Love One Another and the Cross

[Godsdrummer]

But what you fail to realize is that God knew if Abraham WOULD GET CIRCUMCISED OR NOT when God saw Abram's heart when it believed. Do you think God would have seen a heart and a faith that he would deem righteous if it was in that heart to not be circumcised when God commanded it later?

That is like saying God does not know the heart of each individual today, and there for requires the proof before accounting righteousness to them as he did Abraham.

Baptism is when the circumcision of the heart takes place, which is why baptism is useless without FAITH.

Mike I agree baptism is the circumcision in the NT. Which makes it all the more something that comes after salvation by faith, just as it did with Abraham. I just don't think you can get around the statement by Paul, "Abraham's faith was counted to him to righteousness before circumcision".

Here is another thought along the same lines. We say Abraham looked for a city whose builder was God, and did not see it. But we see it. What is the one thing in the kingdom today that Abraham did not have? The holy ghost.
As Peter said on the day of Pentecost "this is that" .
You have said and rightly so, the cross tore down the vail of separation. In other words, the cross tore down the temple spiritually with all its sacrifices and oblations, leaving open the way to communion with God open to all mankind by faith.

As has been said before, the message of Peter never was about getting saved. Where do we get this? Because the men ask, "what shall we do?" Man has added the words "to get saved" to that phrase. Peter instructed them to repent, repent for what? Crucifying the Christ. And what were his next words? "and you shall receive the gift of the holy Ghost, for this promise is to you and your children and as many...". Acts is about the spread of the kingdom of God, the city whos builder and maker is God, joining Jew and Gentile into one city (kingdom) through the holy ghost.

As for Peter's statement "save yourselves from this untoward generation" what was going to happen to that generation that did not come into the kingdom of God?