The Holy Spirit Versus “Another Gospel”

Enrichment Journal ^ | Lynn D. Kanga

[daniel1212]

Well, at least the laity assumed it applied to them:

“And Saul was consenting unto his death. And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judæa and Samaria, except the apostles”

“Therefore they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the word. “(Acts 8:1,4)

[aruanan]

I disagree. Scripture says your not saved until the end.

Matthew 24:13
But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.

And complimenting that:

1 For I would not, brethren, have you ignorant, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea;

2 and were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea;

3 and did all eat the same spiritual food;

4 and did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of a spiritual rock that followed them: and the rock was Christ.

5 Howbeit with most of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness.

6 Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted.

7 Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.

8 Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand.

9 Neither let us make trial of the Lord, as some of them made trial, and perished by the serpents.

10 Neither murmur ye, as some of them murmured, and perished by the destroyer.

11 Now these things happened unto them by way of example; and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages are come.

12 Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.
--I Corinthians 10:1-12

[smvoice]

You can’t seperate water baptism and the Holy Spirit, because it is thru water baptism you receive the gift of the Holy Spirit as well as the remission of sins ( just as Peter preached in Acts 2 )

Water baptism is for the remission of sins?

[daniel1212]

Ping

[smvoice]

Thanks for having the spiritual guts to post this article, knowing the stomp-stomp-stomp-”halt! Who?!? WHO won’t wear the rrrrrribbon??!?!?!” marching would begin. Wailing and gnashing usually follows, FYI. Keep up the good work. Truth and light and a much needed breeze of fresh air. Maranatha!

[Cronos]

Actually, the article is quite wrong. The belief in baptism for the remission of sins IS not only shared by non-orthodoxy groups like Lutherans and Anglicans but was also the belief of the Early Christians from Apostolic times

Why? because it is what was taught by Christ and preached by the Apostles

We can see it right from Acts 2:38,

38 Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Acts 22:16;

16 And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name.

Rom. 6:1–4;

1 What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? 2 By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? 3 Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.

1 Cor 6:11,

11 And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God

1 Cor 12:13;

13 For we were all baptized by[a] one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.

Gal. 3:26–27;

26 So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, 27 for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ

Eph. 5:26;

to make her holy, cleansing[a] her by the washing with water through the word,

Col. 2:11–12;

11 In him you were also circumcised with a circumcision not performed by human hands. Your whole self ruled by the flesh[a] was put off when you were circumcised by[b] Christ,
12 having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead.

Titus 3:5;

5 he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit,

One cannot even say this was a symbol -- look at all of the examples above, look at the language, consistently same the same in each, that in baptism we are saved and buried with Christ, washed of our sins by this and born again

Remember, the words of Jesus Christ Himself in Matthew 28:19

19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

[Cronos]

Our Lord tied the forgiveness of sins to faith and Baptism: "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to the whole creation. He who believes and is baptized will be saved."
Mk 16:15-16

15And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.

16He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.

Baptism is the first and chief sacrament of forgiveness of sins because it unites us with Christ, who died for our sins and rose for our justification, so that "we too might walk in newness of life."
Rom 6:4

4Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

;

Titus 3:5

5Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;

John 3:5

5Jesus 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.

[Cronos]

In his Passover Christ opened to all men the fountain of Baptism. He had already spoken of his Passion, which he was about to suffer in Jerusalem, as a "Baptism" with which he had to be baptized
Mk 10:38

38But Jesus said unto them, Ye know not what ye ask: can ye drink of the cup that I drink of? and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?

Lk 12:50

50But I have a baptism to be baptized with; and how am I straitened till it be accomplished!

The blood and water that flowed from the pierced side of the crucified Jesus are types of Baptism and the Eucharist, the sacraments of new life.
Jn 19:34

34But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water.

1 Jn 5:6-8

6This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth.

7For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.

8And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one.

From then on, it is possible "to be born of water and the Spirit" Jn 3:5

5Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

in order to enter the Kingdom of God.

1226 From the very day of Pentecost the Church has celebrated and administered holy Baptism. Indeed St. Peter declares to the crowd astounded by his preaching: "Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." Acts 2:38

38Then 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.

[Cronos]

Remember that the Apostle baptised in Baptism to anyone who believed in Jesus: Jews, the God-fearing, pagans.
Acts 2:41

41Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.

Acts 8:12-13

12But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.

13Then Simon himself believed also: and when he was baptized, he continued with Philip, and wondered, beholding the miracles and signs which were done.

Acts 10:48

48And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then prayed they him to tarry certain days.

Acts 16:15

15And when she was baptized, and her household, she besought us, saying, If ye have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house, and abide there. And she constrained us.

Always, Baptism is seen as connected with faith: "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household," St. Paul declared to his jailer in Philippi. And the narrative continues, the jailer "was baptized at once, with all his family." Acts 16:31-33

31And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.
32And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house.
33And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway.

[Cronos]

According to the Apostle Paul, the believer enters through Baptism into communion with Christ's death, is buried with him, and rises with him:
Rom 6:3-4;

3Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?
4Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

cf. Col 2:12

12Buried 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.

The baptized have "put on Christ."
Gal 3:27

27For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

Through the Holy Spirit, Baptism is a bath that purifies, justifies, and sanctifies
1 Cor 6:11

11And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.

1 Cor 12:13

13For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.

