Quote:
Originally Posted by Truly Blessed
I agree with you Bro. Strange. The Bible is very clear that the gospel is the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ (1Cor.15:3-5). Peter had no reason to even say what is recorded in Acts 2:38, except that in verse 37 the crowd was "cut to the heart" and asked, "What shall we do?". What convicted them? The preaching of the gospel! |
Of course...
It is the goodness of God seen in the gospel (the why) that leads us to repentance. It is the redemptive plan (the why) within the preaching of the gospel that explains it all.
Not to take away from the simplicity of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, but
Acts 2:38 is not the gospel. Too many of us want to do a high-wire pole vault right over the gospel found in the gospels and jump right to
Acts 2:38 (which I firmly believe), creating mere denominational robots following after little more than a creed.
So let us hear two evangelist discussing their revivals over breakfast during one General Conference.
Evangelist Jones: "Man we had a great revival down in Boogerville. We had 25 to get baptized in Jesus' name and 22 to receive the Holy Ghost."
Evangelist Smith: "Praise God, brother Jones. We recently closed a great revival too. After preaching the gospel, we had 30 to commit to deny themselves and take up the cross daily to follow Jesus."
Question: Which of these two fine evangelists had the greater revival?
My personal observation: I've seen far too many that jumped over the gospels to obey
Acts 2:38 without understanding, thus defecient in commitment to deny themselves to pick up the cross daily to follow Jesus, too quickly fall away.
On the otherhand, those who fully understand the simplicity of Christ found in the gospel who subsequently commit to deny themselves, to pick up their cross daily to follow Jesus, seldom ever fall away...at least not nearly so quickly. The WHY of batptism in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ is not defined in
Acts 2:38, which is to become identified with Christ's own DBR...which entails denying self and taking up the cross. Crossless baptisms are lacking in spiritual substance...since we are discussing BAPTISM. The CORRECT way of baptism is with our UNDERSTANDING ALSO. Too bad this is not understood by so many that claim such brilliance on one singular scripture...
The subject IS baptism. There is only ONE baptism. That baptism is INTO the body of CHRIST. Water baptism is NOTHING unless it is the act of becoming identified with the Lord Jesus' OWN death burial and resurrection. There is NOTHING in acts 2:38 that explains THAT. you call ME illiterate? That is laughable. I would put my academic accomplishments against yours any day, since you have called me completely illiterate. But, your resorting to personal disparaging remarks only underscore your own mental deficiencies. Too bad you feel such a need to resort to that.
Simplicity found in
Acts 2:38 apart from the simplicity found in Christ is hollow and without meaning.