Quote:
Originally Posted by 1399
There are more Apostolic churches in Baltimore than any other kind of church.
All of them are three stepper congregations.
Truthfully, I believe that a person is saved in according with Romans 10. I believe that the Holy Ghost infilling is there as a Promise from our God and Savior for all those who have believed.
I did not always believe like this. I am coming to grips with the fact that this is how I read the scriptures now.
My family does not know that I have fully embraced this doctrine. Neither do my friends that I have known down through the years. But as I check my own heart, this is how I now believe.
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First context, Romans was written by Paul to the CHURCH of Rome - he was writing to people who were already saved.
Rom 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
Rom 10:10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Rom 10:11 For the Scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.
Rom 10:12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.
Rom 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Rom 10:14 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?
Rom 10:15 And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!
v.9 - notice is says - shalt be saved - not are saved - its just like
Mark 16:16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved - that's future tense
v.10 - notice "unto" salvation - not salvation, but unto salvation -
Acts 2:38 doesn't mean anything unless one believes first. One has to believe first before moving onto anything else concerning NT salvation. One should BELIEVE first before they even repent. If one doesn't believe, what is even the point of repenting? Whatsoever is not of faith is sin.
v.13 - Peter quoted the exact same verse which comes from Joel in the same context of God pouring out his Spirit...
Act 2:16 But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel;
Act 2:17 And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:
Act 2:18 And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy:
Act 2:19 And I will show wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke:
Act 2:20 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come:
Act 2:21 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Notice that the exact same people that Peter quoted
Acts 2:21 to from the book of Joel, when they asked "what shall we do" in v. 37, Peter did NOT tell them to just call upon the name of the Lord, or repeat after me, or quote
John 3:16, or tell them to bow their heads and say some sinner's prayer.
Peter was aware of the prophecy of Joel in the CONTEXT of God pouring out his Spirit, but when it came down to it, Peter used the keys that Jesus gave him to preach in
Luke 24:47-49.
v. 14-15 - Notice that they can't call on him, until they believe what is preached to them by a preacher sent from God preaching the salvation message that Jesus gave to them. Peter was the first to preach it, their response was conviction and asking what they should do, and Peter told them exactly what they needed to do. Peter told them what the proper response is to sinner's hearing, believing, and being convicted of their sin and needing to do something about it.
Was it different for the salvation of the Samaritans in
Acts 8 and the Gentiles in
Acts 10 and the disciples of John in
Acts 19? No it was all the same because there is only 1 way to be saved.
Mark's version of the great commission -
Mark 16:16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved - blows just believing and repenting right out of the water.
So does
Act 19:2 -
Act 19:2 He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost.
Had they rec'd the Holy Ghost SINCE they believed - not WHEN they believed.
If you were a 3 stepper apostolic before and are now a 1 stepper, then what has lead you to that change? How did you come to that change?