Subject: Teacher, when were the 11 rebaptized? |
Bible Note: Teacher; You said "You feel I am being closed minded and hard hearted". And I guess my note sounded that way; I apologize. But I didn't miss the point. My point was that Paul's admonition applies to anyone who still doesn't "get" baptism, whether that someone is you or Tim or me. You ask for a passage that specifically calls baptism a work. There is none. I ask you for a passage that specifically says no one who is not baptized will be saved. There is none. So Christians are left to study the Bible and seek to understand and apply what it says. You may imagine that Paul would find your views to be "mature". Based on what Paul wrote about salvation, I disagree. Further, Paul - having demonstrated his own spiritual maturity - had earned the right to admonish Christians as he did. You have not; neither have I. I am afraid that you have missed the point of this forum and the community it represents. We have not been sitting around waiting for you to explain the Bible to us; you take your handle "Teacher" entirely too seriously. Many of us have spent a fair amount of time reading and studying the Bible and discussing it with other believers, some of them right here. There are members of this forum who have, over time, clearly demonstrated their wisdom and maturity. They have also demonstrated willingness to engage in thoughtful, respectful dialog with people who disagree with them. Dialog means more than simply pushing a view. It also means paying attention to the points raised by the other person and providing a response beyond a mere re-hashing of previous claims. Which brings me to your example of the demons. Faith is not just believing that Jesus' claims were true. Faith is recognizing our own unworthiness and trusting in Jesus for our salvation - trusting to the extent of exchanging our lives for his. The demons didn't do that. Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |