No, we don't die to sin by any work, but only by faith, nor does new life begin because we did a work, but also only by faith. Romans 6:11 says, "Even so consider (by faith) yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive (by faith) to God in Christ Jesus. It doesn't say "be baptized" to be dead to sin or alive to God.
Do you even read the Scriptures? Rom 6:11 is not separate from Rom 6:2-4. You adding "by faith" in places where Scripture does not put it is intellectually dishonest, because you are attempting to change the meaning of what the Scripture really says. We die to sin when and how God says we die to sin. And Rom 6:2-3 says that we die to sin when we are baptized into Jesus' death. New life begins when Scripture says it does. And Rom 6:4 says that because we died to sin through baptism we can now walk in new life. And this all happens during baptism because of our faith.
You have been deceived into violating the scriptural law that says works cannot save us. Israel fell for this deception as well: Romans 9:31-32 "but Israel, pursuing a law of righteousness, did not arrive at that law. Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as though it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone, ..."
I am not pursuing righteousness through the Law or through works. Dwight, you have to be completely blind, or in full rebellion against God, to not accept that there are physical acts that are required to receive salvation, as clearly shown in Rom 10:9-10.
Confession "with the mouth" cannot be anything but a
physical action that
results in receiving salvation. If Scripture dictates that a physical action results in receiving salvation, then who are we to contradict Scripture? Who are we to tell God that He didn't really mean what He said?
Acts 2:38 You also stumble here, wrongly assuming that the work of baptism earns your forgiveness of sins.
Baptism does not "earn" forgiveness of sins. Just as feeding the prophet didn't earn the widow food during the rest of the famine, or marching around the city didn't earn the Israelites the walls of Jericho falling down, or dipping in Jordan didn't earn Naaman cleansing of his leprosy, and the list goes on. No, our obedience does not earn us anything. But failing to obey God's commands does leave us in the state of condemnation that we do deserve and have earned.
Actually, it's repentance and believing, neither of which are a good work, in which God will mercifully give you forgiveness of sins. Acts 10:43 makes that abundantly clear:
"Of Him all the prophets bear witness that through His name everyone who believes in Him (NOT everyone who gets baptized) receives forgiveness of sins.
Do you still not understand that "believes" here is the Greek word pistis, which means faith. Everyone who has faith in Him receives forgiveness of sin. And faith requires the obedience of doing what God says leads to receiving His blessing in order to receive it. It is not just repentance that Scripture says leads to receiving forgiveness. Confession of Jesus as Lord is also required. And being baptized into Christ is also required. Why? BECAUSE SCRIPTURE SAYS SO!
You set aside the Bible principle that we're not saved by works, so that you can "shoe-horn" your defiant doctrine that we are saved by works into verses and passages that may appear to say that, at first glance.
Not being saved by words does not mean that there is no action at all required. Rom 10:9-10 makes that clear. All of the examples in the OT and the NT of God giving different blessings through actions taken in faith make that clear. Naaman did not "earn" cleansing from leprosy when he dipped in Jordan. The dirty water certainly didn't have anything to do with making Him clean. But if he had not dipped all seven times, he would not have been cleansed.
But God is testing you - given a passage that isn't as clear as you would like it to be, will you remain faithful to the truth of all the other verses/passages, that state the principle "we're not saved by works", very clearly? Or will you abandon that clear Bible principle, so that you can present your false belief, which contradicts the clear principle. When you do that, you fail the test. You become the Judaizers of our day, insisting that unless you are baptized (they said circumcised), you can't be saved. Paul was quite angry with these people, and rightfully so - they were distorting the truth, as he would be with you people, if he were alive today.
Sorry, the test is just the opposite. Are you willing to accept Him as Lord and Master, and do what He says even when it doesn't make sense to you? You are a military commander, and God commands you to march around the city you want to conquer one time every day for a week, and on the seventh day march around the city seven times in total silence. Then when you finish the seventh circuit on the seventh day, yell and cheer and sound trumpets. Those instructions have no military value or sense. Do you obey? Or do you pursue a militarily sensible plan? Obedience to your Lord requires faith, for He is the one doing the conquering, not your military might.
Now you are a sinner in need of a salvation that you realize you cannot achieve on your own. Your Lord tells you to publicly claim Him as Lord, turn away from your sinful life and live by His standard, and be immersed in water in His name, and as a result you will receive His forgiveness, adoption into His family, and be remade into a new person. The choice to obey, or not, is yours.