Saved by faith alone?

  • Christian Chat is a moderated online Christian community allowing Christians around the world to fellowship with each other in real time chat via webcam, voice, and text, with the Christian Chat app. You can also start or participate in a Bible-based discussion here in the Christian Chat Forums, where members can also share with each other their own videos, pictures, or favorite Christian music.

    If you are a Christian and need encouragement and fellowship, we're here for you! If you are not a Christian but interested in knowing more about Jesus our Lord, you're also welcome! Want to know what the Bible says, and how you can apply it to your life? Join us!

    To make new Christian friends now around the world, click here to join Christian Chat.

Lamar

Active member
May 21, 2023
457
63
28
You are big on telling others to just accept what Scripture says, without adding to it.

Water is not mentioned in that verse. Just sayin'...
Does water have to be mentioned for it to be understood as water baptism?

mailmandan seems to understand that it is water.

Do we not know what Bathsheba was bathing in? After all water is not mentioned.

Is it up for debate in your mind? Be honest.
 

hornetguy

Senior Member
Jan 18, 2016
6,646
1,397
113
If baptism is not a work then what is it? Just a nothing? So no work at all is accomplished when someone is water baptized? When Jesus was water baptized it was to fulfill all righteousness (Matthew 3:13-15) which makes baptism a work of righteousness.
baptism is an act of obedience....
 

Magenta

Senior Member
Jul 3, 2015
56,020
26,145
113
Does water have to be mentioned for it to be understood as water baptism?

mailmandan seems to understand that it is water.

Do we not know what Bathsheba was bathing in? After all water is not mentioned.

Is it up for debate in your mind? Be honest.
I see you do not hold to the standard you desire others to hold to...
 

Everlasting-Grace

Well-known member
Dec 18, 2021
5,015
1,540
113
Agreed.

If you say baptism is a work, you are in error.
Baptism of the HS is not a work

Baptism in water is a work. It is a command of God. If you DO IT to be saved, your earning salvation

to deny it is to deny what you realy teach.
 

Lamar

Active member
May 21, 2023
457
63
28
I see you do not hold to the standard you desire others to hold to...
I believe it is you who does not live your life expecting every term to have a qualifier attached to it.

If you tell someone that you are going to wash the dishes, do you tell them "with water"? Of course you don't. You just don't want to admit it. Even mailmandan knows that Jesus was speaking of water in Mark 16:16.

How can he see it and not you? I suspect it is because he is a little more mature and honest then you are.
 

Radius

Senior Member
Feb 11, 2013
1,138
180
63
I believe it is you who does not live your life expecting every term to have a qualifier attached to it.

If you tell someone that you are going to wash the dishes, do you tell them "with water"? Of course you don't. You just don't want to admit it. Even mailmandan knows that Jesus was speaking of water in Mark 16:16.

How can he see it and not you? I suspect it is because he is a little more mature and honest then you are.
why did you avoid my question? Are you a part of the "Church of Christ"?
 

Lamar

Active member
May 21, 2023
457
63
28
why did you avoid my question? Are you a part of the "Church of Christ"?
You accuse me of avoiding your question??? Have you no shame?

Post# 452 You ask ----- Post# 454 I answer ----- You ignore my question.
Post# 518 You ask ----- Post# 525 I answer ----- You do not respond.
Post# 529 You ask ----- Post# 534 I answer ----- You ignore my question.
Post# 566 You ask ----- Post# 574 I answer ----- You do not respond.

Your latest question (Post# 635) has no bearing on the issue at hand.

It would be as relevant as me asking you;

Are you part of the Universalist Church? They are big into salvation without any obedience.
 

mailmandan

Senior Member
Apr 7, 2014
25,047
13,056
113
58
Baptism is what Peter says it is, the moment for those who believe and repent of the remission of sins and the Gift of the Holy Spirit. It is in harmony with the rest of the Bible and should not be denied, maligned, altered, ignored or dismissed.

