"But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness," (Romans 4:5).
Notice that the verse says when a person believes, his faith is credited as righteousness. If baptism is necessary for salvation then this verse cannot be true.
We are either justified by faith when we have faith, or we are not justified by faith when we have faith.
If we are justified at baptism, then we are not justified by faith when we have faith.
Your doctrine of baptism is so painful read. You really have no understanding of what baptism is or what it does. Lets go back to the basics.....
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First.
What is Baptism?
Answer: Baptism is not simple water only, but it is the water comprehended in God’s command and connected with God’s Word.
Which is that word of God?
Answer: Christ, our Lord, says in the last chapter of Matthew:
Go ye into all the world and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.
Secondly.
What does Baptism give or profit?
Answer: It works forgiveness of sins, delivers from death and the devil, and gives eternal salvation to all who believe this, as the words and promises of God declare.
Which are such words and promises of God?
Answer: Christ, our Lord, says in the last chapter of Mark:
He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.
Thirdly.
How can water do such great things?
Answer: It is not the water indeed that does them, but the word of God which is in and with the water, and faith, which trusts such word of God in the water. For without the word of God the water is simple water and no baptism. But with the word of God it is a baptism, that is, a gracious water of life and a washing of regeneration in the Holy Ghost, as St. Paul says, Titus, chapter three:
By the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost, which He shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ, our Savior, that, being justified by His grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. This is a faithful saying.
Fourthly.
What does such baptizing with water signify?
Answer: It signifies that the old Adam in us should, by daily contrition and repentance, be drowned and die with all sins and evil lusts, and, again, a new man daily come forth and arise; who shall live before God in righteousness and purity forever.
Where is this written?
Answer: St. Paul says Romans, chapter 6:
We are buried with Christ by Baptism into death, that, like as He was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
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I'd suggest you meditate on the above. From it you should be able to come to a clear understanding of what Christian Baptism is and not as it has been redefined by the Anabaptists.
Here's a couple of points you should find in the above.
By connecting the word of God and baptism through invoking the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, it is God that is baptising not the man actually pouring the water on you. You evangelicals are so blinded by your anti-RC bigotry that you remove God from baptism.
Baptism does save as the bible states in the above verse. By the washing and regeneration of the Holy Spirit, we are buried with Christ and raised into newness of life.
Finally, believe and be baptised.......not believe and be baptised when you can find a clean swimming pool and some decent weather.
By removing God from your baptism you end up filling that void with some form of 20th century monkery. Essentially you fall into a form of whacky evangelical convental nomism.