Free Republic
Browse · Search
Religion
Topics · Post Article

To: LearsFool
So you say. But the apostle Peter says baptism saves us.

Do you believe I Peter 3:21?

But it's not water baptism...It is the Spiritual baptism he's referring to...It is the 'belief' (the answer of a good conscience toward God) which results in the indwelling of the Holy Ghost...That's the baptism that saves us...

Act_11:16 Then remembered I the word of the Lord, how that he said, John indeed baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost.

127 posted on 03/05/2015 4:49:06 PM PST by Iscool
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 109 | View Replies ]


To: Iscool
Act_11:16 Then remembered I the word of the Lord, how that he said, John indeed baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost.

Do you know who Jesus was talking to when He said that? I don't think you do, or you would understand the significance of what happened to Cornelius, and why Peter had to go all the way back to Pentecost to find a similar case.

And you wouldn't have too many baptisms in your thinking.
133 posted on 03/05/2015 5:07:25 PM PST by LearsFool ("Thou shouldst not have been old, till thou hadst been wise.")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 127 | View Replies ]

To: Iscool; Zuriel; LearsFool; All
But it's not water baptism...It is the Spiritual baptism he's referring to...It is the 'belief' (the answer of a good conscience toward God) which results in the indwelling of the Holy Ghost...That's the baptism that saves us... Act_11:16 Then remembered I the word of the Lord, how that he said, John indeed baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost. (Iscool)

(This is complete eisegesis...it's an interpretation not found in Peter's text, where you simply seek another verse to import your interpretation)

Paul is referring to water baptism, and Spirit baptism, as separate events... (Zuriel, #142)

In the NT, there's SEVEN references to the Baptism of the Holy Spirit...Six of them reference a contrast between...
...a baptism of repentance practiced by John...
...with a baptism of Holy Spirit inaugurated by Jesus Christ...

(In addition to Acts 11:15-16, you can find the rest at Acts 1:5; John 1:33; Mark 1:8; Luke 3:15; Mt. 3:11).

As we can see most references to water baptism beyond the above don't mention it being a "baptism of repentance" ... and four references of water baptism mention receiving the Holy Spirit just prior to water baptism (Acts 10:47; 11:16-17; Acts 9:5-6, 17-18)...which means the water baptism is NOT referencing "Holy Spirit" baptism.

1 Cor. 12:13 is the ONLY reference to being baptized with the Holy Spirit that is NOT hedged as a distinction between baptism of the Holy Spirit & a baptism of repentance, and so for people to build an entire theology upon one single verse shows they need to run it back up the line as to where they learned their theology in this case and talk to them about theological malpractice.

I agree with J.I. Packer, who wrote in 1987 that all explanations positing a distinction between baptizing with water and the Holy Spirit "are on the wrong track."

He said that "water" and "The Spirit" are two aspects of the same ONE reality: That God's renewal of the fallen and unresponsive human heart is regenerated by the purifying and energizing components -- just as they were set forth in God's promise to renew the Israelite hearts in Ezekiel 36:25-27:

25 I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. 26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.

These are ALL things that ONLY a divine God can accomplish...
...spiritual cleansing; new heart; new spirit;...
...don't we dare reduce what God's Word promises and confirms that promise by writing it off as some mere act of man!

164 posted on 03/05/2015 10:15:19 PM PST by Colofornian
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 127 | View Replies ]

Free Republic
Browse · Search
Religion
Topics · Post Article


FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson