Results 1 - 3 of 3
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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Ordered by Verse | ||||||
Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
1 | Can anyone explain? | 1 Cor 12:13 | Rowdy | 120644 | ||
I would have to disagree with you, dear friend. It is not clear that ALL believers (of whom I consider myself) have been baptized by the Holy Spirit. I will agree that I have the Holy Spirit living within me and have received His gift of salvation. Yes, a hearty AMEN. So, I must repeat myself but I'll be a little more clear this time. So, in addition to all the scriptures about the baptism of the Holy Spirit, we also see a multitude of scriptures about the watery baptism and this in direct contrast to the guidance in Eph 4:5. Thus, we conclude we have either 1) an obvious contradiction in the Bible, which we know can't happen OR 2) there's another correct interpretation. Again, I can only present what I've been taught all my christian life. So, the Bible very clearly does teach there were two baptisms but yet we should only practice one according to Eph 4:5. I would suggest for your objective evaluation as well as ALL those on the Forum, the baptism of the Holy Spirit was quite a bit different from the watery immersion as described in Acts 8 and Rom 6. The watery baptism is something that is fairly clear and easy to understand, straight forward from the many verses in God's Word describing it. However, in stark contrast the baptism of the Holy Spirit is not quite so clear and not described by quite so many verses. To me and to a great many christians across the world, it seems the only logical conclusion that the baptism of the Holy Spirit was something that was enjoyed by a select few and I would say it had to have been the Apostles in Acts 2 and Cornelius and his household in Acts 10. On these 2 occasions the Holy Spirit empowered these folks with miraculous powers, the like of which has never been repeated. The Apostles clearly throughout Acts were called upon to "lay their hands on a few" and impart this gift of miraculous powers for the purpose of endorsing the message of the Gospel as coming from God. But as alluded to in 1 Cor 13, this age of miracles directly from men died out when that final person died. It is my firm belief that this is what was meant by "baptism of the Holy Spirit." On the other hand, the watery baptism as described throughout the book of Acts is simple and easily accomplished throughout the world, in any century. Through faith, we come into contact with Jesus' blood as alluded to in 1 Jn 5:8. In my opinion and many, many others, this is the only way to reconcile the two clear pictures of baptism in the Bible with the ONE baptism in Eph 4:5. Would you have any response to the above argument? I pray you'll consider the matter with an open mind and an open heart. God bless. --Rowdy |
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2 | Is water baptism necessary for salvation | 1 Cor 12:13 | lcw | 120728 | ||
I'm not sure I agree that: "The watery baptism is something that is fairly clear and easy to understand, straight forward from the many verses in God's Word describing it." If that were true, why are the denominations so divided over it? Some believe in sprinkling an infant for its eternal salvation, others believe baptism is necessary for salvation, still others that baptism is not necessary but certainly advisable after a statement of faith. God is not a God of confusion and yet the very people who profess faith in Him seem to have so much confusion. I've already read the discussions over the indwelling and baptism of the Holy Spirit. Could it, just maybe, be that we are "wrangling about words" (1 Tim 2:14) Perhaps we need to remember only that we are to "first love God with all your heart, strength, mind and love your neighbor as yourself." (Luke 10:27 Matt 37 - 40) | ||||||
3 | Is water baptism necessary for salvation | 1 Cor 12:13 | JCrichton | 120734 | ||
Hi, lcw! So are you saying that Jesus was just going through the motions and that He made a "big-to-out-of-nothing"?: Then Jesus appeared: he came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptised by John. John tried to dissuade him, with the words, 'It is I who need baptism from you, and yet you come to me!' But Jesus replied, 'Leave it like this for the time being; it is fitting that we should, in this way, do all that uprightness demands.' Then John gave in to him. (Matthew 3:13-15) And was Jesus teaching an empty symbolism when He baptized or was He just trying to outdo John?: When Jesus heard that the Pharisses had found out that he was making and baptising more disciples than John--though in fact it was his disciples who baptised, not Jesus himself--he left Judea and went back to Galilee (John 4:1-3) Jesus' teachings do not translate perfectly into our world not because they are lacking or were ment as symbolic gestures, but because we are imperfect and we divide the Church: reasoning with the human intellect instead of allowing the Holy Spirit to guide us keeps the Church divided. Do not be baffled we are fighting a spiritual battle and the ancient Serpent has both time and knowledge against us; as Jesus said he will attempt to deceive the chosen ones, if it were possible! In our pettiness we reject Jesus command to be One: to love one another. We are confounded by insignificant and inconsequential details while missing the Truth: we can't come to God as we please, we can only come to God as He commands!: When the king came in to look at the guests he noticed one man who was not wearing a wedding garment, and said to him, "How did you get in here, my friend, without a wedding garment?" And the man was silent. Then the king said to the attendants, "Bind him hand and foot and throw him into the darkness outside, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth. For many are invited but not all are chosen.' (Matthew 22:11-14) Water Baptism may be symbolic, but are we above Christ Jesus so that we do not need to fulfill the Scriptures? God Bless! Angel |
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