Born Again Speaking in Tongues

[mailmandan]

Notice God's warning that the one who was not circumcised was guilty of breaking covenant with God. One can apply the same standard concerning circumcision to the NT parallel of water baptism. Those who have not been water baptized would be seen as severing their covenant with God.

Show me the verse in the NT that states those who have not been water baptized will be seen as severing their covenant with God.

Try as you must, you cannot get around the fact that physical circumcision was not the means of obtaining salvation in the Old Testament and Abraham was saved when he BELIEVED before he was circumcised (Genesis 15:6; Romans 4:2-3; 9-10) and the same applies to physical water baptism in the New Testament (Acts 10:43-47; 11:17,18; 15:8,9; 16:31). Faith was accounted to Abraham for righteousness while uncircumcised and faith is accounted for righteousness to believers in the New Testament APART FROM WORKS (Romans 4:4-6).

"And the uncircumcised man child whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken my covenant." Gen 17:1

That's actually Genesis 17:14 and not Genesis 17:1. It truly amazes me to see how everything that I explained to you in post #499 just went right over your head.

 

[mailmandan]

It's not about relying on works. It is about being obedient to the commands given in the word. There is a big difference.

Sugar coated double talk. There is a difference between obeying a command to become saved and obeying a command after we have been saved. You blend the commands to create salvation by faith and works.

You miss the point. There were three specific things Peter instructed MUST be done after believing the gospel of Jesus. Water baptism was one of the those. Another requirement was to repent. Also, the new believer would receive the gift of the Holy Ghost as well. These responsibilities were directed specifically to the New Testament church.

So according to you, these Jews in Acts 2:38 (prior to repenting and receiving water baptism) had ALREADY believed the gospel?

In Acts 2:37, their "belief" at this point was "mental assent" that Jesus was the Messiah and they were guilty of crucifying Him. *That is not saving belief yet. Nothing is mentioned here about them trusting in the death, burial and resurrection of Christ as the ALL-sufficient means of their salvation, which explains why they still needed to repent and believe the gospel in that order.

In Acts 2:40-41, we read - And with many other words he solemnly testified and kept on exhorting them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation!” 41 So then, those who had received his word were (afterwards) baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls.

In Acts 4:4, we read - But many of those who had heard the message believed; and the number of the men came to be about five thousand.

In Acts 5:14, we read - And believers were increasingly added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women.

So in Acts 2:38, "for the remission of sins" does not refer back to both clauses, "you all repent" and "each one of you be baptized," but refers only to the first. Peter is saying "repent unto the remission of your sins," the same as in Acts 3:19. The clause "each one of you be baptized" is parenthetical. This is exactly what Acts 3:19 teaches except that Peter omits the parenthesis.

In Acts 10:43 we read ..whoever believes in Him receives remission of sins. These Gentiles received the gift of the Holy Spirit - Acts 10:45 - when they believed on the Lord Jesus Christ - Acts 11:17 - (compare with Acts 16:31 - Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved) BEFORE water baptism - Acts 10:47. This is referred to as repentance unto life - Acts 11:18. *Hermeneutics.

Do you understand what it means to believe the gospel? I hear these same arguments that you present from those who attend the church of Christ (Campbellism) who also teach a watered down gospel and they reverse the scriptural order of repent and believe as well. Also, Romans 1:16 clearly states that the gospel is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that BELIEVES.. Yet according to you, those who believe the gospel are "still lost" until they repent and receive water baptism "afterwards," which negates Romans 1:16.

 

[Waggles]

Do you understand what it means to believe the gospel?

Yes it means to believe and obey.
Which for most people starts with repentance followed by water baptism.
How can a person say they believe in Christ Jesus and the gospel yet refuse the commandments contained therein necessary for salvation?

32 Send therefore to Joppa, and call unto thee Simon, who is surnamed Peter; he lodgeth in the house of Simon a tanner,
by the sea side.
33 Forthwith therefore I sent to thee; and thou hast well done that thou art come. Now therefore we are all here present in the sight
of God, to hear all things that have been commanded thee of the Lord.
35 but in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is acceptable to him.
Acts 10:
He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him:
1John 2:4

 

[mailmandan]

Yes it means to believe and obey.

No, to "believe the gospel" means to trust in the death, burial and resurrection of Christ as the ALL-sufficient means of our salvation. That is the act of obedience that saves. Obedience which follows "after" we believe the gospel and are saved is "works."

Which for most people starts with repentance followed by water baptism.

Repentance actually "precedes" believing the gospel and becoming saved. Water baptism "follows" repentance/faith/conversion. (Acts 10:43-47; 11:17,18)

How can a person say they believe in Christ Jesus and the gospel yet refuse the commandments contained therein necessary for salvation?

How can a person say they believe in Jesus Christ for salvation/believe the gospel when they are also trusting in works for salvation? That's not faith in Christ, but faith in works. We must not confuse the commands of repenting and believing the gospel "in order to become saved" with commands that follow "after we have been saved."

Now anyone who professes to believe in Jesus/believe the gospel, yet refuses to be water baptized is of questionable sincerity. It's unthinkable that anyone who has truly placed their faith (belief, trust, reliance) in Jesus Christ alone for salvation would refuse to be water baptized! I can't think of one Christian that I know who has refused to be water baptized. I certainly did not refuse to be water baptized after I believed the gospel and was saved. I couldn't wait to be water baptized after my conversion!

32 Send therefore to Joppa, and call unto thee Simon, who is surnamed Peter; he lodgeth in the house of Simon a tanner,
by the sea side.
33 Forthwith therefore I sent to thee; and thou hast well done that thou art come. Now therefore we are all here present in the sight
of God, to hear all things that have been commanded thee of the Lord.
35 but in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is acceptable to him.
Acts 10:

In regards to Acts 10:35, working righteousness is the result of an already established faith. We are not saved by works of righteousness (Titus 3:5), but works of righteousness in connection with salvation are the fruit of, not the means of salvation. We must not confuse descriptive passages of scripture with prescriptive passages of scripture. The end result is salvation by works.

He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him:
1John 2:4

1 John 2:3 - By this we know that we have come to know Him, (already know Him/already saved/demonstrative evidence) if we keep His commandments. BTW the Greek word for "keep" is "tereo" (Strong's #5083 - which means to guard, observe, watch over) His commandments. It does not mean sinless, perfect obedience to ALL of His commandments 100% of the time, as sinless perfectionists teach. (1 John 1:8-10)

1 John 2:4 - He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep (guard, observe, watch over) His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. That reminds me of James 2:14 - What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? (to evidence his claim) Can that faith save him? An empty profession of faith/dead faith cannot save. Man is saved through faith and not by works (Ephesians 2:8,9; Titus 3:5; 2 Timothy 1:9); yet genuine faith is vindicated, substantiated, evidenced by works (James 2:14-24).

 

[Absolutely]

There has been a lot of controversy surrounding Born Again Speaking in Tongues and I hope this will clarify a few things...


Receiving the Holy Ghost as they did in the book of Acts, we need to repent, find a church that baptizes full immersion into the water having the NAME of Jesus pronounced over us, and be filled with the Holy Ghost speaking in tongues.

Note, receiving the Holy Ghost can be before or after water baptism but never before repentance.


Now, this initial speaking in tongues is NOT the gift of tongues a stated in 1Corinthians 12, it is the SOUND that Jesus spoke of in his conversation with Nicodemus...

John 3:3 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.
[5] Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
[8] The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.


When they were filled with the Holy Ghost in Acts chapter 2, they ALL spoke in tongues...

Acts 2:4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.


When God created all that was created he made a parallel between what is spirit and what is the natural.
When a woman is in the hospital birthing room the baby is born and begins to cry, and we know there is movement, there is sound, there is life.

When we are baptized in Jesus name and filled with the Holy Ghost speaking in tongues, as it is with the New Testament Church in Acts, we know there is movement, there is sound, there is LIFE, a baby in the church womb is just birthed forth, and is now Born Again, born of Spirit!


The initial tongues is like having a car...

Although the car has power windows, power locks and radio, none of that is of any use without the battery under the hood. When we get the Holy Ghost speaking in tongues, it is like getting the battery and, now that we have the Holy Ghost the Bible way, we are now candidates to receive and use the power windows, power locks and radio as stated in 1Corinthians 12.

-Thank you.

Ok,several things.
Born again in not the baptising of the Holy Spirit.
The HS baptism is normally imparted by the laying on of hands as recorded in acts.
There is one instance of HS baptising before salvation.
There is no reason why someone couldn't be baptised in the Holy Spirit by laying on of hands and then later be water baptised.

 

[Wansvic]

So according to you, these Jews in Acts 2:38 (prior to repenting and receiving water baptism) had ALREADY believed the gospel?

The scripture attests to the fact that the Jews present did believe the record presented by Peter of Jesus' death, burial and resurrection proving Jesus was in fact the long awaited Messiah. That is what prompted them to ask Peter and the apostles what they MUST do; and Peter provided the instructions:

Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know:
Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain:
Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it. Acts 2:22-24

This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses.
Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear. Acts 2:32-33

Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?

Then Peter said unto them, Repent (of your unbelief), and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.
And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation.
Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.
Acts 2:37-41

 

[eternally-gratefull]

You miss the point. There were three specific things Peter instructed MUST be done after believing the gospel of Jesus. Water baptism was one of the those. Another requirement was to repent. Also, the new believer would receive the gift of the Holy Ghost as well. These responsibilities were directed specifically to the New Testament church.

No you missed the point

1. Peter did not contradict Jesus or paul
2. Peter did not say those things must done to be saved (you refuse to look at greek thats on you)
3. Your misinterpretation of other passages to support you view just hurts your case not helps it.

 

[eternally-gratefull]

The parable is not comparable at all. The Pharisee was boasting of how "wonderful, faultless" his behavior was compared to others.

Yep sounds like you boasting of your baptism

Following the God-given commandments provided by Peter at Pentecost has nothing to do with exalting oneself. It is a matter of wanting to be obedient to God. It is the least one can do considering what Jesus did for us.

Luke 18:11-14
The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.

12 I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.

13 And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.

14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

You missed the whole point. I pointed to the tax collector.and what i highlighted in your post, Not to the pharisee. What did the tax collector do to be justified? Why did he not get baptized or why was he not require? Because it is faith which saved him, myself and everyone else in all ages

So when are you going to repent and have faith in god, and not your works?

 

[Wansvic]

No you missed the point

1. Peter did not contradict Jesus or paul
2. Peter did not say those things must done to be saved (you refuse to look at greek thats on you)
3. Your misinterpretation of other passages to support you view just hurts your case not helps it.

You are right Peter's instructions are in line with, and do not contradict, Jesus and Paul.

So to ascertain what a scripture means someone is required to know Greek? I disagree. That idea is similar to the Roman Catholic church's contention that only they knew what scripture meant.

 

[mailmandan]

The scripture attests to the fact that the Jews present did believe the record presented by Peter of Jesus' death, burial and resurrection proving Jesus was in fact the long awaited Messiah. That is what prompted them to ask Peter and the apostles what they MUST do; and Peter provided the instructions:

Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know:
Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain:
Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it. Acts 2:22-24

This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses.
Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear. Acts 2:32-33

Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?

Like I already said, in Acts 2:37, their "belief" at this point was "mental assent" that Jesus was the Messiah and they were guilty of crucifying Him. *That is not saving belief yet. Nothing is mentioned here about them trusting in the death, burial and resurrection of Christ as the ALL-sufficient means of their salvation, which explains why they still needed to repent and believe the gospel "in that order." Those who have truly repented believe the gospel and those who believe the gospel have already repented in the process of changing their mind and choosing to believe the gospel. Two sides of the same coin.

*Repentance "precedes" believe him/believe the gospel/faith in our Lord Jesus Christ:

Matthew 21:32 - For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him. *Notice the order.

Mark 1:15 - ..repent and believe the gospel. *Notice the order.

Acts 20:21 - ..repentance toward God and of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. *Notice the order.

In Acts 16:29-30, when the Philippian jailor fell down trembling before Paul and Silas and asked, "what must I do to be saved?" Was the answer, "believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and get water baptized and you will be saved? NO. The answer was BELIEVE ON THE LORD JESUS CHRIST AND YOU WILL BE SAVED. Water baptism "follows" believing unto salvation (Acts 16:31-34). *Also see Acts 10:43-47; 11:17,19; 15:8,9)

Then Peter said unto them, Repent (of your unbelief), and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

First you said they already believed the gospel prior to repentance and now you are saying they needed to repent of their unbelief?

For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.
And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation. Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls. Acts 2:37-41

Yes, those who gladly received his word (through repentance/faith) were (afterwards) baptized. The same day three thousand souls were added and baptism was not the cause, but the effect. The cause was belief "implied in repentance." In Acts 4:4, we read - But many of those who had heard the message believed; and the number of the men came to be about five thousand. In Acts 5:14, we read - And believers were increasingly added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women.

