Jesus is the only way.

[Thanda]

If one MUST be baptized with water to enter the kingdom, as you claim ...
... What about the Thief on the Cross? Was Jesus just blowing smoke at him? ('Sorry, you were not baptized, so Jesus will NOT be seeing you in paradise like he said.')
... What about death-bed conversions? Are they disqualified from forgiveness because that are unable to go and be immersed?

It may seem like I am nit picking here, or offering silly "what if's".
That is not actually the case.
I have only ever gotten truly angry at someones Christian theology once.
A group of 'Church of Christ' (whatever the heck they believe) members had reduced a young believer to near tears because they had convinced him that he had been baptized improperly and was, therefore, unsaved and going to hell.
Whatever righteousness they may have had (and that is debatable), there was clearly no love present in that Conquest.

God is bigger than petty formulas or quick incantations to ward off hell.
I am not hating on 'commandments'
I am merely compelled by 'love' ... and I strongly recommend it to anyone.

"If ye love me, keep my commandments."

In other scriptures God has said the His thoughts are not our thoughts. So as long as we live on this Earth and still consider ourselves imperfect then we should always be ready and willing to keep the commandments of God. Jesus didn't miss a single feast - yet he had more love than any other man ever had. He even got baptized even though he had no sin - just so that he could fulfill all righteousness. To his disciples Jesus said "Follow me". Now how can we follow Jesus unless we are willing to keep all God commandments?

Having said that, God is not petty. If a man trusts in him God will provide a way for him to keep all his commandments.
For example, as to you question about people who die without baptism but are righteous in heart we have the following scripture in Corinthians 15:29 - Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? why are they then baptized for the dead?

As for the honest in heart who never had a chance to accept the Gospel in this life we have the following scriptures in 1 Peter. In Chapter 3:

18 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:

19 By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison;

20 Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.
​

And in Chapter 4:6 -

For for this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.​

 

[BilliardsBall]

This is from personal experience, or what? What evidence do you have of this?

Anecdotal, checking in on the last few hundred people I saw baptized (and unbaptized). Because baptism is a step of personal obedience.