This is where your heart is. Your sensibilities refuse to accept the will of God as written in the Bible.
John 6:40 - For
my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and
believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day. *What happened to baptism?
John 3:15 that whoever
believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. 16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever
believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. 18 “He who
believes in Him is not condemned; but he who
does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. *What happened to baptism?
John 6:47 - Most assuredly, I say to you, he who
believes in Me has everlasting life. *What happened to baptism?
John 11:25 - Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who
believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. 26 And whoever lives and
believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?” *What happened to baptism?
How can a mere baptism in water be the point of our remission of sins???
It's not. Acts 10:43 - All the prophets testify of Him, that through His name
everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins. Acts 26:18 - to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may
receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been
sanctified by faith in Me. *What happened to baptism?
Surely we must "dig deeper" until we can find something not so physically simple.
Put down your shovel and believe the gospel. The gospel is the "good news" of the
death, burial and resurrection of Christ (1 Corinthians 15:1-4) and is the
power of God unto salvation to everyone that
believes.. (Romans 1:16) To "believe" the gospel is to
trust in the death, burial and resurrection of Christ as the ALL-sufficient means of our salvation.
The gospel is a message of grace which is to be
believed. The gospel is not a set of rituals to perform, a code of laws to be obeyed or a check list of good works (including water baptism) to accomplish as a prerequisite for salvation. John 3:36 - The one who
believes in the Son has eternal life, but the one who refuses to believe in the Son will not see life; instead, the wrath of God remains on him. *Notice this belief is not in yourself, getting water baptized or in any other type of work. *Notice this belief is also not in Jesus "plus something else" otherwise the belief would not be
IN THE SON.
You have the mentality of Naaman the Leper:
But Naaman went away angry and said, “I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy. Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Couldn’t I wash in them and be cleansed?” So he turned and went off in a rage.
I often hear water-salvationists erroneously compare the illustration of Naaman being healed from leprosy by dipping in Jordan and receiving healing with people being forgiven of their sins by dipping in the waters of baptism. If being healed from leprosy is an illustration of salvation, we have another case that reveals one can be saved without any water. Read it in (Luke 5:12-15). No water is found here.
Secondly, Naaman was not even a believer until after dipping in Jordan. He said "NOW" (after being healed) I know that there is no God in all the earth, but in Israel," (2 Kings 5:15) and vowed to worship only Him (vs. 17). If we follow this "example," we will have to baptized unbelievers! Naaman received cleansing from leprosy (not eternal life) after he dipped in the Jordan 7 times, but no sins were literally remitted for Naaman in Jordan. Likewise, water baptism does not literally remit sins.
The NT uses the experience of Naaman as illustrative of the SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD and not of salvation by H20. Naaman was a heathen, not a believer, and did not know God until the miracle occurred. The purpose of the miracle had nothing to do with salvation by water baptism, but was to demonstrate "there is a prophet in Israel" (2 Kings 5:8) and that "there is no God in all the earth, but in Israel," as Naaman found out. (2 Kings 5:15) So Naaman received healing from leprosy by dipping in the Jordan 7 times, but he did not receive the free gift of eternal life based on the merits of dipping in the Jordan 7 times.
the blind man at the Pool of Siloam:
and said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which is translated, Sent). So, he went away and washed, and came back seeing.
The blind man received his sight (not eternal life) by obeying the Savior's command to wash in the pool of Siloam, but no sins were literally remitted for the blind man in the pool of Siloam. Likewise, water baptism does not literally remit sins.
By the time we get down to verse 34, we see that the Pharisees cast the blind man (who can now see) out of the Synagogue. Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when He had found him, He said to him,
“Do you believe in the Son of God?” He answered and said, “Who is He, Lord, that I may believe in Him?” And Jesus said to him, “You have both seen Him and it is He who is talking with you.” Then he said, “Lord, I believe!” And he worshiped Him. (John 9:35-38) That is how the blind man who can now see received the remission of sins and eternal life. (John 1:12; 3:15-18; 3:36, 6:29, 40,47; 11:25.26; 20:31)
Since no bibles use "because of" there is nothing to interpret.
The only logical conclusion
when properly harmonizing scripture with scripture is that belief/faith in Jesus Christ "implied in genuine repentance" (rather than water baptism) brings the remission of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit. (Luke 24:47; Acts 2:38; 3:19; 5:31; 10:43-47; 11:17,18; 13:39; 15:7-9; 16:31; 26:18)
*Perfect Harmony*
How do you interpret the following:
Mark 16:16
New International Version
Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.
Mark 16:16 - He who believes and is baptized will be saved
(general cases without making a qualification for the unusual case of someone who believes but is not baptized) but he who
does not believe will be condemned.
The omission of baptized with "does not believe" shows that Jesus does not make baptism absolutely necessary for salvation. Condemnation rests on unbelief and not on a lack of baptism. *NOWHERE does the Bible say "baptized or condemned."
If water baptism is absolutely required for salvation, then we would expect Jesus to mention it in the following verses. (3:15,16,18; 5:24; 6:29,40,47; 11:25,26). Yet what is the 1 requirement that Jesus mentions 9 different times in each of these complete statements? *
BELIEVES. *What happened to baptism? *Hermeneutics.
John 3:18 - He who
believes in Him is not condemned; but he who (is not water baptized? - NO)
does not believe is condemned already, because he has not (been water baptized? - NO)
because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
No sentence diagramming or second person plural nonsense. Just be honest. What does it mean? No need to get out the backhoe.
You need to be honest with Mark 16:16(b) and with 3:15,16,18; 5:24; 6:29,40,47; 11:25,26. You don't simply hang your hat on one half of one verse, build doctrine on it and ignore the rest. That's called flawed hermeneutics. Scripture
must harmonize with other scripture.
Take off the faith alone regeneration theology blinders and simply be a Christian.
Christians are those who have placed their faith (belief, trust, reliance) in Jesus Christ alone for salvation. (3:15,16,18; 5:24; 6:29,40,47; 11:25,26; Acts 10:43; 11:17; 13:39; 15:7-9; 16:31; 26:18; Romans 1:16; 3:24-28; 4:5-6; 5:1; Ephesians 2:8,9; Philippians 3:9; 2 Timothy 3:15; 1 John 5:13 etc..).
It's works-salvationists who need to take off the blinders and believe the gospel (2 Corinthians 4:3,4) in order to become a Christian. Man is saved through faith (rightly understood) in Jesus Christ alone for salvation. 1 Corinthians 1:18 - For the
preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. 20 Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? 21 For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God,
it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.