Requirements of Salvation

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Oct 25, 2018
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I made this because there are people preaching in these final years of the world, teaching that
just by believing on the Lord Jesus Christ you can be saved. If it was that easy we wouldn't have scriptures
warning us that few will be saved and that the path to eternal life is narrow, of which few be there that find it.

A holy and sanctified life lived in strict obedience unto the commandments and precepts taught in the word of God,
the Holy Bible, is required of all those that seek the salvation of their souls. This is what the Bible is speaking
of when it says that we must be born again. Born again means to be transformed by God into a new moral life.

John 3:3 KJB
"Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except
a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."

If all we had to do was simply believe, demons and the wicked heathen would be saved. For there are
innumerable people in this world that war against God and His saints and know the truth.

James 2:19
"Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble."

If all we had to do was believe then this verse below would have no meaning.

Matthew 7:14
"because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it."

We see from the verse below that they that do the will of God, that keep His commandments and precepts
taught in the word of God, the Holy Bible, will be saved. Believing on the Lord Jesus Christ that He
is the true messiah, that He really is God in the flesh, is the absolute first step anyone must take on the
path of salvation. It is the first commandment of God we must obey, to simply believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.
For why would anyone even begin to consider keeping His commandments and obey Him if you didn't believe He
was who He said He was.

Matthew 7:21
"Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the
will of my Father which is in heaven."

When it says to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ it should always be accompanied with the explanation that
obedience, love and duty to and for Him is also required in this faith.

James 2:17
"Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone."

We see that faith (trust) in God is really false faith without doing the works of God. What works are these?
These works are the commandments and precepts taught in the word of God. For example, overcoming the world,
and the lusts there of, giving alms, preaching the truth of Jesus Christ and the Holy Bible, encouraging one another, loving one another,
honoring your parents, not hating anyone, not stealing, etc. These are just a few of the many holy commandments
given to us by God in the Holy Bible.

1 John 2:17
"And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever."

If the entire Bible could be summed up in one verse I would choose the following.

Ecclesiastes 12:13
"Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man."

Understanding faith and grace.
Faith means to have trust and hope in God.
Grace means the favor of God.
To have faith (trust) in God you must have a good conscious toward Him.
To have a good conscious toward God you must obey Him.
Faith and obedience go hand in hand.
If you are obedient to God's commandments and precepts He will give you true faith, real trust in Him.
He will show you that you can trust in Him by the protection of His Spirit (the Holy Spirit).
Grace and obedience also go hand in hand.
If you are obedient, the grace (favor) of God will be upon you and all that you do.

1 Peter 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:"

The above verse is not saying that baptism literally saves us. It is saying that by being baptized
you are keeping God's commandment which will allow you to begin to have a good conscience towards
God because of your obedience. Just as believing on the Lord Jesus Christ is a commandment, so also is baptism.
Continue seeking God's will in all that you do to continue with a good conscience toward God.

If you want to be saved from the damnation of Hell, get in the word of God,
start in the New Testament at the gospel of
Matthew, in a King James Bible (PDF above) and
read every word and do exactly as God's word teaches you.
"Repent and believe the good news!"[Mark 1:15] This is how one is saved. It is not just belief, but also repentance.
 
Oct 25, 2018
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Strongs is a Concordance. That means it is a back translation from Hebrew to English. What you need is a Lexicon.

The best example is BDB or Brown-Driver-Briggs for Hebrew, and Bauer or BDAG Bauer, Danker:
https://www.logos.com/product/3878/...t-and-other-early-christian-literature-3rd-ed

Further. I certainly never said anything about John the Baptist writing the John books. It was John, the beloved disciple of Jesus, who wrote them, in a simple English.

However my biggest objection to your post, is not that shuv means to turn away in Hebrew. It does mean that! However, the NT was written in Greek, and metanoia means repentance in the NT. Nor are the words perfectly the same, but close enough.

