What Does Baptism Mean To You

[Ricko1]

This verse spoken by Jesus should open the eyes of all those who like to think they have it all figured out above what is taught...

Mark 4 v 11-13 " And he ( Jesus) said unto them, Unto you it is given TO KNOW THE MYSTERY of The Kingdom of God: but unto them that ARE WITHOUT, all these things are done in PARABLES. That seeing they may see, but not PERCEIVE; and hearing they may hear, AND NOT UNDERSTAND; lest any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them"

We see what Jesus was referring unto in another passage he spoke about concerning The Great White Throne Judgements and those who " Thought" they were followers of Jesus...yet decided to follow another doctrine or teachings contrary to what Our Lord and His Apostles taught:

Matthew 7 v 21-24
( Jesus stated) Not everyone that says unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter the kingdom of Heaven: but HE THAT DOES THE WILL OF MY FATHER Which us in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, HAVE WE NOT PROPHESIED IN THY NAME? AND IN THY NAME HAVE CAST OUT DEVILS? AND IN THY NAME DONE MANY WONDERFUL WORKS?

And then will I profess unto them, I NEVER KNEW YOU: DEPART FROM ME: YOU THAT WORK INIQUITY.

Therefore, whosoever hears these sayings of mine, AND DOES THEM, I will liken him unto a WISE MAN which built his house upon a Rock".

So there is proof positive not everyone who claims to be a "Christian" is going to heaven. Only those who put away their pride and worldly thinking and worldly knowledge and humble themselves, and OBEY from A to Z what saith the Word of God without arguing, debating and JUST DO IT!...

 

[Major]

I do not agree with what you have written on this subject. You are not alone..Many Denominal and non demominals also do not believe it either. However when it comes to Scriptural teachings and Following the exact doctrines laid forth; we have no choice but to obey them. There are no loopholes, or other meanings to what was laid out. The Devil of course is the one trying to sew confusion, and miss information.
that is his job....again ....Genesis 3 v 1..." Yea, Hath God Said"?

Please remember, everything God said and recorded by the Apostles, The Writers, has significance and truthful meanings. It takes fervent studying and cross checking, re reading over to catch what all of it means. The Bible is not a literal in meaning.
There are Typologies, Types and Shadows, Parables as well. I have been studying The Bible daily for 27 years myself, and learn something I never saw the first 2,500 times I read it, every week. The key is to not accept anything not proven by solid evidence either written, or demonstrated or both for accuracy.

Even today we see new " Improved" Bibles being introduced, changing the context to confuse people to further miss lead them.

I am not about to repeat over and over what I have already posted regarding the Scriptures several times already. If you so desire to believe what you believe which much is scripturally wrong, and proven wrong, then as the old saying goes " Your Beating a dead horse" by going over and over and over again what I have said, then your choice. I' m here to share and teach TRUTH to anyone who wants to share and even add their own comments. I am not Infinite or all knowing sometimes I learn as well as share...Amen

Well said and I agree. The conversation and meanings go both ways and it is time to move on.

 

[Brother David]

You can not be a true Christian unless you follow the doctrines put forth by Jesus and Apostles. Repentance, Water Baptism in Jesus' Name, Receiving The Holy Ghost, Holiness in word and deed, and following the Gospel.

AMEN......Thank God for Apostolic Truth !

 

[Candelario Mario Villa]

Good points my friend. But there are some I have to disagree with you on because they are simply not Biblical.

1. " God knows how to divide the sheep from the goats, and the cattle from the cattle."

I would agree with that.

John 11:25-26...........
"Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?"

2. "Do not be deceived, Beloved, the devil never had any power over the Lord Jesus".

Agreed!

Luke 4:4
"And Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone.’”

3. "Yes, Mary is the mother of Jesus, who was conceived by God's Spirit while she was a virgin. Yet she is neither the mother of God".

