Jimmy,

   What does any of that have to do with the question that I asked?  Are you suggesting that we should not baptize and teach any to obey all that Jesus has commanded?

We should absolutely Baptize and seek to live holy lives. But that isn't a prerequisites for eternity.

GTM

Do you think Peter was a Judaizer?  I don't think so.  I think that we are baptized in the Holy Spirit when we are baptized in water.  That is the most natural reading and understanding of the NT teachings.  The commands to be baptized and the descriptions of what occurs when one is baptized speaks fairly plainly, I believe, that water baptism was the standard of the day.  That and the fact that there is no indication in any of the letters of Paul, Peter, John, etc. that water baptism was "rendered moot".

I don't believe you understand the background of the Gospels very well and the tension between Jews and Gentiles and the need of the apostles to address the Jewish concerns due to their misunderstanding of God's promises to them.  The Gospels contain an undue amount of writings addressing the Jewish concerns, yet the Gospel is uniform.  There is one poster on this board that actually claims that there are two Gospels, which I disagree with.

John the Baptist plainly stated that his baptism was temporary and a baptism by fire was in the near future... To say your reading is 'natural' is short sighted.  Reading scriptures without the understanding of the culture and context of the times is bound to end in failure.

When I look at the Gospels, I see a lot of disagreement between many of the apostles as to the doctrine and formation of the new Christian grass roots movement.  I think their style of disagreement is a model that Christians should follow for posterity as how to disagree in a Godly manner.

Jesus' message was a simple one... a very simple one.. it doesn't involve rites and rituals anymore as was required in the Old Testament.  Post Jesus DBR we are now instilled with the Holy Spirit and have been given access to God himself.  

It could be argued that water baptism might still be required for a Jew that has subjected themselves to the Old Covenant but that is as far as I will go.

As near as I can tell you invent and rework context and culture until it gives you what you want.  I am not at all impressed by what you think you know that you think I don't.

But then from most of your posts here, I think a lot of your positions on scripture are just plain weird.  I really don't pay all that much attention to what you have to say.  About the same as I might give to a Mormon or a JW.  It sounds too much like it is just made up as you go along.

No offense intended, just pretty how I feel about what you say.

The problem you have is you take whatever you want and accept it as an infallible source.  And for what it is worth the Roman Catholics perfected that technique, so it is ironic that you would find fault with me in a Roman Catholic reference.

No.. you, like the Roman Catholics are so caught up in 'what you can do', i.e. effort of man, sacred rites, etc. in order to justify your religion.  When the simple fact is Christianity is a faith, not a religion.  No rite of baptism, no Eucharist, etc.. is going to save you... nor is it required.  The faith of the New Testament is not one of sight.

It's just me and the Holy Spirit, testifying to the work of Jesus... I don't need to do anything else... nothing, nada.. zip.

I don't need to build churches, don't need to pay some pastor's salary.  All I need to do is fellowship with other Christians regularly, spread the Gospel as much as possible, love my neighbor as myself and love God with all my heart.

Pretty simple isn't it?  If it was more important that that, wouldn't Jesus himself have taken the time to write it down himself?

1Co 15:2  In addition, you are saved by this Good News if you hold on to the doctrine I taught you, unless you believed it without thinking it over.
1Co 15:3  I passed on to you the most important points of doctrine that I had received: Christ died to take away our sins as the Scriptures predicted.

I think Paul told a lot a people they were saved by the cross. Jesus died for the sins of the world. You don't have to believe anything God says. The theology of men taking away from the Cross of Christ.

FTL