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NASB | 1 Peter 3:21 Corresponding to that, baptism now saves you--not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience--through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | 1 Peter 3:21 Corresponding to that [rescue through the flood], baptism [which is an expression of a believer's new life in Christ] now saves you, not by removing dirt from the body, but by an appeal to God for a good (clear) conscience, [demonstrating what you believe to be yours] through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, |
Subject: What do you do with Acts 8:16? |
Bible Note: First of all, I must apologize for not responding earlier so as to prevent your withdrawal. As long as a person is quoting and asking a question from the Bible directly to me, I'm ALWAYS willing to at least discuss it, especially if the verse is from the NT. Inserted for reference: Acts 8:14 Now when the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent them Peter and John, 15 who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit. 16 For He had not yet fallen upon any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 17 Then they began laying their hands on them, and they were receiving the Holy Spirit. You emphasize verse 16 and I'm inferring you are emphasizing the word "simply." From that assumption, I can only conclude you might be thinking this means that being "baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus" does not mean that these folks were saved. Maybe in today's world without the miraculous measure of the Holy Spirit evident all everyone christians went in the first century this use of the word simply might mean such a thing. BUT I think there was so much emphasis and attraction to miracles and the ability to perform them (just as we see in the verses following 17) that some christiains felt "left out" and not fully in receipt of God's portion of christianity He was pouring out on the whole world AT THAT TIME. This is the main reason so much of Paul's writing to the Corinthians was devoted to the miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit. Most christians ended up misusing them or at the very least misunderstanding their main purpose, thus their ending is forecasted in 1 Cor 13. If a person analyzes the logic in this thread with emphasis on the statement as you've made, I'm afraid almost anyone would see the error in your conclusion. I see your point but it's merely just ONE WAY to interpret verse 16 and since the bulk of the NT clearly portrays baptism as prerequisite to salvation, I'll have to stick to the Bible's emphasis on all the 5 steps of salvation as cited earlier. IF I've drawn the wrong conclusion from your post, please correct me and I'll try again. Thanks and God bless. --Rowdy |