You don't understand what a picture is?The remission of sins is signified, but not procured in the waters of baptism. I'm not obsessed with water baptism at all. Baptism is a symbol of salvation in that it pictures Christ's death, burial and resurrection and our identification with Him in these experiences. In reality, believers are literally saved by what baptism symbolizes--Christ's death, burial and resurrection.
A man and a woman become united through their wedding vows and the ring symbolizes this. Just as we become united with Christ through faith and water baptism symbolizes this. Strictly speaking, the husband is united to his wife because of the marriage vows rather than the ring. Yet since the latter is the sign of their union, it is natural to speak of the ring to mean the reality it represents. "With this ring, I thee wed," although the ring is not the actual cause of the change in the marital status, just like water baptism is not the actual cause of our salvation status.
Baptism would have no meaning without Christ’s death, burial and resurrection, but Christ’s death, burial and resurrection would still have meaning, even if there were no baptism. In other words, Christ’s death, burial and resurrection is the substance and baptism is the sign/symbol/picture. Without the substance there would be no sign/symbol/picture.
"You don't understand what a picture is?"
Yes, I do know the meaning of a symbol.
"A symbol is not the reality, but is a picture of the reality"
Agreed.
"The remission of sins is signified, but not procured in the waters of baptism."
Peter
did not command them to be baptized
so that they would receive a symbol of their remission of sins but were commanded to be baptized
so that their sins
would be forgiven. This is a straight forward understanding of Acts 2:38.
To label baptism for the remission of sins a symbol is a sign of an obsession with faith alone regeneration theology. There is no need to force such an understanding into a verse that is so clearly written.
"A man and a woman become united through their wedding vows and the ring symbolizes this. Just as we become united with Christ through faith and water baptism symbolizes this. Strictly speaking, the husband is united to his wife because of the marriage vows rather than the ring. Yet since the latter is the sign of their union, it is natural to speak of the ring to mean the reality it represents. "With this ring, I thee wed," although the ring is not the actual cause of the change in the marital status, just like water baptism is not the actual cause of our salvation status."
Baptism is the marriage vow (pledge) not the ring. Without the vow (pledge) the union does not exist. Again, you are forcing baptism for the remission of sins into something it is not. (1st Peter 3:21)
"Baptism would have no meaning without Christ’s death, burial and resurrection, but Christ’s death, burial and resurrection would still have meaning, even if there were no baptism. In other words, Christ’s death, burial and resurrection is the substance and baptism is the sign/symbol/picture. Without the substance there would be no sign/symbol/picture"
Agreed but this is true of most things.
Example, faith, repentance, confession etc. have no meaning without the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Again, without the pledge the works of Jesus Christ has no affect on the believer.
Baptism for the remission of sins is no more symbolic than was the covering of the the door posts with blood for the Hebrews in Egypt.
"just like water baptism is not the actual cause of our salvation status."
Agreed.
Baptism for the remission of sins is not the cause but the moment in time of salvation.