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>>The 3000 were saved prior to being baptized, Cornelius was saved prior to baptism, the Samaritans were saved prior to baptism, the Ethiopian eunuch was saved prior to baptism.<<

Question: can you please show me the exact place in the text where it says that any of these people were SAVED at those times that you mention? I don't see that, anywhere.

For the 3000...Acts 2:47 "praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved."

For Cornelius...Acts 10:43-48...esp v47..."surely no one can refuse the water for these to be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we did, can he?"

Who receives the Holy Spirit? Believers in Christ. They are secure in this as noted in Eph 1:13-14.

Eunuch....Acts 8:35-38..."and as they went along the road they came to some water; and the eunuch said, "Look! Water! What prevents me from being baptized? And Philip said, "if you believe with all your heart, you may." And he answered and said, "I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God."

This is noted in John 3:16 and many other places....belief in Christ is necessary for salvation. And for those who do believe, they have eternal life.

Yes... and? Read 1 Peter 3:19 for a description of the holy, righteous people who were "in prison" but awaiting their release into Heaven.

No where does 1 Peter 3:19 say what you're indicating. These are not "holy, righteous" people which is made clear in v20. v20 notes these spirits were disobedient referring back to the people who rejected God in the time of Noah.

For the 3000...Acts 2:47 "praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved."

"ARE BEING saved"... which fits my second category ("in the process of being saved, not yet complete, present tense"), yes?

"For Cornelius...Acts 10:43-48...esp v47..."surely no one can refuse the water for these to be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we did, can he?""

Hold on, here. Nice try... but I need to see, in the TEXT, where these people were definitely "SAVED" (i.e. not just a probabilistic guess, or an opinion--but Scripture), in some sort of "definitive and permanent" way (above and beyond the "past tense" way that I described in my earlier post). You'll also need to explain how such people are absolutely secure against "accepting the grace of God in vain" (2 Corinthians 6:1), how they need not worry about the admonition of St. Paul which says (to those whom he calls "brethren"--i.e. fellow believers, cf. 1 Corinthians 10:1), "Therefore let any one who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall." (1 Corinthians 10:12), and how they need not worry about making efforts to "abide in Jesus", lest His warning come true for them: "If a man does not abide in me, he is cast forth as a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire and burned." (John 15:6). It would be pointless for Jesus to warn anyone to "abide in Him" if "abiding in Him" happened automatically, as an absolute guarantee; right?

Now, if you could find a Scripture passage which says that "All those people on whom the Holy Spirit descends are saved irrevocably", or something as clear as that, then you'd have a good case. As it is, I see only vague guess-work.

Eunuch....Acts 8:35-38..."and as they went along the road they came to some water; and the eunuch said, "Look! Water! What prevents me from being baptized? And Philip said, "if you believe with all your heart, you may." And he answered and said, "I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God."

(Some manuscripts of Acts don't have those extra verses--e.g. "if you believe..." and "I believe that..."; but I'll let that go.)

Okay... but nowhere does the text say that the eunuch is SAVED, at that very moment; you're injecting your own attempt at a deduction, based on your understanding of other Scripture passages... and, with all due respect, that's not as secure as the Bible's text, itself. Nowhere does it say that the eunuch was "saved" at the time you suggest (i.e. before baptism), and in the way that you suggest (i.e. once saved, always saved).

This is noted in John 3:16 and many other places....belief in Christ is necessary for salvation. And for those who do believe, they have eternal life.

Jesus says that those who believe AND ARE BAPTIZED will be saved (Mark 16:16). "Believe" is a "pregnant" word in Scripture; it involves a great many other things (e.g. perseverance and enduring to the end, calling upon the Name of the Lord, eating His Body and drinking His Blood, etc.); it's not just an intellectual acceptance of a fact.

No where does 1 Peter 3:19 say what you're indicating. These are not "holy, righteous" people which is made clear in v20. v20 notes these spirits were disobedient referring back to the people who rejected God in the time of Noah.

Of course, they were sinners; even the righteous fall seven times per day (Proverbs 24:16)... and St. John says that "If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." (1 John 1:8) That doesn't preclude them being holy and righteous, at least in general. Jesus drew a clear distinction between the outcome of the righteous (who died and went to the Bosom of Abraham) and the unrighteous (who died and went to a place of torment, separated from the righteous by an uncrossable chasm), in his parable about the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31).

Do you also note that Jesus PREACHED to them? Why, if they were all damned? It would make no sense.