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NASB | John 3:5 Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | John 3:5 Jesus answered, "I assure you and most solemnly say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot [ever] enter the kingdom of God. [Ezek 36:25-27] |
Subject: Verses where water alone means baptism? |
Bible Note: Colin, "Ordinary means" means that is the way God has established as the ordinary means of recieving grace. God has boud grace and salvation to His sacraments, but He is not bound by them. God can save in extraordinary ways when He choses or the ordinary means is not possible,i.e. the thief on the cross and Cornelius and his household. In the later case God was making a point to Peter and the other Jews, kinda like hitting them in the head with a 2 x 4 to get their attention that His Kingdom was open to the Gentiles. Notice that once Baptism was open to the Gentiles, this order of occurence never happened again. The Catholic Church even teaches a "Baptism of desire" when one is unable to be Baptiszed sacramentally, but that is not the "ordinary means" of salvation. As is often the case in the Catholic position is both / and, while the Protestant position is either / or. Catholicism integrates, Protetantism separates. Catholics see faith working through love. Protestants see faith alone and love alone some place else. Think of it like two kids. One doesn't care if the food on the plate touches. The other would prefer no touching and really likes those segmented plates. Same food, different arrangement. Let the Spirit touch the flesh or the water or the oil or the bread and wine. It won't kill you. It will save you because Christ is the minister of the sacraments and in them we encounter Him. Ultimately Jesus The Sacrament, God working in and through matter (Jesus in the flesh) to accomplish our salvation. "Through Him, with Him and in Him all glory and honor is yours almighty Father, forever and ever. Amen." Emmaus |