Various churches claim Christ show that most members do not agree many times with their party’s beliefs. That is why I find it is so important to ask everyone how they were saved and how they went from lost to saved, because the answer differs between members of the same churches. In the Christian Scriptures, salvation is always the same.
Of these groups, most believe that baptism is essential to be save, because it is a command and example of Jesus Christ. Many of these members also believe that the exact moment of salvation is at some kind of baptism.
What does the Bible have to say? Some profess that they are saved by a spiritual baptism like “accepting Jesus into one’s heart” or saying “the sinner’s prayer.” However, these are not found in the New Testament. There are those of the charismatic groups that believe that salvation is by the baptism of the Holy Spirit, and these believe that there are at least two baptisms needed for salvation rather than one. Most Bible-believers find that baptism is essential and the exact point of salvation. What does the Bible show is the exact moment of salvation?
According to the Scriptures, there is “one baptism” (Eph 4:5). Only one baptism is essential though there are more than one baptism in the Bible. The idea of needing Holy Spirit baptism for salvation is not in the Scriptures. The simplest refutation of this misunderstanding is that the church at Rome did not all have the baptism of the Holy Spirit and yet they had the Spirit and they were saved (Rom 1:11; 8:9, 24). This is simply an undeniable fact. However, they had Christ within them. There is only one baptism that is essential to salvation and the baptism of the Holy Spirit is not that baptism. The baptism of the Holy Spirit was essential to the establishment of the church, the revelation of Scriptures, and helping Christians to understand the one baptism (Eph 3:3–5).
Which baptism is essential? Ephesians 4:5 specifies that there is one baptism and Christ’s Spirit referred to this one baptism in Ephesians,
Even as Christ also loved the church, and gave Himself up for it; that He might sanctify it, having cleansed it by the washing of water with the word, that He may present the church to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. (Eph 5:25–27)
What is the one baptism in water? In Ephesians, the Spirit revealed through Paul that there is one baptism — “the washing of water with the word.” The one baptism is water baptism. This passage also shows that this is how Christ cleansed, sanctified, and made the Church to not have spot or wrinkle and to be without blemish. Christ washes the believers with water. The work is not of the believer. No one baptizes oneself.
Which water baptism is essential? There are two baptisms in water in the New Testament Scriptures. One baptism is from John for repentance and the other baptism is from Christ. Only one baptism is in water and essential to followers of Christ. In Acts 22:16, Ananias exhorted Paul, “And now why do you wait? Rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on His name.” Peter declared, “Baptism now saves you” (1 Pet 3:21). This is the one baptism that washes away sins. In Acts 2:38, Peter commanded, “Be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ unto the forgiveness of your sins.” Baptism in the name of the Lord is in water. Peter proclaimed in Acts 10:47–48, “Can any man forbid the water, that these should not be baptized, who have received the Holy Spirit as well as we? And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.” Why would no one forbid? Why was this baptism immediate? Because “forgiveness of sins is to be received through His name” (Acts 10:43; cf. 1 Cor 6:11).
This one baptism is the baptism of the Great Commission to all the world. Jesus commanded, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,” (Matt 28:19). Clearly, this is the one water baptism unto the remission of sins. According to Mark, Jesus instructed, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned” (Mark 16:15–16). Lastly, this baptism is always for believers and not infants who are safe being of the kingdom of heaven. This baptism is a burial in water and not a pouring or sprinkling (Acts 8:38–39; Rom 6:4–6; Col 2:12–13). Baptism means immersion or dunking from the New Testament Greek word baptizo as the Greek churches know this well. There is the only baptism that the believer needs be buried with Christ and rise to salvation. Baptism is how believer enter into Christ’s church (Acts 2:41, 47; 1 Cor 12:13). Baptism in Jesus’s name is the one baptism.
Seeing God's Breath 
Baptist Roots Call for the Reformation of Baptist Beliefs
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Reblogged this on Seeing God's Breath.
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Scott, you said, “Christians imitate character and virtue. Every New Testament command has a virtuous principle behind it. Therefore, we define virtues, which are principles, by God’s commands and examples defining these commands. Defining examples need no specific citations, because the New Testament is filled with these.” Here is the article, “The Truth about Pattern Theology“.
There is a place for imitation in the life of the new Christian, but our higher quest is to be made “new.” An imitation is not new, it’s…well, an imitation. At some point in our Christian walk we are to become a new creation and not an imitation. An imitation is not new even though it looks new on the surface. Well, the superficial is not a place that a NT Christian ends his journey towards renewal.
Matthew 9:17
Neither do people pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.”
2 Corinthians 5:17
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!
Galatians 6:15
Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is the new creation.
Ephesians 4:23-24
23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
Colossians 3:10
and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.
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Nice twist of scripture from imitating Christ to being an imitation of Christ.
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Scott, I honestly don’t know what to say to you. You deny anything except your intellectual understanding of the text. You approach a Spiritual process from an intellectual mindset and it leads you astray, and leaves you scratching your head about what others say they understand. It’s really not my problem. If you don’t find my belief in Christ, His life or His words then that is your problem. I find your system of Bible study flawed from the beginning. You approach the NT like a lawyer would approach the Constitution, and it leaves you spiritually asleep. You approach the NT conceptually and then it reveals Christ as nothing more than a concept, and not The Living Christ. Your methodology addresses the “form” of the NT Christian when the NT teaches that “content” is that which is paramount. Personal obedience and water baptism are works that are done in form but do not reveal content.
You conceptualize the salvation process by promoting a 5 step plan, a process that make one a Christian about as much as numbers painting makes one an artist. I just disagree with your whole attitude toward salvation and relationship with Christ. It’s all pro-action based, mechanical, conceptual and lacks the spiritual surrender that is the essence of NT Christianity. It’s all about your competency to obey the letter of the NT and little about the competency of God’s Spirit within you.
2 Corinthians 3:
4 Such confidence we have through Christ before God. 5 Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. 6 He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant —not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
Out job is to “die.” God’s Job is to “do.” He does it by means of His Spirit in us. How many scriptures can I quote that endorse this? many, many! Just ask and I’ll prove it.
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Phil,
You slander. Bear false witness. Claim I speak of a 5 step plan? You haven’t given one word from Christ to support your invented theology.
Jesus said, “The words that I speak to you are spirit and life” (John 6:63).
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You don’t speak a five step plan of salvation??? Are you backing off on that?
I’ve given plenty of evidence of the fact that the way of salvation is through dying to self. Everything else I speak of is a result of this. Does the bible have to spell everything out in order for it to be true? If so please show me where.
What part don’t you understand and I’ll be glad to walk you through it. Your lack of spiritual understanding is concerning. Do you not see anything but commands?
Please point out my slander. I need specific examples. If you don’t point them out then I will assume that you pulled this accusation from something other than truth. Please point out my slander or please retract this accusation.
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Another loaded and slanderous question, “Do you not see anything but commands?” You haven’t read my writings. I believe that principles and virtues are defined by commands, which commands are defined by examples.
October 11, 20011, I wrote, “Christians imitate character and virtue. Every New Testament command has a virtuous principle behind it. Therefore, we define virtues, which are principles, by God’s commands and examples defining these commands. Defining examples need no specific citations, because the New Testament is filled with these.” Here is the article, “The Truth about Pattern Theology“.
You should read this article too: “Pattern Theology: When Christians Must Observe Biblical Examples“
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Interesting you cite 1 John 3:24. One can know that God dwells in them and they in God. Why? Because He has given us of His Spirit. The Greek word for “given” here is didwmi. In Acts 15:8 the same Greek word is used (didwmi) when Peter describes that the Gentiles were “given” the Holy Spirit before they were water baptized. Thus God dwelt in them and they in God before their water baptism.
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Again, you are making the general giving of the Spirit to fit into your specific interpretation of giving the Spirit and pouring the Spirit to mean the baptism of the Spirit.
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Anyone who has received the Spirit knows that they have. It is a new level of consciousness that is hard to explain. The bible does not have to be the means by which this is proved. The Spirit moves a person toward understanding that is beyond the intellectual process that we tend to use while processing words of scripture. Life is bigger than the words that describe it. Likewise, the Spiritual Truth is beyond any words that can describe it’s presence.
