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NASB | 1 John 5:6 This is the One who came by water and blood, Jesus Christ; not with the water only, but with the water and with the blood. It is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | 1 John 5:6 This is He who came through water and blood [His baptism and death], Jesus Christ--not by the water only, but by the water and the blood. It is the [Holy] Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. [He is the essence and origin of truth itself.] |
Bible Question (short): baptism important ,why the delay? |
Question (full): I've never tried to imply baptism begets faith. Obviously you must hear and believe first prior to developing faith and then moving on to repenting, being baptized, doing good works, etc. Obviously also having faith is not a one time event. Once saved, you continue to grow in your faith, hopefully. You must continue having faith throughout your entire life. Of course there are weak and strong beleivers and that's the purpose of the church, to build each other up in "the faith". My whole point in much of my debates with other Christians(on this particular subject)is what is the Gospel and what should our response to it be, based on the Bible. Becoming a Christian obviously has a starting point. I simply look at the accounts in Acts and how the church started and it seems so clear. How about this? Look at every account of specific people becoming christians in Acts. What was their immediate response to the Gospel in each and every case. If that was their response, what must they have been told. Now, look at the typical conversion today. Someone answers an altar call or says the "sinners prayer". That's nice and all, but notice how dramatically different those coversions are compared to the Biblical examples. And that leads to my main question for which I wanted a specific answer. Why is it that today, someone comes to faith in Christ, and then is water baptized months and often times years later, why is that? Let's drop the debate on the specific point of salvation for now, but please answer that question. Why is it so acceptable today to put off a command of Jesus(it is part of the Great Commission) for months and years. Again are people taught improperly, are the lazy, I just would like to know. |