Well let’s read on in Acts 22:16 and see what Saul ( Paul ) was told:
“and now why do you wait? Rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on his name”
please tell me where you see in Scripture Baptism is the moment you accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior? or for that matter, where anyone was told to “accept” Jesus as Lord and Savior?
you seem like a sincere person, surely you must believe some Christian correctly understood Baptism between 95ad and the beginning of the 16th century, if so, can you name a few?
I am sincere as are you. We simply disagree on water vs spiritual baptism, and I suspect we both have enough ammunition to never agree.
Lets also read Acts 9:17, another description of the same encounter.
“Acts 9:17 Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” 18 Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized, “
I read this as Saul/Paul lost the scales from his eyes, and could see again before he got up and was baptized ( which by the way, the word Washed here is only used in one other place in the new testament - 1:corinthians6:11 which is pretty specific that you are washed in the spirit of God and mentions nothing about water. ) -
I mean no disrespect, I simply disagree from my reading of the Bible and the conviction of the Spirit telling me my action of getting washed with water does nothing to clean my sins away or get me the Holy spirit. That also comes through Grace and during the Baptism of the Spirit.
Please see here:
http://sharperiron.org/article/baptism-history-part-2
You will find a number of church fathers who taught to delay baptism, not only until a believer but even later, which is also unscriptural. However, delayed baptism would be utter nonsense if they believed that baptism caused one to be born again. How can one grow until one has been born? How could one grow spiritually prior to water baptism if water baptism conferred spiritual life?