Please stop with all the red herrings, and admit that what repentance means in Hebrew is not the same word in Greek, which the NT was written in.
I didn't want to hock an arm and a leg to get BDAG, but I was blessed to buy the second edition that is copyrighted 1979. :) :D (y):giggle:
 

mailmandan

Senior Member
Apr 7, 2014
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What comes after vv. 20-21? "Repent, therefore, of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven you" (v. 22). Again, I ask you, have you committed any wickedness since you believed and were baptized?
So you are just going to ignore, "your money perish with you, because you thought that the gift of God could be purchased with money! and you have neither part nor portion in this matter, for your heart is not right in the sight of God.” Simon needed to repent of his wickedness and was poisoned by bitterness and bound by iniquity. This wickedness that Simon committed was from a heart that was not right with God. So the answer to your question is NO. I have not committed any wickedness from a heart that was not right with God since I believed and was baptized because I truly believe the gospel and my heart has been right with God ever since based on believing in Christ and receiving forgiveness of sins. That doesn't mean that I have never sinned at all since then, which is not the same thing as committing wickedness while bound by iniquity from a heart that is not right with God.
 

posthuman

Senior Member
Jul 31, 2013
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I made this because there are people preaching in these final years of the world, teaching that
just by believing on the Lord Jesus Christ you can be saved. If it was that easy we wouldn't have scriptures
warning us that few will be saved and that the path to eternal life is narrow, of which few be there that find it.
Is belief so easy?
You don't seem to believe. You made this thread because you are incredulous - because you find it extremely difficult to believe that faith alone can save you. As though such belief is a very narrow gate that few can find
 
R

Reformyourself

Guest
The first words out of His mouth (in Matt & Luke). People forget that. They’re all about ‘believe’ and you’re saved. As I have already said even ‘the demons believe, and tremble’ demons don’t often like to repent though 😐
"Repent and believe the good news!"[Mark 1:15] This is how one is saved. It is not just belief, but also repentance.
 

FlyingDove

Senior Member
Dec 27, 2017
1,259
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Strongs is a Concordance. That means it is a back translation from Hebrew to English. What you need is a Lexicon.

The best example is BDB or Brown-Driver-Briggs for Hebrew, and Bauer or BDAG Bauer, Danker:
https://www.logos.com/product/3878/...t-and-other-early-christian-literature-3rd-ed

Further. I certainly never said anything about John the Baptist writing the John books. It was John, the beloved disciple of Jesus, who wrote them, in a simple English.

However my biggest objection to your post, is not that shuv means to turn away in Hebrew. It does mean that! However, the NT was written in Greek, and metanoia means repentance in the NT. Nor are the words perfectly the same, but close enough.

Please stop with all the red herrings, and admit that what repentance means in Hebrew is not the same word in Greek, which the NT was written in.
My post said this:
Repentance: Strong's Hebrews ( H7725:שׁוּב ) to turn back, return, a wholehearted turning to God.
(NOTE: The different way repent translates in Hebrew vs Greek. John wasn't speaking Greek, nor was he preaching to gentiles. Gentiles had no relationship, no covenant, no hope & were without God (Eph 2:12)

2ndly, I made no mention to John the beloved, you did. And finally the notion that John the Baptist, a law a abiding Jew (son of a Temple priest). Was preaching in the wilderness of Judaea. Telling other law abiding Jews to repent in GREEK, is laughable! I'm done here, best wished!
 
Jan 17, 2020
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Please provide scripture.
“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:” 1 Peter 3:21 (KJV 1900)
 

JBTN

Active member
Feb 11, 2020
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Do you believe that the Holy Spirit is a baptizer?
When you read verses like 1 Corinthians 6:11 it certainly sounds like it.

1 Corinthians 6:11 ESV

And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

In the phrase “by the Spirit of our God,” by is the Greek word en which means in. So is this by the Spirit or in the Spirit?

Mark 1:8 ESV

I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.

With here is also the Greek work en or in.

Ephesians 1:13-14 ESV

In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.

In this case believers are sealed in him with the Holy Spirit.

These verses show that the Holy Sprit is certainly involved, but John 3:8 also tells us that we can’t fully understand everything involving the Spirit.

John 3:8 ESV

“The wind/pneuma blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit/Pneumatos.”
 

Wansvic

Well-known member
Nov 27, 2018
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What are your thought on this verse?

Hebrews 9:10 ESV

but deal only with food and drink and various washings, regulations for the body imposed until the time of reformation.

The Greek word translated washings is baptismois. It comes from baptizo and means washing, dipping, submerging. So, this verse tells us that baptisms as regulations for the body will only be imposed until the time of reformation.
The scripture you reference does not pertain to water baptism, it speaks of the OT tabernacle washings, etc.

