I have some spare time, so I will meet you part way and answer ONE of your questions (with scripture as requested) then wait for you to respond to mine ...
How can we discuss the biblical commands if you refuse to quote the ones you dogmatically insist upon?
"Thou shalt baptize but ONLY if every cell of their body is fully covered by water." The "immersion only" dogma of the Anabaptists that you echo.
Requested Scriptures:
[Mat 3:6, 11, 13-14, 16 MGNT] 6 καὶ ἐβαπτίζοντο ἐν τῷ Ἰορδάνῃ ποταμῷ ὑπ’ αὐτοῦ ἐξομολογούμενοι τὰς ἁμαρτίας αὐτῶν ... 11 ἐγὼ μὲν ὑμᾶς βαπτίζω ἐν ὕδατι εἰς μετάνοιαν ὁ δὲ ὀπίσω μου ἐρχόμενος ἰσχυρότερός μού ἐστιν οὗ οὐκ εἰμὶ ἱκανὸς τὰ ὑποδήματα βαστάσαι αὐτὸς ὑμᾶς βαπτίσει ἐν πνεύματι ἁγίῳ καὶ πυρί ... 13 τότε παραγίνεται ὁ Ἰησοῦς ἀπὸ τῆς Γαλιλαίας ἐπὶ τὸν Ἰορδάνην πρὸς τὸν Ἰωάννην τοῦ βαπτισθῆναι ὑπ’ αὐτοῦ 14 ὁ δὲ Ἰωάννης διεκώλυεν αὐτὸν λέγων ἐγὼ χρείαν ἔχω ὑπὸ σοῦ βαπτισθῆναι καὶ σὺ ἔρχῃ πρός με ... 16 βαπτισθεὶς δὲ ὁ Ἰησοῦς εὐθὺς ἀνέβη ἀπὸ τοῦ ὕδατος καὶ ἰδοὺ ἠνεῴχθησαν αὐτῷ οἱ οὐρανοί καὶ εἶδεν τὸ πνεῦμα τοῦ θεοῦ καταβαῖνον ὡσεὶ περιστερὰν καὶ ἐρχόμενον ἐπ’ αὐτόν
[Mat 28:19 MGNT] 19 πορευθέντες οὖν μαθητεύσατε πάντα τὰ ἔθνη βαπτίζοντες αὐτοὺς εἰς τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ πατρὸς καὶ τοῦ υἱοῦ καὶ τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος
[Mar 1:4-5, 8-9 MGNT] 4 ἐγένετο Ἰωάννης ὁ βαπτίζων ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ καὶ κηρύσσων βάπτισμα μετανοίας εἰς ἄφεσιν ἁμαρτιῶν 5 καὶ ἐξεπορεύετο πρὸς αὐτὸν πᾶσα ἡ Ἰουδαία χώρα καὶ οἱ Ἱεροσολυμῖται πάντες καὶ ἐβαπτίζοντο ὑπ’ αὐτοῦ ἐν τῷ Ἰορδάνῃ ποταμῷ ἐξομολογούμενοι τὰς ἁμαρτίας αὐτῶν ... 8 ἐγὼ ἐβάπτισα ὑμᾶς ὕδατι αὐτὸς δὲ βαπτίσει ὑμᾶς ἐν πνεύματι ἁγίῳ 9 καὶ ἐγένετο ἐν ἐκείναις ταῖς ἡμέραις ἦλθεν Ἰησοῦς ἀπὸ Ναζαρὲτ τῆς Γαλιλαίας καὶ ἐβαπτίσθη εἰς τὸν Ἰορδάνην ὑπὸ Ἰωάννου
[Mar 6:14, 24 MGNT] 14 καὶ ἤκουσεν ὁ βασιλεὺς Ἡρῴδης φανερὸν γὰρ ἐγένετο τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ καὶ ἔλεγον ὅτι Ἰωάννης ὁ βαπτίζων ἐγήγερται ἐκ νεκρῶν καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἐνεργοῦσιν αἱ δυνάμεις ἐν αὐτῷ ... 24 καὶ ἐξελθοῦσα εἶπεν τῇ μητρὶ αὐτῆς τί αἰτήσωμαι ἡ δὲ εἶπεν τὴν κεφαλὴν Ἰωάννου τοῦ βαπτίζοντος
[Mar 7:4 MGNT] 4 καὶ ἀπ’ ἀγορᾶς ἐὰν μὴ βαπτίσωνται οὐκ ἐσθίουσιν καὶ ἄλλα πολλά ἐστιν ἃ παρέλαβον κρατεῖν βαπτισμοὺς ποτηρίων καὶ ξεστῶν καὶ χαλκίων καὶ κλινῶν
