Posted on 01/21/2005 6:34:28 AM PST by P-Marlowe
Jesus Christ is calling you ...
Dwight Lyman Moody's Last Sermon in London. Preached in Camberwell Hall, Sunday Evening, July 11th, 1875.
Suppose you do not want to hear a sermon (on this last night) so much as you want to know how to be saved. I want, if I can, to answer that question, "What must I do to be saved?" There is no question that can come before us in this world that is so important; and I think that there is not a man in this audience to-night who does not feel interested in it.
I heard a man, when he was going out the other night, saying: "I do not believe in sudden conversion. I do not believe what the preacher said to-night, that a man could come in here a sinner, and go out a Christian." Now, I want to say that I do not believe in any other conversion. I do not believe that there ever has been a conversion in the world that was not instantaneous, and I want you to mark this: not but what many cannot tell the day nor the hour when they were converted. I will admit that: they may not know the time; but that does not change the great fact that there was a time when they passed from death unto life; that there was a time when they were born [ABCOG: begotten] into the kingdom of God. There must have been a minute when their name was written in the Book of Life. There must have been a time when they were ere lost, and a time when they were saved; but we may not be conscious when the change takes place. I believe the conversion of some is like the rising of the sun, and of others like the flashing of a meteor. But both are instantaneous, really, in the sight of God. There must be a time when life begins to rise; when the dead soul begins to live.
Now, this evening I want to take up some of the Bible illustrations. In the first place, there is the ark. There was a minute when Noah was outside of the ark, and another minute when he was inside. And, bear in mind, it was the ark that saved Noah: it was not his righteousness; it was not his feelings; it was not his tears; it was not his prayers. It was the ark that saved him. If he had tried to make an ark of his feelings, or of his prayers, or of his life, he would have been swept away: he would have been drowned with the rest. But, you see, it was the ark that saved him.
When I was in Manchester, I went into the gallery one Sunday night to have a talk with a few inquirers; and while I was talking, a business man came in, and took his seat on the outskirts of the audience. I think, at first, he had come merely to criticize, and that he was a little skeptical. At last I saw he was in tears. I turned to him, and said, " My friend, what is your difficulty?" "Well," he said, "Mr. Moody, the fact is, I cannot tell." I said, "Do you believe you are a sinner?" He said, "Yes; I know that." I said, "Christ is able to save you"; and I used one illustration after another, but he did not see it. At last I thought of the ark, and I said: "Was it Noah's feelings that saved him? Was it Noah's righteousness that saved him, or was it the ark?" "I see it, now," said he; "I see it." He got up and shook hands with me, and said: "Good-night: I must go. I have to go away by the train to-night; but I was determined to be saved before I went. I see it now."
A few days after, he came and touched me on the shoulder, and said, "Do you know me? " I said, "I know your face, but do not remember where I have seen you." He said, "Do you not remember the illustration of the ark? I said, " Yes." "It has been all light ever since," said he. "I understand it now. Christ is the Ark; He saves me; and I must get inside Him." When I went down to Manchester again, and talked to the young friends there, I found he was the brightest light among them.
Let me take another illustration. There was the blood in Goshen. God says, "When I see the blood I will pass over you." Now He does not say, "When I see Moses' feelings, or the feelings of the people, I will pass over you"; or, "When I see you praying and weeping, I will pass over you"; but, "When I see the blood I will pass over you." It was the blood that saved them, not their righteousness. And a little child by that blood in Goshen was just as safe as Moses or Aaron or Joshua or Caleb. It was the blood that saved them. Look! there is the Jew taking the hyssop. He dips it in the blood, and strikes it on the doorpost. One minute it is not there: the next it is there. The moment the blood is there they are saved. God says, "When I see the blood I will pass over you." Some people say, "If I were only as good as that minister I should feel so safe" or, "If I were only as good as that mother in Israel who has been praying fifty years for the poor and unfortunate, should I not feel very safe? " My friends, if you are behind the blood, you are as safe as any man or woman who has been praying for fifty years. It is not their righteousness and good works that are going to save them. They never saved any one. God says, "When I see the blood I will pass over you." [ABCOG: Moody understands "pass over" to mean "bypass". It can also mean "hover over to protect"] And when I am sheltered behind the blood, then I am saved; and if I am not sheltered behind the blood, I am not saved. That was instantaneous, was not it? God says, "When I see the blood, it shall be a token, and I will not enter." Death came down and passed over Egypt; and where the blood was on the doorpost he passed by; but where the blood could not be found, in he went and took the victim away. The great palaces could not keep out death; wealth and position could not keep out death. He went and took the Crown Prince of Egypt; he took the richest and the poorest, the highest and the lowest. Death makes no distinction, except a man is behind the blood.
