One of the misconceptions about Faith and Works debates is dealing with unbiblical concepts such as the "Faith ALONE" belief. This belief basically states that if any physical act we do in any way contributes to our Salvation then it is a "work" and therefore is not the Gospel message. They will also state that those who believe in water Baptism as being a necessary element towards our salvation is not biblical and therefore that person is not a Christian, not saved.
For there position to be correct then there cannot be any scriptures whatsoever that link any physical act we do that is linked to our salvation. This is paramount for their theology to be correct.
If we can find even just one scripture that links a physical act that we do towards our salvation then their entire theology falls apart and cannot stand. Let's see if there are any such scriptures that shows a physical act that is connected in any way to our salvation.
Romans10:9 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.
10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, AND WITH THE MOUTH confession is made unto salvation. NKJV
Here we see that confession WITH the MOUTH is a physical act that is directly linked to our Salvation. This one passage utterly destroys the "Faith ALONE" theology.
So does this imply that works contribute to our Salvation? No it does not. What this verse demonstrates is that not everything we do physically is a work. Let's examine a couple of more.
Mark 16: 16 "He who believes AND IS BAPTIZED....will be saved; but he who does not believe[disbelieves] will be condemned. NKJV
Notice the grammar in that Baptism is placed before salvation. In other words before salvation occurs Baptism occurs first. Jesus made this a commandment not a suggestion.
So is Baptism a work?
Titus 3:5 not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, THROUGH..the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, NKJV
What is the "washing of Regeneration? Water Baptism. Notice that it is God who saves us according to HIS mercy,..."THROUGH the washing of regeneration ...AND the renewing of the Holy Spirit". Notice how Paul separated works of righteousness from "the washing of regeneration". This is significant! This again demonstrates that not all physical acts are "works or righteousness" as the unbiblical Faith ALONE" believers claim.
Notice that it is God who saves us, not ourselves, but notice WHERE He chooses to save us.....THROUGH the washing of regeneration, through water Baptism. It is not the water that saves us. Water Baptism is the LOCATION or OCCASION where God saves us under most normal circumstances. This is the rule!
Mark 16: 16 "He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe[disbelieves] will be condemned. NKJV
�Or are ye ignorant that all we who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him through baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we also might walk in newness of life� (Rom. 6:3-4).
�For ye are all sons of God, through faith, in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ did put on Christ� (Gal. 3:26-27).
You are mixing up water baptism and the baptism of the Holy spirit.
Water baptism is only a symbol what is happening inside.
1 Peter 3:21
"and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also�not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a good conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ,"
Example of person not being baptized in water but received salvation: one of the criminal beside the cross. Why? He repented, and believe in Jesus, he receive the baptism. Yet you see no water.
Is water baptism relevant? Yes.
Because John 14:15
"If you love me, you will obey what I command."
Water baptism is like physical circumcision. Only a symbol. Although, having one does not save you or deliberately missing one is a sin.
Does the Greek construction in Acts 2:38 show that baptism has nothing to do with the remission of sins?
By: admin Baptism does not save, nor is it essential for salvation. Otherwise, why would Paul say in 1 Cor 1 that he was called to preach the gospel and not to baptize? Paul makes a distinction between the two, implying that one is just a picture of the other. At bottom, if we add to the work of Christ, then we take away from the sufficiency of the cross.
Below is the discussion of Acts 2:38 in Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics, Exegetical Syntax:
1. Causal Ei in Acts 2:38? An interesting discussion over the force of ei took place several years ago, especially in relation to Acts 2:38. The text reads as follows: Pevtro deV pro aujtouV metanohvsate, fhsivn, kaiV baptisqhvtw e{kasto uJmw'n ejpiV tw'/ ojnovmati jIhsou' Cristou' ei a[fesin tw'n aJmartiw'n uJmw'n � (�And Peter said to them, �Repent, and be baptized�each one of you�at the name of Jesus Christ because of/for/unto the forgiveness of your sins��).
On the one hand, J. R. Mantey argued that ei could be used causally in various passages in the NT, among them Matt 3:11 and Acts 2:38. It seems that Mantey believed that a salvation by grace would be violated if a causal eij� was not evident in such passages as Acts 2:38.