There are many confusing thoughts in the world as to who/what was Jesus. That is where your statement has its roots.
"Whom do you say Jesus is?" Your question is the line usually drawn by the Catholic believers against the Protestant believers.
Personally, I am a Protestant with many, may Catholic friends. I do understand the argument but we have to consider whether Colossians 1:20 is true or not true IMHO. For that reason I have to disagree with you.

Colossians 1:20
"For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell".

4. (Mary) " nor our intercessor to God. Our sole intercessor is "...the man, Christ Jesus...".

Agreed!

Hebrews 7:25
"Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost[a] those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them."

5. "Who is a Christian? One who was first a disciple of Jesus Christ. Where does discipleship begin? When one first repents, and is baptized "...in the NAME of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins...".

Well, we have hashed this back and forth a lot but here it is again.

You are saying a man becomes a disciple when he repents and is baptized.

I understand the Scriptures to say that a man is saved the moment he trusts Christ as his Saviour. Period. If anything is added to that experience, it detracts from the miracle of God's grace and diminishes from Jesus the work He did on the cross.

John 19:30 tells us that Jesus said....."IT IS FINISHED".
The plan of God for humanity was done, finished, in place and that indicates that there is nothing that can be added to what Jesus did on the cross.

(1) I do not understand where Col. 1:20 fit in this post. (2) "And Jesus came and spoke unto them saying, 'All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go you, therefore, and teach (make disciples of) all nations, baptizing them...' ". So I am judt repeating the Lord's words. You should really speak to Him about your reservations. (3) God's plan was not finished until the Lord Jesus rose from the dead: "...and if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain...". Praise the Lord, His resurrection has made my faith fruitful!

 

[Candelario Mario Villa]

Really Dave?

1 Cor. 15:2-3............
"By this gospel you are saved...that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time..."

Paul explains the three elements of the gospel—the death, burial and resurrection of Christ on our behalf. Our old nature died with Christ on the cross and was buried with Him. Then we were resurrected with Him to a new life (Romans 6:4-8). Paul tells us to “hold firmly” to this true gospel, the only one which saves. Believing in any other gospel is to believe in vain. In Romans 1:16-17, Paul also declares that the true gospel is the “power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes” by which he means that salvation is not achieved by man’s efforts, but by the grace of God through the gift of faith (Ephesians 2:8-9).

We are not OT saints. (I say this because Jesus "...led captivity captive...": who were from the OT) We needed the resurrection to be counted as "...crucified with Christ..."; and repentance fulfills the death, just as baptism fulfills His burial IN US (...we are buried with him by baptism unto death...): just as the Holy Spirit in us will raise us from the dead on that day.

 

[Candelario Mario Villa]

Rich. What you need is proper Bible understanding my friend.

Thankfully, though, we don’t have to guess at what Peter means in this verse because he clarifies that for us with the phrase “not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience.”

Do you see it Rick. Do you understand it??? While Peter is connecting baptism with salvation, it is not the act of being baptized that he is referring to - not the removal of dirt from the fles. Being immersed in water does nothing but wash away dirt.

I have never heard a person say, who believes in the apostles and prophets of our Lord Jesus, that baptism alone saves. We quotes Jesus, and He said, "He that believes AND is baptized SHALL BE saved." Be careful, friends: a person who denies the words of the Lord to be baptized, is close to also denying the faith!

 

[Candelario Mario Villa]

Really Dave?

1 Cor. 15:2-3............
"By this gospel you are saved...that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time..."
Paul also declares that the true gospel is the “power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes” by which he means that salvation is not achieved by man’s efforts, but by the grace of God through the gift of faith (Ephesians 2:8-9).

Ephesians 2:8-9 "For by grace (receiving/partaking of the Holy Spirit) are you saved through (not by) faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God. Not by (man's) works, lest any man should boast. For we are His workmanship...". In case no one has noticed, we are saved by works; just not our own. It is God's work that saves!
Acts 2:38 "...and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise (of the Holy Spirit) is unto you, and to your children...". Was the Apostle Peter full of the Holy spirit, or not? Were the other eleven also full of the Holy spirit? "But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice...". So were all the apostles, along with the rest in the upper room, confused? I contend that the ones who are confused are the modernists who willingly ignore the gospel of the Lord Jesus.

