Results 81 - 100 of 132
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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Author: Tim Sheasby Ordered by Verse |
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Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
81 | When will the rapture occur???? | 1 Cor 15:52 | Tim Sheasby | 22665 | ||
Actually, this is something that is not a big problem for me. If you are a Christian it does not matter whether you die first of if the Lord comes again first. For you the result is the same - you go to your eternal reward. If you are not a Christian then you have a big problem. I knew 2 old American missionaries who worked together in the church. The one was a premillenialist the other not. Yet they did not let this interfere with what was most important to them -- preaching the gospel of Christ. Tim |
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82 | When will the rapture occur???? | 1 Cor 15:52 | Tim Sheasby | 22689 | ||
Part 1: There were people then who also mis-understood what Jesus was saying. However I believe Jesus was talking about the people before him that day. Let me give my brief exegesis of Matthew 24. To start with Jesus knows his time has nearly come. Perhaps that is why the disciples try to cheer him up or distract him by showing him how beautiful the temple is and he tells them the temple will be destroyed (AD 70) The disciples now come to him for more information and ask 2 questions. 1. "When will these things happen?" 2. "What will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?" v.3. The twofold question was probably seen as one by the disciples because for them, as Jews, the destruction of the Temple would be the end of the world! Jesus, however, treats it as two separate questions. Before he answers them, though, he gives them a warning. Matt 24:4-14 And Jesus answered and said to them, "See to it that no one misleads you. "For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and will mislead many. "You will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end. "For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes. "But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs. "Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name. "At that time many will fall away and will betray one another and hate one another. "Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many. "Because lawlessness is increased, most people's love will grow cold. "But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved. "This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come. Please note -- Jesus does not say that these are the signs of the times but that PEOPLE will SAY that these are signs. And this leads to the tribulation. When Jesus says "the end will come" he is talking about the end of Israel (physical) as God's chosen people. |
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83 | When will the rapture occur???? | 1 Cor 15:52 | Tim Sheasby | 22690 | ||
Part 2: Now Jesus tells them some actual signs as a warning to his disciples. Matt 24:15 "Therefore when you see the ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains. "Whoever is on the housetop must not go down to get the things out that are in his house. "Whoever is in the field must not turn back to get his cloak. "But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! "But pray that your flight will not be in the winter, or on a Sabbath. "For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will. "Unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short. "Then if anyone says to you, 'Behold, here is the Christ,' or 'There He is,' do not believe him. "For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect. "Behold, I have told you in advance. "So if they say to you, 'Behold, He is in the wilderness,' do not go out, or, 'Behold, He is in the inner rooms,' do not believe them. "For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes even to the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be. "Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather. "But immediately after the tribulation of those days THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED, AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT, AND THE STARS WILL FALL from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. "And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the SON OF MAN COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY with power and great glory. "And He will send forth His angels with A GREAT TRUMPET and THEY WILL GATHER TOGETHER His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other. "Now learn the parable from the fig tree: when its branch has already become tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near; so, you too, when you see all these things, recognize that He is near, right at the door. "Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. This is where I differ from many others. I believe that this speaks explicity and graphically about the destruction of Jerusalem, and more specifically the Temple, in AD 70. This passage is pure apocalyptic literature and should be interpreted in that light. Jesus warns the people of Judea to get out of town when they see the abomination of desolation. He tells of the "tribulation" that would follow and this is clearly reported in the secular history of the day (Josephus, Tacitus etc.). At the same time many would now use this opportunity to try to claim to be the Christ or to have seen the Christ -- and