 

[Wansvic]

Yep sounds like you boasting of your baptism

Do you share the gospel, as you see it, in an effort to be boastful? Or, out of a genuine concern for others? I would hope the latter is why every one of us shares what we see.

Each of us individually will be held accountable for our own obedience to, or lack of, what the bible truly says and means. So it is crucial for me as well as you to consider everything it says. Only through prayer and the leading of the Holy Spirit can any of us hope to have wrong understanding washed away and replaced by the truth. And that should be everyone's goal.

 

[Wansvic]

Like I already said, in Acts 2:37, their "belief" at this point was "mental assent" that Jesus was the Messiah and they were guilty of crucifying Him. *That is not saving belief yet. Nothing is mentioned here about them trusting in the death, burial and resurrection of Christ as the ALL-sufficient means of their salvation, which explains why they still needed to repent and believe the gospel "in that order." Those who have truly repented believe the gospel and those who believe the gospel have already repented in the process of changing their mind and choosing to believe the gospel. Two sides of the same coin.

*Repentance "precedes" believe him/believe the gospel/faith in our Lord Jesus Christ:

Matthew 21:32 - For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him. *Notice the order.

Mark 1:15 - ..repent and believe the gospel. *Notice the order.

Acts 20:21 - ..repentance toward God and of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. *Notice the order.

In Acts 16:29-30, when the Philippian jailor fell down trembling before Paul and Silas and asked, "what must I do to be saved?" Was the answer, "believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and get water baptized and you will be saved? NO. The answer was BELIEVE ON THE LORD JESUS CHRIST AND YOU WILL BE SAVED. Water baptism "follows" believing unto salvation (Acts 16:31-34). *Also see Acts 10:43-47; 11:17,19; 15:8,9)

First you said they already believed the gospel prior to repentance and now you are saying they needed to repent of their unbelief?

Yes, those who gladly received his word (through repentance/faith) were (afterwards) baptized. The same day three thousand souls were added and baptism was not the cause, but the effect. The cause was belief "implied in repentance." In Acts 4:4, we read - But many of those who had heard the message believed; and the number of the men came to be about five thousand. In Acts 5:14, we read - And believers were increasingly added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women.

They did already believe in the gospel:
And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. Acts 2:21

They believed that Jesus was the Messiah after Peter's discourse that is why they asked what they were required to do in conjunction with their belief. They were told to repent, get water baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sin, and receive the Holy Ghost.

Peter's instructions regarding the need to get water baptized in the name of Jesus is consistent with calling on the name of Jesus. And is consistent with what Ananias told Paul to do in order to have his sins washed away. (Acts 22:16)

 

[mailmandan]

They did already believe in the gospel:
And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. Acts 2:21

They believed that Jesus was the Messiah after Peter's discourse that is why they asked what they were required to do in conjunction with their belief. They were told to repent, get water baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sin, and receive the Holy Ghost.

Peter's instructions regarding the need to get water baptized in the name of Jesus is consistent with calling on the name of Jesus. And is consistent with what Ananias told Paul to do in order to have his sins washed away. (Acts 22:16)

So according to your logic, these Jews in Acts 2:37 already believed the gospel, which means they were already saved (according to Romans 1:16) yet this was before they repented and received water baptism, which is not in harmony with your argument, so something has to give. Simply believing "mental assent" that Jesus was the Messiah and they were guilty of crucifying Him does not constitute believing the gospel. According to the apostle Paul, the gospel is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that BELIEVES.. (Romans 1:16) but according to "your gospel," those who believe the gospel remain lost until later, after they repent and receive water baptism, which is not in harmony with Acts 10:43-47; 11:17,18; 15:8,9; 13:39; 16:31; 26:18; Romans 1:16 or 1 Corinthians 15:1-4. *You are not properly harmonizing all of Scripture with Scripture in order to reach the proper conclusion on doctrine. You are simply isolating your pet verses, building doctrine on them and ignoring the rest of Scripture that does not harmonize with your biased doctrine.

