I'm Worried About a Friend and Church of Christ

[Marian29]

The part that makes me quite nervous about the Church of Christ is that they are proclaiming you need to do the work of Baptism to "acquire" your salvation. Here's a practical situation where I feel this philosophy is flawed.

My grandmother passed away May 28th 2013. She grew up with her parents being Catholic, but she professed as an atheist for the majority of her life. The day before she passed away, she finally accepted Christ into her heart. She was not baptized.

Under the Word of God, it says she would be saved. Under Church of Christ teaching, she's in Hell. I'll take the Word of God, please!

Don't you have any good christian magazine study for beginners which can help your friend to read it and have her own correct conclusions about the Truth?... offer it to her, so she can be guided to open the right verses on the Bible, etc...
May the Holy Spirit guide her in the right path...
Don't push her, it can get worse. Pray, so she can see that church is not the right one... did you talk about Jesus Salvation Plan to her?

 

[SoulWeaver]

Dont let anyone cause you to doubt about your grandma, they are deceived and carnally minded. The water baptism is just a symbolic picture of the saving (Holy Spirit) baptism. Where does it say in the Bible? Here:

1 Peter 3:21 and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also--not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a clear conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ,

Praying for your friend too.

 

[mailmandan]

I've gone through all the churches near her, and her and I saw some potentially good ones. However, the people who are "Teaching" her seem to be trying to keep her away from them, telling her she can only go to a Church of Christ or something

When I was a teenager, I had temporarily attended a church of Christ and they taught me that ONLY "their" church is the "true Church" and they quoted Romans 16:16 to support their claim. They also taught salvation by works, with a heavy emphasis on water baptism. It was a friend who invited me to attend there. His Aunt was a hardcore member of the church of Christ. I'll never forget several years later running into my friend's Aunt at my friend's daughter's birthday party. Since then, I have received Christ through faith and was now a born again Christian. I shared this good news with his Aunt and the only question that she had for me was, "where do you attend church?" When my answer was not "the church of Christ," she bowed her head in sadness as if to imply that I was still lost because I didn't say the church of Christ. Her husband approached me and I shared the good news with him that I received Christ through faith and am now a Christian as well and he had the same question, "where do you attend church," and when I told him and the answer was not the church of Christ, his eyes glazed over followed by a cheesy legalistic grin on his face and he simply walked away from me and neither of them would speak with me for the rest of the night. I would stay away from any church that teaches salvation by works and teaches that only "they" are the "true Church." Roman Catholic church, church of Christ, Mormon church, just to name a few.

 

[JOHN1513]

[SUP]John 15:16 [/SUP]Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.

[SUP]James 1:5 [/SUP]If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

Your friend
Jeremiah Howell

 

[SeaBass]

I've gone through all the churches near her, and her and I saw some potentially good ones. However, the people who are "Teaching" her seem to be trying to keep her away from them, telling her she can only go to a Church of Christ or something

Col 1:18; Eph 4:4 Christ established just one body/church.....one = one. There is no such thing as a multitude of different churches that believe in things contradictory to each other yet somehow all are biblically correct anyway for that idea is the corruption of man.

 

[SeaBass]

The part that makes me quite nervous about the Church of Christ is that they are proclaiming you need to do the work of Baptism to "acquire" your salvation. Here's a practical situation where I feel this philosophy is flawed.

My grandmother passed away May 28th 2013. She grew up with her parents being Catholic, but she professed as an atheist for the majority of her life. The day before she passed away, she finally accepted Christ into her heart. She was not baptized.

Under the Word of God, it says she would be saved. Under Church of Christ teaching, she's in Hell. I'll take the Word of God, please!

The word of God requires water baptism, Mt 28:19,20; Mk 16:16 Jn 3;5; Acts 2:38; Rom 6:3-5; 1 Cor 12:13; Col 2:12; 1 Pet 3:21. Acts 2:41, rejecting baptism is rejecting the gospel word.

 

[notuptome]

Salvation is by grace received through faith. Water baptism does not save. In Acts the eunuch is told by Philip that he may be water baptized if he believes.