My friends, be wise to-night, and get behind the blood. The blood has been shed. The blood is on the mercy-seat; and while it is there you can be saved. God is imputing to His Son your trespasses and sins. He says, "I will look at the blood on the mercy-seat." Press in, my friends; make haste and get in tonight; for the Master of the house will rise up by-and-by and shut to the door, and then there will be no hope.
Take another case. When Israel went over Jordan, God told Joshua to have six cities of refuge; three on each side of Jordan. They were to be built on a hill, where they could be seen at a great distance, and the gates were to be kept open day and night. All obstacles were to be kept out of the way, the highway was to be kept in repair, the bridges and everything in good condition, so that nothing should hinder a poor man flying to the city of refuge. If a man killed another in those days, it was considered a great disgrace if the nearest relative did not take vengeance. "An eye for an eye, and a booth for a tooth." If a man killed another, the next kinsman was bound to put him to death. But if he could escape to a city of refuge he was tried, and if it was found he had not intentionally killed the man, he might live.
Now for my illustration. Suppose I have killed a man. I am out away in the woods working, and my axe slips out of my hand, and kills the man working with me. I know that his kinsman, his brother, is not far away. The news will soon reach him that I have killed his brother. What shall I do? I start for the city of refuge, over there away on the hill, ten miles off. I run - and we are told that in those days there used to be signposts with the word " Refuge," written in great red letters, so that a man might read as he ran; he need not stop. I have been told that there was a finger pointing towards the city, and a man who could not read might see the hand. A man does not have to learn to read before he can be saved. I see that hand; it is pointing to the city of refuge. The gate is wide open, but it is ten miles away. I leap over the highway. I do not look behind, to the right hand or to the left. I do not listen to this man or to that man, but, like John Bunyan, I put my fingers in my ears. The avenger has drawn his sword, and is on my track. I leap over into the highway; and, pretty soon, I can hear him behind me, Away I go, over that bridge, across that stream, up that mountain, along that valley, - but I can hear him coming nearer and nearer. There is the watchman; I can see him on the wall of the city. He gives notice to the inhabitants that a refugee is coming. I see the citizens on the wall of the city watching, and when I get near I hear them calling, "Run, run! Escape, escape! He is very near you! Run! escape!" I press on; leap through the gate of the city; and at last I am safe. One minute I am outside, and the next I am inside. One minute I am exposed to that sword; it may come down upon me at any minute: the next minute I am safe. Do I feel any difference? I feel I am behind the walls: that is the difference. It is a fact. There I am. The avenger can come up to the gates of the city, but he cannot come in. He cannot lay his sword upon me. The law of the land shields me now. I am under the protection of that city; I have saved my life; but I had no time for lingering.
A great many of you are trying to get into the city of refuge, and there are enemies trying to stop you, But do not listen to them. Your friends tell you to escape. Make haste! Delay not for a single moment!
In our country, before the war, when we had slavery, the slaves used to keep their eye on the north star. If a slave escaped to the Northern States, his old master could come and take him back into slavery. But there was another flag on American soil, and if they could only get under that flag they were for ever free. It is called the Union Jack. If they could only get as far north as Canada they were free; therefore they kept looking towards the north star. But they knew if they only got into the Northern States, there might be some one ready to take them back. So it is with every poor sinner who wants to come to Christ. Many men do all they can to hinder him; others will cheer him on. Let us help every man towards the north star. A man has escaped: perhaps he swims across the Mississippi river, or crosses the Ohio river in a little canoe. The master hears of it, and he takes his hounds and sets them on his track, and begins to hunt him down. The slave hears the hounds; and he knows that his master is coming to take him back to slavery. The line is a mile or two away. He escapes as fast as he can. He runs with all his might for the frontier, over hedges and ditches and rivers; away he goes for Canada. By-and-by he comes in sight of Canada. He can see that flag floating in front of him; and he knows that if he can only cross the line before his master and the hounds overtake him, he will be free for ever.
