[Kevin]

Evangelion,

Heh... now that I see that Agape is an OSAS believer, I can see why we had a communication problem over James 2.

[agape]

Originally posted by Kevin
Evangelion,

Heh... now that I see that Agape is an OSAS believer, I can see why we had a communication problem over James 2.

My believing salvation in Christ is once and for all and permanent has absolutely nothing to do with you mishandling and twisting God's Word around and turning it into a lie.

You've turned the Grace of God, and the shed blood of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins into WORKS for salvation. I doubt you and Evangelion realize the grave injustice you do to both God and His precious Son by saying the one who who laid down his own life our sins just wasn't good enough...he needs help with H20 and with our doing works for salvation.

You and Evangelion do not know God nor His Son, Jesus Christ, at all if you believe works is necessary for salvation.

How you can be so blind to the truth is really beyond me. It's written in the scriptures as plain as day.

[JustAChristian]

Originally posted by agape
Yep, you can sin and still be saved. You can sign up at the cross of Jesus Christ.

The heaven that I will go to will have no sinners...

Revelation 21:27 And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life.

JustAChristian

[agape]

Originally posted by JustAChristian
The heaven that I will go to will have no sinners...

Well I know I'll be there cuz my sins were totally remitted by the blood of Jesus Christ. I'm saved and have God's eternal-life spirit and incorruptible seed in me.

If Christ, our redeemer and savior did not totally cleanse us from sin, once and for all, then you will die a "sinner." If this is the case, and since no one at all can walk a perfectly sinless life then I guess I won't see you in heaven cuz there will be no sinners there.

My word, we do have so many "religious" people here who think they do God a favor by rejecting their full salvation in Christ only.

[Kevin]

Agape,

My believing salvation in Christ is once and for all and permanent has absolutely nothing to do with you mishandling and twisting God's Word around and turning it into a lie.

Again, I'm not the one who is trying to ADD to what it written. And, yes, your OSAS certainly effects your view of James 2. For, if you don't believe that a person a can fall from the grace that saves them after they've accepted Christ, then of course you won't possibly view James 2 as having an effect upon their "salvation faith" or whatever you call it.

I find it funny that you critisize me for "blindly following and agreeing with" Evangelions supposed "unbiblical theory" and say that I have little knowledge of the word of God, when it is you who subscribes to a theory in which one can accept Christ and then live a complete life of sin with no repentance and still be saved. Talk about blindly following somebody's unbiblical theories....

[agape]

Originally posted by Kevin
one can accept Christ and then live a complete life of sin with no repentance and still be saved. Talk about blindly following somebody's unbiblical theories....

Don't you have any depth, heart or insight to God's Word at all? Were you raised under strict "religious" teachings?

If one is truly saved and filled with the holy spirit and has the love of God shed abroad in his/her heart, he/she will not live a "complete life of sin" as you put it and with no repentance"...LOL. This sounds more like an unsaved sinner who doesn't give a hoot. However, and I say this with an "IF"...even "if" someone lived a complete life of sin, which I doubt, and "if" there is no repentance, which I doubt, that person is STILL SAVED.

No one, and I mean absolutely no one was born again until the day of Pentecost.

To be born the first time one has to have seed planted. To be born again is to have the seed of God in Christ born within and this seed is spirit and life.

I Peter 1:23: gives a characteristic of Christ's seed which a person receives when he is born again.

I Peter 1:23:
Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever.

The first time a person is born, he is born of corruptible seed; but when is born again he is, according to I Peter 1:23; "born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible."

I John 3:9:
Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.

Whoever is born of God must have God's seed in him. When the natural man is born again, the part of his being which he does not commit sin in is in the seed of God which is incorruptible. In his body and soul part, the flesh, he still commits sin.

I John 3:9 states that a born-again person cannot sin because he is born of God. The first time we were born, we were born of our earthly father and mother. But when are born again we are born of our heavenly Father, of God, and His seed remains in us and in it we cannot sin. That is why His seed in us is eternal life. It is eternal because God is eternal, and it is life because God is life.

Eternal life becomes ours as body-and-soul men and women when we are born again of God's spirit.

I 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.

(6) That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

(7) Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.

One cannot enter into the Kingdom of God unless he is born of the Spirit, which is eternal-life spirit. This eternal life spirit is seed which is incorruptible. It cannot be taken away or destroyed. It's permanent.