Jamison, Fausset, and Brown Commentary makes not of the importance of the Greek in Ananias' statement. When Ananias tells Paul to "arise, be baptized, wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord," the tense of the last command is literally "having called" (aorist middle participle). "Calling on [epikalesamenos] --- 'having (that is, after having) called on,' referring the confession of Christ which preceded baptism." [Jamison, Fausset, and Brown Commentary, vol. 3 pg. 160]. Kenneth Wuest picks up on this Greek nuance and translates the verse as follows: "And now, why are you delaying? Having arisen, be baptized and wash away your sins, having previously called upon His Name." (Acts 22:16, Wuest's Expanded NT).

In Acts 22:16, how did baptism "wash away" Paul's sins? Well, it couldn't do this literally, for Christ literally "put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself" (Hebrews 9:26). The language in Acts 22:16 is similar to the statement of Christ when He took the bread and said, "This is my body" (Matthew 26:26). The bread was only the emblem of His body. Baptism is the emblem of the washing away of sins by the death of Christ. Every time a believer is immersed he washes away his sins in the same sense Paul did: not literally, but ceremonially, pointing to the death of Christ by which sins were actually washed away. Greek Scholar A.T. Robertson explains: As in Romans 6:4-6 where baptism is the picture of death, burial and resurrection, so here baptism pictures the change that had already taken place when Paul surrendered to Jesus on the way. Baptism here pictures the washing away of sins by the blood of Christ. Therefore to take Paul's statement in Acts 22:16 as anything more than a metaphor is to confuse the symbolic rite with what the rite represents.

Acts 2:21 And everyone who "calls on the name of the Lord" will be saved.

Romans 10:13 for, Everyone who "calls on the name of the Lord" will be saved.

In calling on the name of the Lord to be saved, we are relying on the name of the Lord, trusting in Him for salvation. When you call upon Jesus to save you to it is that you trust in Him to come to your aid. Inherent in your calling upon Jesus is the essential faith that He can and will save you. So, in essence, to call on the name of the Lord unto salvation is to trust exclusively in Jesus as the ALL-sufficient means of your salvation, that He alone will save you.

 

[Waggles]

No, to "believe the gospel" means to trust in the death, burial and resurrection of Christ as the ALL-sufficient means of our salvation. That is the act of obedience that saves. Obedience which follows "after" we believe the gospel and are saved is "works."

Well that is a matter of interpretation and your opinion.
I strongly disagree as the scriptures do not support your thesis.

The NT unequivocally preaches and teaches how to get saved and how to stay saved - not by our works of our own self-righteousness
but by obedience and submission to all that God demands/ commands/ directs us to do to fulfill the pattern laid down and to be
adhered to.

What must we do to be saved?
38 And Peter said unto them, Repent ye, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ unto the remission of your sins; and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
39 For to you is the promise, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call unto him.
Acts 2:
the scriptures do not teach "believe" only they teach that to believe is to obey and to keep the commandments of God.
Doing what God commands us to do is not works.

 

[Waggles]

How can a person say they believe in Jesus Christ for salvation/believe the gospel when they are also trusting in works for salvation? That's not faith in Christ, but faith in works. We must not confuse the commands of repenting and believing the gospel "in order to become saved" with commands that follow "after we have been saved."

Well this conundrum is the nub of the problem ...
you obviously believe that giving your heart to Jesus and declaring him as your Lord and Saviour makes one saved.
I strongly disagree.
Compliance with the directives of Jesus and the Apostles gets one saved. And actually it is only a deposit, a downpayment on the
promise and hope of salvation not an ironclad guarantee that now you will be saved.
A believer must finish the race by the rules.

There is no point going back and forth on this as I will not convince you, nor will you convince me.
Each to his own.

 

[Wansvic]

So according to your logic, these Jews in Acts 2:37 already believed the gospel, which means they were already saved (according to Romans 1:16) yet this was before they repented and received water baptism, which is not in harmony with your argument, so something has to give. S

What I state is in harmony. 1. One must believe in Jesus as Messiah. 2. Follow instructions given; repent, be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sin and receive the Holy Ghost. The keys of the kingdom were given to Peter by Jesus. And Jesus Himself states people are to be baptized.

Believing in Jesus entails accepting the truth about who He is as well as responding to Him.

 

[Waggles]

Now anyone who professes to believe in Jesus/believe the gospel, yet refuses to be water baptized is of questionable sincerity. It's unthinkable that anyone who has truly placed their faith (belief, trust, reliance) in Jesus Christ alone for salvation would refuse to be water baptized!

But many many "Christians" do refuse water baptism.
Even here on Christian Chat notable members argue strongly against the need and purpose of water baptism.
Where does that leave "believers" in their standing with Jesus?

