Subject: Mark 16:16 what does it say? |
Bible Note: You wrote: 'You wrote: "We are justified through FAITH." Faith in the promise fulfilled by Christ.' Precisely. You wrote: 'You wrote:"We are sons of God through FAITH in Christ Jesus. " Wouldn't tht require obedience to His word?' As a result. Obedience is the result of faith. We do not obey in order to possess faith. And again, since Christians still disobey God, how much obedience is required in your book to be justified? You wrote: 'You wrote: "All of those whom Paul is addressing were baptized." Why if it was not essential?' Because God commanded it. It also is a sacrament, a sign and seal pointing to the inward transformation that had already taken place among the believers. It is necessary that believing Christians be baptized as a sign of justification, but it is not the justification itself. The two, while they should never be separated in conversion, should never be confused as being the same thing. You wrote: "You wrote: "The Israelites were declared righteous not by following the Law of Moses,but by believing God." huh? Believing and obeying." Huh? Please use complete sentences so I will know what you are confused about. Are you saying that the Israelites were justified by the works of the Law? 'You wrote: "It says 3 times in this passage alone that faith is the instrument God uses for our justification and adoption. Where is the word "alone" found?' I never said the word "alone" was found there. I sure don't see anything else listed. I believe that Jesus rose from the grave "alone," despite the word not being there. I believe that Jesus "alone" atoned for my sin, even though I can't think of a passage using that exact word. I think that Daniel was thrown into the lion's den "alone," because there is no mention of any other human being down there. Likewise, due to the fact that dozens of verses in the NT use the words or idea that we are justified/saved by faith/belief, many of those excluding works, never mentioning baptism or anything else definitively as a means to being declared righteous (and that includes the questionable Mark 16:16 and Acts 2:38 with its ambiguous preposition -- the only two verses in which there can be any misconstruing that baptism precedes justification), I come to the wild and zany conclusion that baptism is a mark of salvation and not salvation itself. Lastly, you wrote: "What is justification? Doesn't justification and forgiveness equate? Romans 4:1-8. Baptism is linked with forgiveness." I may be going blind, but no form of the word "baptism" appears in Romans 4:1-8. All I see there is righteousness being credited APART from works, based on belief (and the word appears alone AGAIN). --Joe! |