"God became man so that we might become God"

Hi C.S.,

you are the one who says there are multiple baptisms i just raised the question that I felt it wasn't biblical.

Yes, I am the one who said that water baptism is not absolutely necessary for baptism, and yes, you raised the question that you felt it wasn't biblical. That's well understood and very true.

Would you mind pointing out the context of the verse that you presented, which causes you "feel" this way?

Sounds like a works based(catholic)doctrine to me.

I think I should clearly state up front what the Catholic Church teaches with regard to our own works and our justification before God.

Catholics believe that justification is a completely gratuitous gift from God. As the Council of Trent declared, “None of those things which precede justification – whether faith or works – merit the grace itself of justification. For, if it be a grace, it is not now by works, otherwise, as the same Apostle says, grace is no more grace” (Decree on Justification, Chapter 8, January 13, 1547).

In fact, the Council went so far as to say, “If any one says that man may be justified before God by his own works, whether done through the teaching of human nature, or that of the law, without the grace of God through Jesus Christ; let him be anathema" (Canon 1 on Justification, January 13, 1547).

Good works play a role in the Christian life only after a person is justified. As the Bible says, “[W]e are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Eph. 2:10).

well stop defending them then.

Stop doing what I haven't been doing? Pastor, I have not defended the sins of any one man in the posts above this one in this thread. How can I stop what I have not started?

yes I am listening to you that is why I didn't appreciate being called a bigot.

I wrote, "I'm not calling you a bigot. I abhor name-calling. What I am doing is showing you that the nature of a bigot is what both of us need to stray from." How much more of a clear and straightforward statement of my intentions do you require?

yours,

Carson

 

I asked about your suggestion that there are multiple baptisms and you turn it around to say something else.

The context of "one baptism" in the New Testament is that of Paul urging the Ephesians to remain united in the unity of the Spirit with the bond of peace.

Paul also says that there is "one faith", which has as its content specifically Christian revelation. While we are saved only by this one faith and this one baptism, how it is administered will vary among the recipients. Those who lived in the Old Testament are saved by this same faith and baptism, and they apparently will not ever be water baptized - unless, of course, you're an adherent of the LDS.