How the poor black man runs! leaping and bounding along; and at last, with one bound, he goes over the line. He is free! One minute he is a slave; the next minute he is a free man, under the flag of Queen Victoria, the British flag! (cheers [ABCOG: by British crowd]) - don't cheer, my friends, but come to Christ - and your laws say that no man under that flag shall be a slave. One minute he is a slave; the next minute he is a free man. One minute it is possible for his old master to drag him back; the next minute he shouts, "Free!"
If Christ tells us that we are free, we are free. My friends, Christ is calling to-night. Get out of the devil's territory as quick as you can. No slave in the Southern States had so hard a master as yours, nor so mean a master as Satan. Take my advice tonight, and escape for the liberty of your soul.
I can imagine some of you saying "I do not see how a man is really going to be converted all at once." Let me give you another illustration. Look down there. There are two soldiers. Now, if you bring those soldiers up to this platform, and ask them how they became soldiers, they will tell you this - that one moment they were citizens, and the next minute soldiers. What was it that made them soldiers? It was when they took the Queen's shilling. The moment they received that shilling they ceased to be citizens, and they became soldiers. Before they received that shilling they could go where they pleased; the next minute they came under the government and under the regulations of the army, and they must go where Queen Victoria sends them. They did not have to wait for the uniform. The minute they received the shilling they became soldiers. What made them soldiers? Receiving the shilling. What makes a man a Christian? Receiving Christ. "He came unto His own, and His own received Him not: but as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God."
Now, the gift of God is eternal life. Who will have the gift to-night? When I was down in Manchester I asked that question, and a man shouted in the meeting, "I will! " Who will have it now? Is not there some man here in London, as there was in Manchester, who will say that he will have the gift? Is it not a wonder to have to plead with so many to take the gift? "The wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life." Who will have the gift now? (Many responses of "I will"; "I will.")
I can imagine one man down there who says "How about repentance? How about getting into the ark or the city of refuge before repentance?" My friend, let me ask you what is repentance? It is right-about-face! I think these soldiers understand that expression. Some one has said that every one is born with his back to God, and that conversion turns him right round. If you want to be converted, and want to repent, I will tell you what you should do. Just get out of Satan's service, and get into the Lord's. Leave your old friends, and unite yourself with God's people.
In a few days, if nothing happens, I expect to go to Liverpool. If, when I am in the train, my friend Mr. Shipton says, "Moody, you are going in the wrong train, - that train is going to Edinburgh" - I should say, "Mr. Shipton, you have made a great mistake; somebody told me the train was going to Liverpool. You are wrong, Mr. Shipton; I am sure you are wrong." Then Mr. Shipton would say, "Moody, I have lived here forty years, and I know all about the trains. He must have been very ignorant or very vicious who told you that train goes to Liverpool." Mr. Shipton at last convinces me, and I get out of that train and get into the one going to Liverpool.
Repentance is getting out of one train and getting into the other. You are in the wrong train; you are in the broad path that takes you down to the pit of hell. Get out of it to-night. Right-about-face! Who will turn his feet towards God? "Turn ye, for why will ye die?" In the Old Testament the word is "turn." In the New Testament the word is "repent." "Turn ye, for why will ye die, O house of Israel?" God does not want any man in this audience to perish, but He wants all to be saved. You can be saved now if you will.
There is another illustration I wish I had time to dwell upon and that is about looking. There is that serpent in the wilderness. "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man also be lifted up, that whosoever believeth on Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." Look here! Just give me your attention for a few minutes. "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ." How long does it take a man to believe? Or, if you will, how long does it take a man to look? Some people say they believe in educating people to be Christians. How long do you educate children to look? You hear the mother say, "Look," and the little child looks. It does not take a child three months to learn to look. Look and live! You need not go to college to learn how to look. There is not a child here but knows how to look. Christ says, "Look unto me; for I am [ABCOG: the way to] God, and there is none else."
