I would say that baptism is “the answer of a good conscience”. To me, the ‘answer of a good conscience’ is actually doing something to show your conscience has been pricked/changed.
It’s kind of like God saying “Ok, now you SAID it. Prove to me that you mean it”.
I think back to Jesus saying in Matthew 7:21 “Not all who say to me ‘Lord, Lord’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he that doeth the will of my Father.” Just saying” Yeah, I believe” won’t cut it. You have to prove it in your life. Step #1 is being baptized. If you don’t take that first step, you haven’t committed.
Baptism is that final step of taking an action to show that you are dying to (committing to abstaining from) sin. If you are not willing to be baptized, you aren’t willing to die to sin.
Right.
Problem being that the Bible wasn’t written in English, and sometimes Greek can be a little fuzzy.
This is the best ten minutes you’ll ever hear on this verse.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TjcrsZFVyKw
You mean like this guy???
2Co 10:10 For his letters, say they, are weighty and powerful; but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech contemptible.
That may be the Catholic view but that is not God's view...God doesn't need to see anything...
Act 1:24 And they prayed, and said, Thou, Lord, which knowest the hearts of all men, shew whether of these two thou hast chosen,
1Sa 16:7 But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.
God knows your heart before you turn to him and after you turn to him...God doesn't ask any Christians to prove their faith...What he does is give us the indwelling of the Holy Spirit so we can do things that please God...