Don’t underestimate the power of the Spirit moving the person beyond what they intellectually know.
1 Corinthians 2:9
However, as it is written: “What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived” — the things God has prepared for those who love him—
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So true Phil. The Spirit is the power of a new life.
1 John 3:24 was cited by Scott. It teaches that we can know that He abides in us because the Spirit was “given” to us (cf. 1 John 4:13). The Greek word is didwmi. Well that is the same word Peter uses in Acts 15:8 (cf. Acts 11:17) in describing how the Gentiles were “given” (didwmi) the Holy Spirit before they were water baptized.
Thus they were abiding in God before they were water baptized.
It’s so simple. To deny this is really resisting what is being taught.
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Phil, I don’t find your belief in Christ, His life or His words. I do not find this in the life and the words of the Apostles and prophets. Do you not have one thought from Christ to prove your these ideas you promote or are you simply speculating errors?
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Saying that everyone is to be baptized by the Spirit is to say that everyone must be baptized by fire in Hell. We can be filled with the Spirit without being baptized by the Spirit.
“And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire” (Matt. 3:10-12).
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Everyone is either baptized with the Holy Spirit or baptized with fire.
If a person has been baptized with the Holy Spirit they are saved.
If a person has not been baptized with the Holy Spirit this proves that they are unsaved and will one day experience the baptism with fire.
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You understand well. “He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” How do you know that the baptism of the Spirit is for all? Are there other scriptures that you would refer? Titus 3:6 is much noted and I will keep that in mind.
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I posted this on May 30th.
The following terms synonymously describe what the Holy Spirit does only once to a person upon being saved/entering the NT Church (the filling of the Holy Spirit can occur again, Acts 9:17; Acts 13:9). Those in Acts 2:4 were already saved but it was this event that placed them into the NT Church.
a. Fell (Acts 8:16; 10:44; 11:15)
b. Poured (Acts 10:45; Titus 3:6)
c. Received (Acts 2:38; 8:17; 10:47)
d. Baptized (Acts 1:5; 11:16)
e. Filled (11:17; 15:8 cf. Acts 2:4)
f. Given (Acts 8:18; 11:17; 15:8)
g. Came (Acts 19:6)
h. Sealed (Ephesians 1:13)
Acts 2:4; 2:38; 8:16-18; 11:16; 19:6 all refer to being baptized with the Holy Spirit. Where one of the above in the list occurs all others can be said to happen as well (see the exception though for filling which can occur again).
1 Corinthians 12:13; Romans 6:3; Galatians 3:27 and Colossians 2:12 all refer to being baptized with the Holy Spirit. This is the “one baptism” of Ephesians 4:5.
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Have you received the Holy Spirit since you believed????
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To see how the baptism of the Holy Spirit was not permanent and necessary for salvation, read the article, “The Gift of the Holy Spirit“.
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“The Gift of the Holy Spirit – True Beliefs of the Restoration Movement”
“Born of Water and the Spirit = Baptism in Jesus’ Name?”
“Be Filled with the Holy Spirit“
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A ton of verbiage but once again Titus 3:6 is ignored. I’m not surprised.
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Titus 3:6 is addressed. You claim that the Gift of the Spirit is only poured out in the baptism of the Holy Spirit (Acts 10:45, 11:15-16). Yet, Acts 8 shows that those men and women who were baptized in Jesus’ name (Acts 8:12, 16) had not received the Holy Spirit, who had not yet fallen on them (Acts 8:15-16) until the Apostles laid hands on them. Therefore, instead of the baptism of the Spirit, the Apostles came, prayed, and laid hands on them to give the Holy Spirit (Acts 8:14-20).
Yet, the Spirit was poured out in Acts 2:17-18 for which the multitude heard (Acts 2:33), and Peter said, “Repent, and every one of you must be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the release of sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38). What gift of the Holy Spirit came after the baptism in Jesus’ name? This is the same as in Acts 10:45, “the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the nations also”, which was before baptism in Jesus’ name (10:47-48).
Acts 8 shows the Gift of the Spirit being given after baptism in Jesus’ name without the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Would this had also have happened in Acts 2:38ff? Acts 10 shows the baptism of the Holy Spirit had not occurred since the Apostles when Acts 11:15 states, “the Holy Spirit fell upon them, as upon us at the beginning”.
