You sir, have no clue. First I do not deny a single scripture that you posted. Do you think I am a universalist? Do you think I don't believe in repentance? Do you think I believe muslims and hindus are saved without Christ? Tear down another strawman. I affirm every scripture you posted, and say amen.
But your scriptures proved nothing to back up your customized soteriology. You quoted from John, but the main point of John's gospel is BELIEVE. Salvation is through belief in Christ, not a 3 step plan. (Or 3 steps plus thousands of standards).
12 But as many as
received him, to them
gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that
believe on his name:
John 1:12 (KJV)
John 3, take the whole passage into context. Jesus' explanation didn't stop in v.5 or v.8.....
15 That
whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that
whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
18
He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
John 3:15-18 (KJV)
36 He
that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.
John 3:36 (KJV)
24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and
believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.
John 5:24 (KJV)
29 Jesus answered and said unto them, This
is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent. J
John 6:29 (KJV)
40 And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and
believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day. John 6:40 (KJV)
I could go on, but you have choosen to reject the clear and simple testimony of scripture.
In response to your soteriology comment, I'd respond that first "my gospel" has soteriology. I believe that salvation is available only to those who believe in death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ (
Acts 4:12,
Romans 10:9-10). That salvation is by the grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ (
Eph 2:8-9), the reality of that faith is expressed in repentance from sin(
Luke 13:3,
Acts 20:21,
1 Corinthians 15:2-3) submission to water baptism (the truly repentant will want to identify with Jesus Christ)(
Romans 6:3-5), and the evidence of their saving faith with will be the works that characterize the life of a Christian (
James 2:16-24), namely a manifestation of the fruits of the Spirit (
Galatians 5:22-23). Though I affirm it is neither the water baptism or the works that save. The repentant sinner is justified by His faith, not works or rituals (
Romans 3:21-5:2). My soteriology doesn't include tongues though so you call it no soteriology at all.
Ironically your soteriology revolves around speaking tongues, mentioned by Jesus only 1 time in the 4 gospels (
Mark 16:17, a dispute passage), and mentioned in only 1 of the 21 epistles in the New Testament, and then primarily in an admoninition, not an exhortation to seek that type of manifestation. Your soteriology is based on assumption, not solid scriptural exegesis. Your soteriology is absent from history prior to the early 1900's. Your soteriology damns the majority of Christian believers who profess Christ throughout the ages. Your soteriology is exactly that....yours, and a small bubble representing far less than 1% of Christianity. I don't believe that oneness Pentecostalism is a cult, actually I have a mostly favorable opinion of OP (except for tolerance for the spiritual arrogance), but certainly there is a cult like mentality that accompanies the view that what you preach is THE ONLY saving gospel, when in fact it is not supported by the Bible or historical Christianity OF ANY STRAIN.
Now, I know you can quote scriptures to support your soteriology, but so do mormons, so do Jehovah's witnesses, so do gay theology advocates. Quoting scripture as proof text is useless when those same scriptures are not taken in context, and are divorced from the whole testimony of scripture on a particular topic.
No one is denying
Acts 2:37-38. However, those of you who try to force tongues onto the 3,000 have no scriptural merit. The scripture tells us there were two imperatives that Peter preached 1)REPENT 2)BE BAPTIZED. The scripture tells us that the proper biblical response to Peters preaching was "Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.
Acts 2:41 (KJV)". They were added to the church, but you guys shut up the Kingdom of God against such.
The angels in heaven rejoice over a sinner who repents (
Luke 15:10) but under you guys system there is little to rejoice over, for said repentant sinner is still going to burst hell wide open.
God promises to give the Holy Ghost to those who ask Him (
Luke 11:13) but "pentecost" is defined by people tarrying, begging, wailing, rocking back and forth, etc. and "ALMOST" receiving the Holy Ghost. For some this almost goes on for months or even years. Some give up and some fake it. And as Borat proved, there is so little discernment in the group that someone can come in completely irreverant and sacreligious and fake the whole thing in a camp meeting and all the preachers and saints will go wild, not even realize they are being made a mockery.
Theres good things about oneness churches and saints, but the rigid extrabiblical soteirology and legalistic standards sour it for me. I've considered going back, but it is attitude like those displayed on this thread that remind me I don't want to go back into an environment where hypocricy is rampant, and unless one lines up, they are devoured and slandered by their "brothers". And as I've said before the preachers are the worst, most venomous source. The lay saints tend to be good people, who are scared into submission by constant fear tactics and a twisted view of pastoral authority.
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