Martin Luther on Christian Baptism: IT SAVES!!!!!!

[Adino]

Originally Posted by RevDWW

He that doesn't beleive is not going to be baptized so there is not reason to state, he that believes not and is baptized not shall be damned.

A ring is not necessary part of the wedding covenant, but baptism is essential to the new birth. It's pretty simple, you are not part of the covenant if you do not act out what is needed to be part of the covenant. You could be born into the nation of Israel but you where not a partaker in Abraham's covenant if you where not circumcised in the foreskin. The circumcision or token of the new covenant, is preform without hands in baptism.

Logic works if you think logically.

Apparently you missed the point, Bro.. Mark 16:16 is a compound conditional sentence and the second part of that compound, "and is baptized" does not necessitate its connection to "shall be saved." Just like my example "He that is married by a preacher and puts on a ring shall be wed" does not necessitate the putting on of the ring in order to be wed. The ring stands as a token of the union, not as a cause of that union. Baptism does the same, it stands as a testimonial of the union but does not effect the union in any way.

"The one who believes AND is baptized shall be saved." There is a very important principle with respect to compound conditional statements: "A compound protasis ("The one who believes AND is baptized") does not necessarily mean that both conditions have the same relation to the apodosis" ("shall be saved.") [from Daniel B. Wallace, Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics, (Zondervan, 1996), p.684.]

"The order, pisteusas (the one who believes) before baptistheis (the one who is baptized), and perhaps also the absence of any me baptistheis (one who is NOT baptized) answering to apistesas (the one who does not believe), rule out a magical, mechanical conception of baptism." [C.E.B. Cranfield, The Cambridge Greek Testament Commentary, (Cambridge Univ. Press, 1966), p. 474.]

The secondary condition of being baptized simply cannot be automatically connected to "shall be saved" in Mark 16:16. It would be a mistake to do so.

Yes, it would be nice if logic ruled the day.