I fully agree with you Sam. But again, 1 John was written to the Church founded in Acts of the Apostles. We can see after Pentecost that it is more than just believing. Sure believing is important, but that is Part A of Step 1. Now that ye believe, you need to Repent, be baptized in the Name of Jesus so you shall receive the Holy Ghost.
This is exactly why Paul asked in
Acts 10 - Have ye received the Holy Ghost since you believed? Because God revealed to him that after you believe you must be baptized and most importantly will receive the Holy Ghost.
When you are born again, then you can rely on faith and knowing that your faith in Christ will save you.
If there is no death to our flesh, how can we say we have been crucified with Christ?
How can the blood of Christ be poured on us if there is no submersion in baptism to signify the death of Christ.
Paul wrote in
Romans 6: "3 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?
4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
5 For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:
6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.
7 For he that is dead is freed from sin.
8 Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him:
9 Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him.
10 For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God."
By baptism we 'put on Christ' and become Christ-like. When we receive the Holy Ghost we recieve Power. The same Power the Apostles had, the same Power Jesus had but with less measure. Because Scripture tells us that Jesus had the Holy Ghost without measure. We only become heirs to the Kingdom of God after you receive the Holy Ghost. The Spirit is our earnest inheritance, the Promise that was spoken of by God since Isaiah that He will speak to His with through Stammering Lips and a foreign tongue. The Spirit can only give you utterance after you receive the Holy Ghost.
The Apostles taught that once you believe the Gospel of Jesus you then Repent and are baptized. This is shown at least 4 times in Acts of the Apostles alone and preached by Paul in the Letter to the Churches. There are no Scriptures that can be posted that would take away with what this says, it only adds to it. Yes you have to have faith, yes you have to believe..this is all done before you are baptized, this is a requirement before you are baptized and given the Holy Ghost.
It is through the faith of Jesus Christ that we are saved. We have faith that His life, death and resurrection destroys death and reconciled us to God. At the same time, Jesus plainly said that you must be born of water and Spirit in order to even see the kingdom of Heaven. the only way we can be born again is to follow
Acts 2:38. Again, this isn't an opinion, this is the Word of God. Scripture clearly tells us that 'Let the Word of God be true, and every man a liar'. If its in the Bible, it should be followed.
Lord bless.