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NASB | Ephesians 2:10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Ephesians 2:10 For we are His workmanship [His own master work, a work of art], created in Christ Jesus [reborn from above--spiritually transformed, renewed, ready to be used] for good works, which God prepared [for us] beforehand [taking paths which He set], so that we would walk in them [living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us]. [Rom 1:20] |
Subject: Created "in " Christ Jesus |
Bible Note: Tim, hope you didn’t give up on me. It doesn’t make any difference what I think or what I feel – or what you think or feel. It does matter what the text says. I read in Acts 19 that believers did not have the Holy Spirit (HS) until they were baptized in the name of Jesus. They received the Spirit when Paul laid his hands on them. I read in Acts 2:38 that the Holy Spirit was promised after baptism. I read in verses where baptism and salvation are both mentioned that salvation comes after baptism; e.g., “he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved (Mk 16:16)”; “be baptized…for remission of sins” (Acts 2:38); “be baptized, and wash away your sins” (Acts 22); “…because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts…” (Gal 4:6) – and I paraphrase, after being born again (of the water and the spirit) you get the Spirit. You misquote me. I didn’t say “the HS is just for the Apostles.” All Christians have the HS through the written Word, which is full of power. (Rom 1:16, Heb 4:12) I restate that the promise of the Comforter/Counselor and the “power from on high” was only for the Apostles. Even the occurrence at Cornelius household was for benefit of the Apostles, to show them that Gentiles had received “repentance to life.” Acts 11:18. [Jesus’ promise that the Comforter would bring to mind everything he had said and would guide into all truth was not to Cornelius’ household.] The baptismal measure of the HS enabled the Apostles (1) to establish the church (as prophesied, to the Jews first, then to the Gentiles); (2) to confirm with miracles that their words were from God; (3) to maintain the integrity of the church by giving to the early Christians via laying on of their hands 9 miraculous gifts of the HS (1 Cor 12; Acts 8; Acts 19) (nobody got all 9 of the gifts) -- there is no indication anyone else had the power to pass the gifts on -- Stephen had to call the Apostles to do it (Acts 8); and (4) then to write the Bible through inspiration [the perfect (complete) knowledge and prophecy of 1 Cor 13]. The Apostles died. The miraculous abilities went away. Today, we have the HS through the inspired written Word. Paul says to Timothy in II Tim 3:16-17 that the scripture is all we need. He said he had not shunned to declare the whole counsel of God (Acts 20:27). In Acts 1:15, the text says there were about 120 disciples in the upper room. In Acts 2, the text does not say all 120 received the baptism of the HS. Tracking the antecedent of the pronouns in Acts 2:1-4 leads to Acts 1:26. The pronouns “them” and “they” refer to Matthias and the eleven, and can be traced even further back to the 11 in Luke 24:49. John 13 - 17 is tells of Jesus’ interaction with the Apostles at their Passover Feast. To say the baptism of the HS was for all is to read into scripture something that is not there. I am charged with using scripture to make judgments about those today who claim to be Apostles, who claim to have received the baptism of the HS, who claim to have miraculous gifts of the HS, and who claim that God speaks to them personally. I read the qualifications for being an Apostle, one of which is to have been with Jesus from the beginning. I know HS baptism was a promise, to whom it was given, and what its manifestations were -- that it was not a command to obey. I don’t see anyone being raised from the dead. I know Paul told the Ephesians, “there is one baptism” – those who deny it is water baptism may be “wresting the scriptures to their own destruction.” And, as I read recently on this forum, Scripture tells us we must live by “every word that proceeds from the mouth of God,” and I cannot know the words He “spoke” to someone else. Since God is no respecter of persons, I deny that he speaks to anyone other than through the written Word (Heb 1:1). Concerning your last statement, Tim. The text of Acts 10 does not say what you say, that “they were saved first, then baptized as a result of their salvation – not as a condition of their salvation.” Sincere students of the Word can read in Acts 10 and 11 that Cornelius was to be saved by the words Peter spoke, they can read the words he spoke to command water baptism, and they can make an educated guess that his words did not include reference to HS baptism because its occurrence astonished him. There are many scriptures I know that indicate we are to obey God by being baptized in water as a condition of our salvation. There is no reason for me not to believe it was also a condition for Cornelius salvation. I truly do consider the points you make from the scripture, and I see more and more how you support the doctrine you teach, but I’ve not seen any text that cannot be interpreted to agree with the pattern I’ve shown here. Thanks to all who take time to read. May God’s word fall the honest and good hearts (Luke 8:15) J. Elkins |