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Romans 7:22-25 22For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:
23But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.
24O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? 25I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.
23But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.
24O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? 25I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.
Y
Good post grandpa. The baptism by water concerns the flesh. This is why it is also known as the baptism of repentance. When we heard the Word of God, which convicted our very sinful being, and repented, this is the baptism by which we were drawn up and immediately stood on dry ground and in our right mind at the feet of Jesus. But to fulfill all righteousness, we demonstrate (give witness) to others by offering ourselves to the baptism which all can see.
Romans 8:29-31 29For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.
30Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. 31What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?
Romans 8:38-39 38For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
39Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
God Bless You
30Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. 31What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?
Romans 8:38-39 38For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
39Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
God Bless You
C
Romans 10:9 is NOT a message to sinners to inform them how to be saved.
Romans 10 ---IS a letter to those Saints in Rome, those Saints were ALREADY saved.. Good grief people.
Where did the church begin??What book?? Then go to THAT book and find the information HOW to be saved. Confessing and believing? Do ya think MAYBE Romans 10;9 was of ENCOURAMENT to
keep confessing and believing??
NOOO disrespect---but it is pure ignorance to take a single scripture--and come to the conclusion--that ------THAT scripture---- --is the allllll the information we need to be saved.
Romans 10:9,.John 3:16, Acts 2:38 neither ONE of these scriptures by themselves don"T give COMPLETE info how to be saved. You SINGLE SCRIPTURE SALVATION FOLKS need to GATHER ALL scriptures that pertains to salvation--and THEN see what they tell ya.
Romans 10 ---IS a letter to those Saints in Rome, those Saints were ALREADY saved.. Good grief people.
Where did the church begin??What book?? Then go to THAT book and find the information HOW to be saved. Confessing and believing? Do ya think MAYBE Romans 10;9 was of ENCOURAMENT to
keep confessing and believing??
NOOO disrespect---but it is pure ignorance to take a single scripture--and come to the conclusion--that ------THAT scripture---- --is the allllll the information we need to be saved.
Romans 10:9,.John 3:16, Acts 2:38 neither ONE of these scriptures by themselves don"T give COMPLETE info how to be saved. You SINGLE SCRIPTURE SALVATION FOLKS need to GATHER ALL scriptures that pertains to salvation--and THEN see what they tell ya.
I believe that it is very much part of salvation....and that when we OBEY Christ and are baptized....our sins are washed away by the blood of Christ....and until we are baptized we are STILL IN our sins.
CAN we be save and DISOBEY Christ? Mk. 16:16 JESUS said: He that believes….. AND (meaning: PLUS/in ADDITON TO)… IS BAPTIZED shall be saved; he that believeth NOT shall be damned.
Would someone who does NOT believe be baptized? I think not because to a NON-believer baptism would make NO sense.
I believe that the Eunuch and Philip backs up my belief.
Acts 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. [v. 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.[V.39] And when they were come…. up OUT OF the WATER….The eunuch REJOICES AFTER his WATER baptism.
Act 2:38 Then Peter said unto them, {1}Repent,… {2} AND....{3} BE BAPTIZED….every one of you in the name of Jesus ... {4} FOR.... the {5} remission of sins, {6} AND....... ye shall {7} RECEIVE....the gift of the Holy Ghost.
Regarding and infant being baptized.....it is not necessary.....THEY have committed NO sin....they do not commit sins until much later in their growing years.
CAN we be save and DISOBEY Christ? Mk. 16:16 JESUS said: He that believes….. AND (meaning: PLUS/in ADDITON TO)… IS BAPTIZED shall be saved; he that believeth NOT shall be damned.
Would someone who does NOT believe be baptized? I think not because to a NON-believer baptism would make NO sense.
I believe that the Eunuch and Philip backs up my belief.
Acts 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. [v. 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.[V.39] And when they were come…. up OUT OF the WATER….The eunuch REJOICES AFTER his WATER baptism.
Act 2:38 Then Peter said unto them, {1}Repent,… {2} AND....{3} BE BAPTIZED….every one of you in the name of Jesus ... {4} FOR.... the {5} remission of sins, {6} AND....... ye shall {7} RECEIVE....the gift of the Holy Ghost.
