Subject: Identifying the born again moment |
Bible Note: Hi Tim, The question was about the moment of salvation. A lot of people argue that salvation happens first and belief, repentance, confession and baptism follow. This can't be the case since the angel indicated salvation followed hearing the words from Peter. About your points on Acts 2 and 10, pertaining to the Holy Spirit. What is promised in Acts 2 is the indwelling Spirit; the sanctified vessel, cleansed by the blood of Christ, becomes the dwelling place of God in the Spirit (Eph 2). What happened in Acts 10 is quite different. Peter said, 'who can refuse them baptism' after seeing the Holy Spirit poured out on them as it did on the Apostles in the beginning (Acts 11:15). Until that moment, the Jewish brethren who accompanied Peter had some misgivings as to whether they should be with Gentiles. This was evidently the prevailing opinion among the Christians back in Jerusalem as well. "The Spirit told me to go with them without misgivings. These six brethren also went with me and we entered the man's house" (Acts 11:12). After the Holy Spirit was poured out, the subject of baptism came up. Peter concluded that Cornelius needed to be baptized, along with the rest of his household. How different is this from modern practice! What happened in Cornelius' home with the Holy Spirit had no more sanctifying significance than did the angel who spoke through a donkey: it just got somebody's attention. God bless, Disciplerami |