On the other hand, Ralph Marcus questioned Mantey�s nonbiblical examples of a causal eij so that in his second of two rejoinders he concluded (after a blow-by-blow refutation): It is quite possible that eiv is used causally in these NT passages but the examples of causal eij cited from non-biblical Greek contribute absolutely nothing to making this possibility a probability. If, therefore, Professor Mantey is right in his interpretation of various NT passages on baptism and repentance and the remission of sins, he is right for reasons that are non- linguistic. Marcus ably demonstrated that the linguistic evidence for a causal eij fell short of proof.
If a causal eij is not in view, what are we to make of Acts 2:38? There are at least four other interpretations of Acts 2:38. 1) The baptism referred to here is physical only, and eij has the meaning of for or unto. Such a view, if this is all there is to it, suggests that salvation is based on works. The basic problem of this view is that it runs squarely in the face of the theology of Acts, namely: (a) repentance precedes baptism (cf. Acts 3:19; 26:20), and (b) salvation is entirely a gift of God, not procured via water baptism (Acts 10:43 [cf. v 47]; 13:38-39, 48; 15:11; 16:30-31; 20:21; 26:18).
2) The baptism referred to here is spiritual only. Although such a view fits well with the theology of Acts, it does not fit well with the obvious meaning of �baptism� in Acts�especially in this text (cf. 2:41).
3) The text should be repunctuated in light of the shift from second person plural to third person singular back to second person plural again. If so, it would read as follows: �Repent, and let each one of you be baptized at the name of Jesus Christ, for the forgiveness of your sins�� If this is the correct understanding, then eij is subordinate to metanohvsate alone, rather than to baptisqhvtw. The idea then would be, �Repent for/with reference to your sins, and let each one of you be baptized.�� Such a view is an acceptable way of handling eij, but its subtlety and awkwardness are against it.
4) Finally, it is possible that to a first-century Jewish audience (as well as to Peter), the idea of baptism might incorporate both the spiritual reality and the physical symbol. In other words, when one spoke of baptism, he usually meant both ideas�the reality and the ritual. Peter is shown to make the strong connection between these two in chapters 10 and 11. In 11:15-16 he recounts the conversion of Cornelius and friends, pointing out that at the point of their conversion they were baptized by the Holy Spirit. After he had seen this, he declared, �Surely no one can refuse the water for these to be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit�� (10:47). The point seems to be that if they have had the internal testimony of the Holy Spirit via spiritual baptism, there ought to be a public testimony/acknowledgment via water baptism as well. This may not only explain Acts 2:38 (viz., that Peter spoke of both reality and picture, though only the reality removes sins), but also why the NT speaks of only baptized believers (as far as we can tell): Water baptism is not a cause of salvation, but a picture; and as such it serves both as a public acknowledgment (by those present) and a public confession (by the convert) that one has been Spirit-baptized.
In sum, although Mantey�s instincts were surely correct that in Luke�s theology baptism was not the cause of salvation, his ingenious solution of a causal eiv lacks conviction. There are other ways for us to satisfy the tension, but adjusting the grammar to answer a backward-looking �Why?� has no more basis than the notion that eij ever meant mere representation (see prior discussion).
Twisting Acts 2:38 - The Question of Baptism by Water for Salvation
Craig Branch
One of the most common methods cult leaders use to establish their false doctrine is to employ segmented text attention. That is, isolating verses which on the surface seem to the novice Bible student, to affirm the cult's doctrine.
The "doctrine of demons" (1 Timothy 4:1) seeks to undermine the Person and work of Christ (i.e., a different Jesus and a different gospel, 2 Corinthians 11:3-4).
In line with the cult's false gospel of works as opposed to grace (Romans 11:6), in order to be justified (declared righteous) before God, many cults teach that one of several necessary steps to becoming saved is to be baptized in water. This inevitably removes the focus from Christ's finished work and imputed righteousness to the individual (faith in Christ alone by grace alone), and subtlety or overtly leads to the conclusion that "official" baptism by and into the cult (the one and only true church) actually will save.
Several groups teach baptismal salvation. Among them are Mormonism, Jehovah's Witnesses, Armstrong's Worldwide Church of God, United Pentecostals, and many Churches of Christ.
There are about eight main verses that the cults use as proof-texts for their doctrine of baptismal regeneration, but the most popular is Acts 2:38, "And Peter said to them, `Repent, and let each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.'"
