Bible Discussion Thread

What it means to be in Christ Jesus is to be baptized in the (name) of Jesus, this how we take part in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. after that we receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. this is the beginning of the true church as written in the book of Acts 2:38. there is no other way to be in Christ Jesus. you can't get there any other way. You can't say a sinners prayer, or accept Jesus into your heart, or just confess his name, There is NO Scripture for that anywhere in the Bible. John 10:1Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. Jesus said in John 10:9 I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. Jesus gave Peter the (key) to the door, in Acts 2:38. IT Is the Only way. and to this I say, 2 Timothy 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

All the water in the world cd not redeem man from his sin nature....Only the blood of the lamb can regenerate us...You are made Clean by the word i have spoken unto you...Which is Jesus the living word made flesh and blood...That new covenant...As Jesus was the Living Word made flesh and blood...Remember the thief on the cross was made Clean by hearing his words his voice not water baptism...Its the water of the Word that living water that makes us clean...Which is the H.G. the gift of GOD....That Child of Promise.

.....If thou knewest the gift of God and who it is that ask of thee to drink,.. Thou wd have ask of him and he wd have given you living water not h20...Salvation by water baptism will not quench your thirst for Jesus or the Kingdom....Only that living water which is baptism of the H.G. will quench your thirst for Jesus...

....Even in the O.T. they had to apply Blood to the doorpost they cd not apply WATER to the Doorpost for the remission of sins...

But now under this new covenant the Blood is applied to the Doorposts of our hearts...As its the things that come from the heart of a man that defiles him..Thats y we need an internal baptism which is baptism of the H.G...As there is only 1 baptism of PROMISE which is baptism of the H.G..When Jesus said behold I send the Promise of my Father upon you it was baptism of the H.G...MEANING THEY WERE GONNA BIRTH A LIL CHILD WHICH IS THE H.G. THE Child of PROMISE...Unless you receive the KINGDOM OF GOD as a lil Child you will in no wise enter there in....When he said that which is BORN of the spirit is spirit thats the H.G. OUR NEW INNERMAN that has to be born in us via his seed the Word..Being bornagain via a incorruptible seed etc

....There is only 1 baptism that will give us a new heart and a new spirit.Which is baptism of the H.G...We cannot go and recoup his blood from calvary...Now its transduced to his words thats y he is saying you are made clean by the WORDS I HAVE SPOKEN UNTO YOU...THAT NEW COVNANT...

What a lot of folks don't understand is The Cross, the shedding of Jesus Blood was a New Covenant....A Blood Covenant and nothin can be added to it...When Jesus said its finished that was the New Covenant in his Blood...We cannot add anything to it like circumcision or Water Baptism any kind of a work will make the blood of no effect...We make the BLOOD THAT New Covenant OF NO EFFECT when we preach that Water Baptism can remit sins...Even in the O.T. without the shedding Of BLOOD THERE WAS NO REMISSION OF SINS...Thats y the lord was so upset with Peter he was commanding water baptism....As if the Blood of Jesus was insufficient for the sins of the world. Even Paul was reluctant to water baptise with water ...Paul feared adding anything to the blood of Jesus wd make the blood that new covenant of no effect....Thats y Paul said i thank God that i baptised none of you, Paul knew that nothin can be added to Gods new covenant in JESUS BLOOD.

......Thats y Jesus said John baptised you with water but i will baptise you with the H.G. and fire...Which was the result of his BLOOD...That NEW Covenant...Its kinda like the Mona Liza NO artist is allowed to add their touches...Their carnal mind to the painting...There is nothin on this earth that can be added to that Heavenly Covenant the Cross the Blood of the lamb...Thats y the Lord was scolding Peter saying what i have made clean do call common or unclean by commanding water baptism for the remission of sins...3 times the Lord rebuked Peter with that sheet with all the unclean animals which was the Church that was made clean by the BLOOD not water baptism that Peter was commanding...By commanding water baptism Peter was in essence saying the Blood of that new covenant was insufficient...Thats y the Lord was so upset with Peter telling him 3 times what i have made CLEAN do call common or unclean..Then Peter remembered the words of our Lord..John baptised you with water but i will baptise you with the H.G. AND FIRE, N.C.

Christians get baptized in water as a testimony of being born again. Those who believe God with all their being will be saved by God whether they get baptized in water or not.

Hello Marke, what do you think of this verse?

James 2:19-20

If believing-only is all that is needed, why does this verse appear to contradict that idea? Since satan and demons believe in God does that mean they are "saved" too?

