bison.78

Ralph who??? Vader?..... isnt that Luke's father?

I concur Jackie.

Actually, I believe that dreadlocks do have a religious significance. Jesus Christ was to come from the seed of David. As we know, David had a son named Solomon, who had a slight "woman" problem. From one of those affairs ( l believe it was that Sheba chick) came a false Christ lineage in Ethopia.... a man by the name of Haile Selassie I, or Rastafari, who is said to be in that religion God incarnate....in other words, the real Jesus Christ. As such, followers of the Rastafarian religion called him the Lion of Judah. The movement found its roots in Jamaica, and as a form of worship to this so called "Lion of Judah", followers began wearing their hair like lions... and hence dreadlocks. So based on this, I would have to say that it is not just a "hairstyle", but a form of idolatrous worship to a false God. My opinion? No. I definitely would not do it. Ras Tafari died....but not for us. ( and I think its safe to say he's still in that grave they put him in!)

I was simply commenting upon that manner of using the Scriptures, for I have seen it done too many times. My reply had nothing else to do with the thread nor was it related to you per se. If you would be so kind as to provide me a direct link to the post in question, I would not mind reading through it and perhaps commenting. Ok, I admit it, I am being too lazy to go searching to find the post in question and am taking the lazy way out. However, perhaps you would still be so kind as I am sure you know exactly what post it is. Thank you. Tsk,tsk,tsk....Richard. Proverbs 6:6 Peace and Grace

No, it doesn't bear it out. The Bible does not offer any guarantee that every person that says to Jesus will have access to water for immersion. As I previously indicated, I can can demonstrate realisitc scenarios where such would be the case. The fact is that since there is no guarantee, there is no basis for claiming that baptism is absolutely necessary for savlation. No, it gives a command to be baptized. It does not indicate that baptism is necessary and that those who don't get baptized will not be saved. To claim that this verse mentions water immersion as a necessary element is nothing but a conjecture on your part. Actually, that motivation would only apply to certain parts of the New Testament. The entire 1st eight chapters of Romans is discussing how Gentiles could be saved (which was a complete mystery in that day). Paul uses this as springboard in Romans as a call to the Gentiles to bring the gospel to the Jewish people. His motivation was different in Romans, than it was in Ephesians 2 and neither case where he is explaining HOW a person is saved, does he ever include any reminder about the necessity of baptism for salvation. If it were necessary for salvation, it would have a much broader discussion than we see in the Scriptures. One thing to keep in mind is that the Bible is also designed with unbelievers in mind. The Bible is God's message to all of humanity, not just the Church. It designed to point all nonChristians to Christ and to explain in terms all people can comprehend, how to be saved. What I am saying is, if there is no actual evidence of a change in their life, if they can live, having no compunction about continuing in sin, then they did not follow Romans 10 much less, repent. Shiloh, It's been a learning experience debating this issue with you. As you can see from the number of posts I have, I'm new here. Some of your points are valid and may be worth another look. The defense of your doctrinal belief regarding baptism shows you're maturity in the study of God's Word. Although we will probably not see eye to eye on this issue, I want to commend you for your respectability....for if I am wrong, jibes and taunts would only push me further away. I've learned about proof texting( although I still believe my line of reasoning is correct) and now have some new words to add to my vocabulary. If you truly believe my understanding of this issue to be askewed, whisper a prayer to God to open my understanding. I will do the same for you. Prayer never hurt anyone...but a misinterpretation of scripture is a killer. Thank you and God Bless. P.S. in response to your scenario of a person in a plane who accepts the Lord, then the plan crashes: For their sakes I hope they land in the ocean!

Repentance Comes From The Holy Spirit (But Than Again You Knew That I Think)

As Satan does? Believing the Bible and saying that Christ is the Messiah is just lip service. You have to believe it with every fiber of your being; you have to obey him with every ounce of energy; you have to change your behavior (because you cannot resist.) If those things don't occur in one's life, then I would have strong, lingering doubt about one's salvation. Rick: I do not disagree with any of this. what you say is true. You NEED to REPENT in order for Romans 10 to be effective. Is this "adding to the Gospel" also?

Repentance is simply a response to the gospel. Repentance simply means to "turn around." Repentance can occur before or after one is saved. It should be an every day thing. Repentance is a daily attitude of the heart. None of us are sinless and perfect, and we are constantly (or should be) repenting of sins in our lives along the process of sanctification. Question: If a person confesses with their mouth and believes in their heart that Jesus is Lord, yet never gets around to repenting from their sin, is that person saved? True repentance is lived out, not simply declared verbally, so if a person continues to live in sin AFTER professing Christ, then it would appear that their initial profession and verbal declaration of repentance were not genuine. So, then, your answer to the question is no they are not saved...if they follow Romans 10 believing the Gospel and proffessing Christ but still do not repent, they are not saved? Is this what you are saying?

