Bible Highlighter
Well-Known Member
Hello @Bible Highlighter,
My first question to you is do you believe that water baptism is not actual baptism?
There are different types of baptism mentioned in the Bible. Not all of them refer to water (although many attempt to see water baptism in verses where no water is mentioned and it does not read correctly with water baptism being enforced upon the text in every case).
Acts 2:38 and Acts 10 refer to water baptism, but I believe Peter was acting on only what he knew from before, and he was not truly listening or meditating on what Jesus desired of Him on this matter (Although Peter spoke the correct words by the Spirit). The apostle Paul understood the proper teaching on baptism for the New Covenant. Paul said he came not to baptize but to preach the gospel in 1 Corinthians 1:17. This means that if baptism was for salvation, then Paul would be saying, I come not to save you (via by baptism), but to preach the gospel. Such a saying would not make any sense and it simply shows the temporal nature of water baptism.
You said:I ask this because of your statement where you said that Holy Spirit baptism is the only real baptism.
This would be the only real baptism for today.
Back at Pentecost, the Jew was to be water baptized because they were being told what to do based on Peter’s limited or imperfect understanding.
You said:Secondly, have you considered baptism in Jesus' Name; not as a work; but as a point of contact for faith?
While I believe faith is like a two sided coin (with one side being a belief, and one side being faith that works through love), I don’t believe baptism is not a work because it actually takes work to accomplish this task (Especially today). Most churches today are apostate and teach a sin and still be saved type belief. So while I have been water baptized back in April of 2013, I was saved long before that point in time with God talking to me by His Word for many years since 1992. Water baptism did not really change anything for me. But back in 1992, when I accepted Jesus as my Savior and I believed that He died for my sins, and He was buried, and risen the third day, it was like a light had went on inside of me, and I had a love, joy, and peace that I had never known before. I was changed. I used to be an atheist/agnostic before this point. Water baptism as not something that was even on my radar until like many years later. When I first got saved in 1992, I was preaching to my family and friends with a passion, and fire. I had a peace in Jesus, and I wanted everyone else to feel this way, as well. I handed out comic tracts, and lived to make Jesus the Lord of my life (throwing away my worldly things).
you said:(such as when they took handkerchiefs and aprons from Paul and demons came out of people and others were healed simply by youching the cloths).
God doing miracles by faith through believers may not always be us acting out in faith. Sometimes it can be, though. There are miracles whereby believers just pray and God heals (bring in a miracle). But an act of faith or faith in action with miracles following would be a work of faith. Paul talks about the work of faith in 1 Thessalonians 1:3, and 2 Thessalonians 1:11. I believe that is exactly what that is. A work. Baptism is a work of faith. While Circumcision Salvationism (Acts of the Apostles 15:1, and Galatians 5:2) was the primary reason why Paul spoke in the way that he did in many of his letters on saying how we are saved by God’s grace without works in our Initial Salvation, I don’t see Paul referring exclusively to only the Mosaic Law in Romans 4:2 because Paul’s point was that Abraham BELIEVED God and it was accounted to him as righteousness BEFORE he was circumcised (Which was a work or work of faith at that point in time). Please compare Romans 4:2 with Romans 4:9-12.
You said:I consider that Acts of the Apostles 2:38 presents to us a conditional promise and that if we fulfill the condition of the promise, we can most assuredly obtain the promise.
re #56 (I have not yet read your post #57).
I don’t believe that. Everything in my life involving God’s Word and my study of it shows otherwise. For what do you make of 1 Corinthians 1:17?