Here's my "opinion."
Rom 6:1-2 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?
Rom 6:3-4
Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?
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.
So, according to scripture, (not my opinion) in baptism, believers are baptized into Jesus' death.
And, according to scripture, (not my opinion) in baptism, believers are buried with Jesus
Therefore, according to scripture, (not my opinion) in baptism, as Christ was raised from the dead (to eternal life) so believers also are raised from the dead. (That's resurrection to eternal life.)
Also:
Gal 3:27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
(It is only by being “in Christ” what we have eternal life.)
Col 2:11-14 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, 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.
And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.
So, again, scripture (not my opinion) says that we were dead and were buried with Christ and then were raised up again and made alive with Christ.
Tit 3:4-5 But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit,
"Washing of regeneration": Washing is baptism; regeneration is another word for "born again."
And from the early church:
Justin Martyr (100 – 165 AD) The First Apology, Chapter LXI, “Christian Baptism”
I will also relate the manner in which we dedicated ourselves to God when we had been made new through Christ; lest, if we omit this, we seem to be unfair in the explanation we are making. As many as are persuaded and believe that what we teach and say is true, and undertake to be able to live accordingly, are instructed to pray and to entreat God with fasting, for the remission of their sins that are past, we praying and fasting with them. Then
they are brought by us where there is water, and are regenerated in the same manner in which we were ourselves regenerated.
For, in the name of God, the Father and Lord of the universe, and of our Savior Jesus Christ, and of the Holy Spirit, they then receive the washing with water. For Christ also said, “Except ye be born again, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.” Now, that it is impossible for those who have once been born to enter into their mothers’ wombs, is manifest to all. And how those who have sinned and repent shall escape their sins, is declared by Esaias the prophet, as I wrote above; he thus speaks: “Wash you, make you clean;...”
And for this [rite] we have learned from the apostles this reason. Since at our birth we were born without our own knowledge or choice, by our parents coming together, and were brought up in bad habits and wicked training;
in order that we may not remain the children of necessity and of ignorance, but
may become the children of choice and knowledge, and may obtain in the water the remission of sins formerly committed,
there is pronounced over him who chooses to be born again, and has repented of his sins, the name of God the Father and Lord of the universe; …… The illuminand is also washed
in the name of Jesus Christ, who was crucified under Pontius Pilate, and
in the name of the Holy Spirit, who through the prophets foretold everything about Jesus.
So, it is certainly NOT "my opinion." It is the teaching of scripture as confirmed by the writings of the early church.
You believe whatever you like. I will follow the teaching of the Church as it has been taught from her ea
Justin Martyr (100 – 165 AD) The First Apology, Chapter LXI, “Christian Baptism”
Note: the word "regeneration" refers to being "born again."
I will also relate the manner in which we dedicated ourselves to God when we had been made new through Christ; lest, if we omit this, we seem to be unfair in the explanation we are making. As many as are persuaded and believe that what we teach and say is true, and undertake to be able to live accordingly, are instructed to pray and to entreat God with fasting, for the remission of their sins that are past, we praying and fasting with them. Then
they are brought by us where there is water, and are regenerated in the same manner in which we were ourselves regenerated. For, in the name of God, the Father and Lord of the universe, and of our Savior Jesus Christ, and of the Holy Spirit, they then receive the washing with water. For Christ also said, “Except ye be born again, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.” Now, that it is impossible for those who have once been born to enter into their mothers’ wombs, is manifest to all. And how those who have sinned and repent shall escape their sins, is declared by Esaias the prophet, as I wrote above; he thus speaks: “Wash you, make you clean;...”
And for this [rite] we have learned from the apostles this reason. Since at our birth we were born without our own knowledge or choice, by our parents coming together, and were brought up in bad habits and wicked training;
in order that we may not remain the children of necessity and of ignorance, but
may become the children of choice and knowledge, and may obtain in the water the remission of sins formerly committed,
there is pronounced over him who chooses to be born again, and has repented of his sins, the name of God the Father and Lord of the universe; …… The illuminand is also washed
in the name of Jesus Christ, who was crucified under Pontius Pilate, and
in the name of the Holy Spirit, who through the prophets foretold everything about Jesus.
Theophilus (Ca.180)
The things proceeding from the waters were blessed by God, that this could be a sign of men destined to receive repentance and remission of sins,
through the water and bath of regeneration - as many as come to the truth and are born again.
Irenaeus (Ca. 180)
When we come to refute them (the Gnostics) we will show in its proper place that this class of men have been instigated by Satan to a denial of that baptism which is regeneration to God. They have renounced the whole faith…..For the baptism instituted by the visible Jesus was for the remission of sins.
But there are some of them (Gnostics) who assert that it is unnecessary to bring persons to the water. Rather, they mix oil and water together, and they place this mixture on the heads of those who are to be initiated…this they maintain to be redemption…Other (heretics), however, reject all these practices and maintain that the mystery of the unspeakable and invisible power should not be performed by visible and corruptible creatures. …These claim that their knowledge of the unspeakable Greatness is itself perfect redemption.
Tertullian (Ca. 198)
Happy is our sacrament of water, in that, by washing away the sins of our early blindness, we are set free and admitted into eternal life… we, like little fishes, after the example of our ichthus, Jesus Christ, are
born in water.
Now, the teaching is laid down that “without baptism, salvation is attainable by no one.” This is based primarily on the ground of that declaration of the Lord, who says, “Unless one is born of water he has not life.” However, when this is laid down, there immediately arise scrupulous (or rather, audacious) doubts on the part of some.
“Unless a man has been born again of water and spirit, he will not enter the kingdom of the heavens.”
These words have tied faith to the necessity of baptism. Accordingly, all thereafter who became believers were baptized. So it was too, that Paul, when he believed, was baptized.
So, rather than form my own opinion, I will accept as tact the teaching of scripture and the early Church. Above are the scriptures and some of the teaching of the Church to which I submit as a disciple.
that leads you to believe God’s not a jerk, but the “original church” was such jerks that they would in fact keep someone out of their church simply for failing to be a circumcised Jew. Now that’s being a jerk. That is, until the Holy Spirit taught Peter and his followers what it was impossible for any man to do, which was to wash away sins with water. 