Works do not save. Only believing God will result in salvation. However, faith that does not bear out in evidence is not real faith and cannot save. That is why we are told that faith without works (evidence) cannot save because it is not genuine.

you do need to Believe, but it is not that simple. the word says James 2:17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. James 2:22 Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, ( and by works was faith made perfect? ) James 2:24 Ye see then how that by works (a man is justified, and not by faith only. ) James 2:14 What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? James 2:20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that ( faith without works is dead? ) this is the word of God and not my own opinion. Romans 3:4 God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged

Good works follow salvation but never precede salvation and never produce salvation. Any person claiming to have saving faith without the evidence of good works as fruit is lying or deceived about being saved.

Again I give you scripture, not my own opinion. John 3:5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

In Luke 8:11 the seed is the word of God.

Luke 8:11

Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.

In Eph 6:17 the sword is the word of God.

Ephesians 6:17

And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

In Eph 5:26 the water is the word of God.

Baptism in rainwater does not save but baptism in the Holy Spirit and washing in the water of the word of God does save.

1 Peter 1:23

Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.

Richard, I don't believe that John 3:5 speaks of water baptism, as the verses around it shows. In verse 3, Jesus speaks of a spiritual birth to get into the Kingdom. Verse 4: Nicodemus is thinking, a physical re-birth - an impossibility of course. Verse 6: Jesus clarifies that the 'water' alludes to the physical birth, while the 'spirit' alludes to the spiritual birth.

To make verse 5 mean that one has to be water baptized to be born again is not only inconsistent with the passage, it then raises the matter of carrying out a physical act to accompany 'faith', to bring about salvation; we are saved only by God's Grace through faith & nothing else. To add anything to faith, negates its very meaning. Marke is correct that water baptism is merely an act, after saving faith & reception of the Spirit, demonstrating a personal & public testimony of a change of one's direction & alignment with the merits of Christ's Sacrifice. In those days, such a public demonstration incurred great costs to the new Christian, as even today in countries where the Cross of Christ is despised, something not seen or felt in countries having a Christian foundation.

This I give for you to think upon, If what you believe is correct, Then we have to believe that Acts 2:38 Should be removed from the Bible, and discount the answer that Peter gave to the question in Acts 2:37 Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? I concur that you must believe with all of your heart Just as we see That God sent Philip in acts 8:29 Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot. this is Gods Answer to eunuch, And again I give you scripture, Not my opinion Acts 2:34 Thru 38

34 And the eunuch answered Philip, and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? of himself, or of some other man?

35Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus.

36And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?

37And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.

38And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him. So, If what you say is true we must discount this also. Gods Word is true and we must believe the whole word, If we start picking apart Gods word to fit our own Idea then we have made Gods word of no affect and a lie.

Remember that peter had the keys Acts 2:38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent,( and be baptized every one of you ) in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. I'll be praying for you, you seem to be sincere and I pray God shines his light in your heart . please rememder I do not give my own opinion, Just Gods word

Thank you Richard for your further comments. As you have given Acts 2:37,38 & Acts 8:36,37 in support of 'regenerational baptism', one could also share Acts 3:19, 1 Corinthians 1:17, and Acts 10:44-48, in support of a non-regenerational baptism. The act of water baptism for believers in the Scriptures is never trivialized, but to make it a requirement for salvation, serious questions & arguments can be raised. If Peter could say that repentance & baptism was necessary for salvation, then he ought to have said so again in Acts 3:19, as what he said there ("Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out"), would be false, for water baptism must be mentioned as an 'essential' for the blotting out of sins.

As well, we could think of the many each day that might be turning to Christ, whether in prison, in hospital, in calamities of wars & earthquakes, even on their death bed, with no opportunity to have someone baptize them. What happens here? Have they responded to the Spirit in error & failed of God's Grace by not being baptized & maybe soon to face eternity? And we certainly can't make exceptions to such folk, since 'no baptism = no salvation'.

Water baptism, I understand from reading the Scriptures, was an event that took place very soon after a soul acknowledged his sin & turned to Jesus; in other words, repentance & baptism were almost a single event - if you turned to Christ you immediately were baptized by the preacher/witnessor; the convert expected to be 'dunked' as a witness of his new life. Unfortunately, that baptismal prototype has since deteriorated over the ages, some even using sprinkling & infant baptism as valid forms of it. Much more could be written on this subject, but will leave it for now since our approaches to it & understanding of the Scriptures are seriously divergent.

Amen Brother Richard. Thanks for this scripture, the WORD - is TRUTH, and not complicated.

God Bless.