Bible Question: In my observation, this verse was perverted by many present-day preachers. It was Jesus who says, "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved." But most if not all, I hear evangelists conclude their messages by saying, "Repent of your sins and you will be saved!" After the reception, they continued, "Now that you are saved,you may now be baptized!" I think this is perverting the pure word of God. It becomes, "He that believeth and is saved shall be baptized." Perversion is twisting the Word of God! Isn't this not? |
Bible Answer: Reason this: "One of the basic principles of biblical interpretation is the analogia scriptura, the analogy of Scripture. In other words, we must compare Scripture with Scripture in order to understand its full and proper sense. And since the Bible doesn't contradict itself, any interpretation of a specific passage that contradicts the general teaching of the Bible is to be rejected. Since the general teaching of the Bible is, as we have seen, that baptism and other forms of ritual are not necessary for salvation, no individual passage could teach otherwise. Thus we must look for interpretations of those passages that will be in harmony with the general teaching of Scripture." (http://www.gty.org/IssuesandAnswers/archive/baptism.htm) --Radioman2 |