If you want to use OSAS...which is not found in the scriptures, fine, go ahead. God's Word tells me I have eternal life spirit in me and I cannot sin in the spirit because it is God's eternal-life seed in me...it is incorruptible.

Jesus Christ is our complete, full and perfect sacrifice for sin. He paid the price for sin...he did it and it IS FINISHED. He made the gift of holy spirit availabe to all who believe. To be born from above, born again of God's Spirit is to confess Jesus our savior from sin and believe in our hearts that God raised him from the dead. At that moment we are filled with power from on high, we are filled with the righeousness of God, we are redeemed, justified and we are sanctified by His spirit which we are filled with and which is life and which is eternal, incorruptible seed.

Now if you want to continue to add water/works to what God in Christ has already wrought in those who are saved, born again and have eternal life, then do so. I'll not waste my time thinking I can do a better job than what God did in Christ for us.

The good works that we do is not to get saved, but it is because we are saved.

Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin [is] death; BUT the GIFT of God [is] ETERNAL LIFE THROUGH Jesus Christ our Lord.

Salvation and eternal life is God's GIFT to us through His Son, Jesus Christ...NOT OF WORKS...NOT OF WATER BAPTISM...BUT THROUGH CHRIST ALONE.

For God SO LOVED the world that HE GAVE His only begotten Son, that whosoever BELIEVETH on him should NOT PERISH BUT have EVERLASTING LIFE.

No works...no water baptism, for one MUST be BORN OF GOD, baptized in the HOLY SPIRIT, to enter into the Kingdom of God

PS: I'm not saying that because we are saved and have eternal life that we can go ahead and sin. So don''t let no one lay that one on me. The grace of God is not to be used as a license to sin to do whatever we please. There are consequences to sin, which is to break fellowship with God. However, God has left no stone unturned. If we confess our sins God is just to forgive us our sins and through the blood of Jesus Christ, our sins are cleansed and we can get back in harmony and fellowship with our heavenly Father. There are consequences to sin, which is to not walk in the light as God is light. Even a believer can err, miss the mark and walk in darkness. However, when we do sin we can never lose our salvation. We may lose out on the blessings because of our sinning, but never our salvation.

[JustAChristian]

Originally posted by agape
Well I know I'll be there cuz my sins were totally remitted by the blood of Jesus Christ. I'm saved and have God's eternal-life spirit and incorruptible seed in me.

If Christ, our redeemer and savior did not totally cleanse us from sin, once and for all, then you will die a "sinner." If this is the case, and since no one at all can walk a perfectly sinless life then I guess I won't see you in heaven cuz there will be no sinners there.

My word, we do have so many "religious" people here who think they do God a favor by rejecting their full salvation in Christ only.

Again, you show you lack of knowledge of the scriptures, for instance...

Mark 10:30 "But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life."

This scripture clearly shows that eternal life is only potential. No one has eternal life at this time. Jesus died to pay the price for redeeming the soul from the grip of sin. If we are redeemed, and continue to walk in the light (1 John 1:7), eternal life will be the inevitable appointment.

The only people that I know who are rejecting God's full salvation in Christ Jesus are those who in spite of overwhelming evidence will not hear the gospel; will not repent and be baptized for the remission of sins (Acts 2:38). They will face the righteous judge with a lot of blanks empty on heaven's registry.

JustAChristian

[c.moore]

quote: c.moore

When does the spiritual baptism comes into place ,when you first go into the water or when you come out of the water????


Quote kevin
When you come up out of the water, you are a new creature walking in the spririt, not in the flesh. What is so hard to understand about that?

Quote c.moore
I see this different kevin, that you have this also backwards, and the Spiritual baptism comes first, and th
Let`s take A look at this with a little help from A spiritual baptism teacher,who gave me better words to explain it to you and other water baptismo ritual people.
First of all water baptism is just A picture of the real thing which is taken today as spiritual.
The spiritual baptism is A change taken place going from our natural dead life into Christ new nature,and new ways. Our old nature dies,and we become new in Christ.
1.So there is first A death and that`s dying from your old nature .
2.Second you go into Jesus and be buried in Him, as he come `s in us.
3. third when Jesus lives in us we rise up alive in Jesus, and we are resurrected in the life of Jesus, loving and letting Jesus walk us through His will and having a relationship with Him, and as we start our journey ,we begin by following Jesus,after the Spiritual baptism to get water baptized to show yourself , and others the thing that happen in the spirit baptism.
Now the reason the bible says the spiritual baptism comes before is because
1. John the Baptist said in Mt.3:11, "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." In a sense, John was saying that Jesus would baptize everyone – either in the realm of the blessing of the Holy Spirit or the realm of the judgment ("fire").
In Lk.3:16, John also said, "I indeed baptize you with water; but One mightier than I is coming, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire." Jesus is the baptizer, the Spirit is the means.