This is what Christ preached and what has always been believed since Apostolic Times

[smvoice]

The Great Commission was given to the 12 Apostles. They were not to go to the Gentiles. The gospel they were to preach was to repent and be baptized for remission of sins. They were to begin their ministry in Jerusalem. Then they were to wait, in Jerusalem, before witnessing, for the power of the Holy Spirit to be outpoured on them. Once Israel believed, they were to witness to all nations. Matthew 28.

And up until Acts 7, this is exactly what they were doing. They were in Jerusalem, doing these very things the Lord commanded them to do.

After Acts 7, something changed.

[smvoice]

One more time, Cronos. The verses you have cited are SPIRITUAL BAPTISM, by the HOLY SPIRIT into the body of Christ. It has nothing, NOTHING to do with water. It is the Holy Spirit doing the baptism, not water.

You are in Paul's Epistles. You will not find water baptism as a means to get anything, anywhere, anytime, in his epistles. As a matter of fact, he thanks God he did not water baptize but a few at Corinth. For Christ sent me NOT TO BAPTIZE, but to preach the gospel.." 1 Cor. 17. And there is a reason Paul baptized a few, and was baptized himself.

IF water baptism for remission of sins is part of the gospel that saves, either Paul a). did not know this, yet had the nerve to thank God he didn't baptize but a few, or b). Knew the gospel he preached, that he received by direct revelations of the risen Christ, did not include water baptism for remission of sins.

Something changed. The 12 would NEVER had thanked God that they baptized so few, and then commented that Christ had sent them NOT TO BAPTIZE but to preach the gospel.

Anyone with eyes can see that something major had changed from Peter and the 11 to Paul. It's up to each of us to decide whether they care about the changes. But the changes cannot be denied.

One question just out of curiosity, Cronos: Why was Jesus baptized with water?

[Quix]

Then I don’t think my listing posting numbers will add to the failed education on the matter a gnat’s burp’s worth.

[Running On Empty]

That’s the very reason why I thought the comments in your post weren’t all that necessary in the first place.

[Titus Quinctius Cincinnatus]

Early Christian writings prove the first Christians were thoroughly Catholic in belief and practice and looked to the successors of the apostles as their leaders. What these first Christians believed is still believed by the Catholic Church. No other Church can make that claim.

Hardly. For those who are not Catholic, but who have read the early patristics in context, this statement is hardly acceptable.

The reason I say, "...who are not Catholic..." is because often, Catholics read the patristics with a specific purpose of making these writers support Catholicism. Hence, all kinds of statements get pulled out of their natural context and employed as "gotcha" quotes to try to make it look like these writers held to Catholic dogma when, if you look at their statements fully, they did not, and often even were saying the exact opposite.

In other words, Catholic apologists often treat the patristic writers in the same way that the NY Times and WaPo were trying to get people to treat the Sarah Palin e-mails - sift through them, isolate the one sentence that says what we want, and publicise it to the exclusion of everything around it.

Interestingly, some of the very early writers (e.g. Ignatius) seem, when read in context, to actually support the sort of local church beliefs of Baptists. It's when you start following these writers chronologically that you see the later ones drifting towards recognizably Catholic dogmas. It's a centuries long drift towards apostasy and error.

In a sense, relying on the patristic writings to give a complete, or even a fully accurate, picture of early Christianity is problematic. In the secular realm, there are all kinds of ancient writers whose works we know of from reference by other writers, but do not know anything about or only have a few scattered quotations, because they were lost in the process of time. It was a common thing back then, before printing presses and mass publication.

Same thing applies to early Christian writings. What we have is only a portion of what early Christians probably actually wrote. In some cases, such as Papias, we know they wrote things that are now lost. Further, the ones we do have generally tend to be the ones that Catholicism approved of at later dates, and hence whose monks and whatnot bothered to copy and pass on.

This is why it's so important to rely on the BIBLE, rather than tradition, to derive our doctrine and practice. God promised to preserve His Word (Psalm 12:7-8, Matt. 5:18, Luke 21:33, I Peter 1:24-25, etc.). There is no such promise for the patristic writers, however. They were just guys with opinions who wrote things, some of which were true, and many of which were false.

[Campion]

The verses you have cited are SPIRITUAL BAPTISM, by the HOLY SPIRIT into the body of Christ. It has nothing, NOTHING to do with water. It is the Holy Spirit doing the baptism, not water.

You're reading your own tradition into scripture, and nullifying Scripture by doing it -- exactly what Jesus chastised the Pharisees for doing. The word baptizo means "to wash, to dip, to plunge into water," and that's the meaning you should expect it to have in the absence of context indicating that it's a metaphor for something else.

If water baptism isn't what Scripture means by default when it speaks of baptism, please explain the episode of the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts.

As a matter of fact, he thanks God he did not water baptize but a few at Corinth. For Christ sent me NOT TO BAPTIZE, but to preach the gospel.."

By your own exegetical practice, how do you know he's not talking about SPIRITUAL BAPTISM here? Water is not mentioned, is it?

But it always amazes me when fundamentalists try to pretend Paul is somehow denigrating baptism here. Read it in context, people! People were bragging about being baptized by Paul, and using it to sow dissension within the Church. Paul's not denigrating baptism, he's telling people not to thump their chests because they were baptized by him.