Originally posted by DHK:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by mman:
There is just one baptism today (Eph 4:5), even though many people claim that there are more, I believe the inspired apostle. One Baptism
Jesus said to the thief on the cross (he who was not baptized) "Today thou shalt be with me in Paradise." Christ died for his sins as well. The one baptism obviously is when a person is baptized into Christ at the point of salvation when he puts his faith in Christ and is saved. I was saved when I trusted Christ as my Saviour; when I believed on him. I was not baptized until two years later. Would I have perished in Hell if I had died in those intervening two years? Yes or no?
DHK </font>[/QUOTE]Do you really want to go down this path? I know your tricks. If I say you were and still are on the road to hell, even though you are 100% sincere, you would try and have me banned for "breaking the rules", so I am not going to fall into your trap.
Let's look at the scriptures. Do we have any example of someone waiting 2 years to be baptized? No. How about 1 year? No, again, How about 6 months? NO. How about 1 month? No. How about 2 weeks? No. How about 1 week? No. How about 1 day? Not even one day. Imagine that. Every example we have, the people were baptized
that same day.
Obviously, they placed a little more importance on baptism than you do, that is undeniable based on actions.
Did the thief, that everyone seems to keep bringing up, live under the old covenant or new coventant? When Jesus spoke those words to him, was the new law in effect?
Read Heb 9:16-17, For where there is a testament, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. For a testament is in force after men are dead, since it has no power at all while the testator lives.
I can prove to you through the scriptures that I am right.
It is simple.
Mark 16:16 - He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved.
Who was Jesus talking to? His Apostles. Where was this message to be preached? The whole world (Mark 16:15).
Was this water baptism or Holy Spirit baptism? Obviously it was water baptism.
Can you baptize others with the Holy Spirit? No, that was a promise from Jesus and it was something that He would do. If you cannot baptize others with the Holy Spirit, then you cannot keep Matt 28:19-20, "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, "teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you.."
UNLESS it is water baptism.
Is this command valid today? How could it end? They were told to teach, baptize, and teach again and those who were taught and baptized were to be taught to go teach and baptize others and teach them to go teach and baptize others, and so forth which continues until NOW!
Matt 28 is the parallel passage of Mark 16. Jesus was therefore speaking of water baptism in Mark 16:16, and it was the the whole world.
The very first sermon following Jesus commission is recorded in Acts 2. These people were baptized in water for the remission of sins. As we've discussed many times, eis means unto not because of and never once is it translated as "because".
Philip preached Christ to the people of Samaria and they were baptized in water. Then he preached Jesus to the Eunuch and the first words out of the eunuch's mouth were, "See, here is water, what doth hinder me from being baptized." (Acts 8)
Preaching Jesus includes instructions for being baptized in water. The message of Jesus hasn't changed.
Therefore, the one baptism in Eph 4:5 is water baptism.
The baptism in Rom 6 is water baptism.
The baptism is in Gal 3:26-27 is water baptism.
The baptism in I Pet 3:21 is obviously water baptism.
What was the remedy for those who were improperly baptized in water found in Acts 19:1-5? They were baptized in the name of the Lord, or by his authority. We read about that authority in Matt 28:18-20, where he commanded them to go teach, baptize and teach.
It couldn't be made any more simple than what our Lord said in Mark 16:16, "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved".
This verse is so simple you have to have help to misunderstand it.