Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter
the kingdom of God.
John 3:5
end of story ….
Winner winner winner. Chicken dinner. Lol
All this fuss about baptism and salvation, when in reality I think the basis of the arguement is flawed. Is someone claiming baptism is needed for salvation?
Christ said unless one be born again by water and Spirit one cannot enter the Kingdom of God. That is the truth!!
You guys are all argung about being saved, two different points! You guys are just labeling them the same because of the misconstrued notion of what "saved" means. Thats the problem with your guys' arguement.
Moral of the story, you both are right in a sense. You guys are just arguing different points of scripture.
Here is illustrated someone entering heaven without proper attire. The attire we recieve is the Holy Spirit and it is seen as a white robe of righteousness.. this is how we enter into heaven and unless you be born again of water and Spirit you cannot get in.
Matthew 22:11 “But when the king came in to meet the guests,
he noticed a man who wasn’t wearing the proper clothes for a wedding.12 ‘Friend,’ he asked,
‘how is it that you are here without wedding clothes?’ But the man had no reply. 13 Then the king said to his aides,
‘Bind his hands and feet and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
14
“For many are called, but few are chosen.”
So that guy got in by merely being invited. Probly uttered a prayer. He didnt put on the Holy Spirit. So theres a way to get the right attire. Wansvic made a great OP.
Water cleanses us, prepares us, and removes our impurities, it is for the remission of sins. It is all Spiritual and done in obedience thru faith... the Holy Spirit is the indwelling that accompanies the process to be complete and sealed, ready for the groom.
We are the bride we are not just guests. We must be properly dressed for the ceremony. Jesus explains how we must prepare. He says both water and Spirit are necessary.
Salvation is something else, that was done on the cross. Our sins forgiven was done through mercy and grace, through the blood of Jesus.
If we are going to the Kingdom of God since we believe in Jesus Christ, then we must prepare ourselves. We must be obedient to God. Being baptized is part of our walk with God. We need to be vigilant and prepared for when the Groom returns for His bride.