. In Jn.1:33, the Baptist pointed to Jesus’ baptism saying, "I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, 'Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit." Jesus is identified as the one who would baptize with the Holy Spirit.

, John’s Disciples Receive Spiritual Baptism (Acts 19).
1. Paul "came to Ephesus" and there he found 12 "disciples." There is much debate on whether they were saved or lost.
2. Paul asked, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" They were "disciples" and Paul infers that they had "believed." I understand this to mean they were saved.
3. To answer his question they said, "We have not so much as heard whether there is a Holy Spirit." They had "believed" with limited knowledge. They were ignorant of the Spirit.
4. Paul asked a second question, "Into what were you baptized?" They said, "Into John’s baptism." We know John prophesied of the baptism of the Holy Spirit to come. They obviously did not know this. It is logical that men may have been followers of Apollos who "knew only the baptism of John" (cf. 18:24-28).
5. Paul then launched into a sermon on John as the forerunner of Christ, that John’s message was "that they should believe on Him who would come after Him, that is on Christ Jesus."
6. No doubt Paul informed that John had said, "He must increase, but I must decrease" (Jn.3:30) and "He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry" (Mt.3:11). He went on to give them the full gospel.
7. These "disciples" must have been like OT saints. They wholeheartedly believed what they knew, they just didn’t know enough. Note that "when they heard this they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus." They believed on Jesus.
8. Just as with the Samaritans, Paul "laid hands on them" and then "the Holy Spirit came upon them and they spoke with tongues and prophesied."
9. They should have received the Holy Spirit when they believed. That’s why Paul asked them about the object of their belief. They had to know about Jesus before they could receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit. They lived in a transitional period.
10. The practical lesson here is we can not lead others to a level of understanding or experience that we have not attained.
2. Paul asked, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" They were "disciples" and Paul infers that they had "believed." I understand this to mean they were saved.
3. To answer his question they said, "We have not so much as heard whether there is a Holy Spirit." They had "believed" with limited knowledge. They were ignorant of the Spirit.
4. Paul asked a second question, "Into what were you baptized?" They said, "Into John’s baptism." We know John prophesied of the baptism of the Holy Spirit to come. They obviously did not know this. It is logical that men may have been followers of Apollos who "knew only the baptism of John" (cf. 18:24-28).
5. Paul then launched into a sermon on John as the forerunner of Christ, that John’s message was "that they should believe on Him who would come after Him, that is on Christ Jesus."
6. No doubt Paul informed that John had said, "He must increase, but I must decrease" (Jn.3:30) and "He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry" (Mt.3:11). He went on to give them the full gospel.
7. These "disciples" must have been like OT saints. They wholeheartedly believed what they knew, they just didn’t know enough. Note that "when they heard this they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus." They believed on Jesus.
8. Just as with the Samaritans, Paul "laid hands on them" and then "the Holy Spirit came upon them and they spoke with tongues and prophesied."
9. They should have received the Holy Spirit when they believed. That’s why Paul asked them about the object of their belief. They had to know about Jesus before they could receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit. They lived in a transitional period.

I will continue , but I must end this post before my computer get jammed again and I lose what I wrote.

peace

[c.moore]

The baptism of the Holy Spirit is UNIQUE – it happens at the moment of salvation, it is UNIVERSAL – it applies to all genuine believers, and it is UNIFYING – it calls for peace among those who name the name of Christ.
3. If the baptism of the Spirit is for every believer and if it is an accomplished fact, what does this mean for us?
The Baptism of the Holy Spirit means a New Life.
The Holy Spirit gives us Spiritual Life (John 3:1-8).