The baptism of the Spirit was not for everyone. Baptism in Jesus’ name is for everyone being embedded in the Great Commission to make disciples of all the nations (Matt. 28:18-20). “[E]very one of you must be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the release of sins” (Acts 2:38). This baptism was established in the resurrection of Christ. This baptism is the one baptism (Eph. 4:5). This includes the washing of regeneration and the renewing of the Holy Spirit poured out on us (Titus 3:5).
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The following terms synonymously describe what the Holy Spirit does only once to a person upon being saved/entering the NT Church (the filling of the Holy Spirit can occur again, Acts 9:17; Acts 13:9). Those in Acts 2:4 were already saved but it was this event that placed them into the NT Church.
a. Fell (Acts 8:16; 10:44; 11:15)
b. Poured (Acts 10:45; Titus 3:6)
c. Received (Acts 2:38; 8:17; 10:47)
d. Baptized (Acts 1:5; 11:16)
e. Filled (11:17; 15:8 cf. Acts 2:4)
f. Given (Acts 8:18; 11:17; 15:8)
g. Came (Acts 19:6)
h. Sealed (Ephesians 1:13)
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Not everyone was baptized by the Spirit in the New Testament, and we are certainly not today. The Spirit sanctifies and justifies, and so much more than giving spiritual gifts by Spirit baptism to reveal the Word of God. The faith was once for all delivered (Jude 3) by the Spirit through the Apostles and prophets (Eph. 2:20, 3:3-5).
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Again Titus 3:6 proves you wrong.
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Actually, “He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior” (Titus 3:6).
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Yes and to have the Holy Spirit poured out is the SAME THING as being baptized with the Holy Spirit (Acts 10:45 and 11:16).
You won’t admit to that even though it’s been demonstrated several times.
Through here. You are simply resisting the Holy Spirit.
bye
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Not old.
a. That Mark ends his gospel at 16:8 “is the virtually unanimous verdict of modern textual scholarship” (The Gospel of Mark, R.T. France, page 685)
b. NIDNTT: In contrast with the note of fear and awe which concludes the authentic text of Mk. (16:8), the conclusion of Lk. is remarkable for its amazement and overflowing joy (Lk. 24:11, 41, 52) (2:359, Joy, Beyreuther, Finkenrath).
c. TDNT: …the false Marcan ending (16:16a)…(3:753, kleis, J. Jeremias).
d. See R.H. Lightfoot’s “The Gospel Message of St. Mark” (pages 80-97) in favor that Mark concluded his gospel at 16:8.
And I know this is just a ruse to avoid how all are Holy Spirit baptized (Titus 3:6)
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Marc,
Remember that you questioned the text. You doubt the resurrection in Mark, which is strange since the resurrection is essential for our salvation and it is essential to the Gospel (1 Cor. 15:1-4).
I’m just saying you have no reason to reject Mark 16’s ending any more than to reject other scriptures. This appears to come from plain prejudice toward baptism in Jesus’ name. Add to this that more than Mark 16 teaches that baptism in Jesus’ name is for forgiveness of sins and when one is raised to walk in newness of life with Christ (Acts 2:38, Eph. 2:1-10, Rom. 6:3-7). This is when one is washed, sanctified, and justified in the name of Christ and by the Spirit of our God (1 Cor. 6:11).
Why reject water baptism in the Gospel? Why reject the death, burial, and resurrection (Rom. 6:3-7)?
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I doubt the resurrection in Mark? Prove your assertion.
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I’m not saying that you doubt the resurrection, but the resurrection in Mark. I do not mean that you reject salvation in the resurrection, but that you since you accept the resurrection then you would want to make the case for the witnesses of the resurrection in Mark. Removing Mark 16:9ff takes away the witnesses of the resurrection in Mark and post-resurrection words of Christ.
If Jesus was raised, no one witnessed it, and then no one could proclaim the resurrection, that would reject the resurrection in Mark. Mark 16:1-8 leaves only the witness of an angel testifying of Jesus’ resurrection rather than the disciples witnessing the resurrection. With this Gospel, you would have the Spirit guiding Peter to instruct Mark of what Peter heard from the women who witnessed the angels. Rather, why leave Peter’s witness out?