 

[Ricko1]

Ephesians 2:8-9 "For by grace (receiving/partaking of the Holy Spirit) are you saved through (not by) faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God. Not by (man's) works, lest any man should boast. For we are His workmanship...". In case no one has noticed, we are saved by works; just not our own. It is God's work that saves!
Acts 2:38 "...and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise (of the Holy Spirit) is unto you, and to your children...". Was the Apostle Peter full of the Holy spirit, or not? Were the other eleven also full of the Holy spirit? "But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice...". So were all the apostles, along with the rest in the upper room, confused? I contend that the ones who are confused are the modernists who willingly ignore the gospel of the Lord Jesus.

The Devil' s time is running out so he must bring more souls with him before it is over here. All those claiming to be " Christian" are not really Converted Souls. We must pray for those who the Devil has blinded,
( I I Corinthins 4 v 4) that they get a revelation of The Biblical Truth before they die. Hell is forever, and would not wish it on our worst enemies.

 

[Major]

Ephesians 2:8-9 "For by grace (receiving/partaking of the Holy Spirit) are you saved through (not by) faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God. Not by (man's) works, lest any man should boast. For we are His workmanship...". In case no one has noticed, we are saved by works; just not our own. It is God's work that saves!
Acts 2:38 "...and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise (of the Holy Spirit) is unto you, and to your children...". Was the Apostle Peter full of the Holy spirit, or not? Were the other eleven also full of the Holy spirit? "But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice...". So were all the apostles, along with the rest in the upper room, confused? I contend that the ones who are confused are the modernists who willingly ignore the gospel of the Lord Jesus.

Agreed! It is God's work 100%. HIS works not ours.

Agreed again. We accept the Lord Jesus Christ, we receive all that God has for us in that moment. Every believer receives the Holy Spirit at the moment of conversion!

We then grow in knowledge because that Holt Spirit places into our hearts the need to learn, grow and mature so that we can go from baby food to steak and potatoes!!!

Amen?????

 

[Major]

I have never heard a person say, who believes in the apostles and prophets of our Lord Jesus, that baptism alone saves. We quotes Jesus, and He said, "He that believes AND is baptized SHALL BE saved." Be careful, friends: a person who denies the words of the Lord to be baptized, is close to also denying the faith!

While that may be true in what you said.........you however have seen people on this web site say that ................
"Baptism must follow repentance or one is not saved."

Is that not the same thing as saying..............""He that believes AND is baptized SHALL BE saved."

Careful here really means that all of us are called to study the Word of God so as to correctly understand what is means, not what we want it to mean.

Today, men are burdened with many doctrines and teachings that are according to the will of man and denominational thinking and not the will of the Father. The word of God is not a book impossible to understand. If it is, our heavenly Father has given us an impossible task. The message of salvation is not kept in a dark corner somewhere to be revealed by scholarly men. Certainly, if the Creator of this world cannot put together a book whereby man can read and understand the plan of salvation, then the Creator of this world is not very great.

The common people understood the words of Jesus when He spoke to them two thousand years ago. These words are written down so that we may read and understand what man must do to be saved. The apostle Paul wrote in Ephesians 3:3-4, "How that by revelation He made known to me the mystery (as I have briefly written already, by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ)."

You and I can read—you and I can understand—you and I can know the answer to salvation.
The Father gives the plan of salvation. In order to come to God, one must believe that He is (Heb. 11:6). Our faith is the result of two things—the evidence of the invisible attributes of God clearly seen (Rom. 1:20) and a measure of the word of God. "So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (Rom. 10:17). The heart is turned toward God to believe in those things that are revealed to man. Belief is not merely an action of the mind and heart but the soul devoting itself to the will of God—whatever the will of the Father might be.

