Joel: In the last days saith God I will pour out my Spirit upon all
flesh, your sons and your daughters shall prophesy. On my servants and
on my handmaidens will I pour out of my Spirit and they shall
prophecy.[121]

These are the Gospel days in which we now live. This is the one baptism
ordained to remain.

Churchmen say: Burial with Christ in baptism (Rom. 6-2) is figurative,
a mortification of our lusts; not a literal burial in water.[122]

We heartily accept this church teaching and suggest that baptism into
Christ and crucifixion with Christ are no more literal.[123]

We see no more water about baptism into Christ than we see wood in the
cross upon which all Christ's children must be crucified.[124]

Church catechism teaches that "baptism is generally necessary to
salvation." As an apology for introducing this extrinsic word
"generally," they say the thief upon the cross was evidently saved
without baptism.[125]

As we understand this is all contrary to Scripture teaching, one error
calls for another and the catechism leads astray. There is no
"generally" about Christ's teaching. He said positively, Ye shall be
baptized with the Holy Spirit; and again he said, Ye must be born again.
Without this new birth and baptism we see no hope of salvation.[126]

The thief was evidently baptized upon the cross with this saving baptism
and was born again without water, and was thus prepared for the paradise