Results 1 - 5 of 5
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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Ordered by Verse | ||||||
Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
1 | need for a bible-anyone | Bible general Archive 1 | mouse2 | 50809 | ||
You wrote: I've stayed out of this but one sentence caught my eye: "When your soul is on the line, it behooves us to investigate everything carefully (as the Beareans did)". The Bereans did not study scripture to save their souls, they studied scripture to see if Paul was believable. Steve, Let’s look at Acts 17:11-12 “Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so. Therefore many of them believed, along with a number of prominent Greek women and men.” Paul and Silas arrived in Berea and where did they go? The synagogue. Why? For the same reason they had went to Thessalonica, Acts 17:1-4, to teach them the gospel. So, they went to Berea for the same cause (Acts 17:12), note “Therefore,…” connecting verse 12 to the previous verse. Do you believe the Bereans were already saved, because they were Jews? Verse 11 says “…they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures …” to see if what was so? What Paul was saying was so. What was he saying? Just what he had told the Thessalonians and all others he preached to: Acts 17: 3; Acts 17:24-31; Acts 16, Acts 18 in Corinth, etc. You wrote: What was Paul saying? That there was now a new set of rules to follow or that salvation is by grace through faith alone? The 1st covenant was ended and a new begun at the cross, at the death of Christ. Heb 8:13. AD70 sealed that with the destruction of Jerusalem. Many had believed, had faith that Jesus was indeed the Messiah, the Christ, yet did not yield salvation. John 12:42-43 I believe Scripture makes it rather clear baptism is necessary. Read my previous post to Tim on Baptism. Perhaps that helped. Mouse2 |
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2 | need for a bible-anyone | Bible general Archive 1 | stjones | 50815 | ||
Hi, mouse2; Further down in this thread, I offered the following objection to the idea that "Scripture makes it rather clear baptism is necessary": It seems to me this idea has two fatal flaws. First, it negates the many instances where the Bible says that all who call upon the name of the Lord will be saved (e.g. Joel 2:32, Acts 2:21, Romans 10:13). This simple, unqualified statement is beautifully illustrated by the thief on the cross. Second, it asserts that Jesus, who came to save the world (John 3:17), is unable or unwilling to save anyone in it without man's help. This is an idea that was dealt with in the Reformation - that a sinner could not enter into a right relationship with God without the help of a human mediator. There are certainly instances in the NT where baptism and salvation are associated within a single story. But there too many counter-examples to claim that the two are invariably linked. What scripture is clear about is that "... it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- not by works, so that no one can boast." No legalisms, no performance, no law, none of our own effort, nor the effort of anyone doing baptisms - only his. Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |
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3 | need for a bible-anyone | Bible general Archive 1 | mouse2 | 50870 | ||
Hello Steve: You wrote: It seems to me this idea has two fatal flaws. First, it negates the many instances where the Bible says that all who call upon the name of the Lord will be saved (e.g. Joel 2:32, Acts 2:21, Romans 10:13). This simple, unqualified statement is beautifully illustrated by the thief on the cross. The problem with that is the thief on the cross was still under the old covenant. The new covenant did not take effect until after the death of Christ (Heb 9:15-17). Yet Peter did not stop there at Acts 2:21, he continued to preach and teach what they needed to do. If belief was all that was necessary, why continue on? Why do the people ask what they ask in Acts 2:37? Why didn't Peter simply say, believe? You wrote: But there too many counter-examples to claim that the two are invariably linked. Do you believe the Bible is inconsistent? Do you not look to see how they are threaded together? God wrote all we have in Scripture through inspired men. Psalm 119:160; 2 Tim 3:16-17 Psalms 119:160 says "the sum": the total, it all adds up. You wrote: No legalisms, no performance, no law, none of our own effort, nor the effort of anyone doing baptisms - only his. I do agree, nothing we do on OUR OWN merits salvation. However, there are works we must do: James 2:14,17-26; Matthew 3:8; John 15:8, etc. Mouse2 |
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4 | need for a bible-anyone | Bible general Archive 1 | stjones | 50879 | ||
Hi, mouse2; You asked "Do you believe the Bible is inconsistent?" and cited Psalm 119:160 "All your words are true; all your righteous laws are eternal." That was my point. Throughout, the Bible says to believe, to have faith, to call upon the Lord to be saved. No one is saved without faith. You cited passages in James, Matthew, and John but none of them say that works lead to salvation. They all say that works should be the visible result of salvation. Nor do they mention any specific works. But let me ask you a straightforward question - Paul wrote "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--not by works, so that no one can boast" (Ephesians 2:8-9) Did he lie? Was he mistaken? Is it only first-century citizens of Ephesus who are saved by grace through faith? This passage explicitly excludes works as a means to salvation. No baptism, no style of worship, no schedule for communion, just God's grace accessed through faith. Nothing more. Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |
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5 | need for a bible-anyone | Bible general Archive 1 | mouse2 | 51072 | ||
Steve, hope you had a good weekend. You wrote: "Do you believe the Bible is inconsistent?" and cited Psalm 119:160 "All your words are true; all your righteous laws are eternal." That was my point. Throughout, the Bible says to believe, to have faith, to call upon the Lord to be saved. No one is saved without faith. I agree. No one is saved without faith. Or faith alone. How do you define faith? At what point of faith are you saved? I mean is it at mental acceptance? Do you “invite Jesus into your heart”? With faith only for salvation, is confession necessary? Do you need to repent? You wrote: You cited passages in James, Matthew, and John but none of them say that works lead to salvation. They all say that works should be the visible result of salvation. Nor do they mention any specific works. Define “works” for me. You wrote: Paul wrote "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--not by works, so that no one can boast" (Ephesians 2:8-9) How does one boast in obedience to God’s word? (You wrote: No baptism, no style of worship, no schedule for communion, just God's grace accessed through faith. Nothing more.) What type of works does this verse refer to? Mouse2 |
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