Obedience Required?
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"Obedience Required?"
The Bible tells us that our obedience is the result of the Work of God.
Ezekiel 36:25-27 NKJV - 25 "Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. 26 "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 "I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them."
The Bible tells us that our obedience is the result of the Work of God.
Ezekiel 36:25-27 NKJV - 25 "Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. 26 "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 "I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them."
No need to twist the truth or take away from what is clearly revealed in the word of God, as you clearly do. Those who accept God's word understand that in addition to belief and repentance, everyone is required to submit to baptism in water in the name of the Lord Jesus for remission of sin. (Acts 2:36-42; 8:12-18, 10:43-49, 19:1-6...) Obeying the gospel involves believing and obeying that entire message; and clearly not all obey the gospel. Also, being indwelt by the Holy Ghost is a necessary part of one's spiritual rebirth, and that takes place as God sees fit as promised for those who believe and willingly obey.
Receiving the Holy Ghost is the result of one's faith in what God says as expressed through obedience to His commands.
As Peter stated, God gives the Holy Ghost to those that obey Him:
"Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins. And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him." Acts 5:31-32
As Peter stated, God gives the Holy Ghost to those that obey Him:
"Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins. And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him." Acts 5:31-32
Due to a lack of knowledge, most of God's born again children do not understand when and how they became saved (delivered) eternally. The only people who have been saved eternally, are those that God gave to his Son, who redeemed them from their sins, by his death on the cross. Every sin that is committed by those he died for does not take away their eternal inheritance, whether it is repented for or not, because God paid for that sin.
John 3:3-5 - Nicodemus is confused about the new birth, and ask can he enter a second time into his mother's womb. Jesus tells him except a man be born of water by his natural birth, and of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit by the spiritual birth, he cannot enter
Acts 2 - Peter is directing his sermon in verse 36 to "all the house of Israel," who had been born again, and exchanged their heart of stone to a new soft heart, that can be pricked to feel guilt, telling them that they have crucified Christ, and in verse 37 they were "pricked" in their heart, an said unto Peter and the rest of the apostles, men and "brethren", What shall we do?
Peter directed them to repent and be baptised (the answer of a good conscience toward God) For (because of) the remission of your sins by Jesus on the cross, and God added them to the church (verse 47).
Mark 16:15-16 - Saved, according to Greek interpretation means "delivered". When a born again person believes and is baptised ((the answer of a good conscience, )(1 Pet 3:21), they are "delivered" from having a guilty conscience.
The Gospel is all about Christ. That Christ is God who became sinless Man to die for our sins and rise again for our justification. And those who believe this wholeheartedly, repent, and receive Him as Lord and Savior receive THE GIFT of the Holy Spirit, THE GIFT of eternal life, THE GIFT of salvation. Those who believe are justified by grace through FAITH (Eph 2:8,9), not obedience to the commandments, since no one can obey all God's commandments perfectly in order to be justified (Rom 3:19-26). Read, study, and digest Romans chapters 3 and 4.
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How can a person obey God if they have been held captive by the Devil to "do his will."
2 Timothy 2:25-26 says explains it perfectly:
Gently instruct those who oppose the truth. Perhaps God will change those people's hearts, and they will learn the truth. 26 Then they will come to their senses and escape from the devil's trap. For they have been held captive by him to do whatever he wants."
Sequence of events:
1) God must first change hearts - learning the Truth follows
2) People are born into a Trap, the Trap of the Sinful Nature, a Curse implemented by God Himself
3) People who remain under this Curse are held intellectually captured just as a prisoner is captured and no longer possesses the freedom to exercise any sense of "free will"
My best . . .
2 Timothy 2:25-26 says explains it perfectly:
Gently instruct those who oppose the truth. Perhaps God will change those people's hearts, and they will learn the truth. 26 Then they will come to their senses and escape from the devil's trap. For they have been held captive by him to do whatever he wants."
Sequence of events:
1) God must first change hearts - learning the Truth follows
2) People are born into a Trap, the Trap of the Sinful Nature, a Curse implemented by God Himself
3) People who remain under this Curse are held intellectually captured just as a prisoner is captured and no longer possesses the freedom to exercise any sense of "free will"
My best . . .
Christ is both God the Father's express image as well as fully God Himself. We should never forget that. Only God as Man could die for the sins of the whole world, then rise again the third day, having destroyed the power of sin, death, Hades, Hell, and Satan. Only the blood of God could purchase our redemption (Acts 20:28).
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I say that if Jesus was born from the Holy Spirit, he is ordinary and special, ordinary is also a flesh and blood person, and special is that he was born from the Holy Spirit
If there is a perfect ordinary person in the world, then God's creation is not a failure, let alone an imperfection, and the imperfection is death and sin, or sin. People live in their own way, just like in the Babel era. People want to live in their own way, not in God's way, Jesus is the man who lives as God, not according to his own will. This is the different meaning.
If there is a perfect ordinary person in the world, then God's creation is not a failure, let alone an imperfection, and the imperfection is death and sin, or sin. People live in their own way, just like in the Babel era. People want to live in their own way, not in God's way, Jesus is the man who lives as God, not according to his own will. This is the different meaning.
This topic can also be viewed from the God's suggestion that people should manage the world, the land, and everything in the water. Look at what people are doing now. Plastic garbage is full of the ocean, the cultivated land area on the ground is decreasing, and the forests are decreasing. These represent a slow approach to death, because people live according to their own style, rather than the way God wants people to manage. This is actually a big topic, You can think of the earth as a human body. There are too many cancer cells, too fast metabolism, disordered life patterns, and many viruses in the body. The immune system fails, such as COVID-19
It's you who twists the word of God in order to promote your perverted water gospel. It's all you talk about. In regards to your pet verse (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 - 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*
We obey the gospel by choosing to believe the gospel. Romans 10:16 - But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our report?”
Romans 1:16 - For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.
Acts 15:7 - And when there had been much dispute, Peter rose up and said to them: “Men and brethren, you know that a good while ago God chose among us, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. 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.
Acts 26:18 - to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.
The gospel is the "good news" of the death, burial and resurrection of Christ (1 Corinthians 15:1-4) and is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that BELIEVES.. (Romans 1:16) To "believe" the gospel is to trust in the death, burial and resurrection of Christ as the ALL-SUFFICIENT means of our salvation. The gospel is a message of grace to be received through faith. The gospel is not a set of rituals to perform, a code of laws to be obeyed or a check list of good works to accomplish (including water baptism) as a prerequisite for salvation.
2 Corinthians 4:3 - But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
*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 - 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*
We obey the gospel by choosing to believe the gospel. Romans 10:16 - But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our report?”
Romans 1:16 - For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.
Acts 15:7 - And when there had been much dispute, Peter rose up and said to them: “Men and brethren, you know that a good while ago God chose among us, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. 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.
Acts 26:18 - to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.
The gospel is the "good news" of the death, burial and resurrection of Christ (1 Corinthians 15:1-4) and is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that BELIEVES.. (Romans 1:16) To "believe" the gospel is to trust in the death, burial and resurrection of Christ as the ALL-SUFFICIENT means of our salvation. The gospel is a message of grace to be received through faith. The gospel is not a set of rituals to perform, a code of laws to be obeyed or a check list of good works to accomplish (including water baptism) as a prerequisite for salvation.
2 Corinthians 4:3 - But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.