Quote:
Originally Posted by GrowingPains
Today I read Acts 2, looking at the story for every nuance. What happened has rattled me. I'll explain:
In the NT time, baptism was a symbol of discipleship (I already knew this). When I read what happened in Acts, followed by a sermon from Peter, the response is "What do we do now?" NOTE: most seem to think this says "what must I do to be saved" which would change some of the mechanics of Acts 2:38. Instead of a point-by-point salvation plan, Peter replied to do 2 things for the forgiveness of sins: Repent and become a disciple of Christ (through the symbol of water baptism). Turning to Christ, our sins are remitted. He then said the Holy Spirit was promised thereafter, with no mention of tongues at this point. Now, I can't reconcile that many that received the baptism of the Holy Ghost, also spoke in tongues, so I'm not ready to go there just yet. But what it did do was rattle a passage I've known for years and now look at differently, finding that it matches the sayings of Jesus a lot better.
That day 3,000 were added to the church --- what happened? They became disciples of Christ through baptism!
I don't want to start a 3-step vs. 1-step debate (I'm a life long 3-stepper who now is stepping back on the rhetoric), but I surely would like to discuss Acts 2, and what you see in it. Is it a plan for salvation, or the Apostle's response on what they should do with the guilt they felt after that sermon? Can the HG be commanded for a person to get, when Christ said He gives it freely, with promise?
These are mysteries I don't clearly understand in all my years of Bible School. |
The problem with the Baptism as a symbol is leftover Greek Philosophy that somehow got mingled into the church doctrines by those Scholars that came from that mindset.
Baptism is a physical act with great spiritual significance. Without faith it is only getting wet, but combined with faith in the operation of God, it brings tremendous deliverance, identification with Jesus (
Romans 6) a burial of the old man, and washing away of sins in the legal sense.
I can't figure out why so many raised with this powerful doctrinal truth now down play it's significance.
Please buy David Pawson's The Normal Christian Birth, you will never view Baptism the same again, for that matter the Application of the New Birth.
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