i can always tell i am dealing with heresy when someone argues the Bible has not been translated properly. there are Greek experts that are both Catholic and Protestant and every Bible i have ever seen translates Acts 2:38 exactly as i said - the Holy Spirit could not have made Peter explain it any better “for the remission of sins and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit”
usually it is Jehovah’s Witnesses who are arguing John 1 with me.
God does not require us all to be Greek experts to understand what baptism is for.
everyone should ask themself, why did Saul need Ananias to be sent to him to receive the Holy Spirit. wouldn’t he be “spirit baptized” and receive the Holy Spirit the moment he believed? he didn’t need Ananias to believe and there is no record of Ananias preaching to him.
the answer again is very clearly taught in the Scripture, he needed Ananias to regain his sight and this was accomplished when hands were laid on him. but to receive the Holy Spirit, he needed to be baptized and needed Ananias to baptize him, so he could receive forgiveness of his sins and receive the Holy Spirit. all of this is contained right in the Book of Acts
i am always amazed at those that mock Christianity by accusing it of teaching “magic” or mock Christians for believing Jesus when he said “This is My Body”.
but then i realize the natural man can’t understand the spiritual without the Holy Spirit, it seems like foolishness ( maybe magic? ) to him.
i notice no explianation is forthcoming on why the whole Christian world believed in “pagan magic” for 1,500 years before the Baptists showed up in the 16th century.
all we are given is accusations of being pagan. it’s a shame these pagans didn’t realize they were pagan, it could have stopped some of them from being torn apart by lions in the Coliseum.
Jesus commanded the Church to baptize, and to do it with the authority it received from Him. Why did He command this? hint: He wasn’t concerned about believers being obedient to Him and He wasn’t concerned that there be a public display of faith.
finally, the comment was made that priests do not save us. AGREED!! but just as Ananias was sent to Saul so he could receive the Holy Spirit, priests are ordained with the authority received from Jesus Himself so we can receive the Holy Spirit.
no one should believe this 16th century tradition of men, rather we should all believe the Apostolic Faith taught and believed now for 2,000 years. there is not a “spirit baptism” and a “water baptism”, no the NT only teaches baptism, ONE BAPTISM.
“i can always tell i am dealing with heresy when someone argues the Bible has not been translated properly.”
I did not say that, did I?
I said you applied it incorrectly.
“Unto the remission of your sins (eiv apesin twn amartiwn –mwn).
This phrase is the subject of endless controversy as men look at it from the standpoint of sacramental or of evangelical theology. In themselves the words can express aim or purpose for that use of eiv does exist as in 1 Corinthians 2:7 eiv doxan hmwn (for our glory). But then another usage exists which is just as good Greek as the use of eiv for aim or purpose. It is seen in Matthew 10:41 in three examples eiv onoma prophtou, dikaiou, mathtou where it cannot be purpose or aim, but rather the basis or ground, on the basis of the name of prophet, righteous man, disciple, because one is, etc. It is seen again in Matthew 12:41 about the preaching of Jonah (eiv to khrugma Iwna). They repented because of (or at) the preaching of Jonah. The illustrations of both usages are numerous in the N.T. and the Koine generally (Robertson, Grammar, p. 592). One will decide the use here according as he believes that baptism is essential to the remission of sins or not. My view is decidedly against the idea that Peter, Paul, or any one in the New Testament taught baptism as essential to the remission of sins or the means of securing such remission. So I understand Peter to be urging baptism on each of them who had already turned (repented) and for it to be done in the name of Jesus Christ on the basis of the forgiveness of sins which they had already received.”
http://www.studylight.org/com/rwp/view.cgi?book=ac&chapter=002&verse=038
In modern English use, the phrase “be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins” can mean EITHER do it to receive forgiveness, or do it because of the forgiveness...and in the Greek, the ambiguity is greater.
Since there is no other verse that says forgiveness is given BECAUSE of baptism, and many showing baptism FOLLOWS forgiveness, it seems you are misapplying scripture.
“everyone should ask themself, why did Saul need Ananias to be sent to him to receive the Holy Spirit.”
Umm...because God didn’t choose to preach the Gospel to Paul as an invisible voice? Indeed, as we read in that chapter: “15 But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel; 16 for I will show him how much he must suffer for My name’s sake.” 17 So Ananias departed and entered the house...”
“i notice no explianation is forthcoming on why the whole Christian world believed in “pagan magic” for 1,500 years before the Baptists showed up in the 16th century.”
You can argue history if you wish, and ‘vote’ on truth. I’ll stick to what the word of God says:
“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.”
Meanwhile, I note you have never answered my question: what of all those people who were baptized without ever believing? Are they saved by water, apart from faith?
And what about the hundreds of verses I linked for you (via an online concordance) showing it is FAITH that saves - we are saved by grace thru faith, not by grace thru baptism - what of those?
A sample:
Jhn 1:12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,
Jhn 3:15 “that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.
Jhn 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
Jhn 3:18 “Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.
Jhn 3:36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.
Jhn 6:29 Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.”
Jhn 6:35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.
Jhn 6:40 “For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”
Jhn 6:47 “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life.
Jhn 7:38 “Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’”
Jhn 7:39 Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.
Jhn 8:24 “I told you that you would die in your sins, for unless you believe that I am he you will die in your sins.”
Jhn 11:26 “and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” She said to him, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.”...Jhn 11:40 Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?”
Act 4:4 But many of those who had heard the word believed, and the number of the men came to about five thousand.
Act 16:31 And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.”
Rom 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
Rom 3:22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction:
Rom 4:3 For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.”
Rom 4:5 And to the one who does not work but trusts him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness,
Rom 4:24 but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord,
Rom 9:33 as it is written, “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense; and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”
Rom 10:9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
Rom 10:10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.
Rom 10:11 For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.”
Gal 2:16 yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.
Gal 3:6 just as Abraham “believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”?
Gal 3:22 But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.
Eph 1:13 In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit,