Please be careful about accusing others of heresy.
ViaCrucis hasn’t said that baptism is necessary for salvation as some kind of legal requirement. He has mentioned it as a means that God uses to reach us, much as he uses preaching of the Word.
I would argue that the sacraments aren’t even separate from the Word. Both are mandated by Scripture. I think they’re the Word acted out, for key parts of the Gospel. Baptism seals and makes visible the regeneration which God gives us freely, without merit on our part, and Communion makes visible and applies to us Christ’s death.
It’s true that Paul baptized only a few people. But Rom 6:4 says that Christ’s atonement is applied to us via Baptism. 1 Cor 12:13 and Gal 3:27 both associate Baptism with being jointed with Christ.
This doesn’t mean that baptism is magic, nor that it’s a legal requirement so that if someone comes to faith and isn’t able to be baptized they aren’t saved. But it is a means that God normally uses.
1. Sacraments being a means of saving grace is a concept that is found nowhere in scripture.
2. Baptism absolutely does not seal, in fact the scripture teaches in Ephesians that we are sealed by the holy Spirit, and if you read through there are several occasion of people receiving the Holy Spirit BEFORE baptism. The bible teaches that those who have the Spirit of God are children of God, therefore you become a child of God before baptism.
3. Paul said in one of his epistles, I came not baptized, but to preach the Gospel, so obviously there is a separation between Baptism and the Gospel.
4. I will agree with you that Baptism does indeed picture the Gospel, because scripture refers to it as the "likeness of his death" in Romans 6:5
5. Romans 6:3 absolutely does not teach that Christ atonement is applied by the ordinance and rite of water baptism, the word Baptized simply means to dip or immerse, in fact the Greek Orthodox church only does Baptism by immersion as opposed to sprinkling because they understand the meaning of the word Baptizo. So it Romans 6:3 could mean and many as were immersed and dipped into Jesus Christ, this moment of us being "baptized" into Christ takes the place at the moment we place our faith in the Gospel and receive Christ by faith, Acts 16:30-31 makes no mention of Baptism, neither does John 3:16, or John 3:36, or Romans 10:9-13, nor do any other scriptures teach regeneration happens through WATER baptism. While Water Baptism identifies us with Christ as a public declaration it does not enjoin us to Christ Spiritually in any sense of atonement.
6. Ironically 1 Cor 12:13 proves exactly what I was saying about Romans 6:3, we are immersed into the Christ, by the Holy Spirit. This is something that happens the moment you are saved. Galatians 3:27 is also meaning the Spirit baptizing or immersing or placing one down into Christ.
The problem here is WATER is being assumed and placed where it does not belong, the word Baptizo does not always mean the ordinance of Baptism as we know it today. Baptism not a means of washing away sin or of applying the atonement of Christ to the sinner.
In fact there was a thief who was crucified next to Jesus who was not able to get Baptized but Jesus told him he would be with him in paradise.
Galatians 1:7-9 condemns those who would preach a false gospel, The Gospel is described it as the death burial and resurrection of Christ for our sins, no mention of Baptism, but Paul did not talk about "receiving the Gospel, by which ye are saved"
in the Gospel of Mark Jesus said Repent ye and Believe the Gospel.
Salvation is attained the moment you receive the Gospel, Romans 10 says with the heart man believes unto righteousness, salvation happens in one's heart, not in the tub of water.
YOU ARE ADDING TO THE GOSPEL AND TEACHING A FALSE GOSPEL.
I would note also the example of Abraham in Romans 4:
9Cometh this blessedness then upon the circumcision
only, or upon the uncircumcision also? for we say that
faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness.
10How was it then reckoned? when he was in circumcision, or in uncircumcision? Not in circumcision,
but in uncircumcision. 11And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which
he had yet being uncircumcised: that he might be the father of all them that believe, though they be not circumcised; that righteousness might be imputed unto them also:
Basically here this is saying that before Abraham was given the rite of circumcision, he was righteous by his FAITH, this righteousness was not given to him through circumcision, but by his FAITH, circumcision was a symbol and testimony of the righteousness he ALREADY had BY FAITH.
We could easily change this to Baptism and Apply it to the Apostle Paul.
Cometh this blessedness upon the baptized only? or upon the unbaptized also? For we say that faith was reckoned to Paul for righteousness. How was it then reckoned? when he was baptized, or unbaptized? Not in baptism, but before baptism. and he received the sign of baptism, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had yet being unbaptized...
I would also note that the word seal as used above is being used in the sense expressing the genuineness of something.basically the circumcision was a sign and showed the approval Abraham already had with God because of his faith.
Baptism is the same way, Baptism does not provide or apply the atonement of Christ for ANYONE, Faith and Faith alone does that, and this made very clear in TONS of verses in the bible, to make Baptism a means of regeneration requires taking a small handful of text and ignoring their context and reading Baptismal Regeneration into the text. And please don't bring up ACts 2:38 because I will also dissect that verse as well and it is easy to show how that does not mean be baptized to receive forgiveness of sins.
The Scriptures are clear, you must repent of your false belief in sacraments having any sort of regenerative or atoning power, Faith alone in Christ saves, not faith plus baptism, or faith plus communion, or anything else
Acts 16:31 "believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved"
and B.T.W. Martin Luther in his own words taught that Baptism is the means whereby the atonement of Christ to individuals. And unless the Lutheran Church has changed and the Lutherans that I have met are dumb or ignorant, that's what the Lutheran Church teaches today. It's a false Gospel.