Now, from the very beginning of this thread the old Major has NOT declared that baptism is out dated and does not have to be done.
Just the opposite. I have said time and time again that the person who gets saved should be baptized!!!!

What I have contended, and still do, is that there are times when the person who gets saved can not be baptized for physical reason or location reason. That does not then mean that the person is not saved because they did not get wet. God gave us all a wonderful brain. Now THINK! Do you really believe that God would condemn a man to damnation who was dying with cancer and can not be moved, but did come to Christ. What kind of God is that????

 

[Major]

(1) I do not understand where Col. 1:20 fit in this post. (2) "And Jesus came and spoke unto them saying, 'All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go you, therefore, and teach (make disciples of) all nations, baptizing them...' ". So I am judt repeating the Lord's words. You should really speak to Him about your reservations. (3) God's plan was not finished until the Lord Jesus rose from the dead: "...and if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain...". Praise the Lord, His resurrection has made my faith fruitful!

1) The comment was........ "Yet she is neither the mother of God".

My response was...............Co. 1:20/ ""For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell".
Is that not he answer? Isn't the fullness of the Godhead the Trinity. Therefore would he not be 100% God and man and as such then Mary did in fact give birth to God incarnate?

2) I agree with that totally. Never said I didn't. I really do not understand why you made this comment because I have no reservations my brother.

3). Again, that is correct and we agree.
My comment was directed at the thread we have been discussing......."Baptism is essential to salvation".
I sad no........What Jesus did on the cross can not be added to by any other ritual including baptism.

 

[Major]

The Devil' s time is running out so he must bring more souls with him before it is over here. All those claiming to be " Christian" are not really Converted Souls. We must pray for those who the Devil has blinded,
( I I Corinthins 4 v 4) that they get a revelation of The Biblical Truth before they die. Hell is forever, and would not wish it on our worst enemies.

Absolutely true!

There mission field is wide open is every single church. We do not have to go to Africa.

 

[Candelario Mario Villa]

While that may be true in what you said.........you however have seen people on this web site say that ................
"Baptism must follow repentance or one is not saved."

Is that not the same thing as saying..............""He that believes AND is baptized SHALL BE saved."


Now, from the very beginning of this thread the old Major has NOT declared that baptism is out dated and does not have to be done.
Just the opposite. I have said time and time again that the person who gets saved should be baptized!!!!

What I have contended, and still do, is that there are times when the person who gets saved can not be baptized for physical reason or location reason. That does not then mean that the person is not saved because they did not get wet. God gave us all a wonderful brain. Now THINK! Do you really believe that God would condemn a man to damnation who was dying with cancer and can not be moved, but did come to Christ. What kind of God is that????

Beloved, we are not hypothesizing when we preach the gospel, nor should we. Truth is truth, and the gospel is the gospel. Jesus is still declaring from within the scriptures: "He that believes and is baptized shall be saved." Even as those words apply to every man without exception (red or yellow, black or white), it must be preached to every man in every situation without exception ("...in the field...grinding at the mill..."), and in sickness or in health.
I cannot, nor will I ever say that a man is lost if he dies before he can be baptized. That's not my call. Nor is it YOUR call to say that a man is saved at that moment! Why? Because that call belongs to the Lord. Please hear me out.
"If the watchman sounds the trumpet...": and the people don't take heed, they will die in their sins, yet he has delivered his soul. But if the watchman does not sound the trumpet, the people will still die in their own sins, but he will be guilty of their blood.
Who am I to say that the Lord cannot raise one up from their deathbed, if only to have the testimony of the remission of sins in the waters of baptism? I have seen Him do it through the preaching of the gospel. Will a man limit God?
I bear witness to the scriptures, that the thief on the cross was saved according to the Law. Had he been taken down from the cross, he too would have been baptized "...for the remission of sins...": for if he believed and obeyed the Law while condemned to death, he would also have believed and received the Law of Grace unto eternal life. And a man on his deathbed, if he believed and was willing to obey the gospel that saves then, he would also believe and obey the gospel that saves unto eternal life. But if a man on his deathbed will not believe and obey the gospel that saves, nor is he willing, neither will he believe and obey the gospel that saves, even though the Lord raises him up whole. But it all depends on the gospel one is preaching.
Peace, Beloved.