Notice that on the surface it seems to prove their point, but not when one applies sound principles of interpretation. Remember the question to always ask is, "What does the passage mean", not, "What does it say?". For instance, Jesus seems to say in Luke 14:33 that one cannot be a disciple (Christian) unless he first gives away all his possessions. Obviously we have to interpret the verse in light of the context and in relation to the rest of Scripture.
First is the historical context. Jesus and the Gentile converts to Judaism were very familiar with the symbol of baptism for cleansing and separation. It was normal practice (Unger's Bible Dictionary, p. 122; New Bible Dictionary, Douglas, p. 131). John the Baptist continued the symbol of baptismal cleansing of repentance, but noted there was a baptism which superseded it -- that is baptism with the Holy Spirit (Mark 1:8).
The grammatical context is also important. A key word in Acts 2:38 for the baptismal salvation proponents is "for"; "baptized... for the forgiveness of sins." They insist that the meaning be interpreted "in order to obtain" the forgiveness of sins. The problem with this insistence is that the word "for" (eis, in Greek) has several connotations in New Testament Koine Greek. Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament says that eis is a versatile word which primarily "denotes entrance into, or direction and limit: into, to, toward, for, among," (p. 183).
In other words the symbol of baptism could either be pointing towards the cleansing and forgiveness (with reference to), or could pointing to the actual procuring of forgiveness (in order to).
Renowned Greek scholar A. T. Robertson states that not only does eis signify "aim or purpose" (in order to) as in 1 Corinthians 2:7, it can just as well mean "on the basis or ground of (with reference to), Matthew 10:41; 12:41.
He states that, "the illustrations of both usages are numerous in the New Testament and the Koine (New Testament Greek) generally.
"One will decide the use here (Acts 2:38) according as he believes that baptism is essential to the remission of sins or not. My view is decidedly against the idea that Peter, Paul, or any one in the New Testament taught baptism as essential to the remission of sins..." (Word Pictures of the New Testament, pp. 35-36).
Why do the overwhelming percentage of Greek scholars agree with Robertson? Because the rest of Scripture refutes baptismal regeneration. All one has to do is read Acts 10, concerning the account of Peter taking the gospel (which saves, Romans 1:16), to Cornelius and the Gentiles. As Peter proceeds through the gospel message (vs. 34-43), the Scriptures relate that the gift of the Holy Spirit was received upon believing by these Gentiles before they were baptized in water (10:44-48; 11:17-18). Additionally, the Scripture teaches that this is the same way all are saved (Acts 11:15-18, 15:7-11).
the physical act of being baptized in water is NOT necessary for salvation - it can be a symbol of your commitment to christ, the renewing that is going on inside of you, the death of the old (sinful) nature and the rebirth of a new (christ's) nature, which is a good thing...obviously some could argue that it can also be used as a thing of pride, which could be true in some cases...but in genereal water baptism is a good thing - however NOT necessary for salvation.
with that said, i think anybody who has major issue with being baptized in water as a symbol of their love and commitment and sanctification to christ and what he has done for them (that is what it is intended to be) needs to seriously re-examine their christianity.
Titus chapter 3: verse 5, Not by WORKS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS which we have done... the question is, what are the works of righteousness that we have done?... NONE! Ther are those who think their works of brying to be a good Christian gains them the righteousness of God, freely giving, being good workers in the church, on church boards, paying tithes (which BTW, is under the law), don't smoke, don't drink, don't cuss or curse, don't fornicate, or commit adultery, I call them the Pharisaic Christians. They say they don't steal (well, according to their standards and definition of stealing, but I wonder if they consider taking things home from the office without permission is stealing?).
Works of righteousness are those things one does that make themselves look good in the public and church community eyes. Paul writes, this Works of self-righteousness that we have done, these are the self righteous works of the GOOD BUREAUCRATIC CHRISTIAN, who try to win favor from God with their works/deeds.
aul goes on to tell us how we were saved, but according to HIS mercy(God's mercy) HE SAVED US BY THE WASHING (spiritually cleansed and washed inwardly from our sins...forgiven) of REGENERATION, (this mean we are made anew before God, in order to take on GOD'S RIGHTEOUSNESS).
