The theif on the cross misconceptions

Eternal salvation is through faith alone, without water baptism, in all of redemptive history - past, present, & future alike.
Water baptism is a work that contributes nothing to eternal salvation. If a person dies between the time he believes and the time he gets baptized, he goes straight to heaven.

Agreed that water baptism is not for the purpose of priesthood, although priesthood is a byproduct, because those that are Christians are priests. Baptism, commencing with the baptism of John is for the same purpose. John's baptism was the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins (Luke 3:3), identical to Acts 2:38 except the later being in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins.

Your comments are unscriptural, not correct, and are in direct conflict with scripture. Baptism furthermore is not a work. What exactly does that mean, a work? A work of the law? A work of the flesh as those listed in Galatians??? It's a command to be obeyed, and furthermore, everything and anything we do in the physical body is some kind of "work", even confessing with the mouth, also required per Romans 10:9 and as did the Ethiopian eunuch in his conversion in Acts 8.

Mark 16:15-16

15And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. 16He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.

belief + baptism = salvation

Acts 22:16

16And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.

1 Peter 3:21

21The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ:

Like I said: "But he was a special case". "Baptism in water" HAS NEVER BEEN a requirement for being BORN AGAIN of the Holy Spirit.

He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. Mark 16:16 (KJV)
It's also true that:
He that believeth and brushes his teeth shall be saved.
He that believeth and drives a Ford shall be saved.
Baptism doesn't cause or contribute to eternal salvation in this verse. Believing, on the other hand, is singled out in the last phrase: he that believeth not shall be damned.

... be baptized, and wash away thy sins ... Acts 22:16 (KJV)
Those are two things to do. It doesn't say that one causes the other.

The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ: 1 Peter 3:21 (KJV)
The answer of a good conscience toward God, not eternal salvation, is in view in this verse.

Christ was born under the Law of Conscience just like all humans. Where there is no law, there is no transgression, but Adam and Eve ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil which means that all humans are under the law. Jesus never sinned.

Concerning babies, we are all born with a sin nature but Christ was able to overcome, and with the Holy Spirit we are able to change our sin nature to one that is full of love.

One difference is, Christ was not born with a sin nature. He was not born in the line of Adam. He was begotten by God.

You are correct. Christ did not have a sin nature, but He was born under the law as we all are. It was the human side of Him that makes him in the line of Adam so that He experienced temptation which He righteously declined.

Hebrews 11
Easy-to-Read Version
Faith
11 Faith is what makes real the things we hope for. It is proof of what we cannot see. 2 God was pleased with the people who lived a long time ago because they had faith like this.

3 Faith helps us understand that God created the whole world by his command. This means that the things we see were made by something that cannot be seen.

4 Cain and Abel both offered sacrifices to God. But Abel offered a better sacrifice to God because he had faith. God said he was pleased with what Abel offered. And so God called him a good man because he had faith. Abel died, but through his faith he is still speaking.

5 Enoch was carried away from this earth, so he never died. The Scriptures tell us that before he was carried off, he was a man who pleased God. Later, no one knew where he was, because God had taken Enoch to be with him. This all happened because he had faith. 6 Without faith no one can please God. Whoever comes to God must believe that he is real and that he rewards those who sincerely try to find him.

7 Noah was warned by God about things that he could not yet see. But he had faith and respect for God, so he built a large boat to save his family. With his faith, Noah showed that the world was wrong. And he became one of those who are made right with God through faith.

8 God called Abraham to travel to another place that he promised to give him. Abraham did not know where that other place was. But he obeyed God and started traveling because he had faith. 9 Abraham lived in the country that God promised to give him. He lived there like a visitor who did not belong. He did this because he had faith. He lived in tents with Isaac and Jacob, who also received the same promise from God. 10 Abraham was waiting for the city[a] that has real foundations. He was waiting for the city that is planned and built by God.

11 Sarah was not able to have children, and Abraham was too old. But he had faith in God, trusting him to do what he promised. And so God made them able to have children. 12 Abraham was so old he was almost dead. But from that one man came as many descendants as there are stars in the sky. So many people came from him that they are like grains of sand on the seashore.

13 All these great people continued living with faith until they died. They did not get the things God promised his people. But they were happy just to see those promises coming far in the future. They accepted the fact that they were like visitors and strangers here on earth. 14 When people accept something like that, they show they are waiting for a country that will be their own. 15 If they were thinking about the country they had left, they could have gone back. 16 But they were waiting for a better country—a heavenly country. So God is not ashamed to be called their God. And he has prepared a city for them.

17-18 God tested Abraham’s faith. God told him to offer Isaac as a sacrifice. Abraham obeyed because he had faith. He already had the promises from God. And God had already said to him, “It is through Isaac that your descendants will come.” But Abraham was ready to offer his only son. He did this because he had faith. 19 He believed that God could raise people from death. And really, when God stopped Abraham from killing Isaac, it was as if he got him back from death.

