I can speak some basic Russian. Does that count?
Baptism:
1. Commanded - Mark 16:15-17 "And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned." (NKJV)
2. Saves us - 1 Peter 3:21-22 "There is also an antitype which now saves us — baptism(not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ," (NKJV)
3. Puts one in Christ - Galatians 3:27 "For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ." (NKJV)
4. Adds one to the Body - Acts 2:47 "And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved." (NKJV)
5. Washes away sin - Acts 2:38 "Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." (NKJV)
Acts 22:16 "'And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord.'" (NKJV)
6. Is when God works on you - Colossians 2:11-12 "In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, 12 buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead." (NKJV)
Baptism: I understand the following scripture as immersion (besides the very definition of baptism is immersion). I understand this because the scripture says "buried with Him" - I'm sure we all understand what a burial is.
Romans 6:3-11 "3 Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? 4 Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised 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 united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, 6 knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. 7 For he who has died has been freed from sin. 8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, 9 knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. 10 For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. 11 Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord." (NKJV)
ALL scripture works together. If I try to read a book in part how am I to understand it's meaning? Also, I refuse to take a chance with my salvation.
Lea
Only if you don't have a clue what you're saying, you move your arms around a lot and get really emotional. Sometimes it helps if you drown your kids. ;-0