Rehbein wrote: "Peter IS NOT above Christ our Lord...........he is really not above any other saved, sanctified, justified believer in the eyes of God. Jesus said that John the Baptist was the greatest among men, but even he was far less than anyone in Heaven........."
We understand that Peter as an individual believer is the same as any other and always below God.
Problem is that he is the only one that was given the keys = invested with authority to set requirements for the New Covenant as guided by the Holy Spirit.
And be clear on this, no one absolutely no one is above the Holy Spirit. Peter was then the only authorized spokesperson of the H.S.
So if Peter under the Holy Spirit gave the God approved baptismal formula, we better pay attention. Internal evidence is clear in the Bible, no one was baptized as per Mt. 28:19, so it points to it being spurious.
Rehbein wrote: "The Holy Trinity IS!"
The trinity as a concept was devised to aid us understand certain perceptions we have of God in action in our realm.
The definition I subscribe to is the very old one: "loving relation between Divine Substantive Realities (hypostasis)".
As explained in other posts, hypostasis had to be translated to Latin. the word used was Personae. Personae means the mask an actor use to denote the character being played. Tertullian was not convinced, but since Jesus is the image of the invisible God (like a mask), then they went for it.
How on Earth Personae in Latin (meaning mask that an actor uses in a play) turn into the modern term person? beats me.
Rehbein wrote: "Someone said it made sense to baptize in the Name of Jesus since it was He who died for us and not God or the Holy Spirit........... Jesus IS God........they ARE GOD.......so, how exactly did God not take upon the appearance of man and come to earth to die for us? Just saying.......Jesus is God the Son........."
Another confusion here. Jesus the word made flesh is a hypostasis of God.
Look at the following: when you look at yourself in a mirror, the image there is a substantive reality (it affects senses, can be perceived), is a hypostasis of you in a way but not in God's way, because one you move out it disappears (ceases to be a substantive reality).
Now to see how different God is, an image of the invisible God, by God's awesome power and might, is allowed to have life in Himself just as He has life:
John 5:26
For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself.
So awesome is God that He can have an image of Himself (substantive reality) have life, and this happened so Jesus the word made flesh could die for us in the cross.
It had to be that way, because we all know cannot die. but a substantive reality (hypostasis) of Him allowed to have life can.
Eventually the glorification of that voluntarily sacrificing hypostasis was that the whole Deity would dwell bodily in that hypostasis.
Meaning that God eventually clothed Himself of humanity in a New Temple of God (Jesus Christ) so He could be with us without melting us (as would happen were He in HIs natural Spirit state. Remember that God's visit in the mount in the OT made people understand that there was a real chance of dying in front of a Holy God in HIs normal state).
Rehbein wrote: "We are speaking of WATER BAPTISM"
Water baptism is important for all believers........but ONLY because Christ said we should be water baptized.
IT IS NOT REQUIRED FOR SALVATION.........it is the first act of obedience AFTER SALVATION.
Water baptism serves as a witness to the world and the Church that a person has become a disciple of Jesus Christ.............that's IT! Just as the Holy Spirit appearing as a dove landed on the shoulder of Christ at His water baptism served as a Witness........our water baptism serves as a witness........."
What you leave out is the following: the New Covenant has stipulations to get into:
You are expected to believe, confess, turn away from sin, confess Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, receive the Holy Spirit, walk humbly with your God, doing as He tells you so you walk in the good deeds He prepared for you to walk in from before the foundation of the world and aid in the looking of the lost.
You say you serve Jesus Christ, yet ignore the baptism formula that the Holy Spirit gave to the only authorized person: Peter, and seem to ignore a clear explanation Jesus gave:
John 3:5
Jesus answered, Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.
You may rationalize all you want, but if you sit and check against Scripture as Bereans do, you will see, that we have a responsibility to check all to see it jibes with Scripture, and retain what is good.
Do not violate the criteria:
View attachment 191536
God has no inconsistencies: not in His Word, not in HIs plan, not in His New Covenant.
If no one was baptized in the long formula in the Bible, very high chances are that that formula is spurious.
In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit is a phrase in the style of liturgical speech or jargon, and Jesus never spoke like that in the Bible.
Listen: I am not attacking you. I am glad that at least you sit and think about things. We ought to check things out, because salvation is personal, we are all required to see if things are so.
It is much easier to have an overzealous person redirect so that proper research is carried out to get to the truth of the matter, than try to motivate one without passion to check things in light of the Scripture like noble Bereans.
Kind regards.