 

[Wansvic]

So according to your logic, these Jews in Acts 2:37 already believed the gospel, which means they were already saved (according to Romans 1:16) yet this was before they repented and received water baptism, which is not in harmony with your argument, so something has to give. Simply believing "mental assent" that Jesus was the Messiah and they were guilty of crucifying Him does not constitute believing the gospel. According to the apostle Paul, the gospel is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that BELIEVES.. (Romans 1:16) but according to "your gospel," those who believe the gospel remain lost until later, after they repent and receive water baptism, which is not in harmony with Acts 10:43-47; 11:17,18; 15:8,9; 13:39; 16:31; 26:18; Romans 1:16 or 1 Corinthians 15:1-4. *You are not properly harmonizing all of Scripture with Scripture in order to reach the proper conclusion on doctrine. You are simply isolating your pet verses, building doctrine on them and ignoring the rest of Scripture that does not harmonize with your biased doctrine.

Jamison, Fausset, and Brown Commentary makes not of the importance of the Greek in Ananias' statement. When Ananias tells Paul to "arise, be baptized, wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord," the tense of the last command is literally "having called" (aorist middle participle). "Calling on [epikalesamenos] --- 'having (that is, after having) called on,' referring the confession of Christ which preceded baptism." [Jamison, Fausset, and Brown Commentary, vol. 3 pg. 160]. Kenneth Wuest picks up on this Greek nuance and translates the verse as follows: "And now, why are you delaying? Having arisen, be baptized and wash away your sins, having previously called upon His Name." (Acts 22:16, Wuest's Expanded NT).

In Acts 22:16, how did baptism "wash away" Paul's sins? Well, it couldn't do this literally, for Christ literally "put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself" (Hebrews 9:26). The language in Acts 22:16 is similar to the statement of Christ when He took the bread and said, "This is my body" (Matthew 26:26). The bread was only the emblem of His body. Baptism is the emblem of the washing away of sins by the death of Christ. Every time a believer is immersed he washes away his sins in the same sense Paul did: not literally, but ceremonially, pointing to the death of Christ by which sins were actually washed away. Greek Scholar A.T. Robertson explains: As in Romans 6:4-6 where baptism is the picture of death, burial and resurrection, so here baptism pictures the change that had already taken place when Paul surrendered to Jesus on the way. Baptism here pictures the washing away of sins by the blood of Christ. Therefore to take Paul's statement in Acts 22:16 as anything more than a metaphor is to confuse the symbolic rite with what the rite represents.

Acts 2:21 And everyone who "calls on the name of the Lord" will be saved.

Romans 10:13 for, Everyone who "calls on the name of the Lord" will be saved.

In calling on the name of the Lord to be saved, we are relying on the name of the Lord, trusting in Him for salvation. When you call upon Jesus to save you to it is that you trust in Him to come to your aid. Inherent in your calling upon Jesus is the essential faith that He can and will save you. So, in essence, to call on the name of the Lord unto salvation is to trust exclusively in Jesus as the ALL-sufficient means of your salvation, that He alone will save you.

The obedience to God's command to be water baptized prompts a spiritual action. It is part of the spiritual rebirth.

 

[mailmandan]

Well this conundrum is the nub of the problem ...
you obviously believe that giving your heart to Jesus and declaring him as your Lord and Saviour makes one saved.
I strongly disagree.
Compliance with the directives of Jesus and the Apostles gets one saved. And actually it is only a deposit, a downpayment on the
promise and hope of salvation not an ironclad guarantee that now you will be saved.
A believer must finish the race by the rules.

There is no point going back and forth on this as I will not convince you, nor will you convince me.
Each to his own.

From beginning "have been saved through faith" (Ephesians 2:8) to end "receiving the end of your faith--the salvation of your souls (1 Peter 1:9) salvation is by grace through faith and is not by works. Christ's finished work of redemption is sufficient and complete to save believers. No supplements needed (Romans 3:24-28). Prior to my conversion several years ago while still attending the Roman Catholic church, I believed just as you do now.

Ephesians 1:13 - In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.

 

[mailmandan]

The obedience to God's command to be water baptized prompts a spiritual action. It is part of the spiritual rebirth.

False. The spiritual rebirth is signified, but not procured in the waters of baptism. I can see that your indoctrination runs deep.