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NASB | Matthew 28:19 "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Matthew 28:19 "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations [help the people to learn of Me, believe in Me, and obey My words], baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, |
Bible Question:
Thank you, Jonp. 1) Why do you believe that SO much emphasis is placed on the outward expression of faith "baptism"? Though Jesus commanded, many denominations place the emphasis on the baptism instead of the understanding of the Word that leads to the inward baptism. 2) Also, this particular Pentecostal Church, directs not to Trinity (which they continued to stress that the 'word' Trinity is no where in the bible which I agree) but to the One-ness of God. Though they believe in the Father, Son and Holy Spirit it is said that they are one and not Three distinct entity of one...? 3) 1 Corinthians 1:17..'lest the cross of Christ be emptied of it's power' please explain. Thanks, again |
Bible Answer: Hi It is the tendency of human beings to place the emphasis on the physical rather than the spiritual. By that means they seek to get the spiritual under their control. It gives them a feeling of certainty and makes men look up to them and even depend on them. But Paul lays the emphasis on the spiritual. He did not want people to look up to him and depend on him. He wanted them to look to Jesus and His cross and the Gospel of salvation. He was afraid that people might rather look to baptism as having some magical power which would in men's minds replace the cross and thus 'empty it of its power' because as a result the cross became ignored. And that is the great danger for people today. We must give baptism its due place as the means by which we make clear our desire to die with Christ and rise with Him, but we must not see it as actually accomplishing that purpose. That happens through faith alone when we 'reckon ourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus' (Romans 6.11). The triunity of God is something which is difficult to deal with in a short space, for it is something not within men's conceptions. It is true that there is only one God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, but within God (if we can use the word 'within' of the infinite) there are inter-personal relationships. Thus Father Son and Holy Spirit intercommunicate and reveal love to one another, and reveal God in different ways at the same time. Jonp |