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NASB | Acts 2:38 Peter said to them, "Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Acts 2:38 And Peter said to them, "Repent [change your old way of thinking, turn from your sinful ways, accept and follow Jesus as the Messiah] and be baptized, each of you, in the name of Jesus Christ because of the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. |
Subject: Holy Spirit evidence of Salvation? |
Bible Note: Greetings Grace and Truth! No, James knew exactly what he was talking about! ;-) What Steve was pointing out is very Scriptural. In some contexts, the word 'justified' means 'proven right' or 'demonstrated to be right'. Consider the following verses where the same exact word is used as in James 2:21: 1) Mt. 11:19 - " The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and ‘‘sinners.”’ But wisdom is proved right by her actions.”" 2) Luke 7:29 - "(All the people, even the tax collectors, when they heard Jesus’ words, acknowledged that God’s way was right, because they had been baptized by John." 3) Luke 7:35 - " But wisdom is proved right by all her children.”" 4) Luke 10:29 - "But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, ‘‘And who is my neighbor?”" 5) Luke 16:15 - "He said to them, ‘‘You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of men, but God knows your hearts. What is highly valued among men is detestable in God’s sight." 6) 1 Cor. 4:4 - "My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me." All of these verses are in contexts where the ideal of being right or being proven right is the concept discussed. This is exactly what we believe is the case in James. Faith is 'proven' by works, not produced by works. In fact, the same exact word which is used in James 2:21 is also used in Rom. 4:2: "If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about—but not before God." So, was Paul wrong? Was James wrong? Or, is your interpretation of James simply wrong? Your Brother in Christ, Tim Moran |