Jesus seems to say, "Let Me make this simple." Look at His words in v. 5. "Unless one is born of water [physical birth] and the Spirit [spiritual birth], he cannot enter the kingdom of God." You must be born twice.
8. Jesus further amplifies this thought, "That which is born of the flesh is flesh." The flesh is corrupt and if we are only born of flesh we will be corrupt too. "That which is born of the Spirit is spirit." But when we have spiritual birth we have something different… not only a new life, but a new type of life.
9. Being born again, born of the Spirit gives us a new life! The Bible speaks of this in several passages:
a. 2 Cor.3:6 says, "the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life."
b. Jesus said in John 6:63, "It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life."
c. Rom.8:10-11 says, "And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you."
d. 1 Cor.15:45 says, "And so it is written, ‘The first man Adam became a living being.’ The last Adam became a life-giving spirit."
e. There is no possibility of new life apart from the Spirit. Rom.8:9 says, "Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His."
B. The Holy Spirit maintains our Spiritual Life (John 7:37-39).

4. Jesus said the woman at the well in John 4:14, "Whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life."
5. The Spirit not only gives you spiritual life, but He is like a well of spiritual water within you always pumping out living water, always there to refresh you.
6. Notice also in v. 39 that at that time, "the Holy Spirit was not yet given because Jesus was not yet glorified." It was not until Jesus had died, been buried and rose again, until He ascended to the Father that the Spirit would come and baptize men and women into Christ. You and I have that relationship today!


let God spritual baptize you before water baptism.

[c.moore]

A. Spiritual Baptism Identifies us with Jesus (Rom.6:1-5).
1. In 5:20, Paul made a profound statement, "But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more." One of my professors said that is the key phrase of the whole Bible.
2. V. 1 asks a logical question, "Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?" If our sin showcases God’s grace, then shouldn’t we continue to sin? Paul says, "Certainly not." Just because cheating on your faithful spouse makes them seem even more faithful, this is no reason to commit adultery!
3. Note v. 3. "as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death." This is not water baptism or we must conclude that we need water baptism for salvation. We were immersed or "united together" (v. 5) in Christ’s death.
4. This is a very difficult passage. Basically it means that our salvation means that our old self, the old man, our sin nature died with Christ on the cross. We were "baptized" or "united together in the likeness of His death." When you were saved, your old self died with Jesus.
5. By virtue of spiritual baptism, we were "buried with Him through baptism into death" and "raised from the dead by the glory of the Father" just as Jesus was raised. Therefore we should "walk in newness of life."
6. Look closely at v. 5. We were "united together [immersed - baptized] in the likeness of His death" and therefore we were also baptized or immersed "in the likeness of His resurrection." We are completely identified with Jesus!
7. V. 6 says "Our old man [old self] was crucified with Him." V. 8 says, "Now if we died with Christ… we shall also live with Him."
8. Spiritual baptism means that we vicariously experienced the death, burial and resurrection of Christ. We are so identified with Him that we no longer live, but He lives through us. Gal 2:20 says, "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me."
B. Spiritual Baptism identifies us with Jesus PERMANENTLY.
1. Before we were saved we were identified with Adam. Through Adam we inherited a sin nature, were placed under a curse, lived in darkness and had the devil as our daddy.
2. Through Jesus we switched families. We lose our identity with Adam and become "married into" the family of God.
3. Spiritual baptism means something more than just being a Christian. It means you have been placed in a whole new environment. Col.1:13 says "He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love."


peace

[c.moore]

Being spiritually baptized means: God has moved you from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light. He has removed your death sentence and given you eternal life. He has given you hope, meaning, and purpose. He has placed within you rivers of living water to refresh your soul. He has forever linked you with Jesus and with all who call on His name.


Let God bless you

[agape]

Originally posted by JustAChristian
Mark 10:30 "But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life."

This scripture clearly shows that eternal life is only potential.

This verse does NOT clearly show that eternal life is only a potential at all. Jesus Christ is stating that they will not only receive a hundred fold in their present lifetime, but ALSO in the world or age to come which is eternal life. They will have the highest happiness and joy for all eternity.

No one has eternal life at this time.

According to your private interpretation we don't, BUT NOT according to the accuracy of God's Word. What you falsely claim is NOT what God's Word claims.

I John 1:2 (For the life was manifested, and we have seen [it], and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us)

I John 2:25 - And this is the promise that he hath promised us, [even] eternal life.

