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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: Rejection of the work of God? |
Bible Note: Greetings! I'm not quite finished . . . since this thread is about baptism, I'd like to clarify my position and present my reasoning: If the person without the Spirit works in the flesh, then the work of water baptism belongs to unregenerated flesh and not God. Therefore, water baptism cannot save because it is not a work of God.("You cannot serve two masters" comes to mind) This is in contrast to the regeneration that takes place by the Spirit (He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit. Titus 3:5) "In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation--having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise" Eph 1:13 One receives Christ as Savior, when one believes (trust, cling to, adhere to, rely on) Him for salvation, you are then baptized (placed) into the body of Christ BY the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:13). THIS IS NOT WATER BAPTISM. Jesus said, "Apart from me you can DO nothing." (John 15:5) and as affirmation of this we are commanded to be filled with the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 5:18). To be "filled" with the Spirit means to be "controlled" (not like a robot or puppet) and "empowered" by the Holy Spirit. When a believer is obedient water baptism, I believe we see a physical manifestation of an inward reality; we see the Holy Spirit at WORK in the life of the believer. Please consider Ephesians 2:10 which declares that believers are God's WORKmanship, "created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them." God does the ALL work! He gives us the finished work of Christ that we respond to by accepting or rejecting. Based upon the choice of our faith, He either creates a "new creature in Christ" (2 Cor 5:17) or condemns the one who rejects such a great salvation! Ephesians 2:8-10 prompts me to see water baptism as a "good work" that God has prepared for believers to join Him in AFTER salvation. mommapbs |