1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
Baptism is a symbol or a picture of what has happened in the life of the person who, by faith, has believed in Jesus Christ and been saved by His grace. It's an outward testimony by which the new Christian gives a public testimony that they have believed in Jesus Christ and have been born again. Being baptized by immersion the believer visually shows the spiritual death, burial, and resurrection of the believer's life. It is not an act that one does to obtain salvation and no one in the New Testament was baptized who did not first believe and put their faith in Jesus Christ. It is a public testimony of salvation.
Baptism in the New Testament always follows salvation by grace through faith it is not part of the causation of salvation or forgiveness.
But don’t you see what you’re saying, my friend?
Let’s take your three examples, and see if your logic holds up. You say (and please, correct me if I’m misrepresenting you!) that:
A person doesn’t get into the “remission of sins” state by being baptized.
By the same logic, Joseph, Mary, and Jesus didn’t get into Egypt by fleeing.
And the tree doesn’t get into the fire by being cast there.
Hmm, it appears something’s wrong with your logic. :-)
Because John the baptizer said the tree DOES get in the fire by being cast there, Matthew said Joseph and his wife and child DID get into Egypt by fleeing there, and Peter said sinners DO get into “remission of sins” by being baptized.
You’re right: the fire existed before the tree was cast into it. But the tree certainly wasn’t in it yet.
And you’re right: Egypt existed before Joseph took his family and fled there. But they certainly weren’t in it yet.
And you’re right: “remission of sins” exists before the sinner is baptized. But he certainly isn’t in it yet.
The fire won’t burn the tree that isn’t in it. And Egypt wouldn’t be a safe haven if Joseph and his family weren’t in it. And the “remission of sins” state won’t save anyone who isn’t in it.