There is the brazen serpent on the pole. God says to the children of Israel, who are dying of the bite of the fiery serpents - "Look, and live!"
Now, there is nothing in looking at a piece of brass which can cure the bite of a serpent. It is God who cures it, and the looking is the condition. It is obedience; and that is what God will have.
One moment the poor sufferer is dying; the next there comes a thrill of life through his veins, and he lives: he is well. My friends, look to Christ, and not to yourselves. That is what is the matter with a great many sinners; instead of looking to Christ, they are looking at the bite.
It is not looking to the wound; it is looking to the remedy. Christ is the remedy of sin. What you want is to look from the wound to the remedy - to Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith. Who will look tonight, and live? Turn your eye to Calvary; believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved.
But you just did ... here is what you said.. .
Without grace and mercy, we would never be able to approach our Father in Heaven. It is by God's grace and His mercy that He provides us a way to come to Him.
So you have said that you are not saved by grace and mercy, you only have an opportunity to earn it with your deeds. So you do "argue" with the bible
However,
There is not HOWEVER in the bible that is YOUR word, not Gods
that does not mean that we have no responsibility to submit to God. If that were the case, then there would be universal salvation and no one would go to Hell. However, the Bible is clear that this is not the case(Matthew 7:14).
So the false choices you have set up are "universalism" or a salvation by your good deed , your obedience to the law.
Neither is taught in the Bible, in fact we are told quite clearly we are SAVED by grace and mercy
Would you please define for me grace and what is mercy?
Whether he resists or not, he has not "ears to hear" unless his Dead Spirit is first Quickened unto Spiritual Life.
The Rich Young Ruler went forward at the "Altar Call", just like the Philippian Jailer. But he was not given a Heart of True Repentance, by God; the Philippian Jailer was.
In other words, Man's Repentance is totally God's Decision.
I already said that No Good Works can "earn" Salvation, so the "Work of Faith" is not an Earnful Work; you've already admitted that True Faith involves a Work of Will (any "action" is a "work", period; the terms are perfect synonyms); we're going in circles.
So, like it or not, I'm going to take it back to Spiritual Death.
The Bible teaches that while a Man is yet Spiritually Dead, he WILL NEVER "choose God".
Here the Bible stands, I will not recant.
All I said was that if we are saved by Grace, which the Bible teaches, but not everyone will be saved, which the Bible also teaches, then there must be something other than Grace involved. Is that hard for you to understand? It isn't hard for me.
Why?
Define Grace and Mercy for me
Because the Word of God is truth, and if grace saves, but not everyone is saved, then the definition of grace must be more than just God's unconditional benevolence to us. I Peter 5:5 says that God bestows his grace on those who are humble, not everyone.
Ooooooo, doggy. You guys have sure confused me.
Just one question Buggman. If "faith is a gift" like you're saying, and faith "comes from hearing the Word of God", then it would seem to me that anyone who heard the Word of God would receive the gift of faith. However, there are many people who not only hear the Word of God but revile it. They have no faith. Could you please clarify?
A dead man cannot choose righteously. A dead man's choices are all his own -- stubbornly error-filled and God-denying.
Only after God has given a man a new birth and a new heart can man ever look heavenward for his salvation. The neck is permanently bent toward earth unless and until God uprights him.
I've asked arminians before. Why do you think Jesus chose Lazarus to raise? Why not some sick and dying man? Why a DEAD MAN?
~~~"Now a certain [man] was sick, [named] Lazarus, of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha.2 (It was [that] Mary which anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick. )3 Therefore his sisters sent unto him, saying, Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick.4 When Jesus heard [that], he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby.5 Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus.6 When he had heard therefore that he was sick, he abode two days still in the same place where he was.7 Then after that saith he to [his] disciples, Let us go into Judaea again.8 [His] disciples say unto him, Master, the Jews of late sought to stone thee; and goest thou thither again?9 Jesus answered, Are there not twelve hours in the day? If any man walk in the day, he stumbleth not, because he seeth the light of this world.10 But if a man walk in the night, he stumbleth, because there is no light in him.11 These things said he: and after that he saith unto them, Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep.12 Then said his disciples, Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well.13 Howbeit Jesus spake of his death: but they thought that he had spoken of taking of rest in sleep.14 Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead.15 And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, to the intent ye may believe; nevertheless let us go unto him.16 Then said Thomas, which is called Didymus, unto his fellowdisciples, Let us also go, that we may die with him.