It does not need to meet our preconceived notions or personal sensibilities.

Nor does it need to be "properly understood" to fit into faith alone regeneration theology.
That still does not answer my questions: If baptism is not a work, then what is it? Just a nothing? So, no work at all is accomplished when someone is water baptized?

Your biased interpretation of Acts 2:38 is not in harmony with (Luke 24:47; 3:19; 5:31; 10:43-47; 11:17,18; 15:7-9; 16:31; 26:18) as I already explained in post #456. You fail to properly harmonize scripture with scripture before reaching your conclusion on doctrine and instead, you deny, malign, alter, ignore and dismiss multiple other passages of scripture in an effort to force them to "conform" to your pet verse. That's called flawed hermeneutics.

There are multiple passages of scripture which make it clear that man is saved through belief/faith "apart from additions or modifications" (Luke 8:12; John 1:12; 3:15,16,18,36; 6:40,47; 11:25,26; Acts 10:43; 13:39; 15:7-9; 16:31; 26:18; Romans 1:16; 3:22-28; 4:5-6; 5:1; 10:4; 1 Corinthians 1:21; Galatians 2:16; 3:6-9, 26; Ephesians 2:8.9; Philippians 3:9; 2 Timothy 3:15; Hebrews 10:39; 1 John 5:13 etc..).

Now you don't need to add the word "alone" next to "belief/faith" in each of these passages of scripture in order to figure out that the words, "belief/faith" stand alone in connection with receiving eternal life/salvation. Hence, FAITH ALONE. Do these many passages of scripture say belief/faith "plus something else?" Plus, baptism? Plus, works? NO. So, then it's faith (rightly understood) in Christ alone. If "additional requirements" (further acts of obedience/works including water baptism) were also necessary for salvation after one believes/places faith in Jesus Christ for salvation, then God would not make so many statements in which He promises eternal life to those who simply BELIEVE/PLACE FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST FOR SALVATION.
 

mailmandan

Senior Member
Apr 7, 2014
25,047
13,056
113
58
Here is the text:

Then Jesus appeared. He came from Galilee to the Jordan River to be baptized by John. But John tried to stop him and said, “I need to be baptized by you. Why are you coming to me?” Jesus answered him, “This is the way it has to be now. This is the proper way to do everything that God requires of us.” Then John gave in to him.

I do not see works here, obedience yes, works no.

Unless you see they as the same.
Obedience is works. In this case a work of righteousness. Matthew 3:15 - But Jesus answered and said to him, “Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness. Then he allowed Him. Clearly this was a work of righteousness. Also see Titus 3:5.
 

hornetguy

Senior Member
Jan 18, 2016
6,646
1,397
113
Acts of obedience which follow saving faith in Christ are works.
we disagree completely on that one, brother....
A work is something you do in order to "earn" something, whether it's money, or praise, or whatever else would be considered payment.

Obedience is just that, obedience to a request/command.... it is not to "earn" something.
 

Everlasting-Grace

Well-known member
Dec 18, 2021
5,015
1,540
113
we disagree completely on that one, brother....
A work is something you do in order to "earn" something, whether it's money, or praise, or whatever else would be considered payment.

Obedience is just that, obedience to a request/command.... it is not to "earn" something.
so you would agree.

One who gets baptized to be saved. is teaching works. because they are doing a work to earn salvation?
 

mailmandan

Senior Member
Apr 7, 2014
25,047
13,056
113
58
we disagree completely on that one, brother....
A work is something you do in order to "earn" something, whether it's money, or praise, or whatever else would be considered payment.

Obedience is just that, obedience to a request/command.... it is not to "earn" something.
It depends on your motivation for doing works. I was once in a discussion with someone who believes we are saved by faith and works who made this statement below:

"It is works of obedience and not works of the law or works of merit that help save us." - That is an oxymoron.