Sad but true... Richard, please review the post that this definition is pertaining to and if you find it to be erroneous, expose it. God Bless

I am just pointing out that since it is possible for someone to be excluded from salvation by not have a necessary element, and the fact that they could die before being able to appropriate such element, it shows the error in your theology. Salvation is only for those lucky enough to get baptized. If they die before getting access to water, sorry Charlie. The problem is that by saying baptism is NECESSARY for salvation, you have removed the possiblity of any exceptions. You have no grounds to say that God will find another way for them to be saved outside of what is "necessary." Essentially, you paint yourself into a corner with type of argument. The problem is, it's not what I'm saying, but what has been shown through scripture thus far. It's not my opinion, the Word bears it out. yes, but that is beside the point. The point I am making is that you cannot claim that baptism was unnecessary to discuss with those who were already baptized. Whether he is telling them how to get saved or not, is irrelevant. My point is that if baptism is unecessary to bring up with those who are already baptized as you previously indicated, then it would also follow that salvation would be equally as unecessary to discuss with those already saved. I am simply showing the erroneous, short-sighted logic you employed. IN every major discussion of salvation, justification, being born again, no mention is ever made of immersion into water as being a necessary element to those things. Actually, thee very first discussion on salvation gives mention to baptism as a necessary element; Acts 2:38. The reason Paul had to address the issue of salvation to those already saved is because there were some who would teach that they needed to observe the Law as well as Grace. These are mutually exclusive. Paul did not have to address baptism because noone was refuting the neccesity of baptism. By adding to the gospel, you hvae inadvertantly turned it into a process. Faith in Jesus is not enough. By needing to baptized, Jesus is less than sufficient. By having to depend and place trust in baptism to ensure your salvation, you and Jesus become co-saviors. Suddenly the savlation is no longer a work of God but a synthesis of you and Him. Sorry, but God does not share His glory with anyone. I know, I was just correcting your understanding of what they were really arguing about. Actually, circumcision was part of the Law. (although it did predate the Law) Leviticus 12:3

Luke 23:39-43 One of the criminals who was hanged insulted him, saying, "If you are the Christ, save yourself and us!" But the other answered, and rebuking him said, "Don`t you even fear God, seeing you are in the same condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward for our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong." He said to Jesus, "Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom." He said to him, "Most assuredly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise." (WEB) Does this answer you question? There is an exception, isn't there. IMO, this destroys any stand that baptism is required for salvation and remission of sin. But, I know it won't because no one is going to shange their stand on this issue. No matter how much proof is provided. False. This is a common argument, and I've already addressed it several times. This was not in the dispensation of Grace, in which salvation is only acquired by having the Blood of Christ applied to one's life through baptism and believe in Christ. Peace.

What you are doing is grabbing verses that are not parallel, that do not occur in like contexts and are not addressing like issues and stringing them together to make the Bible appear to support your premise. The following is an accurate definition of prooftexting: Prooftext, prooftexting A prooftext is a verse or short passage from the Bible used by someone as part of his proof for a doctrinal belief he wishes to substantiate to others. However, since verses and passages may rely extensively on the context in which they appear for correct interpretation, pulling these out of their context and having them stand alone in a "proof" can, at times, be very misleading. In addition, a set of such prooftexts can completely ignore other passages which, if added to the mix, might well lead to an entirely different conclusion. Someone who relies strongly only on a list of prooftexts in order to make a doctrinal argument may have a very weak case for his argument. Noting that a religious teacher relies heavily just on prooftexting is viewed in theological circles as a very negative evaluation. Taken from Biblestudy.org Ok. This a correct definition of proof texting. I understand that. however, what I am asking is for you to show why it is a weak case. You can't just dismiss it as a weak case by giving a definition of how one "may" or "might" build a weak case. Show it is unsubstantiated. What makes these issues not "like" issues? Are they not all pertaining to remission of sins? Peace

Repentance is simply a response to the gospel. Repentance simply means to "turn around." Repentance can occur before or after one is saved. It should be an every day thing. Repentance is a daily attitude of the heart. None of us are sinless and perfect, and we are constantly (or should be) repenting of sins in our lives along the process of sanctification. Question: If a person confesses with their mouth and believes in their heart that Jesus is Lord, yet never gets around to repenting from their sin, is that person saved?

