Posted on 05/01/2011 7:24:18 AM PDT by Ethan Clive Osgoode
John 3:3
Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
Technically those who die in the love of Christ receive eternal life. Death holds no fear...
Finally whichever be the case, there is a very good orthodox explanation here
To replace this with a dedication is a new construct is bluntly, innovative theological nonsense.Salvation is the divine gift through which men and women are delivered from sin and death, united to Christ, and brought into His eternal kingdom. Those who heard St. Peter's sermon on the day of Pentecost asked what they must do to be saved. He answered, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit" (Acts 2:38). Salvation begins with these three steps: 1) repent, 2) be baptized, and 3) receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. To repent means to change our mind about how we have been, to turn from our sin and to commit ourselves to Christ. To be baptized means to be born again by being joined into union with Christ. And to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit means to receive the Spirit Who empowers us to enter a new life in Christ, to be nurtured in the Church, and to be conformed to God's image. ..
New Birth is receipt of new life. It is how we gain entrance into God's kingdom and His Church. Jesus said, "Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God" (John 3:5). From its beginning, the Church has taught that the water is the baptismal water and the Spirit is the Holy Spirit. The new birth occurs in baptism where we die with Christ, are buried with Him, and are raised with Him in the newness of His resurrection, being joined into union with Him in His glorified humanity (Acts 2:38; Romans 6:3-4). The idea that being "born again" is a religious experience disassociated from baptism is a recent one and has no biblical basis whatsoever.
It is born of two things, first, a compulsion to deny, and a misunderstanding of, the efficacy of the sacraments and second, a reliance on bad translations (as goml pointed out) of the New Testament which are themselves read out of the context of what we believe and believed at the time of the definition of the canon of the NT
The “Baptismal Instructions” of +John Chrysostomos give clarity
“Are we only dying with the Master and are we only sharing in His sadness? Most of all, let me say that sharing the Master’s death is no sadness. Only wait a little and you shall see yourself sharing in His benefits. ‘For if we have died with Him,’ says St. Paul, `we believe that we shall also live together with Him.’ For in baptism there are both burial and resurrection together at the same time. He who is baptized puts off the old man, takes the new and rises up, `just as Christ has arisen through the glory of the Father.’ Do you see how, again, St. Paul calls baptism a resurrection?”don't read just this, but also refer +Cyprian of Carthage, +Clement of Alexandria and +Cyril of Jerusalem to get a clearer idea of what orthdoxy have always believed od Apostolic Times.
Even if the gates are open, firstly, there’s nothing to say there isn’t a gatekeeper and secondly — it was a joke about the Pearle Gates.
I think you are confusing the issue. I do not think the Bible contains all the truth, but I am sure that it contains no falsity. And, yes, Jesus(Joshua) is the Word. But I cannot say the same things I say about the Bible when I talk about what I hear from men. Men are certainly full of lies. Therefore they do not contain all truth. Jesus spoke of the traditions of man and not entirely in a positive way. He also warned of itching ears and did not mention defiling fingers(writiing) but did condemn the defiling mouth because of what comes out of it.
In short, if I follow the Bible I am not doing wrong, I cannot say the same about the traditions of men. And don't be confused by that because that does not mean all traditions are wrong. It just means I will use the written word as axiomatic in determining the truth of the tradition.
Thank you very much.
The book says we ALL get eternal life.
Those who die WITHOUT the love of Christ should be fearing Death!
Daniel 12:2
And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.
2 Thessalonians 1:9
Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;
Another truth.
You'd need TWELVE gatekeepers! Three one each side of the city.
Yes, a joke that is so pervasive in our society that Leno on jaywalking could ask 100 people if the Bible said that St. Peter would be asking for their bona fides; most all would say "Yes."
Yet, that is elevating the Written Word over the rest of the Word which is Jesus Christ.
For Jesus Christ Himself gave the meaning which is handed down through the Apostles and is the understanding we have of scripture.
Coming up with new interpretations leads to errors like Benny Hinn and Harold Camping.
It does.
It records in many places the LIES that men (and women) have told.
Falsity #1
Genesis 3:4
“You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman.
... and things get a lot better for some.
Ahh, I see you already answered it. I guess I shouldn't have been so serial.
That is technically known as a quibble.
Yes, I hold that our atheist brethern are still brethern. We can reach out to them not by throwing insults and stones but by our deeds and actions.
Axiom one. : not( A and not A)
And sometimes a slap in the face is necessary.(not something that should be done indiscriminately)
Pro 26:5 Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit.
Jhn 8:44 Ye are of [your] father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.
Jhn 8:55 Yet ye have not known him; but I know him: and if I should say, I know him not, I shall be a liar like unto you: but I know him, and keep his saying.
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