Regarding and infant being baptized.....it is not necessary.....THEY have committed NO sin....they do not commit sins until much later in their growing years.
Absolutely false.
We are saved the moment that we believe in Christ/place faith in Christ for salvation (John 3:18; Acts 26:18; Romans 3:24-26) and obedience which FOLLOWS is WORKS and we are saved through faith, not works (Ephesians 2:8,9). Can we be saved without obeying the gospel by choosing to believe the gospel? (Romans 1:16; 10:16) NO.
Mark 16:16 - He who believes and is baptized will be saved (general cases without making a qualification for the unusual case of someone who believes but is not baptized) but he who does not believe will be condemned. The omission of baptized with "does not believe" shows that Jesus does not make baptism absolutely essential to salvation. Condemnation rests on unbelief, not on a lack of baptism. So salvation rests on belief. *NOWHERE does the Bible say "baptized or condemned."
If water baptism is absolutely required for salvation, then why did Jesus not mention it in the following verses? (3:15,16,18; 5:24; 6:29,40,47; 11:25,26). What is the ONE requirement that Jesus mentions 9 different times in each of these complete statements? BELIEVES. *What happened to baptism? *Hermeneutics.
John 3:18 - He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who (is not water baptized? - NO) does not believe is condemned already, because he has not (been water baptized? - NO) because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
Many unbelievers have been water baptized in various false religions and cults. I'm not talking about atheists, but those who merely believe "mental assent" in the existence and historical facts about Christ, YET do not truly believe on the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 16:31) and are not saved. In other words, they do not believe in Christ/place faith in Christ as the ALL-sufficient means of their salvation. Such people then go on to get water baptized as a means to their salvation.
Not at all.
What hindered him from being baptized? 37 Then Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.” And he answered and said, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God." John 20:31 - but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name. The eunuch was saved when he believed before receiving water baptism.
In Acts 2:38, "for the remission of sins" does not refer back to both clauses, "you all repent" and "each one of you be baptized," but refers only to the first. Peter is saying "repent unto the remission of your sins," the same as in Acts 3:19. The clause "each one of you be baptized" is parenthetical. This is exactly what Acts 3:19 teaches except that Peter omits the parenthesis.
*Also compare the fact that these Gentiles in Acts 10:45 received the gift of the Holy Spirit (compare with Acts 2:38 - the gift of the Holy Spirit) and this was BEFORE water baptism (Acts 10:47).
*In Acts 10:43 we read ..whoever believes in Him receives remission of sins. Again, these Gentiles received the gift of the Holy Spirit - Acts 10:45 - (compare with Acts 2:38 - the gift of the Holy Spirit) when they believed on the Lord Jesus Christ - Acts 11:17 - (compare with Acts 16:31 - Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved) BEFORE water baptism - Acts 10:47 - this is referred to as repentance unto life - Acts 11:18.
*So the only logical conclusion when properly harmonizing Scripture with Scripture is that faith in Jesus Christ "implied in genuine repentance" (rather than water baptism) brings the remission of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit (Luke 24:47; Acts 2:38; 3:19; 5:31; 10:43-47; 11:17,18; 15:8,9; 16:31; 26:18). *Perfect Harmony*
Baptism is for BELIEVERS and infants are incapable of choosing to repent and believe the gospel, so they are not candidates for water baptism.
We are saved the moment that we believe in Christ/place faith in Christ for salvation (John 3:18; Acts 26:18; Romans 3:24-26) and obedience which FOLLOWS is WORKS and we are saved through faith, not works (Ephesians 2:8,9). Can we be saved without obeying the gospel by choosing to believe the gospel? (Romans 1:16; 10:16) NO.
Mark 16:16 - He who believes and is baptized will be saved (general cases without making a qualification for the unusual case of someone who believes but is not baptized) but he who does not believe will be condemned. The omission of baptized with "does not believe" shows that Jesus does not make baptism absolutely essential to salvation. Condemnation rests on unbelief, not on a lack of baptism. So salvation rests on belief. *NOWHERE does the Bible say "baptized or condemned."
