I haven’t the time to type up a fresh response to Mr MacArthur’s decades of continued ignorance on John chapter 3, so here is some old posts dealing with the rebirth topic. A topic he can’t teach properly since he himself is a modern day Pharisee (legalizing his way out of obeying God.)
And yes, we have to obey to be saved: “And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;” Heb. 5:9
The Problem with KJV Onlyism
1/28/2018, 9:23:15 PM · 192 of 377
Zuriel to MHGinTN
**John 3:5 Jesus refers to be born from the womb AND born from above ... the born of water refers directly to Nics query about entering again into the mother’s womb**
1. In that verse Jesus starts with a man. Why? Because even Nicodemus knew he was starting with a man. Nicodemas was starting with a man when asked how a man could get back in his mother’s womb.
2. There is no second example of water being mentioned in scripture for natural birth.
3. A verse that does define natural birth doesn’t mention water:
“Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” John 1:13
**Matthew 28:19 does not proclaim baptism a necessity for salvation, but does emphasize baptism for making of the converts, DISCIPLES.**
Your interpretation says baptism is not important, but is kinda important. Jesus didn’t even detail the requirement of repentance in the preceding verse, but specifically detailed the command for baptism in verse 19.
**Mark 16:16 is telling: “16Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.” Notice what did not get include for condemned if? /// The statement does not say he who is not baptized is condemned, though your mind perhaps inserted it.**
Well, you don’t believe in the Lord’s baptism being for remission of sins. That may boot you from the believer category.
But let’s word the verse to your belief: “He that believeth is saved, and should be baptized; and he that believeth not shall be damned.”
**Luke 24:47 does not mention Baptism ...**
It mentions that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name (Jesus Christ was talking there), beginning at Jerusalem. Go directly to Acts 2, culminating at verse 38.
**John 20:23 says nothing regarding Baptism ...**
The disciples were commanded to remit sins. Sounds a little more detailed than just quoting John 3:16.
In Acts 2:38, there is a comma after “Repent”, but none until after “sins”.
**Acts 2:38 See Matthew 28:19 ...**
See all the above replies.
**Acts 22:16 16And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized, and wash your sins away calling on His name.’… >I?I left a comma out on purpose, since the Greek had no commas and that comma can be seen as changing the meaning substantially ... calling upon Him washes your sins away, not the water of baptism.**
Nice trick,.... using some commas, but then “going Greek” to exclude a comma. But, since we are quoting from English versions, any decent English teacher is going to tell you that without a comma, you are going to need something like “while” in there.
(Also, see above Acts 2:38 no comma comment.)
The Problem with KJV Onlyism
1/28/2018, 9:56:55 PM · 193 of 377
Zuriel to MHGinTN
** 21And this water symbolizes the baptism that now saves you**
Well, that translation at least says that some sort of baptism saves.
The “like figure” (KJV) sounds like “like figure”; meaning “same thing”. Not “symbolizes”.
No, it’s not a bath. It’s the obedience to his command that it does remit sins, that one gains a clear conscience.
The word of God is not to fight against: it is to believe and obey.
Just go through the book of Acts and look at the urgency of water baptism. In their battered condition Paul and Silas baptized the jailer and his household:
After being removed from the jail and taken to the jailer’s house. Though battered and whipped, Paul and Silas taught the jailer and his household the word of the Lord. Then the jailer takes them out to a sufficient water supply to wash their stripes, and be baptized. Then they go back into the house and have a meal.
The eunuch must have been told the importance of baptism by Philip, for he stopped the moment he saw water in the desert.
Peter, knowing he couldn’t withstand the Lord’s command to remit sins, baptized Cornelius and his household immediately.
If you believe that Cornelius and his household were saved when they were filled with the Holy Ghost, then there was nothing for Peter to “withstand” (Acts 11:17).
Paul found that certain disciples in Ephesus didn’t know anything about the Holy Ghost, found that they needed to be rebaptized in the name of the Lord. (Paul, the fellow that folks say wasn’t sent to baptize, baptized a lot a people when you start counting).
Natural birth involves a woman's amniotic sac breaking. That's the water part.
If Jesus had meant baptism, he would have said baptism as He knew what it was and the term was already in use.
He would not have coulded the issue and made innuendos to *imply* baptism when He didn't mean it.