Serious Faith Question

[Bible Highlighter]

I've been trying for months to get baptized.
I contacted so many churches and they ignore me. (not in person) but emails, messages, etc. I don't have a car, so it's not easy to travel far to a church. The closest one is a 1-2 hour walk. But I don't want to become a member of that church, because I want to stick with my wife's church. I don't tell the church that. All I say is, I'm a new believer in Jesus looking to be baptized. And they ignore.
The closest I've got was a pastor replied, asking when I'm available. I replied and he's ignored since. About a month now.
The only person willing to baptize me, will only do sprinkling. My wife's church.

Well, I know it sounds odd, but you could technically have your wife baptize you. If you have a few Christian friends who could attend, that would be great. If not, I do not see why a baptism by your wife at home would not count. The Ethiopian Enuch was baptized by a nearby body of water and it was not planned or anything. Philip was the only one present. I always wanted to be baptized in a river from a close friend of mine, but I ended up getting baptized in a church that I later found out was not biblical. I am still thinking of being baptized again one day by another believer or believers who believe similar to me. Not many today do. Most are trying to justify sin (on some level) and it saddens me greatly.

 

[Wordkeeper]

Wow. What church does your church belong to. That sounded stupid.

Well, therś a precedent, John refused to baptise those who had not repented, changed their mind that they needed to serve mammon to survive, and switched to serving God, depending on loyalty to Him for life.

Being baptised into Moses meant being baptised into water, Moses being the Hebrew for mashah, to be drawn out of water, which was what Pharaohś daughter did to the baby found in the water. It was what happened to Noah and Israel, who were drawn out of the water, the wrath that destroyed the rest of the world and Egypt. Baptism is God declaring that the salvation processs had begun in the household, just as it did in the house of Zaccheus.

If I buy a phone for my child, she benefits from the contract I signed for phone services. If I add benefits of data services to the contract, she benefits there too.

You could say the disciples in Acts of the Apostles 19 got a barebones baptism, being drawn out of the water. Paul added the benefits of the New Covenant to their baptism: fire and the Holy Spirit. Empowerment to enter Rest, become blessings to the world.

 

[Strong in Him]

If a person has true faith, but has not been baptized.
Are they born again?

Yes.
To say otherwise is a) to say that God needs water baptism to complete the salvation that Jesus won for us, and b) that someone who repents, accepts Christ, receives the Spirit but dies before they can be baptised, s not saved and does not have eternal life. Which is not what Jesus said.

 

[Patchygirl1964]

Acts 2:38 says, “Peter replied, “Repent and be baptised, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” This scripture encourages us that when we are baptised, we are given the gift of the Holy Spirit and he becomes part of us. Water cleanses us.

 

[Danthemailman]

If a person has true faith, but has not been baptized.
Are they born again?

If your answer is yes, then explain where the "born of water" part fits into the persons faith.

In John 3:5, Jesus said, "born of water and the Spirit" He did not say born of baptism and the Spirit. To automatically read baptism into this verse simply because it mentions "water" is unwarranted. Scripture interprets itself. Notice in John 7:38-39, "He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of LIVING WATER. But this He spoke concerning the SPIRIT. *The Holy Spirit is the source of living water.

If "water" is arbitrarily defined as baptism, then we could just as justifiably say, "Out of his heart will flow rivers of living baptism" in John 7:38. If this sounds ridiculous, it is no more so than the idea that water baptism is the source or the means of becoming born again.

In John 4:10, Jesus said, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, 'Give Me a drink,' you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water." In John 4:14, Jesus said, "but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life. *Jesus connects this living water here with everlasting life. *Living water is not water baptism. In 1 Corinthians 12:13, we also read - ..drink into one Spirit.

 

[HTacianas]

If a person has true faith, but has not been baptized.
Are they born again?

If your answer is yes, then explain where the "born of water" part fits into the persons faith.

There are no accounts of anyone in the new testament entering into salvation without baptism.

 

[112358]

If a person has true faith, but has not been baptized.
Are they born again?

If your answer is yes, then explain where the "born of water" part fits into the persons faith.

In short, no. Those who would remove water baptism from the conversion experience must remove it from an alarming number of scriptures and examples in the NT where people who were becoming Christians were baptized. Jesus Christ both participated in and commanded it. He said those who believe and are baptized will be saved. Again, that is the Son of God speaking folks. The apostles took that command seriously because, starting at Pentecost, they began baptizing people by the thousands "for the remission of sins". Paul the apostle needed to be baptized in order to "wash away your sins", quite conspicuously AFTER he obviously believed. Peter said it "now saves us". The evidence of its necessity is simply overwhelming. Those who teach otherwise are in error.

 

[Doctor.Sphinx]

If a person has true faith, but has not been baptized.
Are they born again?

Yes. If they have true faith, they will receive the gift (baptism) of the Holy Spirit, which is the true baptism.