 

[Major]

Beloved, we are not hypothesizing when we preach the gospel, nor should we. Truth is truth, and the gospel is the gospel. Jesus is still declaring from within the scriptures: "He that believes and is baptized shall be saved." Even as those words apply to every man without exception (red or yellow, black or white), it must be preached to every man in every situation without exception ("...in the field...grinding at the mill..."), and in sickness or in health.
I cannot, nor will I ever say that a man is lost if he dies before he can be baptized. That's not my call. Nor is it YOUR call to say that a man is saved at that moment! Why? Because that call belongs to the Lord. Please hear me out.
"If the watchman sounds the trumpet...": and the people don't take heed, they will die in their sins, yet he has delivered his soul. But if the watchman does not sound the trumpet, the people will still die in their own sins, but he will be guilty of their blood.
Who am I to say that the Lord cannot raise one up from their deathbed, if only to have the testimony of the remission of sins in the waters of baptism? I have seen Him do it through the preaching of the gospel. Will a man limit God?
I bear witness to the scriptures, that the thief on the cross was saved according to the Law. Had he been taken down from the cross, he too would have been baptized "...for the remission of sins...": for if he believed and obeyed the Law while condemned to death, he would also have believed and received the Law of Grace unto eternal life. And a man on his deathbed, if he believed and was willing to obey the gospel that saves then, he would also believe and obey the gospel that saves unto eternal life. But if a man on his deathbed will not believe and obey the gospel that saves, nor is he willing, neither will he believe and obey the gospel that saves, even though the Lord raises him up whole. But it all depends on the gospel one is preaching.
Peace, Beloved.

My brother, you said.........
" cannot, nor will I ever say that a man is lost if he dies before he can be baptized. That's not my call. Nor is it YOUR call to say that a man is saved at that moment!"

I am not sure what you are saying brother.............

"Nor is it YOUR call to say that a man is saved at that moment!"

I assume (mistake) you are referring to the moment of baptism????

I for one am saying that a man is saved at the moment he by faith accepts Christ as His Saviour.

Allow me to extrapolate why I say that:

1.Every person needs to be saved from their sins:
"For ALL have sinned and come short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23)

2. No one can save themselves:
"Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us." (Titus 3:5)

3. We all need to accept Jesus Christ as our own personal Savior:
"He that believeth on the Son hath (right now) everlasting life; and he that believeth not the son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him." (John 3:36)

4. You can know that you have eternal life:
"These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that you may know that you have eternal life and that you may believe on the Son of God." ( I John 5:13)

When you believe in Jesus Christ, you are depending on what He has done to take you to Heaven, not on whatever things you have or will do to help you gain favor in Gods eyes. This includes things like obeying the golden rule, going to church, giving money to the church and baptism among other things. Baptism is the first act of obedience for us to do as a testimony to the world. We are not baptized to be saved, we are baptized because we are saved.

This also means that if you were baptized before you accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior, you need to be baptized again because baptism before salvation doesn't mean anything. Can a person be baptized without being saved? Yes he can. Can a person be saved without being baptized? Yes he can. Is there anything in the Bible to show us that you can be saved from your sins without being baptized? Yes, let's look at the thief on the cross. Please don't forget that there are two kinds of baptism mentioned in the Bible. Spiritual baptism which occurs at the moment you accept Christ as your Savior and water baptism which is what we are discussing here.

 

[Candelario Mario Villa]

Absolutely true!

There mission field is wide open is every single church. We do not have to go to Africa.

My brother, you said.........
" cannot, nor will I ever say that a man is lost if he dies before he can be baptized. That's not my call. Nor is it YOUR call to say that a man is saved at that moment!"

