The thought that an external ritual would wash away sins, when what is needed is regeneration by the grace of God alone, resulting in faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and dependence on His grace alone!
How evil must a sect be, that would encourage an old man to take that to the grave as his trust!
Glad you've come around.
I was referring to your reaction.
The thought that an external ritual would wash away sins
So, Dan, was Ananias lying when he told Paul that baptism would wash away his sins? Ananias, a man "devout before the Law," a man sent by God himself? Was Ananias speaking falsely, or are you?
Because both of you can't be right.
By the way, how do you reconcile your neo-Platonism with the objective fact that the Crucifixion was an "external ritual"? After all, if all "external rituals" are useless, then the Crucifixion is useless, as well. After all, if God can't save through the pouring of water, he can't save through nails and wood.
Unless, that is, you let him out of the little box your theology has trapped him in.
when what is needed is regeneration by the grace of God alone
Nothing in Scripture says that regeneration is "by the grace of God alone," Dan, if by that you mean to insist that grace isn't mediated through creation. In fact, Titus 3:5 calls baptism the "washing of regeneration".
resulting in faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and dependence on His grace alone!
If you don't listen to him, are you really "depending on His grace alone," or just following your own itching ears?
What is needed is the "obedience of faith" (Romans 1), including the obedience to the commandment "be baptized, every one of you, for the remission of sins" (Acts 2).