Regeneration is the totaly work of the Holy Spirit in the salavtion experience, when a person receives Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior, and is born again. The regeneration is what produces new life in a believer. The regeneration is the work of God through the Holy Spirit, by washing away the old nature, and replacing the new nature in a person. And once we allow the washing to take place, as Paul write we are renewed (born again) in the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit is now living on the inside of us, so that we are now able to do the will of God.
Washing of regeneration, really means to be baptized spiritually or washed (cleansed) by the Holy Spirit. This is not in referance to water baptism but this verse as many have pointed out, it is in reference to spiritual washing & renewing produced by the Holy Spiirit. Salavtion is not by accomplishing works of righteousness, but by the cleansing of the Holy Spirit once there is repentance of sins, belief by faith in Jesus Christ, and receiving Christ into our lives as Lord over our lives.... we are justified by God's grace not by being baptized in water....
First, the baptism of the Holy Spirit takes place upon receiving Jesus Christ into our life.... He seals us.
Second, water baptism takes place as a symbolic public act of the believer, testifying that he/she has indeed received and accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.... proving that he/she has died to their old sin nature, buired thier sins, and they are now resurrected spiritutal ly born again from above with a new nature (creature) spiritual being in Christ.
Symbolic of Christ's death, burial, and resurrection:glow::applause:
Then Philip opened his mouth and beginning at this Scrioture, preached Jesus to the eunuch. Now as they went down the rad, they came to some water. And the eunuch said, "See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?"
Then Philip said, "If you BELIEVE with all your heart, you may be baptized." And the eunuch answered and said, "I BELIEVE THAT JESUS CHRIST IS THE SON OF GOD."
So he (the eunuch/Philip) commanded the chariot to stand still. And both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and Philip baptized him.
This demonstartes that a person MUST BELIEVE FIRT BEFORE baptism. FIATH precedes baptism. This is why Philip asked the eunuch the question, IF YOU BELIEVE... the you may be baptized in the water.
Romans Chapter 10: verse 8-9
But what does it (faith) say? The word is near you, even in your mouth and in your heart (that is, the word of FAITH) which we preach.... that is you CONFESS with your MOUTH the Lord Jesus Christ and BELIEVE in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, YOU WILL?SHALL BE SAVED.
Confess the Lord Jesus Christ with the mouth seals salvation in a person's heart. A person is not saved by the confession of his/her mouth, but the mouth testifies that the person has received God's grace in Jesus Christ, but the confession verbally let's it be known that has Jesus Christ had led him/her to a new life and that Jesus Christ has been received in their hearts for the remission of their sins by faith.
Confession of Jesus Christ with the mouth is not a work that brings salvation, it a stamp of the free gift that has been given by grace. This confession happens AFTER repentance, belief, faith have taken place. A person can't confess to being an employee of a certain hospital as a doctor, when he/she is not even employed at said hospital, or been to school to become a doctor. Therefore, how can a person confess to being a christian when that person is not a member of the family of God, as joint heir with Jesus Christ. And is afraid and/or does not confess the Kingship of over him/her?
Confession of the Lord Jesus Christ, settles the matter, and puts one's faith into action making it known that the person has received Christ in thier hearts. God never intended for belivers to be silent christians... Therefore, confession of the Lord is not a work unto salvation, its a testimony unto ones faith in whom they believes...
Since grace isn't enough, then If salvation is and/or includes works, then I must say, we are in debt to God, and for sure we can never be able to repay him for His grace and mercy.
OR it would mean that God is indebt to us for our works.. and this would mean that God OWES us repayment for our many works of self-righteousness in trying to gain His favor for His free gift of salvation. If this be the case, THEN, I think I deserve a rebate and a bailout... plus, overtime, since salvation is by works... lest, any man should do what???...boast!...:party:
Thats right E.T. Amen sister,The wost thing you can do is preach a false gospel,Christ shed his blood to pay for our sins,nothing we can do can earn it or keep it in any way!Our rightousness is "filthy rags"Paul gives one of the strongest warnings in the whole bible about this in galations 1,warning that anyone who preaches the gospel different than the apostles received it "will be damned"even an angel,so these works christians need to be careful,salvation is a free gift,it can not be earned in anyway,we are not worthy of it,and to take away from Christs work on the cross is BEYOND BLASPHEMY!
