Let me give you an example. A man who has fallen into the river screams for help. A man on the bank runs with a rope and throws it to the man in the river. He catches hold and is pulled to safety. What saved him? Was it his scream? Was it the rope? Was it the man on the bank? Did he save himself? Or was it all of these working together?
The answer is all of these things working together. Faith, repentance, confessing Christ, or baptism by themselves CAN NOT save you or make you a child of God. They are equally important but the final step if you will is baptism. If you want to take just parts of Gods word we can build a menu for you to pick and choose from like at your favorite buffet.
The word saves you.
James 1:21 Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.
Grace saves you
Ephesians 2:4-5 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)
Hope saves you.
Romans 8:24 For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?
Belief saves you.
John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Belief and confession saves you.
What is repentance? Change of mind that results in a change of life. Who should repent? (All) Acts 17 30Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent. Why should you repent? (If you dont you will perish.) Luke 13 3I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish. 4Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem? 5I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.
Romans 10:9-10 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Baptism saves you.
1 Peter 3:21 There is also an antitype which now saves usbaptism (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ
You see it is all of these combined that save you. If you will notice the theme through out the bible is Faith, obedience, and action in this order.
Question, when was Pauls sins forgiven?
Answer: Acts 22:16 And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.
His sins were not removed until they were washed away in baptism. This is when he came in contact with the blood of Jesus. Rev 1:5
When you are baptized not only are you sins forgiven you are added to the body of Christ which is the church (we are not baptized into a name of a church nor is baptism a means of becoming a member of a name of a church.) Col. 1:18, 24 Eph.1:22-23 1Cort. 12:13 Acts 2:41. So you can also say that when you are baptized you are put into Christ. Rom. 6:3(All of Rom.6 is a good read on what the purpose of baptism is for) Gal 3:27 and Mat. 28:19
Baptism is not a work of man.
Colossians 2:12 Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.
You see in this verse your faith working through your obedience by the means of baptism. Note its not the person helping you down into the water but it is your faith in the operation of God knowing that when you are raised up out of that water that your sins were forgiven and that you have put on Christ by being united with him in death and have been raised a new creature living your life for Christ.
I challenge anyone and everyone to produce 1 verse that says that faith by itself puts you into Jesus death.