All scripture quotations are from the King James Version of the Holy Bible unless otherwise noted.
And you believe there are three separate, distinct, individual persons in the godhead, why? The Bible says in Colossians 2:9-10, "For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power..." No place in the Bible does it ever say that God is three separate, distinct individual persons! I am made to think that perhaps most people who call themselves Christian think of the Lord only in a historical perspective. Oh, they believe that He lived and died and rose again from the dead the third day, but in the sense of a very personal relationship with the Living Person of Jesus Christ they perhaps fall short.
The Bible says in John 7:37-38, "In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water." But what does the scripture say? It seems evident to me that at the time the Lord spoke these words the only scripture that was written was the Old Testament. So Matthew 28:19 and Acts 2:38 had yet to be written, as did the rest of the New Testament.
The Apostle Paul said to the new Roman Consul Festus and to King Agrippa, in Acts 26:22-23 that, "Having therefore obtained help of God, I continue unto this day, witnessing both to small and great, saying none other things than those which the prophets and Moses did say should come: That Christ should suffer, and that he should be the first that should rise from the dead, and should shew light unto the people, and to the Gentiles." The Lord Jesus, Himself, said in Luke 24:27, "And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself." So when the Lord Jesus said what He said in John 7:38, He was speaking specifically of the Old Testament scriptures.
Where then does the New Testament come in? To a Gentile believer, the entire Bible, the Old Testament and the New Testament constitutes the Scriptures as stated by the Lord Jesus in John 7:38. Of course I am speaking for myself and those other Gentile believers who believe the Bible to be the word of God. What then does the New Testament say? Among many other verses the Lord Jesus said in Mark 16:16, "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned." It would seem then that baptism does indeed save us. I would not want to meet the Lord at judgment and He ask me, "were you baptized as I said you must be? Then answering Him, "Lord I believed your word. I prophesied, cast out devils and did many wonderful works in your name," Somehow I don't think that would cut it. For according to Matthew 7:23 I would hear Him say. "...I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity."
So friend of mine, if you have not already done so repent (of your sins), be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ (as Peter said in Acts 2:38, for the remission of sins), and God has promised to give you the Holy Ghost. Someone might say, I've repented and been baptized in Jesus name but for some reason, I haven't received the Holy Ghost. Well all I can say is to re-read John 7:37-39. Jesus said "...If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)" It is God's promise, take the Lord Jesus at His word.
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