Thank you for your input Daughterofthe King and I don't believe you are trying to "start" something ugly here at all!
My church, Missouri Synod Lutheran, believe in the power of baptism...following is of our beliefs to that ~
First of all, central to everything that Lutherans teach is the good news that we are, in the words of St. Paul, saved "by grace...through faith--and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--not by works, so that no one can boast" (Eph. 2:8-9). The central principle of the Lutheran Reformation is that we are saved "by grace alone, through faith alone, for the sake of Christ alone. Faith in Christ by which we are saved is conveyed to us through the Gospel, as again Paul teaches, "faith comes from hearing the message, and message is heard through the word of Christ" (Rom. 10:17). That is to say, the Gospel is the vehicle or means through which God by His Spirit works faith (Rom. 1:16-17). Faith does not come, as we might say today, "out of thin air." God uses His divinely appointed means to impart to us the forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation.
We also believe on the basis of what the Scriptures say concerning Baptism throughout the New Testament that it is a means through which God conveys His saving grace. Lutheran theologians therefore often speak of Baptism as "visible Gospel." God (not human beings) has instituted Baptism (Matt. 28:18-20). He has attached His powerful Gospel to the visible element of water and through this, His work, He unites us with Christ and imparts to us His saving blessings. That Baptism is God's means of imparting His grace is especially clear in Romans 6. St. Paul writes, "Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried there with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father we too might walk in newness of life." The Greek phrase used here, "by baptism," is composed of the preposition dia with the genitive case tou baptismatos. Beyond dispute, grammatically Paul is speaking about Baptism as the instrument through which God incorporates people into Christ and His saving work. It is for this reason that Baptism, in Lutheran theology, is regarded as such a precious treasure.
To be sure, faith alone is the instrument by which we receive the salvation won by Christ. But the Gospel and sacraments (Baptism and the Lord's Supper) are God's instruments through which He engenders saving faith in us--indeed, a miracle. Thus, there is no contradiction between saying faith alone saves, but that this faith comes to us through means or vehicles. We rejoice, therefore, in the words of the apostle who wrote, "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God...." (Eph. 2:8-9), a precious truth made known to us, as St. Paul further says, "through the Gospel" (Eph. 3:6).
If one holds that Baptism is a good work of obedience done by humans, we can understand how one might think that Lutherans teach that faith alone in Christ is not enough. But this is to fundamentally misunderstand, in our view, how the Scriptures everywhere describe Baptism, that is, as a divine, not a human, work. We reject any implication that baptism is a human work, one that we do in order to earn salvation. On the contrary, we hold that the Scriptures teach that Baptism is God's precious gift through which He works to impart His saving grace revealed to us through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, who alone is our Savior. In a word, Baptism is a marvelous testimony to the unmerited grace of God.
Daughterofthe King we know how important baptism is, we also feel salvation is a gift of grace through faith. In Luke 23:43 Jesus told the criminal hanging next to Him, when he confessed Jesus was Lord, that he would be with him in Paradise that day. We believe that one can know the Lord in their last minutes and not have the wonderful gift of baptism available.
As far as doing...if we are saved and have a relationship with Christ we will want to do things for Him...we will do things...some much more than others surely...but...we do that out of love for Him, not as a requirement for eternal life.
I have come across people in my life that believe with all their heart that Jesus died for them but cannot release the binding of the "law"...they feel they can never do enough....when in fact they can't do anything at all...to earn Christ's favor.....He loves us all. When we walk with Him in love and not in "doing" we will do plenty that is pleasing to the message He leaves us with through the power of the Holy Spirit