It is a patently false gospel that makes salvation dependent upon anything but Gods grace. Those who claim that if one is not water baptized they are not saved are simply wrong and still wandering in darkness. They will not enter into the light themselves and are set to prevent others from doing so as well.

For the cause of Christ
Roger

 

[SeaBass]

Don't you have any good christian magazine study for beginners which can help your friend to read it and have her own correct conclusions about the Truth?... offer it to her, so she can be guided to open the right verses on the Bible, etc...
May the Holy Spirit guide her in the right path...
Don't push her, it can get worse. Pray, so she can see that church is not the right one... did you talk about Jesus Salvation Plan to her?

Instead of a "Christian" magazine, she should study the bible, the depository of God's truth. And since the Holy Spirit authored the bible, the Holy Spirit will be speaking to her from His word. From a diligent study of that word , she will learn the truth and not get entangled with the contradictions of denominationalism and orthodoxies of men.

 

[SeaBass]

Salvation is by grace received through faith. Water baptism does not save. In Acts the eunuch is told by Philip that he may be water baptized if he believes.

It is a patently false gospel that makes salvation dependent upon anything but Gods grace. Those who claim that if one is not water baptized they are not saved are simply wrong and still wandering in darkness. They will not enter into the light themselves and are set to prevent others from doing so as well.

For the cause of Christ
Roger

notuptome = water baptism does not save
bible = baptism doth also now save us

So the philosophies of men contradict the simpliest of bible teachings.

 

[notuptome]

notuptome = water baptism does not save
bible = baptism doth also now save us

So the philosophies of men contradict the simpliest of bible teachings.

You are the guy I'm talking about. You pervert the gospel and make the grace of God of no effect.

You have been admonished many times so I leave you to Gods judgment.

For the cause of Christ
Roger

 

[SeaBass]

You are the guy I'm talking about. You pervert the gospel and make the grace of God of no effect.

You have been admonished many times so I leave you to Gods judgment.

For the cause of Christ
Roger

We just saw you pervert the gospel of Christ by saying the EXACT OPPOSITE of what the gospel teaches.

And your post above proves NOTHING.

 

[notuptome]

We just saw you pervert the gospel of Christ by saying the EXACT OPPOSITE of what the gospel teaches.

And your post above proves NOTHING.

Perhaps but there is preponderance of evidence that you are well on your way if indeed you have not already arrived at reprobate status. When you are beyond admonition, reproof and rebuke you are in a place where only God must deal with you.

For the cause of Christ
Roger

 

[SeaBass]

Perhaps but there is preponderance of evidence that you are well on your way if indeed you have not already arrived at reprobate status. When you are beyond admonition, reproof and rebuke you are in a place where only God must deal with you.

For the cause of Christ
Roger

Evidently you do not realize that posts as this one of yours above only prove your untenable position for they prove nothing from the bible.

 

[notuptome]

Evidently you do not realize that posts as this one of yours above only prove your untenable position for they prove nothing from the bible.

I'm prepared to allow God to judge. You say water baptism. God says grace.

1 Timothy 4:1-2

For the cause of Christ
Roger

 

[SeaBass]

I'm prepared to allow God to judge. You say water baptism. God says grace.

1 Timothy 4:1-2

For the cause of Christ
Roger

The bible, not me, says both grace AND water baptism saves:

Grace>>>>>>>saves, Eph 2:5
baptism>>>>>>saves, 1 Pet 3:21

Since there is just one way to be saved, then God's grace must include water baptism.

Acts 2:41 those that reject baptism are rejecting the gospel word.

It's evident that bible does not teach "grace only" saves and those that do teach this unbiblical position are those of 1 Tim 4:2.

 

[GracethroughfaithinChrist]

The bible, not me, says both grace AND water baptism saves:

Grace>>>>>>>saves, Eph 2:5
baptism>>>>>>saves, 1 Pet 3:21

Since there is just one way to be saved, then God's grace must include water baptism.

Acts 2:41 those that reject baptism are rejecting the gospel word.

