>> “By your reasoning Paul would have proclaimed baptism is part of the Gospel message.” <<
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That depends on what “baptism” means to you.
This is where the Greek words fall far short of the Hebrew. What is translated baptism, which is simply immersion in water to the Greek language, is really the Mikva, which is the whole process of repentance, which is punctuated at the point of full understanding and acceptance, by the new believer falling face first into a river, to symbolize the washing away of the sin nature.
To one of Yeshua’s apostles, it was truly a part of the gospel they preached.
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>>This is where the Greek words fall far short of the Hebrew. What is translated baptism, which is simply immersion in water to the Greek language, is really the Mikva, which is the whole process of repentance, which is punctuated at the point of full understanding and acceptance, by the new believer falling face first into a river, to symbolize the washing away of the sin nature.<<
Where you see the Greek fall short we have ample evidence of NT believers accomplishing all of the above. Acts 10 clearly shows this.