After the Holy Ghost was poured out, ushering in the NT, Peter instructed everyone of the need to be water baptized in a slightly different way than what was introduced by John the Baptist prior to Jesus' death, burial and resurrection. This is evidenced in Paul's interaction with the Ephesus disciples. (Acts 19:2-6) The recorded event makes it clear that John the Baptist's water baptism was just an introduction to what would later have to be done in Jesus' name.

Obedience to this change regarding baptism is required as there is a spiritual significance to the God ordained ordinance. Upon being water baptized in the name of Jesus individuals are being spiritually buried and reborn with Him.
 

posthuman

Senior Member
Jul 31, 2013
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What was the good news preached in Mark?
The healing of lepers -- salvation from certain death. This is the redemption from Miriam's judgment; no one but Naaman - the gentile Syrian - had ever been healed of leprosy before.
 

Wansvic

Well-known member
Nov 27, 2018
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Let me just say that when I started studying Acts 10:47-48 in Greek I was fascinated by what I found In Thayer’s Lexicon.

Acts 10:47-48 ESV

”Can anyone withhold water for baptizing these people, who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?” And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to remain for some days.

The Greek word for withhold is kolysai it comes from koluo (Strong’s #2967). It means to hinder. If I can withhold something then I have complete control of it. If the meaning is to hinder, that implies that my ability to affect it is limited. As I dug into Thayer’s lexicon under koluo I found the first part of Acts 10:47 rendered this way.

Can anyone hinder the water (which offers itself), that these should not be baptized?

Thayer’s version indicates that the water is not H2O for immersing someone in, but a metaphor for the Holy Spirit itself.

In addition to this, the word commanded in Acts 10:48 also means to place at.

Now when I read Acts 10:48 the picture I see is Peter saying to the Household of Cornelius “You have been immersed in the onomati/name/cause of Jesus Christ.”
I don't agree. The biblical record clearly separates the two.

As the following states, the Holy Ghost was poured out on the group. After that experience Peter looks to the other Jews present and asks whether they should forbid that the Gentiles partake in water baptism. As Peter stated at Pentecost water baptism is done in Jesus' name for the remission of sin. Therefore, he understood that to refuse to water baptize the group would be hindering their ability to have their sins washed away in compliance with the very purposes of God. Peter deduced that God certainly would not have filled the Gentiles with His Spirit if they were not accepted to receive eternal salvation.

Acts 10:47-48

47 Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we?

48 And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then prayed they him to tarry certain days.
 

Wansvic

Well-known member
Nov 27, 2018
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Yep, you are one that focus more on James, as well as what Jesus said in the 4 gospels, in order to form a doctrine that salvation is faith and works.
The entire bible is inspired by God. Study of all of it is necessary to get a correct understanding. (2 Timothy 3:16)
 

JBTN

Active member
Feb 11, 2020
211
74
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The scripture you reference does not pertain to water baptism, it speaks of the OT tabernacle washings, etc.

After the Holy Ghost was poured out, ushering in the NT, Peter instructed everyone of the need to be water baptized in a slightly different way than what was introduced by John the Baptist prior to Jesus' death, burial and resurrection. This is evidenced in Paul's interaction with the Ephesus disciples. (Acts 19:2-6) The recorded event makes it clear that John the Baptist's water baptism was just an introduction to what would later have to be done in Jesus' name.

Obedience to this change regarding baptism is required as there is a spiritual significance to the God ordained ordinance. Upon being water baptized in the name of Jesus individuals are being spiritually buried and reborn with Him.
Hebrews 9:10 is absolutely talking about water baptism. That is how it was referred to in Greek. However, in this verse the Greek word baptismois was translated and not transliterated. It does refer to regulations under the Law of Moses, but the questions remains. Why would Hebrews tell us that baptism as a regulation for the body would be imposed until the time of reformation, only for us to see baptism in water reestablished as an ordinance for the body after the time of reformation?

Acts 19:5 ESV

On hearing this they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.

baptized in the name = ebaptisthesan eis to onoma

Thayer’s lexicon says that eis is used in conjunction with baptizo to indicate the medium into which immersion occurs. So in this case the immersion is into the name/authority/cause of the Lord Jesus, not into water.

We can see the Greek words used in a similar fashion in 1 Corinthians 10:2

1 Corinthians 10:2 ESV

and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea,

the Greek word order would make this: into Moses were baptized = eis ton Mousen ebaptistanto