17 Then when Jesus came, he found that he had [lain] in the grave four days already.18 Now Bethany was nigh unto Jerusalem, about fifteen furlongs off:19 And many of the Jews came to Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother.20 Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met him: but Mary sat [still] in the house.21 Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.22 But I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give [it] thee.23 Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again.24 Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day.25 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:26 And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?27 She saith unto him, Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world.28 And when she had so said, she went her way, and called Mary her sister secretly, saying, The Master is come, and calleth for thee.29 As soon as she heard [that], she arose quickly, and came unto him.30 Now Jesus was not yet come into the town, but was in that place where Martha met him.31 The Jews then which were with her in the house, and comforted her, when they saw Mary, that she rose up hastily and went out, followed her, saying, She goeth unto the grave to weep there.32 Then when Mary was come where Jesus was, and saw him, she fell down at his feet, saying unto him, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.
33 When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping which came with her, he groaned in the spirit, and was troubled,34 And said, Where have ye laid him? They said unto him, Lord, come and see.35 Jesus wept.36 Then said the Jews, Behold how he loved him!37 And some of them said, Could not this man, which opened the eyes of the blind, have caused that even this man should not have died?38 Jesus therefore again groaning in himself cometh to the grave. It was a cave, and a stone lay upon it.39 Jesus said, Take ye away the stone. Martha, the sister of him that was dead, saith unto him, Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath been [dead] four days.40 Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?41 Then they took away the stone [from the place] where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up [his] eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me.42 And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said [it], that they may believe that thou hast sent me.43 And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth.44 And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go." -- John 11:1-45.~~~~
So, what do we have here? We have that Jesus first loved Lazarus who was dead four days. We have the disciples and Martha saying if Jesus had gotten there sooner, Lazarus would not have died. We have Jesus saying, "No way, Jose, I'm about to show you that the ONLY way you live again is BY the hand of God alone THROUGH belief that Christ is Lord.
(Not to mention the quick insertion that he who walks in the light finds the way home, but he who walks in darkness stumbles "because there is no light in him." And all light is given by God alone.)
To continue, we then have Jesus praying to God, thanking Him for resurrecting Lazarus, but adding this telling line, "Pardon me, Father, for phrasing things like I did, BUT I NEEDED TO USE WORDS IN ORDER FOR THEM TO UNDERSTAND WHAT WAS HAPPENING" -- (ergo Scripture).
Christ did not tell Lazarus "to believe and you will be saved." He lifted his rotting, stinking flesh and gave him life again -- by His hand alone.
You missed the second best part of the story, ftd.
Back up for a second. Where did I say faith is a gift?
OP, you can repeat that refrain all you want, but however you want to twist and distort the issue (and with all respect, that's precisely what you are doing), the Bible still says that faith, the "act" of trusting God, is not a work in the sense that you are trying to define it. You are not actually citing any Scripture in your side, nor are you addressing the Scripture that has been cited by mine--you are doing the debate equivalent of sticking your fingers in your ears and shouting a mantra at the top of your lungs.
Candidly, that's not typical behavior for you.
Whether he resists or not, he has not "ears to hear" unless his Dead Spirit is first Quickened unto Spiritual Life.
You still haven't answered or conceded the issue that we were already debating, so why should I bother debating this point with you?
Let us all remember that line.
According to Buggman, man is saved by his own choice to trust God.
So God's greatest gift, the redeeming sacrifice of His Son, ordained by God from before the foundation of the world, is completely dependent upon man's decision to choose wisely. And thus man is saved through some innate ability within himself to make the right decision.
That is gnosticism, whether you know it or not.
