Hi Bob
If someone, after receiving Jesus as their Lord and savior …truly desired to be water baptized I absolutely would do that. Even though it is symbolic…. that is where their head is at due to previous learning. For them, it is the confidence that they know in their heart they are born again.
To me it is no different than adding an extra number at the end of a phone number. Like if I sold phones (I don’t) and my phone number for marketing was 1-800-buy-phone (74663) that extra digit does not alter the phone number, the connection was made when 7466 was punched in.
Phillip told the eunuch, ..."If you have
believed with all your heart"........then you may get in the water.
See what came first? See the reason you get in the water? You BELIEVE.
If you research all the water baptisms in the bible, New Testament, starting in Acts 2, and using the Acts of the Apostles, (Acts), then you'll note that every single time someone is water baptized , they FIRST BELIEVED.
Why? Because the Gospel is..... to hear the "preaching of the Cross" and then the Holy Spirit brings this...."FAITH cometh by hearing".
The NT says that Abraham was justified by Faith, and that Abraham is the FATHER of our
faith.
God says that His "work" is.....>"the work of God is that you BELIEVE on Jesus, whom God sent".
"Justification by faith."
"Faith is counted as righteousness"
"Without faith, it is impossible to please God".
Notice this verse. "he that believeth and is water baptized shall be saved, but he that believeth NOT, shall be damned"".
Notice carefully that "damnation" is connnected to BELIEVING or not, and "water" is not in that part of the verse.
Here is how i explain water baptism, as as analogy.
Lets say you join the army. So, you go and sign up, and they accept you.
Then then give you a uniform, because you are IN the army.
You wear it because its the symbol of already joining the army.
So water baptism, is the uniform. Salvation,( being born again), is joining up.
You should be water baptized, just as you should wear the uniform.
But here is the catch......you can be water baptized and not be born again, and you can wear a army uniform, and not be in the army.
Jesus said this...."depart from me, i never knew you"........
Now, look at "knew you"......see that ? ????
That means this......."I was never IN YOU, because you were never born again".
Jesus said, "you must be born again"., as this is the context regarding : "Knew you"< or not.
For Jesus to "know you", you have to be a part of His Spiritual Family, = born again.... you have to be "in Christ".
Let me describe this more clearly for you. In the bible, "to know" a woman, means to have sexual intimacy with her.
See that? that is a man joining his body, to/with a woman. "two shall be one flesh"..
So, when Christ "knows" you, then you are become His bride, and you are joined to Christ, as "One with God, In Christ".
See that?
"depart from me i never KNEW YOU">.........
See it now?
I was water baptized 11 yrs after i was born again and they drained the water. As it was being drained someone said to me....>"there go your sins, in that water"....And i thought......No, my sins are on The Cross, with Jesus bearing them..... they are not in water, they are in THE
BLOOD ..
The dying thief on the Cross, is in heaven, and he was never water baptized at all.
And here are 2 more.... Paul said..."Christ sent me not to water baptize",...... and Jesus never water baptized anyone.