Posted on 02/20/2015 5:12:19 AM PST by Gamecock
**You can’t regenerate yourself.**
That’s right. That’s why we must be born again HIS way, following HIS commissions, as instituted by HIS apostles, first enacted by HIS apostle Peter in Acts 2:38:
“..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”.
**A dead man doesn’t know he’s dead in order to do something about it.**
Yes, but when the word takes hold, reaction is required. Just as the convicted hearts on Pentecost asked Peter, “Men and brethern, what shall we do?”, we also, when convicted by the Spirit, must hear and obey Acts 2:38, just as they did.
Romans 6:3; “Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?”
4. “Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death:....” (That’s certainly not Spirit baptism, because the Spirit is life.) “..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.”
5 “For if we have been planted together in the LIKENESS of his death, we shall be also in the LIKENESS of his resurrection.”
Well, yeah.
The HOLY SPIRIT does the regeneration. We don't and we can't. We don't have the power to do it.
And yet, if one doesn’t believe then one isn’t saved, so baptism doesn’t and can’t save anyone.
Nor do we see anywhere that states that if you believe but are not baptized, you are not saved.
It was Abraham’s belief that was credited to him as righteousness. Circumcision was only the outward sign of that and followed his belief.
So, tell me, if someone believes, puts their trust in Christ for salvation, and dies without being baptized, where do they go?
Heaven or hell?
Acts 2:38 wasn’t Peter’s idea, and it obviously wasn’t mine either. I heard this conversion teaching from the Lord’s words to his apostles, in the gospels, and then to us in Acts. That was over 32 yrs ago. I heard and obeyed his rebirth instructions (not without first being offended at someone questioning my belief in Jesus Christ).
If you had never heard it taught before reading it here on this forum, then now you have.
Who else has heard it in the past, and chose not to regard those instructions from the Lord? Who hasn’t heard yet? Those are questions that we don’t know the answer to.
**So, tell me, if someone believes, puts their trust in Christ for salvation, and dies without being baptized, where do they go? Heaven or hell?**
If I knew for certain, I would be God. Mark 16:16 is some ‘tough love’, showing that he is being very firm in his ‘red line in the sand’. It is to be compared along with the Lord’s other words of commission in Matt. 28:19; Luke 24:47; and John 20:23. Again, those are His words, not mine.
Yes, that’s an interesting passage. Notice how they all proclaim their faith loudly, saying “Lord, Lord”. But they wouldn’t do what the Father commanded.
There are people like that around today. They proclaim their faith, but won’t obey God’s commands. That kind of faith is what James calls dead, barren. It’s the sort of faith devils have.
And there are those who want to spread it around to others, so be on your guard.
faith as a warm fuzzy. If you have never had the experience of the warm fuzzy faith, you are toast.
/s
IOW, no answer.
Then you are in no position to teach as truth something that you say God isn’t clear on.
**Then you are in no position to teach as truth something that you say God isn’t clear on.**
God is clear. I just refuse to be told that I have to judge souls, when no one but Jesus Christ has that authority.
Acts 2:38, is it from heaven, or of men?
I believe it is from heaven. You?
And if it is from heaven, then that is where you find remission of sins.
You can while away the hours trying to decide who is saved, when only God knows the heart, knows who has truly heard his voice and obeyed his call.
That is why we call it hope. For if we knew for certain, we wouldn’t be looking through a glass darkly, but face to face.
So in your opinion one should be fully submerged?
The Queen of dodge of all people, is actually going there.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.