or subtracting meanings to certain Scriptures. The standard of Scripture is the measuring rod & final earthly arbiter in all matters of faith/worship. Scripture is GOD'S Constitution, His written law. We have no higher authority on earth, & won't have, til Jesus physically returns. And when he does, I believe He will still govern by "It is WRITTEN...".

 

I believe the rule of "common sense" must apply.

Since almost everyone here uses Bible translations, we should use the meaning which is the closest to the sources that are translated. For example, the KJV, in Ex. 20:13 reads "Thou shalt not KILL", when the Hebrew source for that verse actually means, "You shall not MURDER." After all, everything we eat is something we've killed, plant or animal.

And, of course, different meanings can apply to various cultures. For example, on a Pacific island, a man might dress up for church by wearing a brightly-colored loincloth & a shiny necklace. which would be inappropriate to wear to church in the USA or Japan.

 

For example, we can discern form the scriptures that Baptismal regeneration is not valid, as to be saved by God one must receives Jesus thru faith in him and His finished work!

 

Perhaps in your discernment you overlooked these passages of Scripture, which explicitly teach baptismal regeneration.

Here is St. Paul...

"Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the Church and gave Himself up for her; that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that He might present to Himself the Church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she should be holy and blameless.” (Eph 5:25-27)


“He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit.” (Titus 3:5)


Here is Ananias instructing St. Paul about it...

“Now why do you delay? Get up and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on His name.” (Acts 22:16)

 

The first passage refers to the scriptures themselves are the cleansing agent, second one is done thru faith in Jesus, not by the water, and third one is in the greek stating to us that we are being water baptized now into Jesus, as HE is the source of the remission of our sins!

You are filtering the scriptures thru the lens of your Church theology!

 

if you were led to Jesus by any of the following:
Mom &/or dad
Granny or gramps
Pastor
Friend/acquaintance
Teleminister or radio preacher
Traveling evangelist
Tracts
Their ultimate source of intel about God was SCRIPTURE!

 

How did you discern that...

"Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the Church and gave Himself up for her; that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that He might present to Himself the Church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she should be holy and blameless.” (Eph 5:25-27)

...Is referring to the Scriptures? If you take "the word" to be referring to the Scriptures, you still have to deal with the water in that passage, which St. Paul says sanctified and cleansed (i.e. regenerated).

 

You forgot that Jesus saved the repentant thief on the cross who couldn't be baptized.

 

No, rather its identifying the water that was washing was the word, scripture, itself!

 

That one example proves saved by Grace alone, thru faith alone!

 

Let's put your assertion to the logic test. If the water is the word, then the passage can be rendered as follows:

"...that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of THE WORD WITH THE WORD...”

Do you think this is logical?

 

The entire scriptures teach to us that we are saved once received Jesus thru faith as our lord, so cannot be thru water baptism!

 

Mark 16:16 ---> "Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned."

This is Christianity 101.

The anti-Sacramentalism so rampant in modern Protestantism is the result of a fallacious Christology. Try as modern Protestants may to rid Christianity of baptism, they cannot. For it is in baptism where man is born again, which gives him "newness of life." (cf. Romans 6:4)

In Christianity, matter...matters.

 

So what happened to the thief on the Cross when he died?

 

Good grief. We have the Lord himself sending the thief to heaven, so it is no wonder that a water baptism was not needed for this particular individual to enter paradise. Not so for the rest of us as the scriptures are pretty clear that baptism is a requirement, not just a suggestion.