Shiloh, this is the post (what you claim to be proof texting) I was asking you to expose if you found it to be false, not the other.Rick, Baptism is the means by which Christ's Blood is applied to our lives....here's scripture to prove it: In the OT, the sins of the people could not be cancelled out, or remitted, without a sacrifice/ offering... Heb 9:22 And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission. Which, as we know, typifies Christ offering Himself for our sins. What is the purpose of Christ's Blood? Mt 26:28 For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. That being said, how can we apply this Blood that remits sin to our lives on a pragmatic level? Ac 2:38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ( for what purpose?) for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. Baptism and Belief in Christ go hand in hand.....you can't have one without the other. I believe the same point was made by guitarman, if I am reitterating, I apologize. Praise Him

If you actually believe what you seem to be saying, that sin is remitted only after baptism, then Christ's sacrifice is not sufficient enough to save us. Is that what you are saying? You can't have it both ways. Either Christ's blood is enough and you don't need baptism to be saved, or Christ's blood plus something else brings salvation. Rick, Baptism is the means by which Christ's Blood is applied to our lives....here's scripture to prove it: In the OT, the sins of the people could not be cancelled out, or remitted, without a sacrifice/ offering... Heb 9:22 And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission. Which, as we know, typifies Christ offering Himself for our sins. What is the purpose of Christ's Blood? Mt 26:28 For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. That being said, how can we apply this Blood that remits sin to our lives on a pragmatic level? Ac 2:38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ( for what purpose?) for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. Baptism and Belief in Christ go hand in hand.....you can't have one without the other. I believe the same point was made by guitarman, if I am reitterating, I apologize. Praise Him I am sorry, but this type of proof texting only highlights the weakness of your position. Anyone can grab a verse from here, a verse from there, and string them together like lights on a Christmas tree and make the Bible say whatevery they want. That is a very unreliable and highly subjective means of estabish a doctrine. The major red flag of false doctrine is prooftexting. There are various major discussions of salvation in the Bible. Take two major treatese on salvation, namely Romans 10 and Ephesians 2. In neither case is baptism is ever mentioned as part of the equation where salvation is concerned. If baptism is necessary for salvation, it would be in every passage in the New Testament pertaining to salvation. Shiloh, can you please demonstrate why you believe this line of reasoning is invalid? If it is false, expose it. As far as Romans 10 and Ephesians 2 are concerned, these epistles are written to the CHURCH, the saints of God who have already been baptized...it is unnecessary to bring up baptism to someone who has already been baptized....in almost every instance in which someone outside of Christ is addressed,baptism is a part of the salvific ( I like that word) plan. Just as in Romans, Paul and Silas told the keeper of the prison: Ac 16:31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. Now we could just stop there if we choose to and say that that is salvation, just like in Romans and Ephesians, but: Ac 16:32 And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house. Ac 16:33 And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway. Again, in Acts 15, we have Peter addressing Jews that were upset because Christian gentiles weren't observing the Law. Ac 15:7 And when there had been much disputing, Peter rose up, and said unto them, Men and brethren, ye know how that a good while ago God made choice among us, that the Gentiles by my mouth should hear the word of the gospel, and believe. Ac 15:8 And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us; Ac 15:9 And put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith. Ac 15:10 Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear? Ac 15:11 But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they. Now this bears a striking resemblance to Ephesians 2...and they are actually addressing the same situation. In verse 10 of this passage, the Jewish brethen are accused of trying to yoke the neck of the gentile Christians by observing Jewish Law, which in Ephesians 2 is called "works". This has nothing to do with baptism or repentance, but everything to do with legalism. Furthermore, Verse 11 is in reference to Cornelius' house, who once they recieved the Holy Ghost were commanded to be baptized. Peace and Grace

I use the same Scriptures that are being presented to prove that baptism is necessary for salvation. I simply apply proper hermeneutics to them. Our LORD Jesus Christ (God) Baptizes In The Holy Ghost (God) And He Always Does The Will Of His Farther (God) "John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire:" Luke 3:16 The Gift Of God's Grace "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast." Ephesians 2:8-9 Even Saving Belief In The LORD Jesus Christ "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." John 3:16 Who Draws Us With His Love "The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee." Jeremiah 31:3 Because We Are His Joy "Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God." Hebrews 12:2 Saves Us Why Would Any Believer Want To Splash Cold Water On The Blood That Redeems.... "And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven. And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight: If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister;" Colossians 1:20-23 FresnoJoe: All of these scriptures are great, but when put in their proper perspective with other scripture, giving a complete picture of the plan of salvation. As was stated in an earlier post, we cannot just go to Ephesians or Romans and pull out a scripture and say " this is what salvation entails". These epistles were written to the Church, people who were already baptized and had the gifts of the Spirit in operation. They were not written to the secular world and therefore cannot be looked upon as the sole authoritative writing; the historical background of the early church must be used along with these for full understanding. Praise Him The Bible is the final arbiter on all matters of Christian faith and practice. I don't need the history of the church to define for me what Christianity is. When I referred to the history of the Church, I was referring to the book of Acts, which is part of the Bible. I apologize if I offended you. Peace

