You have absolutely NO idea what I exhibited, because you weren't there. I did exhibit faith immediately after my new birth. The very next morning, I told another serviceman about God and have witnessed to many since. I prayed every day, continued to read about Jesus in the gospels, I cried tears of repentance as I read Jesus' words and rejoiced knowing that Jesus had miraculously saved me. From that moment on, the only thing I wanted to do was whatever He wanted me to do. In a week and a half, I knew He wanted me to be baptized, so I did exactly that. I began attending a church regularly and fellowshiping with other Christians and haven't stopped in 55 years.
All of that is great, but I have known many who did those things but were never saved. Scripture doesn't say that those things save, or that those things will flow from those who are saved. Scripture says that salvation is received DURING baptism, in the water of baptism. If you hadn't done it, then it hadn't happened. Now, as you say, eventually you were baptized. But too many people are not, and they remain condemned.
The story of Naaman to illustrate your doctrine is invalid. Naaman had to dip 7 times for physical healing, not for spiritual salvation, forgiveness of sins, the new birth, or eternal life.
The fact that he dipped seven times instead of just once (as we must) is irrelevant. He completed what was required to receive the blessing promised, just as we must. His promised blessing was physical healing. Our promised blessing is spiritual renewal and rebirth. Different promises, and different requirements, but the uniting factor is that in order to receive the blessing the required conditions must be met.
The New Testament does not use this story as a type of a checklist necessary to receive salvation. Naaman was obeying one command (wash in the Jordan) repeated 7 times. Your doctrine requires obeying 4 separate commands (repent - believe - confess - baptize). There's no parallel between what Naaman did to be physically healed, compared to salvation.
The fact that you refuse to see it doesn't mean that there is no connection. Naaman had to believe, or he wouldn't have turned from his way home toward Jordan. He had to repent, and turn from his own way to the way commanded by the prophet. He had to dip seven times. For him, confessing God was not commanded so it was not a condition for his healing.
Naaman was healed by God because of his humble obedience, not because he dipped 7 times in the Jordan river. God could have told him to throw 50 rocks, and if he obeyed, he would be healed.
Precisely. It was not the dipping that healed him. It was God who healed him after he completely obeyed what was commanded, whether it was dipping seven time, or throwing fifty rocks, or eating three fish, it doesn't matter. What matters is the obedience to the commands of God that He says lead to receiving His blessing.
The clearest New Testament teaching on how we are saved is STILL: Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved - Acts 16:31
Then, have been cleansed of your sins, having received the indwelling Holy Spirit, as an act of joyful obedience, be baptized.
We have been through this dwight. The word for "believe" in Acts 16:31 is "pistis" which means "faith", not just intellectual assent. Faith requires action or it is dead and worthless (James 2:14-26). Acts 16:31 does not stand alone, separated from the rest of Scripture. Notice that immediately after the Apostles told the jailer to believe, they explained the Gospel to him, and then they were immediately baptized into Christ.