[Mar 10:38-39 MGNT] 38 ὁ δὲ Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν αὐτοῖς οὐκ οἴδατε τί αἰτεῖσθε δύνασθε πιεῖν τὸ ποτήριον ὃ ἐγὼ πίνω ἢ τὸ βάπτισμα ὃ ἐγὼ βαπτίζομαι βαπτισθῆναι 39 οἱ δὲ εἶπαν αὐτῷ δυνάμεθα ὁ δὲ Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν αὐτοῖς τὸ ποτήριον ὃ ἐγὼ πίνω πίεσθε καὶ τὸ βάπτισμα ὃ ἐγὼ βαπτίζομαι βαπτισθήσεσθε
[Mar 16:16 MGNT] 16 ὁ πιστεύσας καὶ βαπτισθεὶς σωθήσεται ὁ δὲ ἀπιστήσας κατακριθήσεται
[Luk 3:7, 12, 16, 21 MGNT] 7 ἔλεγεν οὖν τοῖς ἐκπορευομένοις ὄχλοις βαπτισθῆναι ὑπ’ αὐτοῦ γεννήματα ἐχιδνῶν τίς ὑπέδειξεν ὑμῖν φυγεῖν ἀπὸ τῆς μελλούσης ὀργῆς ... 12 ἦλθον δὲ καὶ τελῶναι βαπτισθῆναι καὶ εἶπαν πρὸς αὐτόν διδάσκαλε τί ποιήσωμεν ... 16 ἀπεκρίνατο λέγων πᾶσιν ὁ Ἰωάννης ἐγὼ μὲν ὕδατι βαπτίζω ὑμᾶς ἔρχεται δὲ ὁ ἰσχυρότερός μου οὗ οὐκ εἰμὶ ἱκανὸς λῦσαι τὸν ἱμάντα τῶν ὑποδημάτων αὐτοῦ αὐτὸς ὑμᾶς βαπτίσει ἐν πνεύματι ἁγίῳ καὶ πυρί ... 21 ἐγένετο δὲ ἐν τῷ βαπτισθῆναι ἅπαντα τὸν λαὸν καὶ Ἰησοῦ βαπτισθέντος καὶ προσευχομένου ἀνεῳχθῆναι τὸν οὐρανὸν
[Luk 7:29-30 MGNT] 29 καὶ πᾶς ὁ λαὸς ἀκούσας καὶ οἱ τελῶναι ἐδικαίωσαν τὸν θεόν βαπτισθέντες τὸ βάπτισμα Ἰωάννου 30 οἱ δὲ Φαρισαῖοι καὶ οἱ νομικοὶ τὴν βουλὴν τοῦ θεοῦ ἠθέτησαν εἰς ἑαυτούς μὴ βαπτισθέντες ὑπ’ αὐτοῦ
[Luk 11:38 MGNT] 38 ὁ δὲ Φαρισαῖος ἰδὼν ἐθαύμασεν ὅτι οὐ πρῶτον ἐβαπτίσθη πρὸ τοῦ ἀρίστου
[Luk 12:50 MGNT] 50 βάπτισμα δὲ ἔχω βαπτισθῆναι καὶ πῶς συνέχομαι ἕως ὅτου τελεσθῇ
[Jhn 1:25-26, 28, 31, 33 MGNT] 25 καὶ ἠρώτησαν αὐτὸν καὶ εἶπαν αὐτῷ τί οὖν βαπτίζεις εἰ σὺ οὐκ εἶ ὁ Χριστὸς οὐδὲ Ἠλίας οὐδὲ ὁ προφήτης 26 ἀπεκρίθη αὐτοῖς ὁ Ἰωάννης λέγων ἐγὼ βαπτίζω ἐν ὕδατι μέσος ὑμῶν ἕστηκεν ὃν ὑμεῖς οὐκ οἴδατε ... 28 ταῦτα ἐν Βηθανίᾳ ἐγένετο πέραν τοῦ Ἰορδάνου ὅπου ἦν ὁ Ἰωάννης βαπτίζων ... 31 κἀγὼ οὐκ ᾔδειν αὐτόν ἀλλ’ ἵνα φανερωθῇ τῷ Ἰσραὴλ διὰ τοῦτο ἦλθον ἐγὼ ἐν ὕδατι βαπτίζων ... 33 κἀγὼ οὐκ ᾔδειν αὐτόν ἀλλ’ ὁ πέμψας με βαπτίζειν ἐν ὕδατι ἐκεῖνός μοι εἶπεν ἐφ’ ὃν ἂν ἴδῃς τὸ πνεῦμα καταβαῖνον καὶ μένον ἐπ’ αὐτόν οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ βαπτίζων ἐν πνεύματι ἁγίῳ
[Jhn 3:22-23, 26 MGNT] 22 μετὰ ταῦτα ἦλθεν ὁ Ἰησοῦς καὶ οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ εἰς τὴν Ἰουδαίαν γῆν καὶ ἐκεῖ διέτριβεν μετ’ αὐτῶν καὶ ἐβάπτιζεν 23 ἦν δὲ καὶ ὁ Ἰωάννης βαπτίζων ἐν Αἰνὼν ἐγγὺς τοῦ Σαλείμ ὅτι ὕδατα πολλὰ ἦν ἐκεῖ καὶ παρεγίνοντο καὶ ἐβαπτίζοντο ... 26 καὶ ἦλθον πρὸς τὸν Ἰωάννην καὶ εἶπαν αὐτῷ ῥαββί ὃς ἦν μετὰ σοῦ πέραν τοῦ Ἰορδάνου ᾧ σὺ μεμαρτύρηκας ἴδε οὗτος βαπτίζει καὶ πάντες ἔρχονται πρὸς αὐτόν
[Jhn 4:1-2 MGNT] 1 ὡς οὖν ἔγνω ὁ Ἰησοῦς ὅτι ἤκουσαν οἱ Φαρισαῖοι ὅτι Ἰησοῦς πλείονας μαθητὰς ποιεῖ καὶ βαπτίζει ἢ Ἰωάννης 2 καίτοιγε Ἰησοῦς αὐτὸς οὐκ ἐβάπτιζεν ἀλλ’ οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ
