**What about the thief on the cross who went to Pardise with Jesus? He was never baptized in water.**
After healing the man of his leprosy, Jesus said unto him, “see thou tell no man; but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a testamony unto them.” Matt. 8:4 (same story in Mark and Luke)
The thief was still under the Law, “For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth.” Heb. 9:16,17
After his resurrection, before ascending to heaven, the Lord gave those commands, that we read of at the end of the gospels, to his disciples to follow and administer. The Lord commanded “that REPENTANCE and REMISSION of sins should be preached in HIS NAME among all nations, BEGINNING at Jerusalem”. This first was administered in Acts 2.
**What about the person who truly accepts Christ minutes, or hours before death and has no access to water or time to be baptized in water?**
Truly accepts? Do you know the condition of the soul that intimately that you can judge a person’s salvation? The ‘get right with God’ just before death mentallity is one of the biggest reasons people live in sin. They love the world too much to give it up until they see that they are hopelessly on the way out. They are told all they have to do is confess and believe, and think “well, I can just do that while I’m breathing my last breaths”.
The keeper of the prison, in Acts 16, is a favorite of the ‘just accept the Lord’ crowd. Curiously, they place little regard to how Paul and Silas then “spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house.....and was baptized, he and all his, straightway.” vss 32,33.
When I was first witnessed to of the apostolic, Acts 2:38 message, I resisted, thinking of a brother, a wonderful grandmother, and others that had passed away. But, I had to realize that I’m not their judge. I was witnessed to of portions of the Word that had not been regarded as essential. I had to accept it or reject it.
**Water baptism is SYMBOLIC!**
There was symbolism in the OT of baptism. Read my post #138 for a list of those.
**I have been baptize in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.**
The Lord’s command for baptism was heard by Peter and the others. On Pentecost, when Peter commanded the convicted hearts to “repent, and be baptized EVERY ONE of you in the NAME of Jesus Christ for the REMISSION of sins”, there is no record of the other apostles correcting him on the name.
**When I was baptized in the name of the Father, SON, and Holy Spirit; I was baptized in the name of Jesus.**
So you sign your checks “Father, Son, and Husband”? (if you’re married, that is)
That’s why, if a ‘sect’ doesn’t teach baptism in the name of JESUS for the remission of sins, then they are in disobedience the the Lord’s hand picked and properly instructed apostles. They knew that the name (singular) in Matthew 28:19 is Jesus, for:
The Christ declared his name to not be his own, but his Father’s. JN 5:43
The writer of Hebrews declared the son received his name by INHERITANCE. Heb 1:4
The Son’s name is not ‘Son’, it’s JESUS, for he was named that by God’s order to both Joseph and Mary. Matt. 1:21 and Luke 1:31
The Christ declared that the Holy Ghost, WHICH PROCEEDETH from the Father (JN 15:26), is sent by the Father “in MY NAME”.
The term ‘Son of God’ is scriptural; the term ‘God the Son’ is found nowhere in scripture. Neither is ‘God the Holy Spirit’, for that matter.
**Have you been baptized in the name of Father, Son (Jesus), and the Holy Spirit.**
Yes, as a teen, and the words did not include ‘for the remission of sins’. I was rebaptized 12 years later in the name of Jesus for the remission of sins.
**Jesus Chriat miraculously changed my life. He did for me what no man could ever do in delivering me from a lifestyle of total destruction.**
Are your sins remitted as per the Lord’s commands? He changed lives before he went to the cross; healings, changes of heart and mind, messages of conviction and hope, etc. But, as I already pointed out, they were still under the Law. When Philip preached and performed miracles unto the Samaritans, “there was great joy in that city”. Then a few verses later they are said to have believed and were baptized, but did not receive the Holy Ghost until sometime later when Peter and John showed up.
I can go on, and will, if there is a request to discuss more. Even any questions about why the ‘oneness movement’ doesn’t teach the ‘trinity’ will gladly be answered. Any response may take a few days, as I’m an OTR truck driver, and still live in the low tech past when camped out in the sleeper. But, I will leave you with this: Acts 2:38......is it from heaven, or of men?
In a nutshell, anything you add to the finished work of Christ on the cross as a prerequisite for salvation is what you’re trusting in.
If you add baptism, then you are trusting baptism to save you and you are saying that the death of Christ isn’t enough.
If you add taking communion, then it’s the eating that saves you, not Christ.
Without the shedding of blood, there is no remission of sins. NOTHING else is capable of remitting sin and granting forgiveness. If it was Christ died for nothing.
Christ’s death alone is sufficient. If it wasn’t, Christ would not have said *It is finished*.
Being dunked in water baptism does not save anyone. It’s not Christ and _________.
It’s Christ, period.
You may be sincere, but you’re been very misled on the issue of water baptism. You have imposed works (water baptism) upon salvation. That’s a serious no, no my friend! You’re adding to the proper understanding of God’s word. You’re involved in an errant sect.