DHK said :If all you had to do was confess and repent your sins, then you probably aren't saved or born again. How old were you when you did that?
What sins did you confess? Did you confess and repent of all of them? Did you miss any of them, even just one in your life time? Do you have that good of a photographic memory, or and "eidetic memory," as they call it? I doubt it. Trusting Christ doesn't require one to repent of all their sins.
Repentance is a change of mind. It means that one changes his mind or attitude with respect to God. If you did, you were rebellious in your attitude toward God as all men are. Repentance is coming to the point where one changes his mind (being convicted by the Holy Spirit), and submits to Christ as LORD. Now Christ is Lord, and you are His servant; no more rebellious but submissive to Him. That is what repentance is--a change of mind in one's attitude toward God.
To put one's faith in Christ means that Christ becomes Lord of your life and your previous masters--the world and all that is therein is forsaken. Christ is now Lord. I doubt if that ever happened in you.
True Biblical Christianity is a relationship, not a religion.
I don't understand you as you seen to be all over the place. First you say that Baptism is not a requirement, then you say you were baptized a "second" time? Why? If it is something that is not needed, it is a useless exercise, no? I only questioned your need to do this particular act in the previous post, but I never questioned your feelings and your resultant spiritual rebirth.
Baptism is not and never was a requirement for salvation.
Baptism simply gets you wet. There is no impartation of grace. It certainly can't save, or forgive sins. It just gets you wet! Why is it so important for parents in the RCC to have their infants unnecessarily doused with what could be some polluted water by a complete stranger (to the infant). He or she didn't ask for this torture. It is against the infant's human rights!
I looked up the history for you. There was no infant baptism for about five centuries after the death of Christ! Were all those Christians or infants who died before that time in hell today??
The Bible teaches that one must first believe and then be baptized. Baptism is a step of obedience on the part of the believer, not a requirement to be saved. It is for the believer not the unbeliever. It is in obedience to the command of Christ (Mat.28:19,20), AFTER salvation.
One obeys the command because Jesus commanded it.
One obeys the command because it
symbolizes our death to sin and our resurrection to a new life in Christ.
One obeys the command even though it simply gets you wet; not holy; not saved.
Now I know Baptists and Evangelicals are big on confessing and repentance and when I relate to you that is what I have done, suddenly such a thing is not good enough or even proper.
If you don't understand what repentance is you probably haven't repented. What you described is
something you DID--a work.
Salvation is by grace through faith and not of works.
Salvation is regeneration not reformation. It is not confessing your sins and then saying I can do better. Or, promising not to do it again (because deep inside you know you will). That is not repentance.
Study the definition and description I gave you on repentance.
Likewise, you know nothing of my deep down feelings and are in no position to question my experience in this life, my sins, my ultimate return to God, and my continuing attempt to live a holy and pleasing life unto Him through the worship and acceptance of His only Son Jesus Christ through what I believe to be the church which He established on this earth.
I simply responded to what you said to me, which is:
I know full well the feeling you had. But you don't. So why try and judge feelings?
Salvation is not based on feelings, neither the experience you speak of.
Salvation is based on the Word of God, and thus the importance of sola scriptura. The Bible is our final authority. If it is not according to the Word of God then it is wrong.
I have people tell me they know they are going to heaven because they saw Jesus in a dream.
Hogwash! Salvation is not seeing Jesus in a dream. It is trusting Him by faith and faith alone. It is putting one's trust in His sacrificial work on the cross. He said "It is finished" (Jn.19:30). There is nothing more that any one can do (including being baptized). Jesus paid it all.
There is no good thing one can do. There is absolutely nothing one can do to merit eternal life.
One cannot please God. Christ hung there on the cross. He paid the penalty for our sins. No man can help him pay the penalty. Christ paid it all. We simply need to take the gift of salvation that he has provided by faith. There is nothing that man can do. Jesus did it all.
Jesus paid it all,
All to Him I owe;
Sin had left a crimson stain,
He washed it white as snow.
For nothing good have I
Whereby Thy grace to claim;
I’ll wash my garments white
In the blood of Calv’ry’s Lamb.
And now complete in Him,
My robe, His righteousness,
Close sheltered ’neath His side,
I am divinely blest.
And when before the throne
I stand in Him complete,
I’ll lay my trophies down,
All down at Jesus’ feet.
Jesus Paid It All | Elvina M. Hall