I am not sure what you are saying brother.............

"Nor is it YOUR call to say that a man is saved at that moment!"

I assume (mistake) you are referring to the moment of baptism????

I for one am saying that a man is saved at the moment he by faith accepts Christ as His Saviour.

Allow me to extrapolate why I say that:

1.Every person needs to be saved from their sins:
"For ALL have sinned and come short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23)

2. No one can save themselves:
"Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us." (Titus 3:5)

3. We all need to accept Jesus Christ as our own personal Savior:
"He that believeth on the Son hath (right now) everlasting life; and he that believeth not the son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him." (John 3:36)

4. You can know that you have eternal life:
"These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that you may know that you have eternal life and that you may believe on the Son of God." ( I John 5:13)

When you believe in Jesus Christ, you are depending on what He has done to take you to Heaven, not on whatever things you have or will do to help you gain favor in Gods eyes. This includes things like obeying the golden rule, going to church, giving money to the church and baptism among other things. Baptism is the first act of obedience for us to do as a testimony to the world. We are not baptized to be saved, we are baptized because we are saved.

This also means that if you were baptized before you accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior, you need to be baptized again because baptism before salvation doesn't mean anything. Can a person be baptized without being saved? Yes he can. Can a person be saved without being baptized? Yes he can. Is there anything in the Bible to show us that you can be saved from your sins without being baptized? Yes, let's look at the thief on the cross. Please don't forget that there are two kinds of baptism mentioned in the Bible. Spiritual baptism which occurs at the moment you accept Christ as your Savior and water baptism which is what we are discussing here.

All commandments are either "do's", or "don'ts": Do love God and your neighbor, or Don't do this, etc.
Let me ask: who is he that believes: the doers of the word, or the hearers only? What about the commandment against theft: the person that continues to steal, or the person that ceases and desists from stealing? The answer is obvious.
So he that believes is he that obeys; and it corresponds to the one who is believing, and being a doer of the word!
"He that believes on the son has everlasting life...". And what does the Son say? "He that believes and is baptized...". See? John is not quoting on two different subjects.
"Not Your Call": means that we cannot say WHO is saved nor who IS NOT saved, except by the gospel that saves. Beloved, you are taking the scriptures out of context: and dividing scripture according to denominational doctrine. One must not divide a scripture into parts, and say they mean different things...when they are speaking about the same subject! Jesus did not say, "He that believes is saved." That is denominational doctrine. Clearly, Jesus said, "He that believes and is baptized shall be saved." It cannot get plainer than that. But His apostles, Peter and Paul, also said the same thing, and taught likewise!
I preach to the living, and I refuse to acknowledge that someone is saved by denominational doctrine, nor to condemn anyone. That is not my calling (to judge). I will abide by the words of the Lord Jesus, and obey His calling. Since the Day of Pentecost, we are given to know, by the Holy Spirit, the gospel that saves: which is in its essence: "Repent, and be baptized everyone of you in the NAME of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, to those who are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call."

 

[Ricko1]

While that may be true in what you said.........you however have seen people on this web site say that ................
"Baptism must follow repentance or one is not saved."

Is that not the same thing as saying..............""He that believes AND is baptized SHALL BE saved."

Careful here really means that all of us are called to study the Word of God so as to correctly understand what is means, not what we want it to mean.

Today, men are burdened with many doctrines and teachings that are according to the will of man and denominational thinking and not the will of the Father. The word of God is not a book impossible to understand. If it is, our heavenly Father has given us an impossible task. The message of salvation is not kept in a dark corner somewhere to be revealed by scholarly men. Certainly, if the Creator of this world cannot put together a book whereby man can read and understand the plan of salvation, then the Creator of this world is not very great.

The common people understood the words of Jesus when He spoke to them two thousand years ago. These words are written down so that we may read and understand what man must do to be saved. The apostle Paul wrote in Ephesians 3:3-4, "How that by revelation He made known to me the mystery (as I have briefly written already, by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ)."

