Subject: need for a bible-anyone |
Bible Note: You wrote: I've stayed out of this but one sentence caught my eye: "When your soul is on the line, it behooves us to investigate everything carefully (as the Beareans did)". The Bereans did not study scripture to save their souls, they studied scripture to see if Paul was believable. Steve, Let’s look at Acts 17:11-12 “Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so. Therefore many of them believed, along with a number of prominent Greek women and men.” Paul and Silas arrived in Berea and where did they go? The synagogue. Why? For the same reason they had went to Thessalonica, Acts 17:1-4, to teach them the gospel. So, they went to Berea for the same cause (Acts 17:12), note “Therefore,…” connecting verse 12 to the previous verse. Do you believe the Bereans were already saved, because they were Jews? Verse 11 says “…they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures …” to see if what was so? What Paul was saying was so. What was he saying? Just what he had told the Thessalonians and all others he preached to: Acts 17: 3; Acts 17:24-31; Acts 16, Acts 18 in Corinth, etc. You wrote: What was Paul saying? That there was now a new set of rules to follow or that salvation is by grace through faith alone? The 1st covenant was ended and a new begun at the cross, at the death of Christ. Heb 8:13. AD70 sealed that with the destruction of Jerusalem. Many had believed, had faith that Jesus was indeed the Messiah, the Christ, yet did not yield salvation. John 12:42-43 I believe Scripture makes it rather clear baptism is necessary. Read my previous post to Tim on Baptism. Perhaps that helped. Mouse2 |