If your answer is yes, then explain where the "born of water" part fits into the persons faith.

Jesus emphasis in the passage is the spiritual rebirth. He contrasts it with physical birth, due to Nicodemus' confusion about re-entering his mother's womb. I'm sure you've heard that when a lady's "water's break", the baby, previously in the waters of her womb, is about to be born (i.e. "born of water"). This is the born of water, which is contrasted with the important birth, being born of the Holy Spirit (receiving the Holy Spirit through true faith in Christ).

John 3:3-8 Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

 

[Doctor.Sphinx]

There are no accounts of anyone in the new testament entering into salvation without baptism.

The thief on the cross was one such account of someone saved without mention of water-baptism.

 

[HTacianas]

The thief on the cross was one such account of someone saved without mention of water-baptism.

The thief on the cross lived under the old covenant. God chose to forgive his sins under the old covenant.

 

[aiki]

If a person has true faith, but has not been baptized.
Are they born again?

If your answer is yes, then explain where the "born of water" part fits into the persons faith.

Baptism is not salvific. It is merely an outward sign of an inward change. It is a way of signifying one's union with Christ in his death, burial and resurrection (Romans 6).

John 3:5-6
5 Jesus answered, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.
6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

Jesus explained what he meant by "born of water" in the very next verse. "Born of water" refers to physical birth ("born of the flesh"). Likely he is referring to the amniotic fluid that is released from a mother when she is about to give birth. It is still referred to as "water" today when people say, "Oh, her water broke! The baby is coming!"

 

[Doctor.Sphinx]

The thief on the cross lived under the old covenant. God chose to forgive his sins under the old covenant.

In the Old Covenant, the people didn't know Jesus' name.

Luke 23:42-43 Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom. Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

It doesn't sound very Old Covenantish to me. Also, it's in the New Testament, whether he was saved under the Old Testament, or the New.

 

[nonaeroterraqueous]

The thief on the cross lived under the old covenant. God chose to forgive his sins under the old covenant.

Must have been quite a trick for Jesus to climb down off of the cross and sacrifice a bull on the altar for him, before returning and finishing his work.

 

[HTacianas]

In the Old Covenant, the people didn't know Jesus' name.

Luke 23:42-43 Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom. Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

It doesn't sound very Old Covenantish to me. Also, it's in the New Testament, whether he was saved under the Old Testament, or the New.

Well, honestly, Jesus had a sign over his head with his name on it.

 

[HTacianas]

Must have been quite a trick for Jesus to climb down off of the cross and sacrifice a bull on the altar for him, before returning and finishing his work.

There is no sacrifice for theft under the old covenant.

 

[Doctor.Sphinx]

Well, honestly, Jesus had a sign over his head with his name on it.

In the Old Testament, salvation was through faith in God - Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness. In the New Testament, we learn that Jesus is God in the flesh - and salvation is through faith in God - Jesus.

 

[Doctor.Sphinx]

There is no sacrifice for theft under the old covenant.

Wouldn't that be the sin offering? Isn't theft a sin?

 

[HTacianas]

Wouldn't that be the sin offering? Isn't theft a sin?

A sin offering was given for a sin committed in ignorance.

 

[bling]

I've been trying for months to get baptized.
I contacted so many churches and they ignore me. (not in person) but emails, messages, etc. I don't have a car, so it's not easy to travel far to a church. The closest one is a 1-2 hour walk. But I don't want to become a member of that church, because I want to stick with my wife's church. I don't tell the church that. All I say is, I'm a new believer in Jesus looking to be baptized. And they ignore.
The closest I've got was a pastor replied, asking when I'm available. I replied and he's ignored since. About a month now.
The only person willing to baptize me, will only do sprinkling. My wife's church.

Your wife can do it in a pond or lake but it is to cold now. Immersion water baptism helped me and others get a lot from the experience, so you might keep on trying.

 

[Wordkeeper]

Yes.
To say otherwise is a) to say that God needs water baptism to complete the salvation that Jesus won for us, and b) that someone who repents, accepts Christ, receives the Spirit but dies before they can be baptised, s not saved and does not have eternal life. Which is not what Jesus said.

If my child received a phone from me with a voice plan, she´d only have voice service. If I added a data plan, she´d get data too.

The believers in Acts of the Apostles 19 only had a benefit of being drawn out of the water, the escaping of wrath of Johnś baptism. They never had the benefit of the fire and Holy Spirit of Christ´s baptism, empowering by being IN Christ, activated by being baptised in Jesus´s name. None of the Old Covenant beneficiaries ever received this benefit, it simply was not available to them:

Hebrews 11:13All these died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.

If you want to be perfect, move from justification, a step in salvation, to glorification, the teleos of salvation, the final destination of salvation, show the fruit of repentance taught by Christ: turn away completely from depending on mammon for riches that perish, and turn to God for treasures in heaven.