It's evident that bible does not teach "grace only" saves and those that do teach this unbiblical position are those of 1 Tim 4:2.

Your words show that you are absolutely clueless about how grace (the unmerited favor of God) works.

 

[notuptome]

The bible, not me, says both grace AND water baptism saves:

Grace>>>>>>>saves, Eph 2:5
baptism>>>>>>saves, 1 Pet 3:21

Since there is just one way to be saved, then God's grace must include water baptism.

Acts 2:41 those that reject baptism are rejecting the gospel word.

It's evident that bible does not teach "grace only" saves and those that do teach this unbiblical position are those of 1 Tim 4:2.

You simply refuse to allow Christ to save you. You do not have the indwelling Holy Spirit in a very personal and literal sense. This confirms that you are not Christ's. Romans 8:9 That is quite blunt but it is directly from Gods word.

John 20:22 Jesus breathed on them and said receive ye the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit who is the Comforter promised to speak to us of Christ.

Acts 8:26-39 We have the account of Philip and the eunuch. Verses 36 to 38 give the clearest example of water baptism in the NT. The witness by Philip that Jesus is the Christ and the eunuch believing what the scripture taught of Jesus. The eunuch then inquires about water baptism, noting that Philip does not prompt him to ask, and Philip sets forth the order of first belief then water is allowed. Believers are baptized not unbelievers baptized into belief.

This is not for your benefit because you have constantly rejected sound doctrine in this matter. It is for those who seek to know what God said regarding salvation and water baptism.

For the cause of Christ
Roger

 

[Jabberjaw]

Your words show that you are absolutely clueless about how grace (the unmerited favor of God) works.

Yet more opinion, nothing to show support of what you believe and why you believe it... if you can SHOW that baptism is not required, in other words, prove the bible is contradictory since 1 Peter 3:21 and Mark 16:16 are very clear, black and white that baptism saves, if you can give more than opinion that "faith only" saves, then posts like yours would be of value and not just taking up space...

Don't tell people what you believe and why you believe it, SHOW IT IS THE WILL OF GOD, and not just your opinion:

1 Peter 3:15-17 (KJV)
15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear: 16 Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ. 17 For it is better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer for well doing, than for evil doing.

 

[SeaBass]

Your words show that you are absolutely clueless about how grace (the unmerited favor of God) works.

Your post here, as nouptome's posts, proved nothing from the bible. Your post only shows us your opinion about me, nothing more.

 

[SeaBass]

You simply refuse to allow Christ to save you. You do not have the indwelling Holy Spirit in a very personal and literal sense. This confirms that you are not Christ's. Romans 8:9 That is quite blunt but it is directly from Gods word.

John 20:22 Jesus breathed on them and said receive ye the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit who is the Comforter promised to speak to us of Christ.

Acts 8:26-39 We have the account of Philip and the eunuch. Verses 36 to 38 give the clearest example of water baptism in the NT. The witness by Philip that Jesus is the Christ and the eunuch believing what the scripture taught of Jesus. The eunuch then inquires about water baptism, noting that Philip does not prompt him to ask, and Philip sets forth the order of first belief then water is allowed. Believers are baptized not unbelievers baptized into belief.

This is not for your benefit because you have constantly rejected sound doctrine in this matter. It is for those who seek to know what God said regarding salvation and water baptism.

For the cause of Christ
Roger

The eunuch was WATER baptized, which is the baptism of Christ's great commission, the one baptism of Eph 4:5, Mk 16:16; Jn 3:5; Acts 2:38; Rom 6:3-5; Col 2:12; 1 Pet 3:21. The eunuch was not "spirit baptized'.

You post "Philip sets forth the order of first belief then water is allowed."

Why would Phillip do this? Mk 16:16 "he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved". Phillip was following Christ's great commission where belief is made a prerequisite before one can be water baptized. And Jesus made both belief and baptism prerequisites to "shall be saved".

You have no literal, personal indwelling of the Holy Spirit yourself so you are not of Christ's. See how I can say this same thing about you. Jn 20:22 Jesus was speaking to His apostles, not you or me.