If water baptism is absolutely required for salvation, then why did Jesus not mention it in the following verses? (3:15,16,18; 5:24; 6:29,40,47; 11:25,26). What is the ONE requirement that Jesus mentions 9 different times in each of these complete statements? BELIEVES. *What happened to baptism? *Hermeneutics.
John 3:18 - He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who (is not water baptized? - NO) does not believe is condemned already, because he has not (been water baptized? - NO) because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
Many unbelievers have been water baptized in various false religions and cults. I'm not talking about atheists, but those who merely believe "mental assent" in the existence and historical facts about Christ, YET do not truly believe on the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 16:31) and are not saved. In other words, they do not believe in Christ/place faith in Christ as the ALL-sufficient means of their salvation. Such people then go on to get water baptized as a means to their salvation.
Not at all.
What hindered him from being baptized? 37 Then Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.” And he answered and said, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God." John 20:31 - but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name. The eunuch was saved when he believed before receiving water baptism.
In Acts 2:38, "for the remission of sins" does not refer back to both clauses, "you all repent" and "each one of you be baptized," but refers only to the first. Peter is saying "repent unto the remission of your sins," the same as in Acts 3:19. The clause "each one of you be baptized" is parenthetical. This is exactly what Acts 3:19 teaches except that Peter omits the parenthesis.
*Also compare the fact that these Gentiles in Acts 10:45 received the gift of the Holy Spirit (compare with Acts 2:38 - the gift of the Holy Spirit) and this was BEFORE water baptism (Acts 10:47).
*In Acts 10:43 we read ..whoever believes in Him receives remission of sins. Again, these Gentiles received the gift of the Holy Spirit - Acts 10:45 - (compare with Acts 2:38 - the gift of the Holy Spirit) when they believed on the Lord Jesus Christ - Acts 11:17 - (compare with Acts 16:31 - Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved) BEFORE water baptism - Acts 10:47 - this is referred to as repentance unto life - Acts 11:18.
*So the only logical conclusion when properly harmonizing Scripture with Scripture is that faith in Jesus Christ "implied in genuine repentance" (rather than water baptism) brings the remission of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit (Luke 24:47; Acts 2:38; 3:19; 5:31; 10:43-47; 11:17,18; 15:8,9; 16:31; 26:18). *Perfect Harmony*
Baptism is for BELIEVERS and infants are incapable of choosing to repent and believe the gospel, so they are not candidates for water baptism.
AFTER Pentecost:
Act 10:48 And he COMMANDED them to…BE BAPTIZED…..in the name of the Lord. Then prayed they him to tarry certain days.
{Can anyone COMMAND someone to be baptized in the Holy Spirit}?
There is only ONE BAPTISM according to Ephesians 4:4-5 There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, ONE BAPTISM….. and that ONE BAPTISM is water BECAUSE it is the ONLY BAPTISM we can OBEY.There WERE 5 different baptism mentioned in the bible.
No doubt about that,
however,
Ephesians says: 4:5 ONE Lord, ONE faith, ONE baptism…
and the word... ONE .....eliminates all the rest.
The inspired word of God says: “1. Repent AND (meaning: plus/in addition to) 2. Be baptized every one of you 3. In the name of (authority of) Jesus Christ 4. For the remission of sins and (plus/in addition to) 5. Ye shall receive the gift of the….. Holy Ghost. ……Acts 2:38 Notice that the receiving of the GIFT of the Holy Spirit is AFTER one is baptized {immersed}….not before.
Act 8:38-39 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. And when they were come up OUT of THE WATER, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing.
Act 10:48 And he COMMANDED them to…BE BAPTIZED…..in the name of the Lord. Then prayed they him to tarry certain days.
{Can anyone COMMAND someone to be baptized in the Holy Spirit}?
There is only ONE BAPTISM according to Ephesians 4:4-5 There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, ONE BAPTISM….. and that ONE BAPTISM is water BECAUSE it is the ONLY BAPTISM we can OBEY.There WERE 5 different baptism mentioned in the bible.
