Well, baptism is a "act" or "deed" or "work" and your statement can be interpreted that this "act" is a requirement of salvation which strikes me as taking away from the glory and sacrifice of Jesus.
>> Well, baptism is a "act" or "deed" or "work" and your statement can be interpreted that this "act" is a requirement of salvation which strikes me as taking away from the glory and sacrifice of Jesus. <<
Obeying the commandments of Jesus is taking away from the glory and sacrifice of Jesus. That's pretty twisted.
I was once told by a debate teacher that the one who defines the terms will win the argument. Why do people insists that baptism must be a 'work' as defined in Ephesians 2:9? This is not a biblical concept. It was developed by man. Even Martin Luther, when asked if baptism was a work, said "Yes, but it's God's work, not man's."
Following that logic, faith can't save us; as the Bible tells us that faith is a work.
1 Thessalonians 1:3 Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father;
2 Thessalonians 1:11 Wherefore also we pray always for you, that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfil all the good pleasure of his goodness, and the work of faith with power: