Widespread Biblical Illiteracy

I don't belive in infant baptism, Bob. But as far as penitent belivers go, baptism is the appeal and reception of the answer to the appeal for a clean conscience: Acts 22:16 "Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord." --There is the appeal (calling on the name of the Lord) and the answer (sins washed away, conscience cleansed).

Dualhunter, you quoted Ephesians 2:8-9; might I quote Titus 3:5 which very much parallels it: "he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, (NIV)" -- The rebirth is one of "water and of the Spirit" and here, Paul says we are saved by "the washing of rebirth" and "renewal by the Holy Spirit." Is this not baptism in water and baptism by the Spirit into the body of Christ taking place simultaneously with it and certainly not without it? In John 3:5, Jesus said "ye must be born of water AND the Spirit" not "ye can be born of whatever you want."

 

Baptism is God's operation to save. The Bible says in Col. 2:12, Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.

God has used various operations( instruments) to save.

God used the baptism of Moses to save the children of Israel. The Bible says in I Cor. 10:2, And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; In Exodus 14:15, 21, 22, And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever. And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the LORD caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided.
22  And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground: and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left.

God used the brazen serpent on a pole to save the rebellious Hebrews from the punishment of death by the serpent. The Bible says in Numbers 21:8,9  And the LORD said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live.
9  And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.
Jesus gave us the spiritual application in John 3:14,15. He said, " And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
In John 12: 32, the Bible says,  And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me."
God used the brazen serpent on a pole to save the Hebrews from death caused by their rebellion. Jesus makes the application of his death on the cross as the figure that came which saves us.

Peter proclaims the like figure of baptism doth also now save us. This like figure is paralled with the baptism of the great flood. Again, the application spirtually is that man is saved by the operation or instrument of baptism by God through the death and resurrection of Christ. Romans 6:4,5, I Pet. 3:21,22.

God employs various physical operations to teach us spiritual truths. If it were not for our ability to use our physical senses, we would not know math, english, or any spiritual truth. We would know NOTHING. Human flesh learns from his senses. Therefore, God has employed physical operations or instruments to teach us spirtual truths. Although these instruments seperate and a part from the power of God cannot save,they are essential operations because God has chosen to use his power through them to save us.

 

All those who say that Baptism does not save you go to churches that once taught that it did.

I have heard so many Baptists say that this is not true but why the name Baptist. The reason is because they baptized by immersion as part of the plan of salvation.

Easy believism has saturated this nation. People don't like getting wet. They are humiliated by water so they said lets do away with BAPTism as part of salvation and only teach it as a symbol of becoming a Christian.
They ignore what Jesus says and what Peter says.
Jesus said "HE THAT BELIEVETH AND IS BAPTIZED SHALL BE SAVED." Where did John Mark get most of his gospel from? Peter. So what Mark wrote coincided with what Peter said in his own writings. This also coincides with what Peter said on the Day of Pentecost. "Repent and be BAptized.

Baptism is not a work. It is a commandment given by both the Lord Jesus and he who held the keys, Peter.

Who is anyone of us to argue about Baptism saving. God has the right to use what means he chooses. He did not even have to save us.

I have heard the argument that Paul was against Baptism but that is ludicrous since he was baptized. Does the fact that he said God did not send him to baptize do away with baptism. NO. Jesus did not baptize either. This was Paul's choice. He let others baptize.

 

"I have heard the argument that Paul was against Baptism but that is ludicrous since he was baptized. Does the fact that he said God did not send him to baptize do away with baptism. NO. Jesus did not baptize either. This was Paul's choice. He let others baptize."
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Oh, I see. Those that Paul led to Christ weren't REALLY saved until they got baptized at a later date by somebody else.