Christians are warned not to believe them. Then in verse 27 Jesus interjects "For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes even to the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be" just to let them know that there will be no mistake when he actually comes. He continues in verses 28-33 with the horror of that event -- this is the depression that sets in after the Jews realise their entire religion is destroyed. No longer can they have a priesthood for no longer can they prove their genealogy. This is their final and total rejection by God. Verse 34 concludes this section -- the answer to the first question "when will the temple be destroyed?" This was indeed fulfilled in the lifetime of many who were there when Jesus spoke. Verses 35 to 51 answer the second question "What will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age. And what He says there is "no one knows." "be prepared, it could come at any time!" Hope that was fairly cogent. It is what makes sense to me and was arrived at from some personal study very recently. Have not actually read very much by anyone else on this passage. In the Love of Christ Tim |
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84 | When will the rapture occur???? | 1 Cor 15:52 | Tim Sheasby | 22819 | ||
The "people will say" statement is my paraphrase. In Matt 24:5-8 "For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and will mislead many. "You will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end. "For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes. "But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs." He is not saying these are signs, just that these are things that happen. They have not stopped happening since that day! The section does begin with people claiming to be the Christ and misleading many. But again also, in light of my understanding of the passage, these are evnts that precede the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple. In answer to your points on Romans 11: 1. This was written by Paul BEFORE the destruction of Jerusalem. But once the Temple was destroyed the genealogical records of the Jewish people were destroyed. Without these they cannot proove their identity. Priests could not practice without proof of descent. That is why today there is no Jewish priesthood and no sacrifice. Paul said his gospel was "to the Jew first, and also to the Greek (gentile)" Rom 1:16. Israel simply DOES NOT EXIST without these records. 2. Any faithful remnants of Israel came into the new Israel before AD 70. 3. vv. 7-10 tell us about this remnant. The faithful remnant are rewarded according to the promise of God (fulfilment of OT promises to the Jews) but the majority, who rejected God, are hardened and ultimately cut off. 4. Amen! 5. Amen! (At least we agree on something!) 6. They can only be grafted in if they do not continue in their unbelief. This had not happened by AD 70 (40 years after Christ died -- Interesting time period that), has not happened to this day, and has no evidence of ever changing. According to the passage you quote THEY HAVE ALREADY been cut off! (v 20). The warning to us, the gentiles, is that if God was willing to cut off the original branches then how can we expect Him to be unwilling to cut US off if necessary? 7. v.25b ". . . a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in;" This is the lead up to AD 70. At AD 70 this prophesy is fulfilled. v.26a "and so all Israel will be saved;" is again fulfilled in AD 70 since after that there is no more physical Israel. The rest of v26 to the end of 27 quotes Isaiah 59:20. This refers to Jesus Christ, who has indeed come. This speaks of the first coming, not the second. In Christ, Tim |
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85 | When will the rapture occur???? | 1 Cor 15:52 | Tim Sheasby | 22820 | ||
I think this agrees with my conclusions also. From verse 35 onward I believe this is speaking of the Second Coming -- still to come. I think v 34 closes off the preceding section and refers back to those events. I don't believe it has any relevance in the verses that follow it. Many have tried to say that this verse does not talk about that specific generation (Most notably the Jehova Witnesses, though there are others). Many have claimed to be able to determine from scripture the date of the second coming -- and so far have been wrong every time. The day and hour can never be determined since v.36 "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone." Grace and Peace Tim |
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86 | why is baptism important | 2 Cor 5:17 | Tim Sheasby | 22192 | ||
You are only a new creature when you are "in Christ". What we have to determine then is "How do I get into Christ?" Gal 3:27 says "For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ." (NASB) This shows that you must be baptized into Christ -- Can't find any other way to get into Him and therefore to become a new Creation. | ||||||
87 | why is baptism important | 2 Cor 5:17 | Tim Sheasby | 22193 | ||
Another point: Romans 6:1 following shows that it is only by sharing in the death of Christ that we can share in His resurrection. And we die with Christ when we are baptized. Why are there so many "Christians" who cannot accept that they must be baptized to be saved? Satan has done a wonderful job of confusing us when we read the word of our God. |
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88 | why is baptism important | 2 Cor 5:17 | Tim Sheasby | 22284 | ||
NO! The baptism of water and the baptism of spirit are the SAME baptism. (See John 3:5). Where in the Bible does it say that water baptism is an outward symbol of an inner reality? NOWHERE! Romans 6:3 again -- you are Baptized into Christ. Ephesians 4:5 -- there is only ONE baptism. Spiritual rebirth ONLY takes place at the physical immersion (Baptism) in water. Tim |
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89 | why is baptism important | 2 Cor 5:17 | Tim Sheasby | 22307 | ||
Sorry to disagree with you but the case of Cornelius is talking about something different. Cornelius was not saved until he was baptized. I know this because other scriptures clearly indicate this to be true. There is a difference between gifts of (from) the Holy Spirit and the gift of the Holy Spirit (Himself). Pentecost and Cornelius both show special events for special purposes -- to reveal the will of God. In both cases they had to be baptised to receive the Holy Spirit Himself. Romans 6 tells us that we are Baptised into Christ and Ephesians 1 shows that it is IN Christ that we have the Holy Spirit as a seal. Sin separates us from God and the only way we can receive remission of sins, according to Acts 2, is through repentance and baptism. Since it is sin that makes it impossible to enter heaven without baptism this also might answer your second objection -- the thief on the cross. Jesus had the power to forgive the sins of the thief while He was still on earth and so could promise the thief salvation. In addition though Jesus was dying the new testament had not yet been instated so rules that apply to salvation after the kingdom came with power at Pentecost do not apply before that date! We know that the blood of Christ extends back to cover the sins of those who died before the kingdom came but that does not mean that we can also be saved without baptism. Satan has done a wonderful snow job persuading us that we can be saved without baptism or by a baptism that is different to that taught in the Bible. If you believe you are saved and then get baptized just for obedience sake that is not the same as 'repent and be baptized, every one of you, for the remission of sins' Acts 2:38. Tim |
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90 | why is baptism important | 2 Cor 5:17 | Tim Sheasby | 22324 | ||
Scripture clearly shows that new life/rebirth/remission of sins only takes place with baptism. Mark 16:16, Romans 6:5, Acts 2:38. The Holy Spirit gave Cornelius the ability to speak in tongues, not salvation. Nowhere in Acts 10 does it say Cornelius was saved by the coming of the Holy Spirit. I believe this to have happened as a sign to Peter and his friends -- Jews who would never have dealings with Gentiles under normal circumstances -- that Gentiles were now acceptable to God. It re-inforced the vision God had already given Peter and gave him the ability to argue for Cornelius and his family to be baptised. ALL examples of conversion in Acts are accompanied by baptism. This is the ONLY one where the one being converted received any special dispensation from the Holy Spirit. Tim |
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91 | why is baptism important | 2 Cor 5:17 | Tim Sheasby | 22329 | ||
EVERY EXAMPLE OF CONVERSION IN ACTS INCLUDES BAPTISM!!!! TRUE OR FALSE? JESUS SAID "HE WHO BELIEVES AND IS BAPTISED WILL BE SAVED" TRUE OR FALSE? PETER SAID "BAPTISM NOW ALSO *SAVES* US" 1 Pet 3:21 -- TRUE OR FALSE? Aditionally Acts 8:16 shows a situation where people had been baptized but the Holy Spirit had not come on them. Scripture most emphatically DOES stress the importance of baptism in Gods plan of salvation. |
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92 | why is baptism important | 2 Cor 5:17 | Tim Sheasby | 22438 | ||
Why was Cornelius a special case? The fact that Peter had to defend his action in baptizing Cornelius shows why. If Cornelius had not received the Holy Spirit then Peter and those Jewish brethren with him would have had great difficulty in accepting Cornelius in the first place and getting the rest of the churct to accept him in the second place. A simple sign from God. The Samaritans in Acts 8 were baptized and had to have the Apostles come down and lay their hands on them so that THEY could receive the Holy Spirit. -- Baptized first, Holy Spirit second. This does not mean that they did not have the seal of the Holy Spirit spoken of in Ephesians 1 or the gift of the Holy Spirit Peter spoke of in Acts 2. This is talking about miraculous gifts of the Spirit like was received by the Apostles in Acts 2:1 ff and Cornelius in Acts 10. The events of Acts 2 and Acts 10 are unique in Scripture. Except for those two occasions it is seen that miraculous gifts are given by the laying on of Apostles hands. Tim |
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93 | why is baptism important | 2 Cor 5:17 | Tim Sheasby | 22443 | ||
