**How is one united with Christ?**
“For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.”
That is how you come to be in Christ - thru the baptism Jesus gives, immersion in the Spirit.
**How is one united with Christ? “For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.” That is how you come to be in Christ - thru the baptism Jesus gives, immersion in the Spirit.**
“And we are witnesses of these things; and so is the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him.” Acts 5:32
You need to obey God. From your own testimony, you truly believe that water baptism in the name of Jesus is essentially nothing more than outward sign of an inward cleaning, proof of separation from the world. But IT’S IMPORTANT, you say. What you’ve actually done is reduce it to powerless vanity.
The Spirit is life, and testifies of the truth. It is not death and burial.
My outward sign of an inward cleansing; my proof of separation, is the Holy Ghost baptism. The Lord said there is a sound, of which the origin is unknown, when one is born of the Spirit. Jesus said, concerning the coming Comforter (Holy Ghost): “At THAT day ye shall KNOW that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.”
Did you experience the ‘sound’, OR did you just accept the man-made concept of: “You automatically receive the Spirit when you believe on the Lord Jesus”? (with no supernatural sound)
Acts doesn’t support the latter. There are detailed cases that point out people believing, and being baptized with the Holy Ghost later, and some detailing the ‘sound’ (tongues).
Witnessing the Samaritans being filled with the Holy Ghost sure rocked Simon the sorcerer’s world. He offered money to have the power to give people the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands. Of course his attitude was grossly wrong, but I don’t think he offered money because he saw people simply say: “I accept the Lord as my personal savior”. They had already done that a few verses earlier when they believed.
Peter said: “Repent, and be baptized everyone of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost”. Three very distinct steps in the conversion instructions. It’s very plain, very simple.
I know you don’t believe that, since you believe that the ‘baptized’, and receiving ‘the gift of the Holy Ghost’ is the same distinct action. So just rewrite it to match your interpretation: “Repent for remission of sins, and in the name of Jesus, be baptized with the Holy Ghost.” And you have even reduced it to two distinct steps. Bravo (sigh)
I can continue this discussion, although it may be a while, since this truck driver’s 34 hr restart will happen shortly, and I will be rolling.