Spiritual significance of water baptism as part of salvation

[Sower]

Just now, Waggles said:

Yes possibly No maybe

In the end it is Jesus who will decide on the secrets of your heart; your obedience to the word of God; your circumstances. 

He will judge righteously and have mercy upon whom he will bestow mercy upon. Jesus will decide your fate, not me. 

Scripture is scripture and Christians are required to obey scripture. 

Acts 2:38  And Peter said unto them, Repent and be baptized each of you in the name of Jesus Christ unto remission of your sins; and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 
2:39  For to you is the promise, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, as many as the Lord our God shall call unto him. 

Acts 2:41  They then that received his word were baptized: and in that day were added about three thousand souls.

Acts 10:47  Can anyone forbid the water, that these should not be baptized, who have received the Holy Spirit as well as we? 
10:48  And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then asked they him to tarry certain days. 

Thank you for your reply, Waggles...

[Waggles]

36 minutes ago, Walter Goraj jr said:

Water baptism is a ceremonial act and has absolutely no, nada, zero spiritual significance whatsoever. In other words, it ( the ceremony) has no power to take away even one sin. While it may be practiced in churches according to Biblical tradition,  it is not a command...you can actually be born again and never be ceremonially baptized. 

God commands us to be baptized or washed by the Holy Spirit, having our sins washed away. I believe that God is testing us to see if we will trust in a work or the work of the Holy Ghost.

Your reply is totally unscriptural 

The NT behoves disciples to be water baptised for the forgiveness of sins.

Jesus himself underwent water baptism to fulfill all righteousness, and then also was baptised in the Holy Spirit.

Jesus himself commands that the church water baptise disciples 

Matthew 28:19  Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 
28:20  Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen. 

Throughout Acts there are many examples honouring this commandment that believers are baptised in water as well as baptised in the Holy Spirit.

And the epistles again are consistent with this and explain the doctrine of both baptisms. 

[Waggles]

18 minutes ago, Walter Goraj jr said:

So to see such an emphasis on the ceremony and not the " washing of regeneration  and renewing of the Holy Ghost" ( Titus 3:5) which only God initiates is sad.

One is required to do both - water baptism and Holy Spirit baptism

John 3:5  Jesus answered, Amen, Amen, I say unto thee, Except one be born of water and Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

And in my church we generally do not have a problem with people undergoing water baptism. If persons witnessed to are convicted by the gospel of salvation and desire salvation in God then they understand that water baptism for the forgiveness of their sins is part of repentance and doing things God's way ... then they seek for the baptism of the Holy Spirit (and pray in tongues when this is given). 

The real obstacle to most worldly peoples is the gospel and submission to the word of God. 

Matthew 13:3  And he spake to them many things in parables, saying, Lo, the sower went forth to sow; 
13:4  and as he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the birds came and devoured them: 

Edited March 26, 2021 by Waggles

[Waggles]

11 minutes ago, Walter Goraj jr said:

Would you agree that to be "born of water and Spirit " is completely out of our hands and not up to us? ( I think this might be a good place to start). 

No not at all. In fact it is all about us. 

When we repent and believe the gospel we put this into action and obey > so we get water baptised and come up rejoicing; then we seek for the infilling (baptism) of the Holy Spirit and when this happens we immediately know as in scripture for we shall speak in tongues and know with certainty that Jesus is alive. 

This can only come about because we put faith into action. 

Hebrews 11:6  and without faith it is impossible to be well-pleasing; for who cometh to God must believe that he is, and is rewarder of them that seek after him. 
11:7  By faith Noah, warned concerning the things not seen as yet, with godly fear prepared an ark to the saving of his house; through which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith. 

[R. Hartono]

 

[Peterlag]

We will fall from the understanding of the grace that is in Christ, and succumb to the doctrines and theories that are dictated by human conception if we seek justification by our own works. The concision was from those who taught circumcision was necessary for salvation. Circumcision is a work of the flesh required by the Old Testament Law, and by the way so is water baptism, which is a carryover from part of the Levitical Law.

There are many examples of people in the Old Testament who would wash themselves with water as a final step to being clean. Water baptism was an outward sign of washing, and then you would be clean to God. Baptism in water, and the need to be circumcised passed away with the coming of Pentecost, as did the other Levitical Laws. To be led by the spirit is to not be under the yoke of bondage with the extreme of legalism, seeking the works of the flesh from the old covenant concerning the past Law administration that was written to Israel.

It's clear from the gospels that water baptism had to do with the kingdom, which was ministered by John who was known as the Baptizer, and not a minister for the Church of God. John who was a prophet functioning under the old covenant was appointed by God to prepare and confirm the promises made to Israel. His message was to tell those who lived under the old covenant that the king had come and “the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

He used water as a sign to baptize those who believed the promised Messiah would be coming in just a matter of months and to illustrate that he would be the Christ, who would baptize them not with material water, but with holy spirit, which is “power from on high.” From the habit of tradition, and only for a short period of time, a small handful of people were baptized with water into the New Testament, but never again afterwards.

In the epistles written just a little bit past the beginning of the New Testament is where we read the only time water baptism is mentioned is to note there is no more need for it, and that we are now to be baptized with holy spirit. And this is why in Acts 2:38, Peter commands “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ.” In Acts 8:16, Peter and John “baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.” In Acts 10:48, Peter “commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord.” In Romans 6:3, it declares “that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ.”

There is not one exception to this practice where we see water baptism, which belonged to the time period when Christ walked the earth, being used once the Church of God had become established. To suggest water baptism has anything to do with the only begotten resurrected Son of God, who is functioning within the New Testament as the head of the body of Christ, has led to nothing but confusion and has provided a bomb that has blown the local churches into pieces.

[FrankIeCip]

We are all the same if we are true believers in Christ. Jew or Gentile we are all in the family of God. Was there any exception for the thief on the cross? Of course not. Being born of the Spirit by the sole action of God fulfills every work and every law. When we are born again, we are now the righteousness of Christ who fulfilled every requirement. “It is finished.” 

[FrankIeCip]

There is absolutely nothing we can do to be saved. It is the work and will of God alone. All we can really do is pray for mercy and forgiveness and it “MAY be that ye be hid in the day of the Lord’s wrath.” 

[FrankIeCip]

Just wanted to add being born of water and the spirit is by hearing the true gospel and receiving the Holy Spirit. The pure gospel. The Bible. The living Word. This is the water. Not physical water. Remember Ezekiel. He says I (Christ Himself) will sprinkle clean water on you. This I believe is the true gospel. Not watered down do it yourself variations of His word which I believe correlate to the Wormwood mentioned in Revelation. All the major denominations have some sort of do it yourself plan of salvation. This is also why I believe we are to flee to the mountains. Straight to Christ. The Bible. I can’t sit in a pew and listen to distorted truth. I read for myself and test everything ppl teach. Salvation is of the Lord. It can’t get much simpler than that. 

[Waggles]

Wow unbelievable as to how wrong people can be in doctrine.