If salvation was based on works, then we would earn salvation (at least in part) but that is not the case. (Romans 4:5-6; Ephesians 2:8,9)

In Ephesians 2:10, we read - For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. We are saved for good works and not by good works. Acts of obedience performed by Christians are good works.
 

hornetguy

Senior Member
Jan 18, 2016
6,646
1,397
113
I agree completely that we cannot earn salvation. It is a free gift to those that accept it. I believe that accepting it enters the person into the new covenant with God... I believe that, by scripture, our outward showing, our "circumcision" is to be water baptized (immersed), and, again, scripturally, it is for the forgiveness of sins, and an appeal to God for a clear conscience, and when we do it, we receive the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit of God... it's not a "work" .... it's part of entering into the new covenant.... it is NOT to earn salvation at all.
 

hornetguy

Senior Member
Jan 18, 2016
6,646
1,397
113
If someone says "I have to be baptized, because that's what saves me"..... I disagree with that.
Even though there is the scripture that SAYS baptism now saves us, by reading other scriptures, it's easy to understand, it's just a part of the process of salvation.
 

Magenta

Senior Member
Jul 3, 2015
56,020
26,145
113
I believe it is you who does not live your life expecting every term to have a qualifier attached to it.

If you tell someone that you are going to wash the dishes, do you tell them "with water"? Of course you don't. You just don't want to admit it. Even mailmandan knows that Jesus was speaking of water in Mark 16:16.

How can he see it and not you? I suspect it is because he is a little more mature and honest then you are.
I suspect that when Scripture says we are made holy/sanctified, cleansed by the washing with water through
the word, it does not mean H2O at all.
John 1:17 clarifies this: Sanctify them by the truth; Your word is truth.

Washing dishes and taking a bath in the normative do not require qualifiers, silly man.

Do you overlook the fact that God calls Himself the spring of living water?

Jesus makes a clear distinction between earthly H2O and the water He gives unto life.

The significance of this is apparently overlooked and/or misunderstand by many.

Water baptism is so important that Jesus personally baptized a grand total of zero people in water.

So important that the greatest apostle of them all was glad he water baptized so few.

Does this mean it is not important at all? No! But salvation does not depend on it.


Jesus' words from John 7:37-38 and John 4:14

Titus 3:4-5
2 Peter 3:17b plus Titus 1:10-11:)
 

Everlasting-Grace

Well-known member
Dec 18, 2021
5,015
1,540
113
If someone says "I have to be baptized, because that's what saves me"..... I disagree with that.
Even though there is the scripture that SAYS baptism now saves us, by reading other scriptures, it's easy to understand, it's just a part of the process of salvation.
if it is part of the process of salvation.

is that not again a work being done to gain something (in this case salvation)
 

phil36

Senior Member
Feb 12, 2009
8,260
2,111
113
51
Washing dishes and taking a bath in the normative do not require qualifiers, silly man.


This gave me a good laugh today magenta... 🤣😂🤣

But i suppose from a mans point of view it would take more than qualifiers to get us to do the dishes 🤔😂
 

Magenta

Senior Member
Jul 3, 2015
56,020
26,145
113
This gave me a good laugh today magenta... 🤣😂🤣

But i suppose from a mans point of view it would take more than qualifiers to get us to do the dishes 🤔😂
I agree! Heh, doing dishes is close to last on my list of things I want to do!

I certainly do not expect that dishes being washed could ever mean a cleansing in the Spiritual realm.

Not so with baptism, though. Jesus was baptized to fulfill all righteousness.

We put on His righteousness through faith in His shed righteous blood.


Scripture attests to the flood being a form of baptism for those who were saved.

None of those who were saved got wet. The same with those baptized into Moses. None got wet.

“You do not know what you are asking,” Jesus replied. “Can you drink the cup I will drink, or be baptized with the
baptism I will undergo?”
“We can,” the brothers answered. “You will drink the cup that I drink,” Jesus said, “and you
will be baptized with the baptism that I undergo."
I do not believe the baptism Jesus was alluding to was water baptism.