Resolved the Bible teaches: Salvation follows baptism and is for the remission of sins.

Notice: The person seeking to refute the proposition must hold the Baptist view on baptism. Definitions: Bible, 66 books of the Old and New Testament. Salvation, is the part that God does in order to save someone from their eternal destruction. Baptism, the total immersion, in water of a repentant believer. Remission of sins, to have ones past sins forgiven. Like the above argument says, baptism is for the remission of sins. You cannot go to heaven without having your sins forgiven. Therefore you cannot go to heaven without being baptized. Jesus, before He ascended into heaven left His apostles some very critical information about His plan to save people. We have this commission given here in the book of Matthew and again in Mark. We also have a history written in the book of Acts and throughout the New Testament. That tells us that this is exactly how the apostles carried out this commission given to them by Jesus. Matt. 28:19-20 Go ye therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I commanded you: and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Mark 16:15-16 And he said unto them, Go into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believes and is baptized shall be saved, and he that disbelieves shall be condemned. Somehow men have left this teaching of Jesus. And have invented their own plan for mans salvation. So, if I can find a willing opponent. I would like to have the opportunity to discuss the purpose of baptism. If it is not for the forgiveness of sins. What is its purpose? I stand with what the Bible teaches and that is that baptism is necessary for ones salvation. I will begin with a few Bible verses and see if the scriptures will back up what I am saying. Again I look back to what Jesus commanded His apostles. The book of Mark makes it perfectly clear that Jesus laid out the plan that the apostles followed and practiced in the book of Acts and the epistles to the New Testament church. Jesus told His apostles Mark 16:15-16, And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to the whole creation. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that disbelieveth shall be condemned. And that is exactly what we read in Acts 2 when the New Testament church was established. After Peter peached his sermon. The people ask Peter what the they needed to do. He said in verse 38, Repent ye, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ unto the remission of your sins. And afterwards we see in verse 41, They then that received his word were baptized: and there were added unto them in that day about three thousand souls. Thats it! We become saved when we become Christians. God forgives our sins when we accept His Son, Jesus Christ. When we repent of our sins and we are buried whit Him in the waters of baptism. Then we are raised in the newness of life as a Christian. So if you have not repented of your sins, confessed Jesus, and been buried with Him in baptism. You are not walking in the newness of life where Jesus Christ is walking Romans 6. In Gal. 3:26-27 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for as many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. If we have not been baptized into Christ we are still in the world and doomed to eternal destruction. Why does the religious world make it so difficult? Why not obey what we read in the Bible? The simple truth of the matter is that we have some men seeking their own vain glory. They are seeking to please men, and not God. And many people have itching ears wanting some of these men to scratch them. Look at Romans once more tell me where I am missing the fact of baptism. Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. If we have been united with him in his death. We will certainly be united with him in his resurrection. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be rendered powerless, that we should no longer be slaves to sin—because anyone who has died has been freed from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. --Romans 6:3-8 During this debate, each opponent must ask the other opponent three question. The questions must be listed at the end of the debate letter, as I have listed my first three questions. The questions must pertain to Bible scriptures relating to baptism. The questions must be copied and then answered at the end of each argument. Then list the question submitted to the other opponent for that round of arguments. A failure to submit or answer questions will forfeit the debate. And the debate will be awarded to the other debater. I look forward to a good discussion with my opponent. My first three questions: 1. Can you prove (with the Bible) the thief on the cross was not baptized? 2. If baptism does not save, what saves a man from his sins? 3. After the day of Pentecost, give the name of a person that was said to have had their sins remitted, forgiven, washed or such like.