Baptism in water isn’t a work of man.

OK, IT’S SETTLED, BAPTISM FOR THE CLEANSING OF SINS IS NOT A WORK OF MAN. IT'S THE WORK OF GOD!

YOU’RE NOT DOING IT; IT’S DONE TO YOU.

Key scriptures from Heaven: Not my words.

Matthew 28:19

Mark 16:15-16

Acts 2:38

Acts 8:36-39

Acts 22:16

Romans 6:3-5

1 Peter 3:21

Galatians 3:27

Colossians 2:11-12 ***

Revelation 22:14

 

Being baptized in water for the forgiveness of sins is not an attempt to be saved by a system of works; water baptism does not require any physical effort on the part of the one being baptized. One who is being baptized is physically passive, allowing himself to be lowered into the water and brought up out of the water by the physical effort of another. The baptizer is doing all the physical work. However, while one who is scripturally baptized is physically passive, he or she is actively trusting in “the powerful working of God” at this moment. Notice what apostle Paul wrote to the church at Colossae on this matter.

"In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead. And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross." (Colossians 2:11-14)

God Operates In Baptism:

Thus, what Paul by the Holy Spirit is saying, what spiritually occurs in water baptism in the name of Jesus is not the weak working of a man seeking to save himself by his own effort but “the powerful working of God”, who in that moment in time is saving the individual forgiving his or her sins by grace through one’s faith.

We all agree that God must operate, act, or work for a sinner in order to be saved. If God acts or works for our salvation, we must recognize this as his grace; we contend salvation is the result of his unmerited favor. The question is: Is this salvation wholly his work without our submission to his name in baptism? Paul here says that God operates or works! But he tells us that God operates on the sinner “in baptism.” If God’s operation on sinners is necessary for salvation, so is baptism! The passage says this work of God, not man takes place in water baptism by faith! 

One cannot eliminate baptism and still have the operation of God. And if baptism is necessary for God to operate in the salvation of sinners, so is baptism essential for the sinner to become a receiver of God’s grace. Salvation is offered by grace; but initial salvation offered by grace is given in the working of God in baptism to cleanse sins; therefore, the grace of God is not invalidated by baptism but accomplishes its design from heaven. One is “made alive together with Christ” when he or she is scripturally baptized into Christ by “faith” in the working of God.

Have you been properly baptized into Christ? Have a blessed day, Eric Johnson.

Called by God

During the feast the king noticed a man “who was not wearing wedding clothes” (verse 11). When asked how he came to be there without the furnished attire, the man had no answer and was promptly ejected from the feast “outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (verses 12-13). Jesus then ends the parable with this statement: “For many are called, but few are chosen” (verse 14).

The king is God the Father, and the son who is being honored at the banquet is Jesus Christ, who “came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him” (John 1:11). Israel held the invitation to the kingdom, but when the time actually came for the kingdom to appear (see Matthew 3:1), they refused to believe it. Many prophets, including John the Baptist, had been murdered (Matthew 14:10). The king’s reprisal against the murderers can be interpreted as a prophecy of Jerusalem’s destruction in A.D. 70 at the hands of the Romans (cf. Luke 21:5). More broadly, the king’s vengeance speaks of the desolation mentioned in the book of Revelation. God is patient, but He will not tolerate wickedness forever (Obadiah 1:15). His judgment will come upon those who reject His offer of salvation. Considering what that salvation cost Jesus, is not this judgment well deserved? (see Hebrews 10:29-31)

Note that it is not because the invited guests could not come to the wedding feast, but that they would not come (see Luke 13:34). Everyone had an excuse. How tragic, and how indicative of human nature, to be offered the blessings of God and to refuse them because of the draw of mundane worldly things!

How is one called by God? A person is drawn and surrenders to the invitation of salvation through Jesus instructions in the written word, the Bible.

How is one initially chosen after being called? He or she repents and believes in Jesus as God in the flesh while He was on earth, and the risen Lord and Christ, then obeys the gospel clothing oneself with Christ through water baptism by faith (Galatians 3:27). One then begins walking in newness of life (Romans 6:4).

Those that accept His invitation today and in the future will go on doing so until the end of time having the Church “filled with guests". Then God the Father puts an end to all that we see and know at His appointed time.

He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming quickly.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. (Revelation 22.20)

 

9 Questions

9 questions for those that still want to insist salvation occurs before baptism:

 

 ACTS 2:36-41

 

1.) When the crowd asked what they must do, did Peter say, “Repent and BELIEVE!” or did he say, “Repent and be BAPTIZED!”?

