Subject: Is baptism a work? |
Bible Note: Dear Ray, Greetings in the name of Jesus! I pray you are well, my brother in Christ. May the Lord be your strength and peace! Yes, my friend, I am well aware of the 'problem' of Eph 4:5 "...one Lord, one faith, one baptism,..." NASB. However, I cannot find a way to 'do away' with BOTH water baptism and the baptism of fire. Sure, you COULD say that the baptism of the Holy Spirit encompasses both of the 'other' baptisms, but it is very difficult to deny their importance considering how much Scripture is devoted to them. :-) Personally, I solve the dilemma by trusting that either Paul was speaking only of water baptism, or that he was speaking of one 'washing from God' with three distinct aspects. Take your pick! :-) One thing I do know, either of the above is preferrable to the alternative, because I have not found a way to 'delete' any two! Frankly, between you and me (and the rest of the forum! :-)), I don't lose sleep over this issue! I never tire of quoting the Scripture that I have used in this thread, but I am sorry to see people become so myopic and selfish concerning this topic. Fortunately, this particular thread has been very dignified and amicable! :-) Oh, yes! I really love your reference to 1 Corinthians 6:11. Blessing and love to you and yours. In Christ Jesus, charis |