Christ requires baptism...he did so in the Great Commission and in John 3:5. The thief on the cross went to Paradise, not heaven. No one goes to heaven before judgement day.
yet, he is with the Lord - is he not? How about God’s Chosen?
where is Baptism as a requirement in the Old Testament, none... it wasn’t a law given by God.
the reason baptism is not necessary for salvation is that we are justified by faith (Rom. 5:1, Eph. 2:8) and not by faith and a ceremony (Rom. 4:1-11). You see, a religious ceremony