"I also said that your church believed in baptismal regeneration."
"Oh, never!" replied Mr. Garland.
"I thought you believed that a person was not saved until he was baptized."
"Yes, but that is a very different statement from your first one."
"What is the difference? If he is not saved until he is baptized, then I should think his baptism must have something to do with his salvation."
"Here is my position: 'The Bible declares that he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved'. Note that not he that believeth shall be saved, but he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved. That shows that it takes both believing and baptism to save a person."
"How about the thief on the cross? He was saved without baptism, don't you think so?"
"Baptism was impossible for him, and God does not require impossibilities. Besides, that was an unusual case and Christ made an exception in his conversion and salvation."
"But does the Bible say it was an exceptional case? If he could be saved without baptism, why not others? But let me remind you that you did not read to the end of that passage that you quoted just now. You read a part—'he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved'—but read the remainder of the verse."
Mr. Garland repeated the other part of the verse as follows: "He that believeth not shall be damned."