There are at least six passages in the New Testament that mention baptism and salvation together. In reading them, one cannot help but notice that baptism is mentioned first in every one without exception. A proper respect for the word of God should cause every Bible student to see that there is a reason for this fact. That is, that no one in the days of the early church was ever baptized because he was already…
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The Bible says that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23). Therefore, all are in need of conversion. Each individual is in need of the deliverance, blessings, privilege, hope and joy that the Gospel holds out to man. Since Jesus said, “Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32), we must conclude that there are certain things that one must know in order to be saved.
One must know that he is a sinner. Everyone who has lived…
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The understanding of certain subjects is imperative to being a Christian – who God is, the nature of sin and death, the sacrifice of Christ, repentance, baptism, heaven, hell, and many more. Most of the time we feel comfortable with our level of knowledge concerning these topics; especially our concepts of God the Father and Jesus the Son. But what about the Holy Spirit? Do we need to understand the person and work of the Holy Spirit just as we understand the person and work of Jesus Christ? Or is our understanding and study of the Holy Spirit purely…
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Last week we discussed some of the issues that cause trouble in understanding the Holy Spirit. This week we want to add three major preconceptions that cause greater confusion of the Holy Spirit in the religious world: Calvinism, Pentecostalism, and Emotionalism (or Subjectivism).
The basic tenants of Calvinism teach that man does nothing and God does everything in regards to salvation. This is seen in the Calvinistic doctrines of Unconditional Election, Limited Atonement, and Irresistible Grace. Likewise, man cannot understand God’s word by himself; he must have God’s help. This, it is argued, is the role of the…
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