Paul wrote 1 Thessalonians 1:3 "Remembering without ceasing your work of faith."
There is such a thing as a work of faith.
That is very different from dead works.
A work of faith is something done because God spoke and man believed.
A dead work tries to earn righteousness.
A work of faith submits to the righteousness of God.
A dead work says, Look what I did.
A work of faith says, Lord, I trust what You said.
A dead work glorifies man.
A work of faith glorifies God.
So when a person repents, that is not boasting.
When a person is baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, that is not boasting.
When a person receives the Holy Ghost, that is not boasting.
When a person obeys Acts 2:38, that is not man saving himself.
That is faith responding to grace.
The real issue is not grace versus baptism.
The real issue is grace versus boasting.
The real issue is not faith versus obedience.
The real issue is faith versus self-righteousness.
The real issue is not Ephesians 2 versus Acts 2.
The real issue is whether we will allow the whole Bible to speak.
Jesus said: He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. Mark 16:16
Peter said:
Acts 2:38 Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins.
Ananias said:
Acts 22:16 Arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.
Paul wrote:
Romans 6:3 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?
Paul also wrote:
Galatians 3:27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
Peter wrote:
1 Peter 3:21 The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us.
None of those verses teach that water saves apart from Jesus.
None of those verses teach that man earns salvation.
None of those verses teach that baptism is a human achievement.
They teach that God has placed something in baptism when it is obeyed by faith in the name of Jesus Christ.
Colossians 2:12 says it plainly. Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God.
That is one of the clearest verses in the Bible.
Baptism is not the operation of man.
It is the operation of God.
The person being baptized is not bragging.
The person being baptized is submitting.
God is the one working.
God is the one cutting away sin.
God is the one applying the name.
God is the one burying the old man.
God is the one raising the believer to walk in newness of life.
That is why Ephesians 2:8-9 cannot be used to erase baptism in Jesus’ name.
Paul would never write Colossians 2:12 and then turn around and say baptism is a self-righteous work.
He would never preach Acts 19 and then write Ephesians 2 to cancel what he preached.
He would never command obedience to the faith and then condemn obedience as unbelief.
The confusion comes when people put every action into the same category.
They say, If you do anything, that is works.
But that is not how the Bible speaks.
Believing is something a person does.
Repenting is something a person does.
Confessing is something a person does.
Calling on the name of the Lord is something a person does.
Being baptized is something a person submits to.
Receiving the Holy Ghost is something a person receives.
None of that means man saved himself.
It means man responded to God.
Even faith itself does not save because it is a human achievement.
Faith saves because it receives the grace God gives.
So when Paul says not of works, he is not saying do not obey Jesus.
He is saying do not boast before God.
There is a great difference.
A sinner cannot boast in repentance because repentance admits guilt.
A sinner cannot boast in baptism because baptism is burial.
A sinner cannot boast in receiving the Holy Ghost because the Spirit is a gift.
A sinner cannot boast in the blood because the blood belonged to Jesus.
A sinner cannot boast in grace because grace came from God.
So the apostolic message gives all glory to Jesus Christ.
Acts 2:38 does not rob Jesus of glory.
It exalts Him.
Baptism in Jesus’ name does not replace the blood.
It applies faith in the blood.
Receiving the Holy Ghost does not compete with grace.
It is the gift of grace.
Obedience to the gospel does not make man the Savior.
It bows before the Savior. (ADT excerpt)
There is such a thing as a work of faith.
That is very different from dead works.
A work of faith is something done because God spoke and man believed.
A dead work tries to earn righteousness.
A work of faith submits to the righteousness of God.
A dead work says, Look what I did.
A work of faith says, Lord, I trust what You said.
A dead work glorifies man.
A work of faith glorifies God.
So when a person repents, that is not boasting.
When a person is baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, that is not boasting.
When a person receives the Holy Ghost, that is not boasting.
When a person obeys Acts 2:38, that is not man saving himself.
That is faith responding to grace.
The real issue is not grace versus baptism.
The real issue is grace versus boasting.
The real issue is not faith versus obedience.
The real issue is faith versus self-righteousness.
The real issue is not Ephesians 2 versus Acts 2.
The real issue is whether we will allow the whole Bible to speak.
Jesus said: He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. Mark 16:16
Peter said:
Acts 2:38 Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins.
Ananias said:
Acts 22:16 Arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.
Paul wrote:
Romans 6:3 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?
Paul also wrote:
Galatians 3:27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
Peter wrote:
1 Peter 3:21 The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us.
None of those verses teach that water saves apart from Jesus.
None of those verses teach that man earns salvation.
None of those verses teach that baptism is a human achievement.
They teach that God has placed something in baptism when it is obeyed by faith in the name of Jesus Christ.
Colossians 2:12 says it plainly. Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God.
That is one of the clearest verses in the Bible.
Baptism is not the operation of man.
It is the operation of God.
The person being baptized is not bragging.
The person being baptized is submitting.
God is the one working.
God is the one cutting away sin.
God is the one applying the name.
God is the one burying the old man.
God is the one raising the believer to walk in newness of life.
That is why Ephesians 2:8-9 cannot be used to erase baptism in Jesus’ name.
Paul would never write Colossians 2:12 and then turn around and say baptism is a self-righteous work.
He would never preach Acts 19 and then write Ephesians 2 to cancel what he preached.
He would never command obedience to the faith and then condemn obedience as unbelief.
The confusion comes when people put every action into the same category.
They say, If you do anything, that is works.
But that is not how the Bible speaks.
Believing is something a person does.
Repenting is something a person does.
Confessing is something a person does.
Calling on the name of the Lord is something a person does.
Being baptized is something a person submits to.
Receiving the Holy Ghost is something a person receives.
None of that means man saved himself.
It means man responded to God.
Even faith itself does not save because it is a human achievement.
Faith saves because it receives the grace God gives.
So when Paul says not of works, he is not saying do not obey Jesus.
He is saying do not boast before God.
There is a great difference.
A sinner cannot boast in repentance because repentance admits guilt.
A sinner cannot boast in baptism because baptism is burial.
A sinner cannot boast in receiving the Holy Ghost because the Spirit is a gift.
A sinner cannot boast in the blood because the blood belonged to Jesus.
A sinner cannot boast in grace because grace came from God.
So the apostolic message gives all glory to Jesus Christ.
Acts 2:38 does not rob Jesus of glory.
It exalts Him.
Baptism in Jesus’ name does not replace the blood.
It applies faith in the blood.
Receiving the Holy Ghost does not compete with grace.
It is the gift of grace.
Obedience to the gospel does not make man the Savior.
It bows before the Savior. (ADT excerpt)