We already have the promise of eternal life because we have eternal life abiding in us. God is not a man that He should lie and we are guaranteed eternal life.

I John 3:15 - Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.

I John 5:11 - And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.

I John 5:13 - These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may KNOW YE HAVE ETERNAL LIFE, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.

I John 5:20 - And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, [even] in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.

Jesus died to pay the price for redeeming the soul from the grip of sin. If we are redeemed, and continue to walk in the light (1 John 1:7), eternal life will be the inevitable appointment.

Another false interpretation on your part. God's Word does NOT SAY If we are redeemed AND CONTINUE to walk in the light eternal life is inevitable. Give me chapter and verse on that one. You can't because you just made it up. WHEN WE "ARE" REDEEMED BECAUSE WE BELIEVED IN CHRIST, ETERNAL LIFE IS INEVITABLE...NO WORKS...ALL GRACE.

You are mishandling God's Word. It's like a picture puzzle. Instead of you patiently and honestly finding the correct pieces to fit into the puzzle in order to get a clear, whole and accurate picture, you cut around the edges of different pieces and force it to fit into the puzzle. As a result of twisting and turning the pieces around to fit, you come out with nothing but a distorted picture. This is what you do with God's Word.

The only people that I know who are rejecting God's full salvation in Christ Jesus are those who in spite of overwhelming evidence will not hear the gospel; will not repent and be baptized for the remission of sins (Acts 2:38). They will face the righteous judge with a lot of blanks empty on heaven's registry.

In order to receive God's full salvation, which is to be save, born again of God's Spirit and have eternal life is to believe and accept the GOSPEL OF THE GOOD NEWS OF SALVATION (Romans 10:9). We are at that time baptized in holy spirit and therefore have GOD'S ETERNAL LIFE SPIRIT/SEED ABIDING IN US!

[JustAChristian]

Originally posted by agape

Agape says:

(Mark 10:30)...This verse does NOT clearly show that eternal life is only a potential at all. Jesus Christ is stating that they will not only receive a hundred fold in their present lifetime, but ALSO in the world or age to come which is eternal life. They will have the highest happiness and

Romans 5:21 That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.

If eternal life is not potential then death due to sin is not realistic. I believe it is for real ( Isaiah 59:1-2). Paul tells the Romans that sin has always been the cause of spiritual death, and will always be the case, even so grace will be present through righteousness as one goes forward to obtain eternal life. Eternal life is therefore potential.

According to your private interpretation we don't, BUT NOT according to the accuracy of God's Word. What you falsely claim is NOT what God's Word claims.
I John 1:2 (For the life was manifested, and we have seen [it], and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us)

I John 2:25 - And this is the promise that he hath promised us, [even] eternal life. We already have the promise of eternal life because we have eternal life abiding in us. God is not a man that He should lie and we are guaranteed eternal life.

I John 3:15 - Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.

I John 5:13 - These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may KNOW YE HAVE ETERNAL LIFE, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.

I John 5:20 - And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, [even] in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.

All these that John spoke to have died physically, therefore, they did not have eternal life. Only Deity is eternal and this is what John refers to in 1 John 5:11. If we continue in Christ, when we are raised we will not come into condemnation but will pass from death into life eternal. (John 5:24).

Another false interpretation on your part. God's Word does NOT SAY If we are redeemed AND CONTINUE to walk in the light eternal life is inevitable. Give me chapter and verse on that one. You can't because you just made it up. WHEN WE "ARE" REDEEMED BECAUSE WE BELIEVED IN CHRIST, ETERNAL LIFE IS INEVITABLE...NO WORKS...ALL GRACE.

You are mishandling God's Word. It's like a picture puzzle. Instead of you patiently and honestly finding the correct pieces to fit into the puzzle in order to get a clear, whole and accurate picture, you cut around the edges of different pieces and force it to fit into the puzzle. As a result of twisting and turning the pieces around to fit, you come out with nothing but a distorted picture. This is what you do with God's Word.

Galatians 6:8 For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.

John 5:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.

In order to receive God's full salvation, which is to be save, born again of God's Spirit and have eternal life is to believe and accept the GOSPEL OF THE GOOD NEWS OF SALVATION (Romans 10:9). We are at that time baptized in holy spirit and therefore have GOD'S ETERNAL LIFE SPIRIT/SEED ABIDING IN US!