[Jhn 10:40 MGNT] 40 καὶ ἀπῆλθεν πάλιν πέραν τοῦ Ἰορδάνου εἰς τὸν τόπον ὅπου ἦν Ἰωάννης τὸ πρῶτον βαπτίζων καὶ ἔμεινεν ἐκεῖ
[Act 1:5 MGNT] 5 ὅτι Ἰωάννης μὲν ἐβάπτισεν ὕδατι ὑμεῖς δὲ ἐν πνεύματι βαπτισθήσεσθε ἁγίῳ οὐ μετὰ πολλὰς ταύτας ἡμέρας
[Act 2:38, 41 MGNT] 38 Πέτρος δὲ πρὸς αὐτούς μετανοήσατε φησίν καὶ βαπτισθήτω ἕκαστος ὑμῶν ἐπὶ τῷ ὀνόματι Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ εἰς ἄφεσιν τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ὑμῶν καὶ λήμψεσθε τὴν δωρεὰν τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος ... 41 οἱ μὲν οὖν ἀποδεξάμενοι τὸν λόγον αὐτοῦ ἐβαπτίσθησαν καὶ προσετέθησαν ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ ψυχαὶ ὡσεὶ τρισχίλιαι
[Act 8:12-13, 16, 36, 38 MGNT] 12 ὅτε δὲ ἐπίστευσαν τῷ Φιλίππῳ εὐαγγελιζομένῳ περὶ τῆς βασιλείας τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ τοῦ ὀνόματος Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐβαπτίζοντο ἄνδρες τε καὶ γυναῖκες 13 ὁ δὲ Σίμων καὶ αὐτὸς ἐπίστευσεν καὶ βαπτισθεὶς ἦν προσκαρτερῶν τῷ Φιλίππῳ θεωρῶν τε σημεῖα καὶ δυνάμεις μεγάλας γινομένας ἐξίστατο ... 16 οὐδέπω γὰρ ἦν ἐπ’ οὐδενὶ αὐτῶν ἐπιπεπτωκός μόνον δὲ βεβαπτισμένοι ὑπῆρχον εἰς τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ κυρίου Ἰησοῦ ... 36 ὡς δὲ ἐπορεύοντο κατὰ τὴν ὁδόν ἦλθον ἐπί τι ὕδωρ καί φησιν ὁ εὐνοῦχος ἰδοὺ ὕδωρ τί κωλύει με βαπτισθῆναι ... 38 καὶ ἐκέλευσεν στῆναι τὸ ἅρμα καὶ κατέβησαν ἀμφότεροι εἰς τὸ ὕδωρ ὅ τε Φίλιππος καὶ ὁ εὐνοῦχος καὶ ἐβάπτισεν αὐτόν
[Act 9:18 MGNT] 18 καὶ εὐθέως ἀπέπεσαν αὐτοῦ ἀπὸ τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν ὡς λεπίδες ἀνέβλεψέν τε καὶ ἀναστὰς ἐβαπτίσθη
[Act 10:47-48 MGNT] 47 μήτι τὸ ὕδωρ δύναται κωλῦσαί τις τοῦ μὴ βαπτισθῆναι τούτους οἵτινες τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον ἔλαβον ὡς καὶ ἡμεῖς 48 προσέταξεν δὲ αὐτοὺς ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ βαπτισθῆναι τότε ἠρώτησαν αὐτὸν ἐπιμεῖναι ἡμέρας τινάς
[Act 11:16 MGNT] 16 ἐμνήσθην δὲ τοῦ ῥήματος τοῦ κυρίου ὡς ἔλεγεν Ἰωάννης μὲν ἐβάπτισεν ὕδατι ὑμεῖς δὲ βαπτισθήσεσθε ἐν πνεύματι ἁγίῳ
[Act 16:15, 33 MGNT] 15 ὡς δὲ ἐβαπτίσθη καὶ ὁ οἶκος αὐτῆς παρεκάλεσεν λέγουσα εἰ κεκρίκατέ με πιστὴν τῷ κυρίῳ εἶναι εἰσελθόντες εἰς τὸν οἶκόν μου μένετε καὶ παρεβιάσατο ἡμᾶς ... 33 καὶ παραλαβὼν αὐτοὺς ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ ὥρᾳ τῆς νυκτὸς ἔλουσεν ἀπὸ τῶν πληγῶν καὶ ἐβαπτίσθη αὐτὸς καὶ οἱ αὐτοῦ πάντες παραχρῆμα
[Act 18:8 MGNT] 8 Κρίσπος δὲ ὁ ἀρχισυνάγωγος ἐπίστευσεν τῷ κυρίῳ σὺν ὅλῳ τῷ οἴκῳ αὐτοῦ καὶ πολλοὶ τῶν Κορινθίων ἀκούοντες ἐπίστευον καὶ ἐβαπτίζοντο
