This is a letter sent with kindness and respect to the First Baptist Church of Jacksonville, FL concerning their inconsistent beliefs regarding salvation and the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This letter was sent and meant to be posted here and read by all. May God bless every reader. Your kind and respectful comments and questions are welcome.
January 24, 2013
To the members and leaders of the First Baptist Church,
Seeing your confession of the deity of Christ and confession of the virgin birth is an encouragement of faith in a world of skepticism. Because of these convictions and your confession of the “Inerrancy and Completeness of Scripture”, I urge you that though one’s labors and works are good Christ may still have something against a church (Rev. 2-3). Let us all be aware. Therefore, I must encourage you to reconsider and look again at some of the words of Jesus Christ and those of His Apostles and prophets. You openly profess your belief that salvation comes by faith, trust, and receiving Jesus as one’s personal Savior before a believer is conformed to the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. I plead with you to rethink this teaching, and may your ministers give themselves wholly to reading, exhortation, and doctrine (1 Tim. 4:13-16). I write this letter by the Apostle Paul’s example of speaking to those, who are seeking God and His Christ.
Here is my plea. With your open confession that 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 is true, you also confess that the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ is the Gospel by which believers are saved. I assume that you also confess the Gospel to be the power of God unto salvation (Rom. 1:16, 1 Cor. 1:18). Please, recognize that believers must conform to Christ’s death to be resurrected with Him (Phil. 3:10-11, Rom. 6:3-8). Why then do you not teach that one must die and be buried with Christ to be resurrected with Him? The Holy Spirit described the saved believer, who was, “Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead” (Col. 2:12). Without being resurrected with Christ, one cannot be brought to life with Christ and forgiven of all sins as Colossians 2:13 states, “And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;” (Col. 2:13). Why do you not openly recognize that being raised with Christ in baptism is when one is forgiven of all sins? The Scriptures show that Jesus died in order that each believer must die to one’s sins, and that by being buried with Christ, that believer can be raised with Him and be forgiven of all of one’s sins. Why then do you believe that one is saved before dying, being buried, and resurrected with Christ? Why place baptism after salvation when Jesus said, “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned” (Mark 16:16)?
This is a misleading belief to overlook that one is saved when raised with Jesus Christ. Instead of teaching a believer to be saved when one is resurrected with Christ, your words are clear from your tract, “Life’s Greatest Question”, that you believe that you are saved when you trusted in Christ before you have died, been buried, and resurrected with Him. In teaching others how to become a Christian, your tract comes short stating, “only through trusting in Christ’s payment can our sins be forgiven. That means from the moment we trust in Christ, God sees us not as sinners but justified (just as if we had never sinned)” (emp. added. <fbcjax.com> 22 January 2013). You are not clear and do not indicate that this trust is when one conforms to Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection. Yet, you also provide a “Spiritual Birth Certificate”, which states for when one has “received Jesus as my personal Savior and Lord” rather than when one is raised with Christ from being buried with Him in baptism. When you confess that believer’s baptism is a conformation to the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ in your tract, why do you place baptism after salvation?
When are we truly saved by grace? Let us not misapply God’s grace. Being dead to sin, Christians are alive and their souls are hid in Jesus Christ (Col. 3:1-3). Those who have not died with Christ and have not yet been raised with Him are still dead and are not yet saved. Christ’s Spirit states, “Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:” (Eph. 2:5-6). God’s grace is when we are raised with Christ. Therefore, grace is “not of yourselves” (Eph. 2:8), but in the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. Therefore, we cannot boast (Eph. 2:9). Baptism is not a work invented by men, and no one baptizes oneself. If you so believed in grace through one’s conformation to Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection, would you not instruct immediate baptism upon confession of faith and repentance? Were not the converts of the Book of Acts all baptized immediately? Why baptize immediately if baptism can wait until another time? Should you not also instruct others, “And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord” (Acts 22:16)? Should you not inform these believers saying, “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” (Acts 2:38)?
