Quote:
Originally Posted by obriencp
The reason I ask is because you will find yourself in a dilemma no matter how you answer.
If Jesus poured his spirit into an unclean vessel then Cornelius was spiritually alive while at the same time spiritually dead in sin.
If Jesus can only pour out his spirit into a cleansed vessel, then Cornelius' sins were already remitted before he was water baptized.
|
There is no dilemma being waged for the Apostles, so why would there be for us?
There is no dilemma, because they said these things:
"Repent ye, and therefore be converted, that your sins may be blotted out..." (
Acts 3:19)
"Unto what then were you baptized?" (
Acts 19:3)
"Have you received the Holy Ghost since you believed?" (19:2)
"What shall the end be of them that obey not the Gospel of God? (
I Peter 4:17)
Apparently, the Apostles viewed the Death, Burial and Resurrection as being the same as Repentance, Baptism, and the infilling of the Holy Ghost. They didn't divide this up into the terminology we use, i.e., "the Gospel and our response to the Gospel". I don't see them making a distinction according to the wording in
I Peter 4:17. They called the whole package - The Gospel.
Being there are three elements that they emphatically focused on, making sure all were applied in a person's life, they didn't view anyone a clean vessel without all three elements involved.
So, again, there is no dilemma, unless you are trying to force a change in the Apostles doctrine.