Please forgive me for allowing my anger free reign, that was wrong of me. So, to set matters right, here are my arguments: 1. You said that we are saved by faith alone. -- James 2:24 "You see that a man is justified by works and not by FAITH ALONE." NASB (emphasis mine) -- Acts 15 does clearly show that we are saved by grace. No argument there. Romans 4 also emphasised the fact that we cannot do enough work to EARN salvation. Our good works are not, and never will be, enough to save us. However, the debate is about what you have to do to RECEIVE this grace in the first place, and that is where baptism comes into force. Baptism is the transition from death to life and is symbolic of the burial of Christ. The gospel is the death, burial and resurrection of Christ and in the same way we have to die (Repent) be burried (baptism) and then rise to walk in newness of life Romans 6:3. 2. Peter's Sermon in Acts 3 does not mention baptism. -- In Peter's sermon in Acts 2 you will notice that he only mentioned baptism when the people, with conciences pierced by their guilt, asked "What must we do?". In Acts 3 this question was not asked. In EVERY place in acts where people come to the point of conversion baptism takes place. The only place you could show where this is not mentioned is the first account of the conversion of Paul. But in Paul's own recounting of that same event (same instance of conversion) Paul relates the words of Ananias in Acts 22:16 'Now why do you delay? Get up and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on His name.' 3. 1 Cor 15:1-4 does not mention baptism as part of the gospel. -- Neither does it mention faith, or grace. This is the gospel. As I pointed out in point 1 above, the problem is HOW to we take advantage of the gospel? What do we have to do to be saved? Our actions save us only in that they put us in the place where we can be saved by the blood of Christ. In 1 Peter 3:20-21 Peter tells how Noah was saved by obeying God's command. He was saved by the very water that destroyed everyone else! Peter also equates the water of baptism with the resurrection of Christ. 3a. Further you said 'Paul clearly understood baptism to be separate from the gospel, and hence in no way efficacious for salvation.' -- Remember that Paul was talking to people who were already saved here. If they had already been saved by repenting and being baptized there was no need for him to tell them this -- they all knew it already. This is the situation throughout the epistles -- written to those who had already been saved so the mechanisims of the new birth did not necessarily need to be re-itterated. 4. The accounts of salvation without baptism all precede the death of Christ on the cross (including the thief on the cross). While Christ was still on earth, and before his New Testament had been instituted, He had all authority to forgive sins. Today the only way you can get forgiveness of sins in the first place is through the waters of baptism -- That is why every example of conversion in Acts includes baptism. You cannot get any clearer than that. 4a. There is no account of the Apostles getting baptized. -- True, but there is certainly room for their baptism to have taken place in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost along with the rest of the 3000. Remember that Peter's sermon on that occasion was inspired and therefore the message applied equally to him and the other apostles as it did to the crowd. 5. You state that Cornelius was saved before he was baptized. -- The Bible does not say that he was saved, just that he received the Holy Spirit as had Peter and the other Apostles on the day of Pentecost. If baptism was such a minor thing as you seem to imply then why did Peter immediately call for them to BE baptized? At the end of the day we must indeed use scripture to interpred scripture and there are some vital issues with this regard. There is still no argument whatsoever against the simple command of Christ in Mark 16:16 "He who believes and is baptised will be saved". This alone should be sufficient but in Matt 28:19 Jesus says -- "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit." The force of the word Baptizing here is that this is the mechanism for making disciples. And of cours 1 Peter 3:21 clearly equates baptism with salvation. Again, I apologise for my previous posting and hope this will answer clearly your objections. In Christ who redeems us Tim |
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94 | why is baptism important | 2 Cor 5:17 | Tim Sheasby | 22446 | ||
Yes, if you want to put it that way, Jesus ADDED a requirement for salvation. Mark 16:16 -- Believe and Be Baptized. Tim |
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95 | why is baptism important | 2 Cor 5:17 | Tim Sheasby | 22482 | ||
Dear Nolan I have enjoyed many of your comments on other topics I have followed on this forum. 1. In regard to your answer on Mark 16:16 -- You cannot argue baptism out of the first phrase just because it is not repeated in the second. What Jesus says is very simple -- to be saved you must believe and be baptized. These are both requirements of Jesus. To be condemned unbelief alone is sufficient. This is an old and common argument against baptism but if Jesus didn't require us to be baptized before we could be saved why did he say we must? 2. I was sent to preach not to baptize . . . -- I never said baptism is the gospel, but it IS a requirement to take advantage of the redeeming blood of Christ. In the context of the passage you will see that Paul was talking about sectarianism in the Corinthian congregation -- "I am of Peter, I am of Paul, I am of Apolos, I am of Christ". You will notice that he does not say that he did not baptize anyone but that his primary mission was to preach. In Acts, when Paul preaches and people respond and ask "what must I do?" what does Paul tell them? He tells them to get baptized. Baptism is an essential link in the chain of salvation. If this one link is broken then the chain is broken. But, as in any chain, each link could be said to be carrying the load. Each link then in effect saves. Yes, Jesus blood saves us. Yes, grace saves us. Yes, faith saves us. But, as Peter says in 1 Peter 3:21 "baptism also saves us" |