You are right to confess belief in “The Bodily Resurrection of Jesus from the Grave” ( 22 January 2013). Yet, you are not confessing the resurrection of Jesus Christ through your baptism when you believe that you have already been saved by His grace implying that you have already been resurrected with Him? Do you not see that the scriptures teach that one is raised with Jesus after being buried with Him in baptism (Rom. 6:3-8)? Does not Colossians 2:12-13 teach clearly that when one is raised from the burial of baptism “through faith” that this person then has the forgiveness of all sins (Col. 2:12-13, cf. 3:1-11)?
By placing salvation before the believer’s death, burial, and resurrection with Christ, I find that you are twisting Jesus’ words about being born of the water and the Spirit to exclude the baptism that Jesus commanded after His resurrection (John 3:5, cf. 1 Cor. 6:11, Titus 3:5). Yet, rising from the waters of baptism is the moment when the believer is reborn and regenerated. Peter affirmed, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,” (1 Pet. 1:3, cf. 1:22-23). How are believers begotten by God by the resurrection of Christ? Peter affirmed, “The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the request of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ:” (1 Pet. 3:21). This is my plea to you in short.
For good measure so that my plea does not come short, note that this baptism is water baptism in Jesus’ name. As you recognize the Scriptures, Jesus established baptism in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit after His resurrection (Matt. 28:19). This baptism is the baptism in Jesus’ name taught on the Day of Pentecost after Jesus’ ascension (Acts 2:38). The baptism in Jesus’ name is baptism in water (Acts 11:47-48). This is the one baptism by which Jesus washes His Church by water (Eph. 4:5, 5:26). This is the baptism taught in 1 Corinthians 12:13 when one is baptized into one body, the Church, by the one Spirit (cf. “body” in Eph. 5:23, Col. 1:18, 24). First Corinthians 1:11-13 show that this is the one baptism in Jesus’ name and 1 Corinthians 6:11 shows this baptism to be the moment when the believer is washed, sanctified, and justified in Jesus’ name. We also see that the Lord adds believers to His Church rather than men consenting to add others to a church (Acts 2:41, 47).
Therefore, I must remind you. Jesus said, “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven” (Matt. 7:21, cf. Heb. 5:9, Jas. 2:24). After the resurrection, Jesus commanded in Matthew 28:19, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:”.
Please, consider the claimed Baptist founder, Thomas Helwys, who wrote repeatedly about salvation and baptism. Helwys wrote in his book, “The Mystery of Iniquity” (1612),
“And therefore please not yourselves so much in those things, although we acknowledge they are worthy of great commendations in you, and our souls are much affected to you for them. But if you follow not Christ in the regeneration, that is, if you be not ‘born again of water and of the Spirit, and so enter into the kingdom of heaven,’ all is nothing, as you see by the example of this ruler. And Cornelius (Acts 10), if he had not been baptized with the Holy Ghost and with water, for all his prayers and alms he had not, nor could not have entered into the kingdom of heaven.
Thus entered all the people of God of whose entrance the scriptures give testimony, either by rule or by example, and thereof if there be any other entrance found out, it is not, nor cannot be of God. This only is the door which Jesus Christ has set open for all to enter in at, that enter into his kingdom. (John 3:5) And the Lord sanctify all your hearts with grace that you may enter therein. For no other way of salvation has Christ appointed but that men first believe and be baptized. (Mark 16:16).”
Therefore, listen also to the famous Baptist preacher, Charles Spurgeon, who noted in his lesson, “Baptism – A Burial” (October 30, 1881),
“Baptism sets forth the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ, and our participation therein. Its teaching is twofold. First, think of our representative union with Christ, so that when he died and was buried it was on our behalf, and we were thus buried with him. This will give you the teaching of baptism so far as it sets forth a creed. We declare in baptism that we believe in the death of Jesus, and desire to partake in all the merit of it. But there is a second equally important matter and that is our realized union with Christ which is set forth in baptism, not so much as a doctrine of our creed as a matter of our experience. There is a manner of dying, of being buried, of rising, and of living in Christ which must be displayed in each one of us if we are indeed members of the body of Christ. […]
We are buried with him in baptism unto death to show that we accept him as being for us dead and buried. […]
His death is the hinge of our confidence: we are not baptized into his example, or his life, but into his death. We hereby confess that all our salvation lies in the death of Jesus, which death we accept as having been incurred on our account.”