No doubt about that,
however,
Ephesians says: 4:5 ONE Lord, ONE faith, ONE baptism…
and the word... ONE .....eliminates all the rest.
The inspired word of God says: “1. Repent AND (meaning: plus/in addition to) 2. Be baptized every one of you 3. In the name of (authority of) Jesus Christ 4. For the remission of sins and (plus/in addition to) 5. Ye shall receive the gift of the….. Holy Ghost. ……Acts 2:38 Notice that the receiving of the GIFT of the Holy Spirit is AFTER one is baptized {immersed}….not before.
Act 8:38-39 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. And when they were come up OUT of THE WATER, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing.
Nobody is saying they were commanded to be baptized in the Holy Spirit, yet PRIOR to Peter commanding these Gentiles in Acts 10:48 to be water baptized, they had ALREADY BEEN BAPTIZED in the Holy Spirit (Acts 10:43-47).
Even though there are baptism(s) plural, in Matthew 3:11 we read - I baptize you with 1. water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals; He will baptize you with the 2. Holy Spirit and 3. fire. There is only ONE baptism that places us into the body of Christ and that is SPIRIT baptism, not water baptism.
Ephesians 4:5 - one Lord, one faith, one baptism.
1 Corinthians 12:13 - For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body--whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free--and have all been made to drink into one Spirit.
*I already explained Acts 2:38 and Acts 8:36-39 to you in post #129. Stop ignoring Acts 8:37 and Acts 10:43-47.
Even though there are baptism(s) plural, in Matthew 3:11 we read - I baptize you with 1. water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals; He will baptize you with the 2. Holy Spirit and 3. fire. There is only ONE baptism that places us into the body of Christ and that is SPIRIT baptism, not water baptism.
Ephesians 4:5 - one Lord, one faith, one baptism.
1 Corinthians 12:13 - For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body--whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free--and have all been made to drink into one Spirit.
*I already explained Acts 2:38 and Acts 8:36-39 to you in post #129. Stop ignoring Acts 8:37 and Acts 10:43-47.
To understand ACTS 10:47,
IN CONTEXT,
one has to begin in verse 1 & read down to verse 48.
By doing so one can see the REASON that Cornelius (a GENTILE)
received what the apostles received in Acts 1.
The CONTEXT shows
that EVERYONE,
including the gentiles,
would have access to salvation….
not just the Jews.
The purpose of the outpouring of the HOLY SPIRIT o
n Cornelius w
as to show Peter, & the 6 Jews with him,
that the gentiles
were to receive the gospel & salvation also.
and that everyone now has access to the cleaning blood of the sacrificial Lamb of God.
Prior to Cornelius,
the Jews thought that they
were the only ones to receive salvation through Christ.
GOD shows that HE is not a respecter of persons
Yes there WAS plural baptisms……but NOW there is only ONE.
There is only ONE BAPTISM according to Ephesians 4:4-5 There is one body, andone Spirit, even as ye are called inone hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, ONE BAPTISM….. and that ONE BAPTISM is water…. BECAUSE…. it is the ONLY BAPTISM we can OBEY.
The Eunuch confirms the ONE baptism…….and he was only baptized in WATER….not the Holy Spirit.
WE cannot baptize ANYONE in the Holy Spirit….
It was CHRIST who would baptize with the Holy Spirit.
Baptism in the HOLY SPIRIT is NOT a command we can OBEY.
We can NOT baptize others in the Holy Spirit,
but we CAN obey and baptize others in WATER,
so LOGIC shows,
and the eunuch showed,
that WATER baptism is the command we OBEY.
I am a firm believer that the Holy Spirit does INDWELL a Christian {Romans 8:11}
As you can easily see I ignore nothing.
Please review what I posted regarding Acts 8:37 and Acts 10:43-47 above.
Thank you
IN CONTEXT,
one has to begin in verse 1 & read down to verse 48.
By doing so one can see the REASON that Cornelius (a GENTILE)
received what the apostles received in Acts 1.