No, it is the blood of Jesus alone and His finished work on the cross alone that brings remission of sins. Our faith should be in Christ, not in baptism. Shiloh, what is needed on our part for salvation to be imparted unto us? Is it, as you say, just faith alone? If salvation were dependent on anything outside of grace through faith, salvation would not be available to all. What I mean is, if God said something like, "In order to be saved, you must believe in Jesus AND have purple tennis shoes," there would be someone on earth who did not have access to purple tennis shoes. Someone would get left out. It is the same with baptism... If baptism is NECESSARY for salvation, then you have a problem. What is someone gets saved, but is does not have access to water and dies before they are able to make it to be baptized?? For example, what if someone gets saved on an air plane, and the plane crashes before they get a chance to be baptized?? I could come up with hundreds of reasonable, valid scenarios where someone could receive Christ, but die before being baptized. I mean, there are no loopholes, no exceptions if baptism is NECESSARY. If you can bring yourself to admit that is ONE situation where God might save someone without having been immersed in water, then the entire "baptism is necessary for salvation" argument collapses like a house of cards. Shiloh, your colorful analogies and "what if" scenarios are interesting to say the least. I cannot answer "what if" scenarios....I can only go by what the Word of God teaches. The question was, what is needed on our part for salvation to be imparted unto us? You answered twice that nothing more than faith is needed; in essence, we simply have to believe in the Gospel of Christ and we are saved. unfortunately, your answer is flawed. What about REPENTANCE? Does God do that for us also? Is that a "work"? God forbid. Without repentance, belief in the Savior will not save you. This is the first step in the plan of salvation. (and which, by the way, is not found in the clever ABC plan of salvation) Most people in the world don't have purple tennis shoes(I know I don't, anyway), but most have, or if needed, can gain access to water (sheesh, most of this world is water). As far as admitting to one situation in which someone was not baptized and saved anyhow, I can't "admit" that per the Bible doesn't give me license to admit that. Can you give me an example of someone who died believing, but not baptized, and yet went to heaven? As far as those who Jesus forgave and invited to paradise while he was on earth.....again that was another dispensation, and as of yet there was no way to apply the Blood of Christ to one's life, for the blood was not poured out yet. That argument is similiar to the non-Christian's argument of "how can a loving God send good people to Hell?" Simply put, they didn't obey. In Noah's day, only 8 were saved by "water", and that is likened to this baptism. 1 peter 3:20-21. Peace

If you actually believe what you seem to be saying, that sin is remitted only after baptism, then Christ's sacrifice is not sufficient enough to save us. Is that what you are saying? You can't have it both ways. Either Christ's blood is enough and you don't need baptism to be saved, or Christ's blood plus something else brings salvation. Rick, Baptism is the means by which Christ's Blood is applied to our lives....here's scripture to prove it: In the OT, the sins of the people could not be cancelled out, or remitted, without a sacrifice/ offering... Heb 9:22 And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission. Which, as we know, typifies Christ offering Himself for our sins. What is the purpose of Christ's Blood? Mt 26:28 For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. That being said, how can we apply this Blood that remits sin to our lives on a pragmatic level? Ac 2:38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ( for what purpose?) for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. Baptism and Belief in Christ go hand in hand.....you can't have one without the other. I believe the same point was made by guitarman, if I am reitterating, I apologize. Praise Him

If you actually believe what you seem to be saying, that sin is remitted only after baptism, then Christ's sacrifice is not sufficient enough to save us. Is that what you are saying? You can't have it both ways. Either Christ's blood is enough and you don't need baptism to be saved, or Christ's blood plus something else brings salvation. Rick, Baptism is the means by which Christ's Blood is applied to our lives....here's scripture to prove it: In the OT, the sins of the people could not be cancelled out, or remitted, without a sacrifice/ offering... Heb 9:22 And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission. Which, as we know, typifies Christ offering Himself for our sins. What is the purpose of Christ's Blood? Mt 26:28 For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. That being said, how can we apply this Blood that remits sin to our lives on a pragmatic level? Ac 2:38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ( for what purpose?) for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. Baptism and Belief in Christ go hand in hand.....you can't have one without the other. I believe the same point was made by guitarman, if I am reitterating, I apologize. Praise Him