In conclusion of my plea, I urge you by the name of Christ to reconsider your beliefs and teachings concerning salvation, baptism, and the Gospel of Christ in the light of the inerrant and complete Scriptures. Remember “He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me” (John 14:23). I welcome your response. I am willing to reconsider in all honesty. I plan to present this as an open letter. You can contact me at ScottJon82[at]yahoo.com or if you prefer by mail.
May God bless you all in the study of His Word,
Scott Shifferd Jr., minister, Dean Road church of Christ in Jacksonville, FL
Adam,
“Practicing truth is a physical thing, is it not?” Isn’t the physical thing to which you are referring a “work of righteousness?” If not then what is a “work of righteousness?”
Practicing truth can be a physical thing, but the physical performance does not justify. What does the NT say about this? Romans 9:32
Wherefore? Because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumblingstone;
Here’s where it gets tricky. We try to produce the “physical thing” as if proves the we have faith, yet anyone can produce the physical thing without any faith at all. It does not take faith to perform the physical thing. It can be achieved through the use of fear, self discipline, obligation, etc., which are not products of faith. Practical Christianity is not a bad thing, but it does not prove ones mind is in the right place.
I actually had a rather lengthy response to this but the computer decided to go wacky on me. Anyway… I’ll hit the main points I was trying to make…
I see you have a tendency to divorce the physical and spiritual as if they’re totally separate. Indeed they can be, but the Bible shows a third relationship, the physical and spiritual working together. This is where James chapter 2 comes in for me. It talks of faith not being complete without the physical. I think we can all agree that God would not be satisfied with something He considers incomplete faith.
We are physical beings, and we can really only understand spiritual things in the form of the physical. This is why 1 Peter 3:21 goes into details that baptism is not “about” the physical (not the removal of dirt from the flesh), but rather it is our way of making an appeal to God. In other words, baptism in and of itself is just getting wet, just a physical act. However, baptism combined with a person’s faith becomes an appeal to God, almost literally a prayer. The physical and spiritual working together and not against each other. I think this is the point God is making in the Word.
In no way can we work enough, or be good enough, to merit salvation. Anyone who would rely on their baptism as a work of righteousness that saved them is simply wrong and would contradict everything we stand for. Quite simply, the reliance is on Jesus, the baptism is our physical response of obedient faith, and the spiritual is being placed in Jesus (Galatians 3:27), for salvation.
I hope this helps.
Exactly. Excellent comment.
“No assumption about baptism being in water. You know that Acts 10:43, 47-48 says. You are in denial and complete disregard for the Spirit’s revelation in Acts 10.”
You can pick apart and analyze every word in the text and still miss the message. The bottom line is that the NT is a Spiritual Covenant and putting a physical action as that which puts one into Spiritual Kingdom is inconsistent with new covenant principles.
The fact that the Spirit indwells and directly communicates and influences the heart and mind of the believer is something you deny and this fact alone contaminates everything you promote about NT Christianity. I have given you plenty of scriptural evidence that God works apart from the text and you continue to deny it. You depend on your own mind of flesh to reveal spiritual truth and it leads you astray and keeps you spiritually disconnected from God. And then you try to convince the Baptists of their folly.
Adam, I do agree with some of what you say. However, the spiritual determines the physical and is an effect of the spiritual. The new covenant is based in “cause” and not “effect.” This does not mean that the effect is meaningless. It is a natural effect of the work of the Spirit. Read Romans 8. We should not have to use effort to do those physical things that reflect the faith that precedes it. And the NT makes it clear that human effort is not a factor in our salvation. Romans 9:16
It does not, therefore, depend on human desire or effort, but on God’s mercy.
Ephesians 2:8
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—
Water baptism requires physical effort. Therefore it is disqualified as that which invokes salvation. However baptism from the Spirit is effortless and would be the natural gift that God bestows upon us by giving us His new presence within us as our new guide apart from text. This should be self evident.
At this point it is no longer we who do the work but it is God who does the work in us. This transformation of mind now gives us two methods of going through life, flesh and Spirit. We need the flesh (and the mind of flesh) to carry out our practical duties, such our jobs and other duties non-related to the Spirit. But we now have a New Source for our Spiritual lives, and this is the Spirit within us and not just the written text, as the coC seems to think.