Add to the internal evidence that Mark makes the case for the Apostles of Christ, and not for future leaders and teachers who may try to have claim to Apostolic lineage and authority. If any claims are made, then those would be made for all believers (Mark 16:16-17). Mark 16:9ff sends out witnesses of Christ confirming the word with accompanying signs.
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Mark 16:6 reads “He has risen”.
In Luke 18:33 Christ said He would be “scourged” but Luke never tells us this took place (but other gospels do).
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Mark 16:9-20 is too unreliable of a text to base any doctrine on.
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That’s old skepticism that is long gone. You know just enough to be hurtful to yourself. The doubt comes 2 of the most inconsistent manuscripts as reliable witnesses, which are Sinaiticus and Vaticanus in which there is this lacunae. These 2 often disagree and need Alexandrinus to resolve it. Add to Alexandrinus these other 5 c. manuscripts of Ephraimi, Bezae, and Washingtonius, and only prejudice would reject Mark 16:9ff. Add also the Byzantine text and the early church writer like Justin and Irenaeus. What would the purpose of adding these 12 verses with such little additional detail?
Also see: http://www.apologeticspress.org/pub_rar/25_12/0512.pdf
Also, Matthew 28:19 is sufficient among many other scriptures like Acts 2:38, 10:43, 47-48, 22:16 and the immediate response of believers to immersed in water (Acts 8:35ff, Acts 16:33). Numerous passages show that the resurrection into newness of life is from baptism into Jesus’ death (Rom. 6, 1 Cor. 15:29, 2 Cor. 5:14-15, Eph. 2:1-6; Col. 2:12-13, 20-22, 3:1-5ff; Phil. 3:9-11, 2 Tim. 2:10-12, 1 Pet. 1:3, 1:22-23, 2:24, 3:21).
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Scott, if your not baptized with the Holy Spirit then you are not transformed of mind. You are limited to only what your ego-intellect can process. And this is exactly what your theology is about. It’s about literal ego-intellect processing of words that leave you absent of the Spiritual Truth that transcends those words.
1 Corinthians 2:14
The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit.
If you have not been baptized with the Spirit then you don’t have the Spirit, which leaves you in the state mentioned above in 1 Cor. 2:14
I think your more determined to protect your intellectual position than investigate the Spiritual Truth. I see it all the time. People build a sense of self from an intellectual process and to lose that would create a situation in which they don’t know who they are without this belief that they have staked their life and salvation on. I grew up in the church of Christ and held your view until I finally surrendered it because it was full of fear, guilt and shame. Fear, guilt and shame are not exactly a condition which sets one free, as the Truth teaches.
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Phil,
Were the Samaritan converts in Acts 8:12 saved when they believed and were baptized in water or until the new got the Apostles to go down and lay hands on them to receive the Holy Spirit (Acts 8:14-18)?
I have to be blunt with you. Your “Spirit” is your ego, Phil. I plead with you in the name of Chris to test the Spirits to see the spirit of truth and error according the to the APOSTLES (1 John 4:1, 6).
Clearly, you did not grow up in the church of Christ. You don’t know what we believe! The fact that you admit living in fear, guilt, and shame shows that you were practicing sin when left that church. Or do you not have your own conscience? All you do is come on here, dispute, and argue obscurity and ambiguity. Where do you assemble now and do they hold your beliefs?
“They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us” (1 John 2:19, cf. 2:29).
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Wow! Didn’t know you were such a Know-it-all.” And you accuse me of using the Spirit as an ego?????
I spent 35 years in the most conservative coC in San Bernardino, Ca. My family is mostly still coC, and you can say for sure that I was not in the coC? What does this say about you? Would you like to question me about what the coC teaches? Please do! All of my friends and family that did leave the coC did admit to fear, guilt and shame as being a factor in their departure.
When a theology is built on obedience to commands the natural effect of that type of relationship is founded in fear, guilt and shame. One cannot hope to live by commands and not have fear, guilt and shame. Everyone will fail and their attempt at obedience and those negative qualities will become a natural effect of that failure and the fear of failure. I have spent many years studying spiritual consciousness and human psychology so I’m not just shooting from the hip.