20 Isaac blessed the future of Jacob and Esau. He did that because he had faith. 21 And Jacob, also because he had faith, blessed each one of Joseph’s sons. He did this while he was dying, leaning on his rod and worshiping God.

22 And when Joseph was almost dead, he spoke about the people of Israel leaving Egypt. And he told them what they should do with his body. He did this because he had faith.

23 And the mother and father of Moses hid him for three months after he was born. They did this because they had faith. They saw that Moses was a beautiful baby. And they were not afraid to disobey the king’s order.

24-25 Moses grew up and became a man. He refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. He chose not to enjoy the pleasures of sin that last such a short time. Instead, he chose to suffer with God’s people. He did this because he had faith. 26 He thought it was better to suffer for the Messiah than to have all the treasures of Egypt. He was waiting for the reward that God would give him.

27 Moses left Egypt because he had faith. He was not afraid of the king’s anger. He continued strong as if he could see the God no one can see. 28 Moses prepared the Passover and spread the blood on the doorways of the people of Israel, so that the angel of death[c] would not kill their firstborn sons. Moses did this because he had faith.

29 And God’s people all walked through the Red Sea as if it were dry land. They were able to do this because they had faith. But when the Egyptians tried to follow them, they were drowned.

30 And the walls of Jericho fell because of the faith of God’s people. They marched around the walls for seven days, and then the walls fell.

31 And Rahab, the prostitute, welcomed the Israelite spies like friends. And because of her faith, she was not killed with the ones who refused to obey.

32 Do I need to give you more examples? I don’t have enough time to tell you about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and the prophets. 33 All of them had great faith. And with that faith they defeated kingdoms. They did what was right, and God helped them in the ways he promised. With their faith some people closed the mouths of lions. 34 And some were able to stop blazing fires. Others escaped from being killed with swords. Some who were weak were made strong. They became powerful in battle and defeated other armies. 35 There were women who lost loved ones but got them back when they were raised from death. Others were tortured but refused to accept their freedom. They did this so that they could be raised from death to a better life. 36 Some were laughed at and beaten. Others were tied up and put in prison. 37 They were killed with stones. They were cut in half. They were killed with swords. The only clothes some of them had were sheepskins or goatskins. They were poor, persecuted, and treated badly by others. 38 The world was not good enough for these great people. They had to wander in deserts and mountains, living in caves and holes in the ground.

39 God was pleased with all of them because of their faith. But not one of them received God’s great promise. 40 God planned something better for us. He wanted to make us perfect. Of course, he wanted those great people to be made perfect too, but not before we could all enjoy that blessing together.

Footnotes
Hebrews 11:10 city The spiritual “city” where God’s people live with him. Also called “the heavenly Jerusalem.” See Heb. 12:22.
Hebrews 11:17 Quote from Gen. 21:12.
Hebrews 11:28 angel of death Literally, “the destroyer.” To punish the Egyptians, God sent an angel to kill the oldest son in each home. See Ex. 12:29-32.

Hebrews 12
Easy-to-Read Version

12 We have all these great people around us as examples. Their lives tell us what faith means. So we, too, should run the race that is before us and never quit. We should remove from our lives anything that would slow us down and the sin that so often makes us fall. 2 We must never stop looking to Jesus. He is the leader of our faith, and he is the one who makes our faith complete. He suffered death on a cross. But he accepted the shame of the cross as if it were nothing because of the joy he could see waiting for him. And now he is sitting at the right side of God’s throne. 3 Think about Jesus. He patiently endured the angry insults that sinful people were shouting at him. Think about him so that you won’t get discouraged and stop trying.

Romans 4
Easy-to-Read Version
The Example of Abraham
4 So what can we say about Abraham, the father of our people? What did he learn about faith? 2 If Abraham was made right by the things he did, he had a reason to boast about himself. But God knew different. 3 That’s why the Scriptures say, “Abraham believed God, and because of this he was accepted as one who is right with God.”[a]

4 When people work, their pay is not given to them as a gift. They earn the pay they get. 5 But people cannot do any work that will make them right with God. So they must trust in him. Then he accepts their faith, and that makes them right with him. He is the one who makes even evil people right. 6 David said the same thing when he was talking about the blessing people have when God accepts them as good without looking at what they have done:

7 “It is a great blessing
when people are forgiven for the wrongs they have done,
when their sins are erased!
8 It is a great blessing when the Lord accepts people
as if they are without sin!”

