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As k2 said above, why drive a wedge between things that are good and salvation? And regarding baptism, what do you make of:
If one's reads the NT one will find quite a few wedges driven between what is good and what is required for salvation. Examples: Work of the law, the law, circumcision, works, deeds done in righteousness. Furthermore the Bible is clear that one is saved by a gift of grace, through faith in Jesus. Given the reasons for the wedges in these other good areas I believe we should also drive a wedge into water baptism being a requirement for salvation.
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3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born?
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.While this is an interpretive option one could choose it doesn't fit in with the discussion and the clarification in verse 6.
How does one make the case that this is talking about water baptism? While this is an interpretive option it really doesn't fit in with the discussion. I think we have a better interpretive option.
v3. except a man be born again.
v4. How can a man enter
2nd time into a mothers womb and be born?v5. must be born of
water and of
Spiritv6. explanation:
that which is born of flesh is flesh, that
which is born of Spirit is SpiritA better interpretation of being born of water means - physical birth or born of flesh. A woman water breaks before given birth and the baby comes out of the womb. Being born of Spirit or receiving the Holy Spirit is clear in other passages and is not tied to baptism.
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19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
1. It specifically says baptizing them "in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost" not water.
2. How would they baptize them in this name?
3. By teaching them to observe all things i've commanded you.
One could interpret this as being baptized in water but let's look again at many of the verses in the NT. 8 different baptisms below and only 2 are related to water.
1Cor. 15: Paul: so that no one would say you were baptized in my name.
1 Cor 10 and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea;
Gal 3:27 For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.
Romans 6:3 Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death?
Acts 11:16 And I remembered the word of the Lord, how He used to say, 'John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.'
Now let's interpret the verse 19 as water baptism.
The text does not say, "
19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: because water baptism will save them from their sins.
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16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.
1. I believe Mark chapter 16 stops at verse 8. Stopping here is the most thought provoking cliff hanger I may have ever seen in any literature piece. It begs the question, "What do we do with this information."
2. Verses 9-19 are in a different writing style than the previous entire book and these verses are not in the early manuscripts. You should see a foot note in the Bible.
3. If this means water baptism is required then one should also take this will the full context and be willing to drink deadly poison, pick up poisonous snakes and I would submit there would no longer be any hospitals as it would only take the laying on of hands for someone to recover.
4. Given points 1-3 and that the rest of the Bible equates salvation with belief, I do not have enough evidence to stake my eternity of this inconsistency.
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37 Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?
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.
1. They were cut to the heart? What happened here and why were they cut to the heart? The answer is, "They just heard the gospel of who Jesus is and what realized what they had done do Him.
2. If we take this to mean water baptism is required for the forgiveness of sins and the receiving the gift of the Holy spirit then we have a dilemma. There are more verses Acts 19:2, Eph. 1:13-14, John 7:39 that equate receiving the Holy Spirit with 'belief'
3. Acts 10 shows that people received the Holy Spirit before baptism.
How should we understand Acts 2:38 then. The key word I think is 'repent'. lit. change your mind. Change your mind about what? They needed to change their mind about how they viewed the Chris who they just murdered. This is synonymous with believing.
The verses that you listed can easily cause one to think that Baptism is requirement, however when one reads through the entire NT our picture is clear. If water baptism is required for eternal life then Jesus and Paul failed to mention it in these 30 places when talking about eternal life.
John 1:12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name,
John 3:15 so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life.
John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
John 3:18 He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
John 5:24 "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.
John 5:38 You do not have His word abiding in you, for you do not believe Him whom He sent.
John 6:35 Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst.
John 6:40 For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day."
John 6:47 Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes has eternal life.
John 7:38 He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, 'From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.'"
John 7:39 But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.
John 8:24 Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins."
John 11:25 Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies,
John 11:26 and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?"
John 12:46 I have come as Light into the world, so that everyone who believes in Me will not remain in darkness.
John 20:31 but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.
Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
Romans 3:22 even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction;
Romans 4:3 For what does the Scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness."
Romans 4:5 But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness,
Romans 4:11 and he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while uncircumcised, so that he might be the father of all who believe without being circumcised, that righteousness might be credited to them,
Romans 4:17 (as it is written, "A father of many nations have I made you") in the presence of Him whom he believed, even God, who gives life to the dead and calls into being that which does not exist.
Romans 4:18 In hope against hope he believed, so that he might become a father of many nations according to that which had been spoken, "So shall your descendants be."
Romans 4:24 but for our sake also, to whom it will be credited, as those who believe in Him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead,
Romans 9:33 just as it is written, "Behold, I lay in Zion a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense, And he who believes in Him will not be disappointed."
Romans 10:4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.
Romans 10:11For the Scripture says, "Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed."
Romans 10:14How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher?
Eph 1:13 In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvationhaving also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise,
1 Cor 15 1-4 Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, 2 by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. 3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,