Quote:
Originally Posted by pelathais
Maybe I'm not following you here... If your sins are forgiven you are "saved," at least in the very most important way.
I think we err when we try and break the whole thing down into different "steps." There is only one "step": Get saved. Once you've made that step your life will involve many other things that could be said to be "steps" - you're on a journey now, after all. But "getting saved" is just one "thing" to do on your to-do list of life, not several things.
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What we call the "three-step" plan of salvation, or what is referred to some times as the message of water and Spirit, does indeed break the "salvation" experience or the "new birth" experience and some times even the "justification" (depending on which teacher is being followed) experience into three definite events which may occur miles apart in distance and years apart in time. A person can call out sincerely to God for mercy, receive forgiveness, and live a radically transformed life for the rest of his/her life but not be "really" justified/saved/born again because step two (water baptism) and step three (Spirit baptism) have not happened. Or, a person can go through a life changing experience, receive forgiveness, then follow that up with water baptism (properly administered of course) and still not be saved or justified or be considered a child of God if the experience of speaking with tongues does not occur some time in that person's life. Then, there is the other alternative. A person can receive God's mercy and forgiveness, receive the Holy Ghost baptism, and live a life of consecration and service to the Lord but not be justified/saved/born again because the "proper words" were never spoken during the water baptism ritual.