J. Jump said:
bmerr are you kidding me. You want to equate faith with a work?
Just accept what the Bible says. Believe on the Lord Jesus and you will be saved. Not maybe you'll be saved if you do some other things after you believe, but believe on the Lord and you WILL BE saved!
When I'm talking about obedience I'm talking about a work requirement of doing something just as baptism, feeding the poor, selling all one has and giving to the poor, living a good life, etc. whatever kind of works you want to put in there.
Of course we have to be obedient to what God has said that is exactly what faith is. And for eternal salvation He has said that Jesus lived a perfect life, shed is blood and died in my place. If I believe in that I will be, not maybe, but will be saved.
Let's keep the simple message of grace by faith, and that not of works lest any man should boast as simple as God intended it to be and understanding Scripture would be a lot easier.
Does your bible have Acts 16:34?
Here it is just is case it doesn't, "Then he brought them up into his house and set food before them. And he rejoiced along with his entire household that he had believed in God."
Of course the rejoicing is not a requirement for salvation, it is the natural response.
He rejoiced having believed. Remember, he was told to believe and he would be saved. Did anything happen in between these two verses?
Yes, as a matter of fact, there were some things that happened.
First of all, if you stop, as you chose to do, in verse 31, he doesn't know what to believe. Believe what? They haven't even spoken the word of the Lord to him yet.
What is the response of speaking the word of the Lord to him? He shows his repentance by washing their stripes and
is baptized at once.
Then and only then did he rejoice having believed.
These events are in agreement with those in Acts 2. Here we have believers asking "What must we do". The answer was repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins (vs 38).
Those who received the word were baptized (vs 41).
Verse 44 starts out, "And all who believed". These people who are described as believers are the same ones who repented and were baptized.
What was the purpose for their baptism? For the remission of sins. If you can understand Matt 26:28, "For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many
for the remission of sins.", then you can understand Acts 2:38, "38 Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ
for the remission of sins;' because the
EXACT GREEK PRHASE is used in both verses.
This in no way contradicts Eph 2:8-9, or any other scripture. You hold on to Eph 2:8-9 at the exclusion of all other verses. You must perform your mental gymnastics to explain away the plain teachings of scripture. You are not alone.
Earlier, you indicated that Mark 16:16, "Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned." can't mean what it says, because we are saved by faith thru grace and that would be a contradiction.
Since we know there are no contradictions, these two verses are in harmony. Jesus had just given them a commission to go preach the gospel to the whole creation (Mark 16:15). The apostles began this in Acts 2. When they asked, "What must we do", the reply came back to these believers, "Repent and be baptized...for the remission of sins".
What is the logical conclusion of Mark 16:16? That one must believe and be baptized to be saved.
What is the logical conclusion of Acts 2:38? That one must repent and be baptized for the remission of sins.
Are these two verses in harmony or conflicted. They are in harmony.
In Acts 8, Philip preached Christ to them (vs 5). Verse 12 tells us, "But when they believed Philip as he preached good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women."
Preaching Christ and the good news includes instructions for water baptism.
Does this agree with Mark 16:16 and Acts 2:38?
Later Philip preached Jesus to the Eunuch (vs 35). The first question from the Eunuch was, " "See, here is water! What prevents me from being baptized?" (vs 36). What was the reply? "If you believe with all your heart, you may." And he answered and said, "I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God." (vs 37).
He was then baptized and went on his way rejoicing (vs 38-39).
Is Acts 8:38-39 in agreement with Mark 16:16, Acts 2:38, and Acts 8:12? Yes, the same thing is happening again and again.
The Jailer that you like to reference so much is in complete agreement with these accounts, IF YOU READ THE WHOLE STORY. He was told to believe, they spoke the word of the Lord to him, he repented and was baptized at once, then he rejoiced having believed (Act 16:31-34).
Is Acts 16:31-34 in agreement with Mark 16:16, Acts 2:38, Acts 8:12, and Acts 8:38-39? Yes.
Saul of Tarsus had seen the Lord on the road to Damascus. Jesus told him, "“Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” (Acts 9:6)
What was the first thing he was told to DO? "Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord." - Acts 22:16. He we have a believer who has been praying for 3 days and is told to be baptized and wash away his sins.
Does Acts 22:16 agree with Mark 16:16, Acts 2:38, Acts 8:12, Acts 8:38-39, Acts 16:31-34? Yes it does.
Do all these agree with Eph 2:8-9? Certainly they do.
Ephesians was written to Christians, not to alien sinners telling them how to be saved. The Ephesian had obeyed Jesus command in Mark 16:16, and followed the examples in Acts 2:38, Acts 8:12, Acts 8:38-39, Acts 16:31-34, and Acts 22:16. They were already forgiven.
Does baptism merit anything? No, of course not. It doesn't even make sense, how could it be of work of merit? Who could boast of being dunked beneath the water?
If faith equals belief only, and a person is saved when they first believe, then you have to explain away Mark 16:16, Acts 2:38, Acts 8:12, Acts 8:38-39, Acts 22:16, and many other passages.
If faith equals an obedient belief, as shown throughout the bible and magnified in Heb 11, then Eph 2:8-9, Mark 16:16, Acts 2:38, Acts 8:12, Acts 8:38-39 and Acts 22:16 are all in harmony, as well as James 2:14-26, that shows faith without action (belief only) is dead and even the demons believe.
Gal 3:26-27 puts these verse in perfect and complete harmony, "for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ."
This is how Eph 2:8-9 and the passages dealing with baptism are all shown to be in perfect and complete harmony.
You can search your bible from cover to cover and you will only find one way into Christ, and that is through baptism.
In Christ is where one finds salvation (II Tim 2:10), redemption (Eph 1:7), eternal life (Eph 6:23), no condemnation (Rom 8:1), a new creation (II Cor 5:17), justification by faith (Gal 2:16), or as Paul sums it up, all spiritual blessings (Eph 1:3).
Therefore, outside of Christ, there are no spiritual blessings.
According to the scriptures, we are baptized into Christ (Rom 6:3-4 and Gal 3:26-27).
raying:
BEDIENCE - NOTHING BUT FAITH.
