This is a conditional sentence, therefore if you don't do X then Y will not happen! Tell me, the thief on the cross didn't have a chance to being baptized, but he believed and confessed, don't you think he was saved? I do, because Jesus said so (today you'll be with me in Paradise).
Christ specifically says that infants should not be prevented from being brought to Him
We bring our infants to Him, dedicate them to Him, and promise that we will bring them up in a Christian manner. My children have been in church 3 times a week since the time they were born. And eventually both of them walked to the front of the church, made confession of faith and were baptized. They just about grew up in church! My 15 year old, as I type, is off on a missions trip. I would say that nobody prevented them from coming to Christ!
Wrong. Try studying logic. This is a common misconception.
"If X, then Y" does not mean "If not X, then not Y" is true.
It means "If not Y then not X" is true.
If it snows, I will wear my boots.
This doesn't mean "If it doesn't snow, I won't wear my boots."
For example, it could be muddy, or I could like the way they make my legs look.
But it does mean if I am not wearing my boots, that it must not have snowed.
SD
In your belief, were they baptized with the Holy Spirit.
Should be a question mark at the end of that:
In your belief, were they baptized with the Holy Spirit?
How do you know that the Thief was not baptized? Many people were baptized by Christ's disciples. See St. John 3.23-4.2.
This violates the rules of logic.
There are many kinds of conditional sentences.
"If X then Y" is one kind of conditional sentence. This is the form Paul used.
"If not X then not Y" is another kind of conditional sentence.
They are not equivalent.
When I say "If you eat 10,000 calories a day, then you will get fat" I do not mean "If you do not eat 10,000 calories a day you will not get fat" - because it is entirely conceivable that someone might eat 9,000 calories a day and still get fat. just because they are not eating 10,000 does not mean they will not get fat.
Which is precisely my point!
Christ decides who is saved and who is not - you don't get to decide that the baptism He saved you with doesn't take until you say so.
Paul, in his letter, was addressing people old enough to read or hear and understand the words he was writing.
he is not excluding infants from the baptismal font.