Notice that this scripture does not say he the believeth and is baptized not shall be damned. How can one explain that? Doesn't it make sense that Christ would be very specific if both were required for salvation? No disrespect, but this to me seems to be common sense....if you don't believe, you won't be baptized. None taken. We are talking about baptism. One can believe and not be baptised and still go to heaven. Baptism without faith is a work and can not save. Faith without baptism does save. Is faith without Baptism Faith or lip service? James 2:17 "Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead in itself." (WEB) To Rick: Are you admitting that your argument is flawed? a dead faith is not a faith at all; and without faith it is impossible to please God, much less make it into the Kingdom of God. Baptism, as opposed to the unbiblical "sinner's prayer", is a scriptual proffesion of that faith. It is not a work in the sense that we are trying to earn our way into the Kingdom. It is a work in the context of James 2:17 in that it is an outward profession of our faith. If I am incorrect in my assumption of your citation, please clarify. Jesus is Lord. Praise Him. and thanks, Kansas Dad, for your comment. That's not what I am saying. It takes only faith to be saved. The works that comes after faith are done because of the desire to please God. If one accepts salvation with their mouth only, without also believing in their heart and soul, then they will not read the Bible, will not witness, will not change their life in any way (works). If they don't do these works, then in reality they most likely are not saved. That, to me, is what James 2:17 means. baptism alone does not save. faith alone does not save. The two are inseperable: 1pe 3:21 The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ: Mr 16:16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. In this passage of scripture, there is a very strong implication that the preaching of Christ inevitably leads to the intertwining of baptism and belief:Ac 8:36 And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? Ac 8:37 And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. Ac 8:38 And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him. These scriptures clearly show that both believe in Jesus Christ and baptism are necessary for salvation.

Now here's a "new thing" I thing we all should do..... I don't think Jesus would mind this tradition!

I use the same Scriptures that are being presented to prove that baptism is necessary for salvation. I simply apply proper hermeneutics to them. Our LORD Jesus Christ (God) Baptizes In The Holy Ghost (God) And He Always Does The Will Of His Farther (God) "John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire:" Luke 3:16 The Gift Of God's Grace "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast." Ephesians 2:8-9 Even Saving Belief In The LORD Jesus Christ "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." John 3:16 Who Draws Us With His Love "The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee." Jeremiah 31:3 Because We Are His Joy "Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God." Hebrews 12:2 Saves Us Why Would Any Believer Want To Splash Cold Water On The Blood That Redeems.... "And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven. And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight: If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister;" Colossians 1:20-23 FresnoJoe: All of these scriptures are great, but when put in their proper perspective with other scripture, giving a complete picture of the plan of salvation. As was stated in an earlier post, we cannot just go to Ephesians or Romans and pull out a scripture and say " this is what salvation entails". These epistles were written to the Church, people who were already baptized and had the gifts of the Spirit in operation. They were not written to the secular world and therefore cannot be looked upon as the sole authoritative writing; the historical background of the early church must be used along with these for full understanding. Praise Him

No, it is the blood of Jesus alone and His finished work on the cross alone that brings remission of sins. Our faith should be in Christ, not in baptism. Shiloh, what is needed on our part for salvation to be imparted unto us? Is it, as you say, just faith alone?

Key word = "some". What about MOST? What about the one? It is a snare...a trap...for those seeking a quick buck. Amen, David and Amen, Wayne. A quote from the epistle: 1th 5:22 Abstain from all appearance of evil.....although it may not be intrinsically evil, gambling is closely related to sinful activity, doesn't matter if its state or casino. It DEFINITELY has the appearance of evil. We should obey the scriptures.....we don't even have to pray about this one. It's open and shut for anyone serious about following Christ. All addicts started out thinking they could "handle" whatever they had become addicted to. This is the classic example of the Sin Cycle. Gambling comes from a heart condition, be it ever so small in the beginning, of Lust for money. Lust then gives birth to Sin, and Sin in turn gives birth to death (death to spiritual life or physical). A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump. Give Him Praise

Key word = "some". What about MOST? What about the one? It is a snare...a trap...for those seeking a quick buck. Amen, David and Amen, Wayne. A quote from the epistle: 1th 5:22 Abstain from all appearance of evil.....although it may not be intrinsically evil, gambling is clo