The CONTEXT shows
that EVERYONE,
including the gentiles,
would have access to salvation….
not just the Jews.
The purpose of the outpouring of the HOLY SPIRIT o
n Cornelius w
as to show Peter, & the 6 Jews with him,
that the gentiles
were to receive the gospel & salvation also.
and that everyone now has access to the cleaning blood of the sacrificial Lamb of God.
Prior to Cornelius,
the Jews thought that they
were the only ones to receive salvation through Christ.
GOD shows that HE is not a respecter of persons
Yes there WAS plural baptisms……but NOW there is only ONE.
There is only ONE BAPTISM according to Ephesians 4:4-5 There is one body, andone Spirit, even as ye are called inone hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, ONE BAPTISM….. and that ONE BAPTISM is water…. BECAUSE…. it is the ONLY BAPTISM we can OBEY.
The Eunuch confirms the ONE baptism…….and he was only baptized in WATER….not the Holy Spirit.
WE cannot baptize ANYONE in the Holy Spirit….
It was CHRIST who would baptize with the Holy Spirit.
Baptism in the HOLY SPIRIT is NOT a command we can OBEY.
We can NOT baptize others in the Holy Spirit,
but we CAN obey and baptize others in WATER,
so LOGIC shows,
and the eunuch showed,
that WATER baptism is the command we OBEY.
I am a firm believer that the Holy Spirit does INDWELL a Christian {Romans 8:11}
As you can easily see I ignore nothing.
Please review what I posted regarding Acts 8:37 and Acts 10:43-47 above.
Thank you
These Gentiles received the gift of the Holy Spirit and salvation when they BELIEVED IN HIM/BELIEVED ON THE LORD JESUS CHRIST, prior to receiving water baptism (Acts 10:43-47; 11:17).
Acts 15:8 - So God, who knows the heart, acknowledged them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He did to us, 9 and made no distinction between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith.
The outpouring of the Holy Spirit was not merely to show that the gentiles were to receive the gospel and salvation, but proved they did receive the gospel and the gift of the Holy Spirit and salvation, prior to receiving water baptism (Acts 10:43-47) and speaking in tongues showed they did receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, which is a spiritual gift that is ONLY for the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12). Lost unbelievers DO NOT receive the gift of the Holy Spirit and the spiritual gift of tongues.
Before these Gentiles were water baptized they had already "received" the Holy Spirit (Acts 10:47). In view of this, there are three passages that demonstrate they were already saved.
Romans 8:9 - But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. If one has the Holy Spirit they "belong" to Christ. To belong to Christ does not describe an unbeliever but a believer - such was the case of these Gentiles before they were water baptized.
Galatians 4:6 - And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, "Abba, Father!" God sent the Holy Spirit into their hearts whereby they can now rightly refer to God as "Abba! Father!" This does not describe the condition of a lost unbeliever but a saved believer - such was the case of these Gentiles before they were water baptized.
1 John 4:13 - By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit. Because these Gentiles had received the Holy Spirit, they abided in God and God abided in him. To abide in God and to have God abide in you does not describe a lost unbeliever but a saved believer - such was the case of these Gentiles before they were water baptized.
The evidence is overwhelming that these Gentles had believed, received the gift of the Holy Spirit and were saved and a part of the body of Christ before water baptism. Certain Jews may have wanted to forbid them from being baptized because of their unacceptance of these Gentiles, but Peter clearly states that SURELY NO ONE CAN REFUSE. These Gentiles were clearly SAVED BEFORE WATER BAPTISM and the Holy Spirit was proof of this.
Yet God showed Peter otherwise in a vision in Acts 10:9-16.
Amen!
Nobody is arguing that baptism in the Holy Spirit is a command that we obey and once again, even though there are baptism(s) plural, in Matthew 3:11 we read - I baptize you with 1. water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals; He will baptize you with the 2. Holy Spirit and 3. fire. There is only ONE baptism that places us into the body of Christ and that is SPIRIT baptism, not water baptism.
Ephesians 4:5 - one Lord, one faith, one baptism.