You and I can read—you and I can understand—you and I can know the answer to salvation.
The Father gives the plan of salvation. In order to come to God, one must believe that He is (Heb. 11:6). Our faith is the result of two things—the evidence of the invisible attributes of God clearly seen (Rom. 1:20) and a measure of the word of God. "So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (Rom. 10:17). The heart is turned toward God to believe in those things that are revealed to man. Belief is not merely an action of the mind and heart but the soul devoting itself to the will of God—whatever the will of the Father might be.

Now, from the very beginning of this thread the old Major has NOT declared that baptism is out dated and does not have to be done.
Just the opposite. I have said time and time again that the person who gets saved should be baptized!!!!

What I have contended, and still do, is that there are times when the person who gets saved can not be baptized for physical reason or location reason. That does not then mean that the person is not saved because they did not get wet. God gave us all a wonderful brain. Now THINK! Do you really believe that God would condemn a man to damnation who was dying with cancer and can not be moved, but did come to Christ. What kind of God is that????

I stated this once before. If someone is on their deathbed, or dying on a battlefield, or shot or stabbed and dying and cannot be Water Baptized because of their situation...The only thing one can do, is have them right then and there REPENT for every Sin they ever committed. If They cannot because of their situation them just pray for them that the Lord will hear the prayer for that person. There is no guarantee they will go into heaven, Unless The Lord himself allows it. It' s in his hands and only his hands. For the other 99% this does not happen unto; Then they need to Read and Obey Acts 2 v 38, and be assured where they are heading when they breathe their final breath, AND...AND..have followed all the instructions included in the Gospels, and taught by the Apostles of Jesus.

 

[Ricko1]

I stated this once before. If someone is on their deathbed, or dying on a battlefield, or shot or stabbed and dying and cannot be Water Baptized because of their situation...The only thing one can do, is have them right then and there REPENT for every Sin they ever committed. If They cannot because of their situation them just pray for them that the Lord will hear the prayer for that person. There is no guarantee they will go into heaven, Unless The Lord himself allows it. It' s in his hands and only his hands. For the other 99% this does not happen unto; Then they need to Read and Obey Acts 2 v 38, and be assured where they are heading when they breathe their final breath, AND...AND..have followed all the instructions included in the Gospels, and taught by the Apostles of Jesus.

According to our Bible none of us are going to be saved by Works we do....but we must do the works of Repentance which includes Being Water Baptized in Jesus' Name, Repenting, And receiving the gift of The Holy Ghost, when we do for Jesus as it is written.

 

[Mitspa]

According to our Bible none of us are going to be saved by Works we do....but we must do the works of Repentance which includes Being Water Baptized in Jesus' Name, Repenting, And receiving the gift of The Holy Ghost, when we do for Jesus as it is written.

The "works of repentance" is repentance from "dead" works. Anyone who makes baptism a "work" unto righteousness is in the greatest of errors. Baptism is a work of faith according to the law of faith and a work from righteousness, that being Gods, who justifies the ungodly. Baptism is the "answer" of a good conscience towards God. Meaning it is a response to being justified by God.

 

[Ricko1]

The "works of repentance" is repentance from "dead" works. Anyone who makes baptism a "work" unto righteousness is in the greatest of errors. Baptism is a work of faith according to the law of faith and a work from righteousness, that being Gods, who justifies the ungodly. Baptism is the "answer" of a good conscience towards God. Meaning it is a response to being justified by God.

I agree 100% of what you are saying. Some people are calling Water Baptism...WORKS and I was attempting to address this false assumption..God Bless

 

[Major]

According to our Bible none of us are going to be saved by Works we do....but we must do the works of Repentance which includes Being Water Baptized in Jesus' Name, Repenting, And receiving the gift of The Holy Ghost, when we do for Jesus as it is written.

Not so brother.

You want it to say that, but it does not.