 

2.) When the crowd asked what they must do, did Peter say, “Ask Jesus to come into your heart! Pray and ask God to forgive you!” or did he say, “Repent and be BAPTIZED!”?

 

3.) When the crowd asked what they must do, did Peter lead them in the “sinner’s prayer” or did he tell them to “Repent and be BAPTIZED!”?

 

4.) If they were already saved before they were baptized, then why did Peter tell them to “Repent!”? (Verse 38)

 

5.) If they were already saved before they were baptized, why did Peter tell them, “SAVE yourselves…!”? (Verse 40)

 

6.) If “eis” means “because of”, where is there even one single credible version of the Bible where the translators translated this phrase “because of” and not “for”, or “so that”?

 

7.) Forgiveness only comes after repentance (Luke 13:3,5). So if “eis” means “because of”, why would Peter tell them to “Repent because your sins have already been forgiven!”?

 

8.) If baptism is not when our souls become saved, then why does it say, in verse 41, “Then they that gladly received his word were BAPTIZED: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand SOULS.”?

 

9.) If baptism is not for today, then why did Peter tell them, “For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the LORD our God shall call.”? (Verse 39)

Though He doesn't need to, GOD rests His case...

Is ROMANS 10:9 all there is to it?

GOD doesn't give us all He requires of us in single scriptures. He harmonizes many scriptures for a given requirement of His holy commands.

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Are You a Christian and what did You Do to be one?

 

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First of all, a word about the so called sinners prayer you may have heard of.

The Sinner’s Prayer is a Christian name for any prayer of repentance, prayed by individuals who believe convicted of the presence of sin in their lives and have the desire to establish a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Romans 10:9-10 is often cited as Gods will and authorization for the use of a sinners prayer to be saved. It says, “that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” This is not the case because it short circuits Gods will for us to be obedient to his instructions I will mention shortly.

The basic version of the prayer goes like this: “Lord Jesus, I’m a sinner. I believe You died for my sins so I could be forgiven. I receive You as my Lord and Savior. Thank You for coming into my life. Amen.”

This mode is not the way one becomes a Christian. Nowhere in the Bible does Gods word teach a simple prayer and mentally receiving Jesus in ones heart to be saved and have the gift of salvation. In fact this unbiblical practice bypasses obedience to Gods will in a gross way and will make it very difficult to renounce and correct because one will have disobeyed the gospel (2 Thes 1:8-10). The sinners prayer in any form is probably the number #1 reason millions will end up somewhere else other than heaven on the day of judgment by Jesus Christ. We emplore you not to do it!

Now, Gods word teaches that we need to test the spirits, and that responsibility falls on our personal spiritual inventory as well.

“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God.”

1 John 4:1-3

If asked, how do you explain you are a Christian? It’s kind of egotistical to talk about ones self and I understand the person asking may be a Christian desiring to test your spirit. This is perfectly biblical and there should be no angst on the questioner’s part if he or she is asked the same question in this conversation. 

Here is the biblical response to the questioner with scripture references God has left both parties to learn from.

First, we must inform them we have within our heart, mind and spirit that Jesus Christ came to earth by the Holy Spirit from his heavenly home in the flesh. That He was God in the flesh here 2,000 years ago. Then tell them you believed and obeyed the gospel of Jesus Christ in the Bible. Then we need to inform them we had to be obedient to the gospel by faith making our salvation actual by the following biblical teachings.

Tell them you read and heard the word from teaching or preaching. Romans 10:17

You believed the word of God the Bible. Ephesians 1:13. And the gospel of Jesus Christ which is, “Christ died for my sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day defeating death according to the Scriptures” 1 Corinthians 15:3-4.

Then you repented or turned away from your sinful life walking towards God now. Acts 3:19, 2 Corinthians 7:10-11, 2 Peter 3:9, Revelation 2:5-6

Then tell them you verbally confessed Jesus as Lord, King and your Savior in front of witnesses acknowledging he was God in the flesh on earth. And that he is the only way to God the Father now. John 14:6, Acts 8:36,37, Romans 10:10, John 8:56-59, Heb 1:8-12, 1 John 4:1-2

Then you by obedient faith in the working of God was baptized in water by another for the remission of your past sins in the name of Jesus Christ as commanded by Jesus, apostle Peter and the Holy Spirit who inspired the written word. Mark 16:16, Acts 2:38, 22:16, Galatians 3:26-27, Romans 6:3-4, Colossians 2:11-12.