I can tell by your photo that you are still a fairly young man who thinks because he has an education in Bible that it makes you an authority on Truth. Hopefully you will grow into the Spirit and away from your ego-intellect to see the Spiritual Truth that you are so obviously missing. As you can tell I’m not the only one who see’s your false understanding of what you believe is true. You’re still stuck in the superficial aspects of Christianity and have not developed inwardly enough to see that you are still much like Galatians. I’n not the first to see that similarities between the coC mindset and the Galatians mindset. I have no doubt that if Paul were here now he would be addressing you as he did those at Galatia. Like them you are still stuck in the lawful and obedience aspects of Christianity. Don’t you think it’s time you transcended that level of Christianity.? I will pray for you also
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See, you are not familiar with the churches of Christ. The churches of Christ do not teach obedience to faith without grace, and fear is only for those who practice sin (Matt. 10:28, Luke 12:5). You were not a part of us. Clearly, from what you’ve said, you were most likely a part of the International Church (Boston Movement).
“There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love” (1 John 4:18).
If you were of us, you would know that only those who constitute the churches of Christ are those churches that follow Christ’s words given to His Apostles and prophets in the Scriptures. A church of Christ is only a church of Christ when they follow Christ. Otherwise, they are no longer a church of Christ.
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Clearly you teach obedience to commands as necessary for salvation. Are you denying this? How many times have you said this?
You said, “The churches of Christ do not teach obedience to faith without grace” Why do the obedient need grace? Grace is for sinners, not the obedient.
Funny that you would know what the church of Christ I attended only by saying that the coC does not invoke fear in members. How would you know this w/o attending the coC I grew up in? WOW, that’s amazing! Apparently you are intuitive. Is intuitiveness promoted in your coC?
You follow your understanding of the Scriptures. Does this mean you follow Christ? No! You follow the text as if the text were Christ. The Jews did the same.
John 5:39-40
“39 You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, 40 yet you refuse to come to me to have life.”
You confuse following the scriptures with following Christ. You have minimized the indwelling of the Spirit and have maximized the intellectual processing of the text. That is not following Christ.
Anyone can claim to follow Christ as you have. The claim is not the proof.
John 14:16-18
16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be[a] in you. 18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.
What is
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You are avoiding how there is still Holy Spirit baptism today based on Titus 3:6 (cf. Acts 10:45 and 11:16).
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You are disregarding that not everyone had the baptism of the Holy Spirit even in the 1st c. The baptism of the Holy Spirit was only part of the pouring of the Holy Spirit. The pouring also included the laying on of the Apostles’ hands and the rebirth regeneration of the Spirit by water baptism (1 Cor. 1:11-13, 6:11, 12:13; 1 Pet. 1:3, 22-23). Do not quench the Spirit. He works in more than one way.
Titus 3:6 says that the pouring out was by the washing of regeneration and the renewing of the Holy Spirit (Titus 3:5). This is to be born again of the water and the Spirit (John 3:5).
The fact that you do not address these points shows that you are not consistently using the scriptures.
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Titus 3:6 teaches that the Holy Spirit is poured out on all who are Christians. Acts 10:45 and 11:16 teach that to have the Spirit poured out on you and to be baptized with the Holy Spirit is the same thing. If you have one then you have one then you have the other.
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Looking at the scriptures. The pouring out of the Spirit is not exclusively the baptism of the Holy Spirit for a few. Rather the pouring out of the Spirit includes all the work of the Spirit.
Does not the Spirit work in water baptism, in inspiration of the Scriptures, and in gifts by the laying on of hands? Should we exclude these from the pouring out of the Spirit?
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I agree that the pouring out of the Spirit is not exclusively the baptism of the Holy Spirit for a few.
It is the baptism of the Holy Spirit for all.
I know the Spirit worked in the water baptism of the Gentiles in Acts 10. Since they possessed the Spirit they would have a new nature as saved people and they would want to please God by obeying Him. Water baptism was one of the first acts of obedience after their salvation.
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Remember that Jesus put salvation after belief and baptism (Mark 16:16).
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