You continue to try to use the Holy Spirit as the cleansing agent, but He is not. We are cleansed by the blood of Christ which takes place in the obedient act of being baptized for the remission of sins

1 Peter 1:2 Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied. (Not baptized of the Holy Spirit)

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. (Not baptized of the Holy Spirit)

Acts 22:16 And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord. (Not baptized of the Holy Spirit).

Not only does Christ declare that eternal life is to be received in the world to come, his apostles clearly taught it. Hear what Paul further told the Roman church..."But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life." (Romans 6:22).

Also from nature each day you learn the lesson that you first sow, then comes the time of reaping. The most ignorant know this, Listen: "He that soweth to the flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption, but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Sprit reap life everlasting" Gal. 6:8. That the sinner is "sowing to the flesh" is admitted by all. When they become Christians, they begin to "sow to the Spirit," and the reaping time will come – they will receive eternal life in the world to come. If man receives eternal life the moment he believes, someone should tell when he sowed to the Spirit, that he might reap the everlasting life. There must be a "sowing to the Spirit" before there can be eternal life, therefore, eternal life is only potential. my drift?

JustAChristian

[JustAChristian]

Originally posted by c.moore
Being spiritually baptized means: God has moved you from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light. He has removed your death sentence and given you eternal life. He has given you hope, meaning, and purpose. He has placed within you rivers of living water to refresh your soul. He has forever linked you with Jesus and with all who call on His name.


Let God bless you

Good Isn't Good Enough

He "was a devout man, one who feared God with all his household, who gave
alms generously to the people, and prayed to God always" (Acts 10:2). His
name was Cornelius, and he was a good man. Yet, he was told that in the
sight of God there were some things he lacked. He was directed to Simon
Peter who would tell him what he must do (Acts 10:6). When Peter came to
visit him, Cornelius was waiting for him with his relatives and close
friends (Acts 10:24). Peter taught Cornelius and his family and friends
about Jesus Christ - His authority, His power, His crucifixion, His
resurrection, His future role as Judge of the living and the dead (Acts
10:34-42). Peter also proclaimed the gift that Jesus offered: "To Him
all the prophets witness that, through His name, whoever believes in Him
will receive forgiveness of sins ... And he commanded them to be baptized
in the name of the Lord" (Acts 10:43, 48).

Why was a good man - a God-fearing man - told to believe in Jesus and be
baptized (immersed in water) in the name of the Lord?

Cornelius was a good man, but he was still a sinner; he needed forgiveness
for his sins. So do you. So do I. "As it is written: 'There is none
righteous, no not one; there is none who understands; there is none who
seeks after God. They have all gone out of the way; they have together
become unprofitable; there is none who does good, no, not one'" (Romans
3:10-12).

Cornelius, as well as many others, could declare: "I am basically a good
person. I pay taxes. I don't cheat on my wife. I don't do anything to
hurt other people. In fact, I try to help others. Why do I need
forgiveness?"

Cornelius learned that just being a good, moral person isn't enough. He
needed Jesus Christ and the forgiveness that is found in Him.

Sin is not only breaking the law of God (1 John 3:4); it is also failing
to be what God intended for us to be. There are sins of commission - sins
we commit - and there are sins of omission - things we should do, but
don't. The truth is that no one can ever be good enough to earn salvation.
Only through Jesus Christ can one be saved (Acts 4:12).

God wants us to be good (see Acts 10:35), but He knows - just as you and I
know - that we can never be perfect. Each day we fall short in some way,
either in thought, attitude, word, or deed. In short, we are sinners, and
we need a Savior. God, in His great love and mercy, gave us His Son to
provide for us what we need the most: forgiveness. Through faith (Acts
10:43), repentance (Acts 17:30), confession (Romans 10:9-10) and baptism
(Acts 10:48; 2:38), and faithfulness to Christ (1 John 1:7), we receive
forgiveness in Christ.

God loves good people, but being good isn't good enough. ALL people
EVERYWHERE - the good and the bad - need the salvation from sin which God
has provided.

We must not TRUST in our good works, but rather CONTINUE in them, while
trusting and obeying Jesus Who ALONE has finished the work.

JustAChristian

[Evangelion]

AMEN!!!!