You said: “Faith without deeds is dead.” This is true, saving faith will naturally produce good fruit (Matthew 7; Galatians 5:16-23; John 15:8).

James teaches that those who are saved by legitimate faith, having received the indwelling Holy Spirit by “believing” in Jesus as Messiah (Ephesians 1:13-14), they will produce divine fruit (Galatians 5:16-23; Romans 7; John 15:8) that validates their faith; note, this is concerning those who have been saved by faith, alone, in Jesus, alone (Romans 4:4-5); that is, having received the indwelling Holy Spirit as Guarantor and Seal of New Covenant promise (Ephesians 1:13-14); therefore, it is a theological imperative that you understand these deeds/works/obedience don’t precede salvation, these works are NOT “causative,” but they are reactionary; in other words, divine fruit that pleases the Father is only produced SUBSEQUENT salvation by faith in Jesus, alone, and that divine fruit is only possible via the anointing of the indwelling Holy Spirit who is ONLY given as a result of legitimate, saving, faith in Jesus (Ephesians 1:13-14; Galatians 5:16). James does NOT teach a works salvation (James 2:14-26); in fact, James teaches the futility of works as salvation in James 2:10..

Water does NOT wash away sin, sins are washed away only by grace (unmerited favor you cannot earn) through faith, belief, in Jesus as your Messiah as only the sinless “blood” of Jesus atones for sin and fulfills the atonement mandates of Leviticus 17:11 (1 Peter 1:18-19) not water or water baptism. Water baptism is an “act” or “work” of obedience that “follows” salvation by grace through faith as commanded in the Great Commission (Matthew 28).

You belong to a works cult and you have been deceived into believing that your act of entering water has washed away your sin, this is heresy as only the blood of Jesus washes away sin (Matthew 26:27-29). You have denied the sole-sufficiency of Jesus to atone for your sin apart from your works, your input, your own self-righteousness; therefore, you remain in your sin, you are on the “broad road” to the second death in Hell. Jesus warned you about this in Genesis 3:21 (Adam’s attempt to cover his shame with fig leaves) and in Matthew 7:21-23.