1 Corinthians 12:13 - For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body--whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free--and have all been made to drink into one Spirit.
Amen! and the Holy Spirit did indwell these Gentiles in Acts 10 BEFORE they were water baptized (Acts 10:43-47).
Prior to this post I did not see where you addressed Acts 8:37 (you skipped that verse in post #127) or Acts 10:43-47 and now you seem to be looking to "explain away" the truth found in Acts 10:43-47 in order to accommodate your biased church doctrine.
Acts 15:8 - So God, who knows the heart, acknowledged them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He did to us, 9 and made no distinction between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith.
The outpouring of the Holy Spirit was not merely to show that the gentiles were to receive the gospel and salvation, but proved they did receive the gospel and the gift of the Holy Spirit and salvation, prior to receiving water baptism (Acts 10:43-47) and speaking in tongues showed they did receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, which is a spiritual gift that is ONLY for the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12). Lost unbelievers DO NOT receive the gift of the Holy Spirit and the spiritual gift of tongues.
Before these Gentiles were water baptized they had already "received" the Holy Spirit (Acts 10:47). In view of this, there are three passages that demonstrate they were already saved.
Romans 8:9 - But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. If one has the Holy Spirit they "belong" to Christ. To belong to Christ does not describe an unbeliever but a believer - such was the case of these Gentiles before they were water baptized.
Galatians 4:6 - And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, "Abba, Father!" God sent the Holy Spirit into their hearts whereby they can now rightly refer to God as "Abba! Father!" This does not describe the condition of a lost unbeliever but a saved believer - such was the case of these Gentiles before they were water baptized.
1 John 4:13 - By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit. Because these Gentiles had received the Holy Spirit, they abided in God and God abided in him. To abide in God and to have God abide in you does not describe a lost unbeliever but a saved believer - such was the case of these Gentiles before they were water baptized.
The evidence is overwhelming that these Gentles had believed, received the gift of the Holy Spirit and were saved and a part of the body of Christ before water baptism. Certain Jews may have wanted to forbid them from being baptized because of their unacceptance of these Gentiles, but Peter clearly states that SURELY NO ONE CAN REFUSE. These Gentiles were clearly SAVED BEFORE WATER BAPTISM and the Holy Spirit was proof of this.
Yet God showed Peter otherwise in a vision in Acts 10:9-16.
Amen!
Nobody is arguing that baptism in the Holy Spirit is a command that we obey and once again, even though there are baptism(s) plural, in Matthew 3:11 we read - I baptize you with 1. water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals; He will baptize you with the 2. Holy Spirit and 3. fire. There is only ONE baptism that places us into the body of Christ and that is SPIRIT baptism, not water baptism.
Ephesians 4:5 - one Lord, one faith, one baptism.
1 Corinthians 12:13 - For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body--whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free--and have all been made to drink into one Spirit.
Amen! and the Holy Spirit did indwell these Gentiles in Acts 10 BEFORE they were water baptized (Acts 10:43-47).
Prior to this post I did not see where you addressed Acts 8:37 (you skipped that verse in post #127) or Acts 10:43-47 and now you seem to be looking to "explain away" the truth found in Acts 10:43-47 in order to accommodate your biased church doctrine.
As stated in more than one scripture, at the time you should be fed with meat you must yet be fed milk. You're camped friend at a facetious question. If you know what to do then do it. If you're saved and baptized then move on. Denominations that are formed over a doctrinal question do christ a disservice.
1 Corinthians 3:2 KJVS
I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it , neither yet now are ye able.
Hebrews 5:12 KJVS
For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.
Grow up in Jesus. I have a question for you but will not ask it. I think I know the answer. Have you allowed Jesus to perform His baptism on you?
Let us go on and not be halted by questions that do no teach nor edify. Amen
1 Corinthians 3:2 KJVS
I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it , neither yet now are ye able.
Hebrews 5:12 KJVS
For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.
Grow up in Jesus. I have a question for you but will not ask it. I think I know the answer. Have you allowed Jesus to perform His baptism on you?
Let us go on and not be halted by questions that do no teach nor edify. Amen