Is Baptism just a symbol, or does it "do" something? 

Peter says that baptism saves us, but he clarifies that it's the underlying appeal of faith that does so, not the ritual ablution itself. This is why the concept of "baptism of desire" exists and why we don't have to speculate about someone baptizing the repentant thief on the cross.

I won't put words in your mouth. Say someone repents and calls on Jesus for salvation but does not get baptized? Is that person saved?

​@@joestfrancoisYes the guy on the cross next to Jesus Proves this. And Jesus said to him, "Truly I tell you, today you will be with Me in Paradise

@@JustinHewlett wrote "And Jesus said to him, "Truly I tell you, today you will be with Me in Paradise" It sure is reported as that. Jesus also said, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit." As always the Bible is as clear as mud. The guy who started this thread disagrees with you, the story about the thief or not. Quote all you want, there are people that disagree.

Born of water is birth. Born of the Holy Spirit is repentance unto life. Baptism of water is symbolic of born of the Holy Spirit. All of that being said anything done not of faith is sin. If you believe that is necessary then do it because in your mind you would be committing sin by not doing it.

@@jeffreybrannen9465 I agree. It is not optional for believers.

It is also covenantal union with Christ. He is the head, we are the body. He is the husband, we are the bride. He is the King, we are his people. Without baptism, we are not covenantally his body, bride, or people. Without it we have no right to answered prayer, an ongoing relationship, protection from our enemies, or hope for resurrection. Without baptism, we are outside the covenant and thus outside the church. Because of Biblical and theological illiteracy, I was not baptized until I was 16, even though I had made a public profession of faith at 4. I delayed because I wanted my Grandfather to do the baptism. Anyway, I always appreciate your videos. They make me think. I thoroughly enjoy the long form interviews with theologians and have bought several books by authors I’d never heard of before.

@@simplysableye6505 what is stopping someone from coming over and baptizing you right now? All you need is a handful of water and a Christian who will do it. :-)

@@DiscipleDojo Very very good point. Honestly the main problem isn’t lack of access to church, but that my family aren’t taking my wishes seriously enough :’) I plan on talking to them about it again soon, so hopefully things turn out well.

@@cliffrichardson I don't think the Mark 16 passage should be factored in, since it wasn't originally part of Mark's Gospel. As for the "this baptism that saves you" passage, ultimately I think--though I may be wrong--that it is an example of metonamy, whereby the part (baptism) is used to refer to the whole (conversion to the Christian life).

@@DiscipleDojo , even if it was added late, the point corresponds with the reality that God might save us at a point where we can't get baptized, as you pointed out with the thief on the cross. My pushback on the 1 Peter 3:21 passage would be the context, I think, doesn't refer to the whole of the Christian life, it relates the event of Noah and his family being saved by the ark. It was a one time event. Just as baptism, as a one time event, now saves us. And as someone else pointed out, it's not the water alone that saves but God's Word and the Holy Spirit working in the water that saves. It's John 3 - "unless you are born of water and the Spirit"

Hello brother, ​even if it wasnt originally part of Marks Gospel, God put it there, it doesnt matter who wrote it, the person who wrote it did it through the Holy Spirit because God preserved His Word and didnt let it be corrupted. Because Jesus said His Words wont pass, thats the promisse that we have the actual words of Jesus in this passage and also in the passage of the adulterous woman, thats Gods word bro, no matter who wrote it🙏

Bro, read the whole verse of 1 Peter you mentioned. Someone who gets water baptism may keep the same sinful mind, without repentance (metanoia), and go to hell, water baptism wont help these people. Remember the whole Bible concerning salvation - faith And repentance. Read these verses togheter with the whole Bible, bot isolated. Then water baptism, as important as it is, is a reference of repentance and new life of those dead to a sinful life. And remember that, apart from water baptism, theres baptism with the Holy Spirit, baptism in the Body of Christ and baptism of fire.

@@valdotc8559 , I appreciate your response, here's my thoughts on that. 1. "Someone who gets water baptism may keep the same sinful mind" - we retain our sinful nature until the resurrection. By grace through faith, we put on Christ, so that when God looks on us He sees Christ. Also, once we are baptised we ought to grow in faith and understanding, live lives of repentance. 2. "Read these verse together with the whole Bible, not isolated," I agree, and I do. What we see in the Gospels is that Salvation is a free gift. We cannot earn it, or figure it out, or even accept it because we are sinners. While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. We cannot repent unless we are saved. We cannot have faith unless God creates it within us. So, we are saved by God's promise and God's promise is in baptism. God may save us other ways, but His promise is in baptism. This takes the burden and the law off my shoulders, I no longer have to worry if I believed enough, or said enough, or repented enough, to be saved. Going forward I want to grow in holiness to be more like Christ, but this isn't salvation, it's sanctification. 3. As for the other baptisms; baptism in the Holy Spirit and into the Body of Christ are all the same baptism. Baptism of fire is using the baptism reference as a metaphor for our refinement, not our salvation. Any way, those are my thoughts. Please read them sincerely, I'm not throwing shade or anything.

@@timl5282 yes, I am familiar with those passages. But prooftexting is not a good way to form one's theology.

@@joestfrancois when are you going to let it go, man?

@@DiscipleDojo LOL! If I had said that the verses clearly contradict you would have told me my lack of knowledge prohibited me from understanding what is written on the page. JM, the convoluted arguments, the extensive explanations about what is written in the Bible are there because the Bible is not a univocal work. You did not argue against that, you went right to me and skipped what I said. Yeah, I didn't need to leave the snarky remark. So what? I am no scholar and I do not have your knowledge of the Bible. But in the situations where believers have to make extensive arguments to get passages to agree I see contradiction because the Bible is not univocal. So sometimes Baptism is literal and sometimes it is figurative? You will tell me why you think I am wrong, but to me it can't be both. Next you are going to tell me Judas' body rotted where it hung and the rope broke and his corpse exploded when it hit the ground. There are many places in the Bible that contradict. For me, not knowing a bunch of commentary or arguments, what I read contradicts. It does for many more learned people than me. You have heard this stuff from Biblical scholars too.

While there's room to debate whether the Bible is univocal on every issue, that question really doesn't seem to apply here, as we don't really see competing understandings of baptism in the texts. (That came later.)

@@MAMoreno wrote "pply here, as we don't really see competing understandings of baptism in the texts" Are you saying the different references to baptism in the Bible all agree with each other? I think you should do some research. I am not the first to say that they do not all agree.