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96 | why is baptism important | 2 Cor 5:17 | Tim Sheasby | 22488 | ||
1. Jesus is not walking around on earth today. He does forgive but has told us what we have to do to receive that gift. 2. Acts 2:38-41; Acts 8:12ff; Acts 8:13; Acts 8:36ff; Acts 9:18; Acts 10:47-48; Acts 16:15; Acts 16:33; Acts 18:8; Acts 19:1-5; Acts 22:16; Romans 6:3-4; 1 Cor 12:13; Gal 3:27; Col 2:12; 1 Pet 3:21. And of course Ephesians 4:5 which reminds us that there is ONE baptism. 3. Not all who lived before Christ will be saved -- only the righteous. The righteous of old had a heart of repentance and obedience and so strived to do the will of God. Acts 17:30 "Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent" |
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97 | why is baptism important | 2 Cor 5:17 | Tim Sheasby | 22491 | ||
On the death of a testator it takes some time before the last will and testament is actioned. In the case of Jesus this happened 50 days later at Pentecost. In Acts 2:38 (for the umteenth time) Peter said "repent and be baptized for the remission of your sins". The 'for' here does not mean 'because of' but rather 'in order that' or 'so that' your sins can be forgiven. The grammar in the Greek indicates that repentance and baptism are PREREQUISITES to the forgiveness of sins. Salvation does not, and cannot come before baptism but rather at the moment of baptism. Tim |
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98 | why is baptism important | 2 Cor 5:17 | Tim Sheasby | 22493 | ||
Ok, Joe. Let's look again. There are definately 2 different things here and the terminology has indeed become muddled. The one aspect is one that imparts miraculous ability of one kind or another -- speaking in tongues, healing etc. The other is the 'indwelling' or internal gift of the Spirit. The first happened to the apostles and Cornelius prior to baptism and to the Samaritans some time after baptism. The purpose for this aspect was to provide proof and support to the young church as they had no New Testament in book form as we have it today. The other aspect is sometimes called the gift of the Spirit or the Seal of the Spirit and relates to an "internal" manifestation if you will and this is received at the point and instant of baptism. Manifestations of the first order, I believe, have passed away (1 Corinthians 13:8-10) since we have received the complete revelation of Gods word in the Bible as we hold it today. Tim |
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99 | why is baptism important | 2 Cor 5:17 | Tim Sheasby | 22497 | ||
Not a Mormon and in no way believe that you have to have Apostles hands laid on you to be saved. Have never given any indication that this is what I believe. There has still not been a single argument that holds up against the very command of Christ that those who believe AND are baptized will be saved. I believe it is both SCRIPTURAL and SAFE to preach that you have to be BAPTIZED to be saved. But you also have to BELIEVE. Baptism alone does not save, neither does faith (Read James). And finally BAPTISM is NOT a work. It is a submission. It is something done TO you not something you do to yourself. Those who say it is a work totally misunderstand what this is about. If I go to the doctor to get an injection the injection is not MY work. It is the DOCTORS work. I simply allow him to do it. Simple logic. You have to make a decision for yourself. All of us, and I include myself, must be very sure that we are not simply following the traditions we have grown up with but are lovers of truth 2 Thess 2:10 Phil 2:12 "So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling;" Tim |
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100 | why is baptism important | 2 Cor 5:17 | Tim Sheasby | 22629 | ||
The Greek word 'eis' can NOT mean "because of". One of the wonderful things about Greek is that is is far more explicit than English. Certainly in English 'for' can mean 'because of' but in Greek, the word 'eis' does not carry this meaning. Furthermore -- though I believe I have shown ample evidence that baptism is an essential element of salvation I can also show that 'faith alone' is not enough to save you. In fact the ONLY verse in the entire Bible that mentions 'faith alone' (Do the search yourself if you doubt this) is in James 2:24 -- You see that a man is justified by works and not by FAITH ALONE. (NASB, emphasis mine). The root meaning of the word 'eis' is 'into'. This passage should have, more properly, been translated "Repent and be baptised INTO the remission of sins." Correct translation in the first place would have removed all doubt about this issue. Proper interpretation cannot be based on ambiguous English words -- It must be based on proper translation of the original language. I have a dear brother in my congregation who has just finished 3 years ministerial training. There are at least 7 other members of the congregation (including myself) who have had training that included a study Koine Greek. We have already had to correct interpretation of this young man because of conclusions based on poor or ambiguous English translation of Scripture. To rephrase your last statement: "Hence, this verse, properly interpreted, indicates that water baptism IS CONCURRENT WITH the salvation experience." Tim |
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