You said, “We are physical beings, and we can really only understand spiritual things in the form of the physical.”
I totally disagree with this. In our flesh we can only understand fleshly ideas. (Read Romans 8, it explains this beautifully.) However, we have a Spiritual aspect to our inner being that has become dormant and overpowered by the flesh. This is what awakens as we become transformed of mind. Then we can live from His Spirit within us as a guide and master of our lives. this is not to say that the scriptures are meaningless, but we now have a new way to serve God.
Romans 7:6
But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code.
“We should not have to use effort to do those physical things that reflect the faith that precedes it.”
I think this contradicts 1 John chapter 1 as well as James chapter 2. The faith must be made complete by physical action. Without it, faith is useless, dead.
“And the NT makes it clear that human effort is not a factor in our salvation.”
I think it’s more accurate to say that the NT makes it clear that we cannot earn or merit salvation through our own acts, but I think it’s very clear that we must act on our faith, and there are so many examples in the Bible to illustrate this concept.
As it concerns the rest of your post, I’m worried that you seem to think the scriptures are only a secondary source of information and that you rely primarily on this inner spiritual awakening you have experienced. I could rattle off several scriptures showing us how vital the word is, but I’m sure you already know where I’m going with that.
“Romans 7:6
But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code.”
Context is extremely important as I’m sure you would agree with. What is the context here? Also, I don’t believe in the Word being inconsistent or contradicting itself so we have to come to terms with what the scriptures are saying, the one voice of God.
The whole book of Romans is indeed very interesting and filled with lots of “meaty” verses and concepts. Much of Romans deals with Jews who think they’re superior because of the Law, so Paul launches into a diatribe against those thought processes. Basically, Paul’s point is that there is no law, whether that of a code of man, or the Old Covenant law that could ever save a man’s soul. He’s obviously right, I agree with that. There is nothing anyone could ever physically do to be saved. Salvation ONLY comes from Jesus Christ. Paul is telling us that ALL of us, whether Jew or Gentile, were once bound to fleshy things (pointing the finger at Jews especially), but that Jesus Christ leveled the playing field, so to speak, and that we are all TO BE bound (as one, united) by the Spirit of Christ because all of the laws out there actually separate us, whereas Christ unites us.
Caps for emphasis only. Not yelling. :-)
Romans 7 is in no way relegating the Word of God to a letter, law, or code. No way, the Word is God revealed to us! The Word IS Christ! To live by the Word is to live by the Spirit, they are joined together, again one voice of God. It’s not “legalism” to practice the truth, it’s only legalism when you start injecting your own ideas of “law” apart from the Word, which is what the Pharisees were guilty of.
What concerns me is that the coC theology seems to be void of anything mystical and that everything is based upon logical and practical principles. The Spiritual world is based upon mystical principles and in which God works within our mind and heart independent from written instructions. This is validated through the Bible, yet seems to be ignored by those in the coC. The Bible has it’s place in the whole process of spiritual development but as we develop (spiritually) our dependence on the written text should diminish.
Romans 8 says nothing about the words of the Spirit as being the same as the Spirit. “The Word” is not the same as “The Spirit.” These two term are NOT interchangeable. If Paul wanted us to live solely by the words don’t you think he would have made this clear? Romans 8 and many other passages state that we are to live from God’s Spirit within us and not from a list of commands.
You said, “I think this contradicts 1 John chapter 1 as well as James chapter 2. The faith must be made complete by physical action. Without it, faith is useless, dead.”
This is true, but under NT principles our physical action is generated by God’s Spirit within us and not from human effort. Human effort is from the flesh and is unacceptable as a means by which we generate good works.
Paul strongly admonished the Galatians for turning back to law after they supposedly has transformed into the Spirit. He then make a statement that should give every scriptural Christian a wake-up call. He said, Galatians 4:19
“My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you,” So Paul is stating that there is pre-formation of Christ in the believer and post-formation of Christ in the believer. It appears to me that your form of worship is that of the pre-formation of Christ as you still look for written commands to produce you Christian actions and use the biblical text as your only guide because either you don’t believe that God influences and guides you personally by His direct presence in your heart, or Christ has not been formed in you as of yet.