DrE said that Bugman said one is born in the Spirit by choosing to trust in God and followed by saying that Buggman said that "man is saved by his own choice."
What a distortion!
No, man is saved by God's free gift. But man is not compelled to trust God and take that gift--anyone can turn it down if they so choose.
You know, it's getting to the point where I can't find too many Calvinists on this forum who doesn't feel compelled to distort the opposition's position, build strawmen, bait with veiled (and not-so-veiled) insults, and otherwise do everything except for debate and discuss the Bible honestly and fairly. That isn't doing much to represent Calvinism well.
I took your post in 860 to mean that you believed faith to be a gift. You highlighted the following:
”For by grace you are saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. (Eph. 2:8-9)
By highlighting “through faith” and “not of works" you imply that faith is not a work. But the “not” refers back to “it is the gift of God” as well. So proper interpretation of the sentence of what you have highlighted would be “…through faith, …it is the gift of God, not of works…”
Another interpretation as to what the “gift of God” is would be:
For by grace you are saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. (Eph. 2:8-9)
This, of course gives a completely different meaning. Paul contrast the gift of God against what is not a work. So the question becomes what is the gift of God?
You don't receive faith by being baptized, faith comes before baptism, as does repentance and confession.
Also, since you have yet to show me a translation of Acts 2:38 that renders it "because of the remission of your sins", I will take that to mean there is not one, correct?
The exegetical flimsiness of using this passage [Eph. 2:8-9] in this way should be common knowledge. Apparently it is not. Chrysostom, Theodoret, Theophylact, Calvin, Calovius, Olshausen, Meyer, Chandler, Adam Clarke, Ellicot, Alford, Salmond in EGT, Eadie, Vincent, A. T. Robertson, Wuest, F. F. Bruce (“an impenitent Augustinian and Calvinist”), and even extreme Calvinist Homer Hoeksema are among the host who reject such isogesis since they recognized that the relative pronoun touto (this) is neuter and pistis (faith) is feminine and cannot serve as its antecedent. Although Calvin doesn’t explain the grammar, he is very explicit about this error:So we're back to where we were before: Faith, trusting God, is neither a work, nor is it a gift from God, but rather a response to God offering the gift of salvation.And here we must advert to a very common error in the interpretation of this passage. Many persons restrict the word gift to faith alone. But Paul is only repeating in other words the former sentiment. His meaning is, not that faith is the gift of God, but that salvation is given to us by God, or, that we obtain it by the gift of God. (emphasis Olsen’s)(Olsen, Gordon C., Beyond Calvinism and Arminianism: An Inductive Mediate Theology of Salvation, p. 221)
I think I have answered this a number of times now. God draws you, changes you, you confess your sins, you head off doing good works (including being baptized). "If we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness." That includes well before being baptized. There is nothing hard to figure out in this scenario nor are there any "special cases" that God has to figure out.
It is a common practice of many of the Arminians to have "special circumstances" by which God saves people. I noticed this in your response to rnmomof7 and what would happen to people who a train runs over on the way to the baptizmo. In my mind these "special circumstances" represent a fundamental flaw in people soteriology which many don't wish to admit. God saves everyone in exactly the same way. Even those who don't have water available to "wash away their sins".
BTW-Do babies go to heaven if they're not baptized?
You have answered the question exactly ZERO times. Until you answer it, this discussion is on hold. I will ask it one more time.
Since you are so convinced that the Greek means "because of remission of sins" in Acts 2:38, there must be at least one translation of the Bible that renders it that way, correct? Otherwise, the many people that have worked on the many translations of the Bible are convinced that the Greek does not call for such a translation.
Ooooooo, a trap! I should have saw it coming.
I'm not saying your incorrect but you may wish to check your list of references. Just a quick perusal of your list I see a number of Pelegians and, in some cases, officially deemed heretics (Chrysostom). I don't think this is an objective crowd as you may feel.
But I'm off now. I'll try to look into this matter soon.
Are you avoiding my question?
Define Grace and mercy..
Also why is it one or the other? Can God not have mercy on whom he will have mercy? Why is it all or nothing?
So back to square 1
What is Grace and what is Mercy .
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