(Note, And I Stress this: Do not look to me, but look to Jesus Christ. I am nothing without Jesus, and Jesus knows all. Follow Jesus.)
(Clarification here. D (took the name off) is a girl that spoke with, she asked about this and the quotes are what she said/asked.)
Answer:
"When is the right time to receive Baptism the[n], if not when you are an infant? If water Baptism is only a washing away of our Original Sin, then must we be baptised again to be received into God's Kingdom?" - D
Being baptized in water before we are saved by Jesus (or born again) does not mean anything. Water baptism before savlation is pointless. As the saying goes, "We go down a dry sinner; we come up a wet sinner." Water baptism does not wash away our sins. No where in the Bible does it say that.
This is what the Bible says,
"He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned." (Mark 16:16) First he believes (is saved), then he is baptized. And it says, he that believeth not (he that is not saved or so) shall be damned. Water Baptism does not save us, we can go to heaven without it. The Bible said that he not believing shall be damned (we are not damned if we are not baptized). Damned means to be cursed to hell.
Also see Acts 8:36, 37:
"36 And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?
37 And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God."
We cannot (or that is to say, should not) be baptized before we are saved. Infants cannot repent of their sins, much less be able to talk. God shows us in that verse, we must be saved before we should be water baptized. Even the verse Mark 16:16 showed that ("believeth" first, then "baptized").
Acts 2:38 says, "Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." We must first repent, then secondly be baptized. We cannot be baptized before being saved. "Repent, and be baptized..." First, "Repent" (or saved), then "baptized."
"...Baptism is only a washing away of our Original Sin..." - D
As it was stated, water baptism does not wash us of our sins. Water Baptism is nothing but an outward show of our profession of the Lord Jesus Christ; him saving us. Showing that we die with Christ and come up anew (only symbolic of that).
The Bible says,
"Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him." (Romans 5:9)
"In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;" (Ephesians 1:7)
"In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:" (Colossians 1:14)
"And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission." (Hebrews 9:22) Without the shed blood of Jesus there is no remission of sin.
The book of Hebrews (in the Bible) tells us:
"But into the second went the high priest alone once every year, not without blood, which he offered for himself, and for the errors of the people:" (Hebrews 9:7) In the Old Testament times, the Priest, going in the tabernacle, had to shed a spotless lamb's blood (offer up sacrifice) for the atontment of the people's sins and his sins also. He had to do that once a year.
Hebrews 10:4 "For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins." Christ had to shed his blood to cleasne our sins (the blood of animals could not do it).
"11 But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building; 12 Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. (Hebrews 9:11,12) Jesus Christ died on the cross and shed his blood for us. He offered the sacrifice (being himself and him shedding his own blood) once and for all, and does not need to be done once every year.
Hebrews 10:12 "But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;" He offered one scrifice, he was the perfect sinless sacrifice; no more sacrifices are needed.
(There is much more into that, but that said there should suffice.)
It is the blood of Jesus that cleasnes our sin (or it can be said, "that washes away our sins") not water baptism.
As the Old hymn, "Nothing But The Blood," says,
"What can wash away my sins? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
Chorus: O, precious is the flow that makes me white as snow; no other fount I know. Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
For my pardon this I see. Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
For my cleasning this I plea. Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
... "
Salvation through Jesus Christ is the only way to Heaven (John 3:36; 1 John 5:11,12; Acts 2:38; Acts 4:12; et al.). There are many other verses, beside those listed which show that Jesus is the only way to salvation, the only way to make it into heaven. Water Baptism does not save a us.
"In the link you gave me, it says that after being baptized by water, we ought to pray..." - D
It does not say after water baptism, it says, "The two experiences already mentioned..." Meaning Salvation (or being born again) and sanctification.
Being baptized with the Holy Ghost is not water baptism and is different from water baptism (the baptism with the Holy Ghost has nothing to do with water baptism).
"...pray to God to receive the Holy Ghost. Does that mean we need to be baptized by water to attain Spiritual birth..." - D
As it was stated and showed in the Bible, Baptism does not save us; being baptized by water does not have us to attain Spiritual birth (or Salvation).
"Why do we need to be baptized twice?" - D
We are not baptized twice. If you are refering to the Baptism of the Holy Ghost, that is different than water baptism and has nothing to do with water....
"What does this statement mean: We are not saved by water baptism, but it is the answer of a good conscience toward God?" - D
"...it is the answer of a good conscience toward God." Water baptism (as according to what God says) does not save us. Being not baptized will not keep us out of heaven. We are commanded to be baptized, and our conscience may bother us sometimes (like it "bothers" us when we do wrong) about us not being baptized that we should get baptized because it was commanded, etc. Just as that, or there can be many other examples. But when we go and get water baptized it clears our conscience of that. Which is what that statement is saying, "a good (or clear) conscience toward God."
So, infants should not be baptized, because they are not saved and repented of thier sins (just as sinners should also not be baptized). Jesus is the only way to salvation. Salvation is first, then water baptism. Water baptism will not get us into heaven, and "being not baptized" will not keep us from heaven.