Finally you began walking in newness of life everyday a new creation exhibiting the fruits of the Spirit in your life the best you can as a new citizen in the kingdom of God, the church. All the while Loving God with all your heart, all your strength and with all your mind, and loving your neighbors as yourself, even those who persecute you for your faith. Matt 22:37-40, Galatians 5:22-23, 2 Corinthians 5:17.

“Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and  difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.”

Matthew 7:13-14

Resurrection Evidence.

7 proofs of the Resurrection:

1. Jesus really existed and died in history.

2. The empty tomb was verified by the guards who reported to the chief Jewish priests of such, and without proof the priests offered them large sums of money to keep quiet, and if asked to tell people Jesus disciples stole the body. If the body was stolen, how long do you think this lie would take to be revealed? A huge lie especially one like this would eventually be revealed by somebody with or around the disciples. No body has been unearthed for nearly 2000 years!

3. The disciples saw Jesus after his resurrection and were willing to die for the fact. And they changed their centuries old prior beliefs worshipping on the sabbath Saturday to worshipping on the first day of the week Sunday, the day Jesus rose from the dead. They celebrated the Lords supper on the first day of the week as we do today until he comes again. And they taught baptism for the remission of sins in place of sacrificial circumcision. The disciples would never have manufactured the resurrection account.

4. The doubting disciple Thomas needed physical proof of seeing the imprint of the nails in Jesus hands and the scar in his side to believe. After he touched the risen Jesus in these areas of his body he called him my Lord and my God! And over 500 other witnesses saw the risen Jesus for 40 days.

5. Most all modern day non believing New Testament scholars agree the resurrection of Jesus occurred in history. It cannot be refuted.

6. Early first century historians attest to the fact of the resurrection of Jesus.

7. Apostle Paul’s reporting of the resurrection to the Corinthians, 1 Corinthians 15:3-8, our earliest historical writing within months of Jesus ascension to Heaven.

Why do we believe? Because we believe in the record of scripture. Why do we believe the Bible? Because the Spirit of God has not only given us faith in Christ, but faith in scripture. We haven’t seen the risen Christ, but we have experienced the risen Christ by his power and his presence. We weren’t argued into believing the Bible, we were led by divine power into believing the Bible. We walk by faith, not by sight. He is risen and reigns at the right hand of the Father today and forever.

ERJ

The Heart of God - Holy Spirit Studies

 

The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Godhead we read about in the Bible. Some call the Holy Spirit an "it" when in fact He is a person. A personality of God and the "Helper" of God given to those who have by faith put Jesus Christ on in water baptism (Acts 2:38, Rom 6:3-4, Gal 3:27). The Holy Spirit actually takes residence in the disciples soul here on Earth...


Our Lord Jesus condemned the leaders of Israel for attributing the works of the Holy Spirit to Satan, and in the modern Pentecostal movement of today, the reverse is occurring where works of the devil are being attributed to the Holy Spirit.  It’s a very sad insult, a grief to the Holy Spirit and in some cases even a blasphemy of the Holy Spirit.

When we worship God, we worship the triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  Somehow, the Holy Spirit has been trailing behind in terms of emphasis when, the Holy Spirit is the member of the Godhead most personally, and intimately involved in the life of a disciple. 

The Holy Spirit is responsible for three marvelous ministries in the disciples life:

First, the ministry of regeneration.  He gave us life.

Secondly, the ministry of sanctification.  It is He who increasingly conforms us to the image of Christ.

Thirdly, the ministry of security.  He secures us until that final ministry of glorification when as the Spirit raised Christ from the dead (Rom 8:11), He raises the saints up into glory.

The Holy Spirit understands our flesh, understands our weakness, understands temptation. When they came to arrest Jesus, He wouldn’t let them arrest the disciples because the Scripture needed to be fulfilled that none of them would defect, and so they were never going to be in a position where defection would happen.  It’s a securing that is not simply a stated fact. It is a securing fact that is a constant work by the intercession of the Son and the Spirit. The Holy Spirit yearns and waits for our final glory. This is the heart of God.

We hope you can spend some time reacquainting with the Holy Spirit, learning of His character and His ministry to the Saints today through the word. We have offered these video lessons for your consideration.