9 Is this blessing only for those who are circumcised? Or is it also for those who are not circumcised? We have already said that it was because of Abraham’s faith that he was accepted as one who is right with God. 10 So how did this happen? Did God accept Abraham before or after he was circumcised? God accepted him before his circumcision. 11 Abraham was circumcised later to show that God accepted him. His circumcision was proof that he was right with God through faith before he was circumcised. So Abraham is the father of all those who believe but are not circumcised. They believe and are accepted as people who are right with God. 12 And Abraham is also the father of those who have been circumcised. But it is not their circumcision that makes him their father. He is their father only if they live following the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.

God’s Promise Received Through Faith
13 Abraham and his descendants received the promise that they would get the whole world. But Abraham did not receive that promise because he followed the law. He received that promise because he was right with God through his faith. 14 If people could get God’s promise by following the law, then faith is worthless. And God’s promise to Abraham is worthless, 15 because the law can only bring God’s anger on those who disobey it. But if there is no law, then there is nothing to disobey.

16 So people get what God promised by having faith. This happens so that the promise can be a free gift. And if the promise is a free gift, then all of Abraham’s people will get that promise. The promise is not just for those who live under the Law of Moses. It is for all who live with faith as Abraham did. He is the father of us all. 17 As the Scriptures say, “I have made you a father of many nations.” This is true before God, the one Abraham believed—the God who gives life to the dead and speaks of things that don’t yet exist as if they are real.

18 There was no hope that Abraham would have children, but Abraham believed God and continued to hope. And that is why he became the father of many nations. As God told him, “You will have many descendants.”[c] 19 Abraham was almost a hundred years old, so he was past the age for having children. Also, Sarah could not have children. Abraham was well aware of this, but his faith in God never became weak. 20 He never doubted that God would do what he promised. He never stopped believing. In fact, he grew stronger in his faith and just praised God. 21 Abraham felt sure that God was able to do what he promised. 22 So that’s why “he was accepted as one who is right with God.”[d] 23 These words (“he was accepted”) were written not only for Abraham. 24 They were also written for us. God will also accept us because we believe. We believe in the one who raised Jesus our Lord from death. 25 Jesus was handed over to die for our sins, and he was raised from death to make us right with God.

Footnotes
Romans 4:3 Quote from Gen. 15:6.
Romans 4:17 Quote from Gen. 17:5.
Romans 4:18 Quote from Gen. 15:5.
Romans 4:22 Quote from Gen. 15:6.

In fact, it's easy to understand. Listen to God. Even if he wants you to go to hell, don't doubt it. But in the end, if you listen to him, God has prepared heaven for you.

If you had bothered to also read John 3: 6, born of water and of the Spirit is explained as born of flesh and born of Spirit.

Nope. Every one is already born of flesh. If one is born only of flesh, the Lord says, one remains flesh and is not able to enter the Kingdom of Heaven, because one is not yet indwelt by the Spirit. If we read it your way, in one place, the Lord says, those born of flesh are flesh and not yet born of Spirit. Yet in another, unless one is born of flesh (what you claim water means in Jn 3:5), one cannot enter Heaven? In other words, if being born of water referred only to fleshly birth, the Lord would never have added water there, but only said, "unless one is born of Spirit, one cannot enter Heaven" etc.

But when one understands it of Baptism, it falls in place. And again the Lord confirms it when He says: "Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved" (Mk 16:16). Being born of Water and the Spirit refers to the action of the Holy Spirit in Baptism. Tit 3:5 confirms that: "not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit" (Tit 3:5). The washing of regeneration (Baptism) and the renewing of the Holy Spirit (interior justification/sanctification) go together.

As was said elsewhere, a Seal refers to an External/Visible Sign/Symbol such as Baptism or Circumcision. Circumcision is called a seal in Romans: "11And he received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised." (Rom 4:11). In the same way, in the NT, when it says you were sealed when you received the Holy Spirit, and then in Acts 2:38 it says when you are baptized, you will receive the Gift of the Holy Spirit, then it is clear that Sealing happens in Baptism. One reason there is only "One Baptism" (Eph 4:5) is because the seal remains even in those who fall away after being baptized. Thus, when they come back to Christ, they are not baptized a second time (that's what "one Baptism" means here - baptism is not reiterated/done a second time), but they only receive the grace of adoption again, which they lost. One can receive the Holy Spirit by faith and repentance the first time, or faith and confession of sins (1 Jn 1:9) the second and all subsequent times, but one is sealed in Christ only when one is Baptized.

God Bless.

In John 3: 5-6 the two different births are emphasized. Born of water is the natural birth when a pregnant woman's water breaks and born of the Spirit means that you are born AGAIN because your sins are erased through Jesus Christ and you are filled with the Holy Spirit who perfects you by filling your heart with divine love for God first and for everyone else as you love yourself upon which all the other commandments are based. This state of being allows us to walk in the Spirit which means we are obeying the Spirit of the Law. 1 Cor 13 plainly states that nothing that one does counts if it is not done out of love.