Anyone can follow the NT commands without one ounce of faith or Spiritual presence within them. It’s a matter of following instructions, which is based upon personal competence, self discipline and desire or fear, none of which are acceptable as tools toward obedience. They are virtuous in practice but are not the same as the work that is a result of God’s Spirit within the heart of the believer.
I hope some of these truths help you to see the difference between the Spirit and the scriptural text.
Jesus said, “The words that I speak to you are spirit and life” (John 6:63). “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom” (Col. 3:16).
It appears we will not find common ground on this topic, sir.
“The Bible has it’s place in the whole process of spiritual development but as we develop (spiritually) our dependence on the written text should diminish.”
On the contrary, I believe as we develop, we should become MORE dependent on His Word. You have no basis to make such a statement. Plus, it troubles me that you’re essentially accusing me of lack of faith or spirituality simply because I believe in adherence to His Word. You will find that the Word is the most important thing there is, everything is centered on it. The Word is the power of God, you will remember that He spoke us into existence. The Word is Christ, the Word came from men inspired by the Holy Spirit. The Word is truth, and the Father, the Son and Spirit are all in agreement. How could one go wrong with 100% reliance on that?
I pray for all of us, for more understanding…
Jesus’ words do not have the ability to automatically impart life. The essence of John 6:63 is about “spiritually” understanding His words. One cannot intellectually & literally process His words and expect to understand their meaning.
John 5:38-40
38 And ye have not his word abiding in you: for whom he hath sent, him ye believe not.
39 Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.
40 And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.
Adam, I respect where you are coming from as I spent many years believing as you.
However I think that it’s real easy to get caught up in the letter of the NT text to the detriment of the Spirit. As I’ve said before, one can mechanically follow the text to the tee and still remain spiritually asleep. Adherence to the letter of the text is not the same as adherence to His Spirit. How many verses have I shown you that state that we are to live according to the Spirit and not just the text? I think you have made the mistake of thinking that the “Word” is the “text” of the Bible and it simply is not true. The NT also makes it clear that His Word is to dwell in our hearts. He never says that that His Words are to dwell in our intellect. You have made no such distinction. I would be interested to know your thoughts on this and the difference between the two.
Scott does not seem interested in a dialogue with me, which is fine. The Baptist church has not responded to Scott’s plea, so I guess it’s a double edged sword.
Hey Scott, did the Jacksonville Baptist Church respond to your letter?
Sadly, no. Yet, more than a thousand have read it. At least 100 readers were local and interested in this church, because they were referred to the letter from the local newspaper, the Jacksonville Times. With such good results from another letter to the North Jacksonville Baptist Church, I thought that this would be a challenge and worth a try. My site recently lost influence in Google’s search engine or I think the results would have been different. I’ll have to find another approach online. Yet, this letter may rise in ranking in the next few months. I have a previous article that did. Thank you for engaging in this conversation.
An associate pastor has contacted me to talk. Pray that the discussion is fruitful. God bless.
sir if I am not mistaken you believe in your statement of faith that prayer requests must be made to Christ and Christ only.
No. There is nothing here to indicate such. My only prayers to Christ are for praise and thanks. My requests are made known to God the Father with the intercession of the Spirit and Christ.
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In recent discussion with the associate minister at the First Baptist Church, we have come to a point. He notes that baptism is certainly vital and that one is raised with Christ from being dying and being buried with Christ. These are good and positive notes among some other affirmation that he has made. Yet, he still finds that one is regenerated when one first comes to believe by the work of the Spirit rather than when one is raised with Christ in the completion of faith in the death, burial, and resurrection.
Does anyone have any suggested verses that would clarify either way that one’s new life begins when one is raised with Christ and when one first believes (i.e. Eph. 2:5-6, Rom. 6:4)?
Regeneration has to do with the “transformation of mind” and “new understanding” that did not exist prior to regeneration (Rom. 12:2). Are you suggesting that only when you raised from water did this new understanding occur in your heart and mind? Please explain what you understood (post immersion) that you did not understand prior to immersion? Transformation of mind comes in the form of an epiphany and not a logical conclusion. It is God giving us understanding that we cannot produce from strictly using analytical and logical processes.
Not sure you have a grip on the purpose of regeneration.
