That’s not a scriptural position there Rev…
Ezekiel: 36 25-27: 25Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you.
26A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.
27And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.
God promised to restore Israel not only physically but spiritually. To accomplish this God would give them a new heart for following hin and put his spirit within them to transform them and empower them to do his will.
What do we have here? We have someone sprinkled with water and through that action, they are made clean from their filthiness, and they receive God’s spirit. This passage from the Old Testament shows us that God, by his own design and not that of men, uses an outward sign to bring about an inward change in his people – a foreshadowing of baptism in the New Testament. Notice how God in the old covenant was preparing use for what he gives us in the new covenant.
And now, let’s move on to the new testament to see the correlation.
Acts 2:38 38Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. If you want to follow Christ, you must turn from you sins and turn to God and be baptized. To turn from sin means to repent, changing the direction of your life from selfishness and rebellion against God’s law. COLOR]
Acts 22:16 16And now why tarriest thou? Arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.
If Saul had already been saved and his sins had already been washed away, then 3 days later he was told to be baptized and wash away your sins? Because Saul was already cleansed spiritually, these words refer to the symbolism of baptism…
Scripture plainly tells us that Baptism washes away sin; and through Baptism, we receive the Holy Spirit. Is it through baptism that we become Christians and members of the Body of Christ, or do we become Christians by accepting Jesus Christ as our personal Lord and Savior. There is no passage in the Bible that says we become Christians by accepting Jesus Christ as our personal Lord and Savior. While it is extremely important to have a personal relationship with Jesus, that in itself does not save.
1 Corinthians 12:13 13For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body [the body of Christ], whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.
Galatians 3:27 27For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
Clearly, baptism makes us members of the Body of Christ and thus is the entrance into the new covenant with God, just a circumcision was the entrance into the old covenant with God. Scripture makes this connection for us in the following:
Colossians 2:11-12 11In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ:
12Buried 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.
Baptism is the entrance into the new covenant as explicitly stated in the scripture above. So, is baptism salvific as the Catholic Church teaches? Once again, let’s go to scripture.
1 Peter 3: 20-21 20Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.
21The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ:
Just as Noah and his family were saved by water, water baptism now saves us. There it is; explicitly stated in the Bible. Further, let’s look at Jesus’ own words in John’s gospel…
John 3:5 5Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
Further, let’s read on in context as follows a few verses later, after he finished his talk with Nicodemus…
John 3:22 22After these things came Jesus and his disciples into the land of Judaea; and there he tarried with them, and baptized. ???
What did Jesus do immediately after telling Nicodemus how he can be saved? He sent the apostles went out baptizing with water. See the context? Baptism is the context in which one must be born of water and the spirit. Further, look at all of the accounts in the gospels about Jesus’ own baptism. Jesus is baptized with water and look what happens to him when he comes up out of the water (or is sprinkled)… the spirit descends upon him – water and the spirit.
In Matthew 28:19 what did Jesus say in his final instructions to the apostles? Go therefore and make disciples of all nations getting them to accept me into their hearts as their personal lord and savior? No. It says:
19Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: The disciples were to baptize people because baptism unites believers with Christ in their death to sin and their resurrection to new life Baptism symbolizes submission to Christ, a willingness to live God’s way.
Why is baptism given such paramount importance in Jesus’ final instructions to the apostles if it is only symbolic? Because it is salvific! Scripture simply does not support a symbolic view of baptism
Xavierlives - take better control of your asthma … and Prodigal, just catch the bus…don’t let it catch you! 
