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Don’t you risk getting into the RC trap there in that we must be baptized to be saved? Do our actions save us or is it strictly the shed blood of Christ and His sacrifice that saves us and the act of baptism simply obedience? How many times have we heard them say that they are baptized so are saved. The RCC even says that because Protestants are baptized they are saved “just like them”. Paul teaches grace through faith in the shed blood of Jesus alone on what saves. The actions of man do not save.

I did not imply baptism=salvation. What I said was "if you consider repenting and baptism as 'works'." They are not, they are actions and not works according to law as Paul terms works. The very fact that believers repented of their sins and were baptized is evidenced in the NT. So yes if you are a believer get in the water as Christ commanded and the apostles reinforced.

>>I did not imply baptism=salvation.<<

No you didn’t and I apologize if that’s the impression I left. I was trying to say that the impression many will get is that baptism is necessary to gain salvation aka baptism is needed in addition to the shed blood of Christ for salvation. Paul was very clear in his differentiation with that concept while the other apostles stayed with a more Jewish concept of “repentance” and “baptism” was part of the “acquiring” salvation. Now don’t get me wrong. Paul also taught that repentance accompanied salvation in that those who by grace were saved would repent/change as a result of salvation.

Paul was the one who taught that salvation was strictly through grace by the faith of and in Christ. Any outward actions by man was the result of that salvation rather than any idea that it was precipitated by those actions.