Good question. Does your relationship and mind transform after saying marriage vows? Does your commitment strengthen and your love is confirmed? Does that change anything or in the wedding vow useless?
In like manner, when we are united with Christ in baptism (Rom. 6:4-6), then our conformation to the death, burial, and resurrection is confirmed in our hearts. From here, Romans 6 and Colossians 3 makes the case that we set our mind. It is our decision to set our minds on the things above and on the Spirit of Christ (Col. 3:1-2, Rom. 8:5-6).
“Does your relationship and mind transform after saying marriage vows?” NO! Not at all! The vows do not create the love that the vows express. Even w/o saying the vows my love for my wife already existed. There is nothing transforming in the vows. The vows are the effect and a reflection of the relationship that has already been established.
Faith is transforming, immersion is not. Otherwise you would have new understanding and a regenerated mind “ONLY” after emerging from the waters. This simply is not the case. You’ve put the cart ahead of the horse.
So you were committed to your wife before she was wife for life? Were you committed to always be with her before your vows? Did you confirm your love to her as your spouse before she was your spouse? Were you one flesh before marriage? Would you really love her if you refuse to say those vows? Something is transforming about the vows because before them you were not married and you had not confessed to wed her before her and before God as witnesses.
Immersion in Christ’s name is of faith and by faith (Gal. 3:26-27). We believe, and therefore we are baptized (Mark 16:16). From baptism, we are raised with Christ by grace (Col. 2:12-13, Eph. 2:4-6).
It is the love that caused us to be take our vows. Love is transforming, the vows are not. You seem to be mixing up the “inner” and “outer” aspects of relationship.
I’m very concerned that you are placing the outer expression of something as that which causes transformation. You seem to have a problem with the placement of “cause” and “effect.”
Yes, I make no man-made separation between inner and outer expressions of love. My spirit and actions are one.
But your actions do not prove your faith. Anyone can have proper actions w/o the presence of faith. You’re missing the point. You are justified at the point of faith and not by a physical act. Read Romans 4.
“So you were committed to your wife before she was wife for life?” ABSOLUTELY! “Were you committed to always be with her before your vows?” ABSOLUTELY! “Did you confirm your love to her as your spouse before she was your spouse?” ABSOLUTELY! Spiritually speaking .she was already my spouse. Nothing changed inwardly after the vows. “Were you one flesh before marriage?” ABSOLUTELY! “Would you really love her if you refuse to say those vows?” ABSOLUTELY!
Scott, I am astounded that you are putting more emphasis on the outer superficial aspects of personal relationship. And yet I’m not surprised because of the value you place the outer practical aspects of Christianity. NT Christianity is based upon inner transformative values This is the very problem that Jesus had with the Pharisees. They were more concerned with the outer than the inner.
Well said Phil! So true. As the apostle Paul wrote, “Look not at the seen, but the unseen!”
Scott really does not see the unseen reality. He is so bound to the outward, physical act of water baptism that he is blind to the invisible reality of the baptism of the Spirit. As when Peter preached Jesus to Cornelius and his household, the baptism of the Spirit occurred BEFORE they were baptized in water. Water baptism is a picture of the real, it is not the real. Just like the Lord’s Supper is a picture of the real, it is not the real.
Wrong, we must be born of the water and the Spirit. Neither Peter nor Cornelius disregarded baptism in Jesus’ name for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 10:43, 47-48). Be aware of your hard hearts.
When you separate the Spirit from your actions in this world, you have made the Gospel useless and you disregard that Christ must have physically and outwardly have died, been buried, and raised to be victorious of the physical and spirit death that plagues man.
“When you separate the Spirit from your actions in this world, you have made the Gospel useless…”
The Spirit does indeed produce action, but action does not prove faith or love. The action is an effect of faith, it is not the cause of faith. You are confused on the difference.
Spiritual regeneration is caused by faith, not by immersion in water. Your reasoning would be the same as suggesting that the vows produce the love that a man and woman share. Spiritual regeneration happens at the level of faith and not at the level of physical water.
Your hyper-focus on a couple of verses contaminates the essence of message of faith that is the foundation of NT Christianity. You are essentially putting action as that which saves and this is contrary to NT principles. You are assigning OT principles to NT teaching.