... Here you see the Greek word for whelmed (immersed) means immersed and is used in all of these verses.
There is a Greek word for ‘sprinkle’ (ῥαντισμός) and it appears in these verses:
[Heb 12:24 MGNT] 24 καὶ διαθήκης νέας μεσίτῃ Ἰησοῦ καὶ αἵματι ῥαντισμοῦ κρεῖττον λαλοῦντι παρὰ τὸν Ἅβελ
[1Pe 1:2 MGNT] 2 κατὰ πρόγνωσιν θεοῦ πατρός ἐν ἁγιασμῷ πνεύματος εἰς ὑπακοὴν καὶ ῥαντισμὸν αἵματος Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ χάρις ὑμῖν καὶ εἰρήνη πληθυνθείη
... however, I must assume that Lutherans do not sprinkle infants with the blood of Christ, so they do not apply.
There is also a Greek word for ‘dip’ (βάπτω) and it appears in these verses:
[Luk 16:24 MGNT] 24 καὶ αὐτὸς φωνήσας εἶπεν πάτερ Ἀβραάμ ἐλέησόν με καὶ πέμψον Λάζαρον ἵνα βάψῃ τὸ ἄκρον τοῦ δακτύλου αὐτοῦ ὕδατος καὶ καταψύξῃ τὴν γλῶσσάν μου ὅτι ὀδυνῶμαι ἐν τῇ φλογὶ ταύτῃ
[Jhn 13:26 MGNT] 26 ἀποκρίνεται ὁ Ἰησοῦς ἐκεῖνός ἐστιν ᾧ ἐγὼ βάψω τὸ ψωμίον καὶ δώσω αὐτῷ βάψας οὖν τὸ ψωμίον λαμβάνει καὶ δίδωσιν Ἰούδᾳ Σίμωνος Ἰσκαριώτου
[Rev 19:13 MGNT] 13 καὶ περιβεβλημένος ἱμάτιον βεβαμμένον αἵματι καὶ κέκληται τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ ὁ λόγος τοῦ θεοῦ
... however, even the harshest proponent of Double Predestination would not argue that Lutheran infants are already in fiery torment begging for a finger dipped in water to cool their tongue. Also, even the most radical Universalist would not think that the Lutheran infants are Jesus from Revelation with his robe dipped in blood. So these verses do not apply.
No, the simple fact of the matter is that the Greek word “whelm or submerge” (βαπτίζω) means to immerse.
(
You should really drop that one from your list, asking people to prove that ‘immerse’ means ‘immerse’ makes you seem both silly and unreasonable. It is your weakest argument.)
NOW IT IS MY TURN:
[Act 18:8 NASB]
8 Crispus, the leader of the synagogue, believed in the Lord with all his household, and many of the Corinthians when they heard were believing and being baptized.
So Crispus believed and was baptized.
Do Lutheran infants believe?
The household of Crispus believed and was baptized.
Do all the members of Lutheran households believe?
Many Corinthians first heard, then believed and were baptized.
Have Lutheran infants heard?
Have Lutheran infants BELIEVED and gotten Baptized?
Why are Lutherans baptizing people (of any age) who have not heard and not believed?
Why are you not following the example of the Household of Crispus and the Church at Corinth?