Quote:
Originally Posted by FlamingZword
The gospel is the message the apostles preached. the plan of salvation is what we must do to get saved.
The 4 gospels tell us the message, the book of Acts show us the way the church implemented the gospel.
we can not use the epitstles or revelation for salvation, since those were letters written to people who already were saved. and since they were already christians they did not need to be shown how to become christians.
the only place that teaches how to become a christian is in the book of acts |
On the contrary - we MUST use the Epistles "for salvation" because the Epistles contain the only verbatim preaching of the apostles to those who had gotten the Gospel wrong (
Galatians 3:1-8).
Romans 1:15-17: "
So I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome. For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, "The righteous shall live by faith."
Why would Paul be eager to "preach the Gospel" to the same people who were reading his letter (The Book of Romans) and were presumably already saved? (
Romans 1:6).
Why does Paul tell them that "
the Gospel" is "
the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth?" Why didn't Paul tell them that they couldn't be saved without first submitting to an "
Acts 2:38 experience?" In referencing the salvation that these people already had, why did Paul repeatedly say that this salvation came "by faith" or through "belief" and never said that it came through obedience to and the exacting correctness of a baptismal formula?
Notice something here? And, this is key. To be saved, you don't really HAVE to do anything... you just have to be saved by the Savior. Jesus saves, and NOT we ourselves (
Titus 3:5).
What did John the Baptist preach when he
gave "knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins?" (
Luke 1:77). Did he preach
Acts 2:38? If so, why did his disciples have to be later re-baptized in
Acts 19? It was as if those disciples of John had never even heard of the "
Acts 2:38 message" before.
Did the old man at the Temple, Simeon (
Luke 2:30) somehow read a draft of the Book of Acts opened to chapter 2, verse 38, when he said, "
mine eyes have seen thy salvation?" No. All Simeon did was to see the Savior.
Of course, when we are saved we don't just fall over dead and go to heaven. We are saved to live a life in this present world. That means that, yes, we DO something. Quite a few things, hopefully. But first, we need to enter into the Christian community and join with the saints of God. How do we do that?
... NOW! We should turn to
Acts 2:38. Repent. Be converted. As the UPCI Manual says, Repentance and conversion brings the pardon, forgiveness and the remission of sins. That's salvation! (
Psalm 132:1-2 and
Romans 4:1-8).
Water baptism in Jesus' name brings the believer into union with the risen Christ (
Romans 6:1-5;
1 Peter 3:21-22) and imparts a grace which enables him to have power over sin and, through Jesus Christ, power over "angels and authorities and powers." The baptism of the Holy Spirit leads us into an even longer, but equally important post. I've been too long on this one already.
