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There is one Lord, one Faith, and one Baptism. Just what is the ONE BAPTISM? There are TWO types of Baptisms (which are not metaphors) referred to in scripture for the Believer.
Our Bible study begins in:
Ephesians 4:4-6
4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling;
5 one Lord, one faith, ONE BAPTISM;
6 one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.
Examples of each Baptism type are as follows:
Acts 8:36-39
36 Now as they went down the road, they came to some water. And the eunuch said, "See, here is WATER. What hinders me from being BAPTIZED?"
37 Then Philip said, "If you believe with all your heart, you may." And he answered and said, "I BELIEVE that Jesus Christ is the Son of God."
38 So he commanded the chariot to stand still. And both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and he BAPTIZED him.
39 Now when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught Philip away, so that the eunuch saw him no more; and he went on his way rejoicing.
Mark 1:4-5
4 John came baptizing in the wilderness and preaching a BAPTISM of repentance for the remission of sins.
5 Then all the land of Judea, and those from Jerusalem, went out to him and were all BAPTIZED by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins.
Acts 10:47
"Can anyone forbid WATER, that these should not be BAPTIZED who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?"
Mark 1:8
I indeed BAPTIZED you with WATER, but He (Jesus) will BAPTIZE you with the HOLY SPIRIT."
John 1:33
I did not know Him, but He who sent me to BAPTIZE with WATER said to me, "Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who BAPTIZES with the HOLY SPIRIT.'
To "Be Baptized" means to be completely immersed in whatever media is referred to.
There is one Baptism that actually SAVES a person. Which one is it? Is it the physical act of being immersed, baptized (dunked) under Water or is it the Baptism of the Holy Spirit? Our investigation of this issue begins when our Lord describes the Salvation process to a Jewish man named Nicodemus in John Chapter 3 who approached Jesus (by night) to talk with Him. The reference to Nicodemus coming BY NIGHT reveals that Nicomdemus himself did not yet believe (see) that Jesus was Lord and Savior (Messiah)..
1 Thessalonians 5:5
You (brethren - "believers") are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the NIGHT nor of darkness.
During his visit Jesus, without prompt, describes the "Born Again" experience to Nicodemus:
John 3
3 Jesus answered and said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is BORN AGAIN, he cannot see the Kingdom of God."
Jesus is saying here that in order to "BE SAVED", you must be "BORN AGAIN". Born again actually can be translated "Born from Above". A "New Birth" experience MUST occur or one cannot be Saved. This agrees with the Apostle Paul where he says, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a NEW CREATION; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become NEW." (2 Cor 5:17)
4 Nicodemus said to Him, "How can a man be Born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be Born?"
At first reading, it appears that Nicodemus has made a very dumb statement. Probably, had he waited a couple of moments before responding he would have not said such a thing. But since Jesus quickly, pointedly, and candidly made the remark to Nicodemus, he responded immediately with thoughts which were in his heart.
Matthew 12:34
....For out of the abundance of the Heart the Mouth speaks.
Nicodemus at this time, was no different from the other scribes and pharisees Jesus encountered. The Jews were seeking to enter the newly announced Kingdom; (Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is At Hand); by pursuing a law of Righteousness which was in The Law. Nicodemus in the same manner did not come to Jesus by Faith, but by "WORKS"... For it is written:
Romans 9:30-33
30 What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness of faith;
31 but Israel (Nicodemus), pursuing the Law of Righteousness, has not attained to the law of righteousness.
32 Why? Because they (Nicodemus) did not seek it by Faith, but as it were, by the WORKS of the LAW. For they (Nicodemus) stumbled at that stumbling stone.
33 As it is written:
"Behold, I lay in Zion a stumbling stone and rock of offense,
And whoever BELIEVES on Him will not be put to shame."
So, Nicodemus' response to Jesus' statement was not so farfetched as we would first believe realizing where he is coming from and what is in his heart. Nicodemus is thinking "WORKS". Works is of The Flesh, but "The Law" was of the Spirit. By works of the Flesh he could once again enter into his mother's womb and be born. His foundational thinking is that by keeping "The Law" (Works) his Righteousness would secure for himself a place in God's Kingdom.
Mat 5:20
But Jesus had said, "For I say to you, that unless your Righteousness exceeds the Righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by No means enter the kingdom of heaven.
Ezekiel 20:11
And I gave them My statutes and showed them My judgments (The Law), "which, if a man does, he shall live by them.'
God was saying in the above that keeping the requirements of the The Law was NOT the answer for, "Behold the proud, His soul is not upright in him; But the JUST shall LIVE by his FAITH." (Hab 2:4) God was not telling Israel to stop the sacrifices and temple worship, but that the idea behind those things was FAITH. The OT form of our word Faith (heavenly) is Trust (earthy) because Israel's hope was for an Earthly Kingdom... Nevertheless, this explains why Nicodemus responded as he did, now continuing on with Jesus . . .
5 Jesus answered, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of WATER and the SPIRIT, he cannot enter the Kingdom of God.
6 That which is born of the Flesh is Flesh, and that which is born of the SPIRIT is SPIRIT.
We know what "Born of the Flesh" is and have no need to amplify it. Nicodemus by his response was thinking "OF the FLESH" when he said, "Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be Born?" ...
Jesus is giving us the inside story, the mechanics if you will, of how a person is Saved, Born Again, and therefore, enters the Kingdom of Heaven. There are TWO Spiritual elements required to be "Born Again":
The word SPIRIT in the above passage of course refers to the work and person of the Holy Spirit. We will not go in to all the details of the working of the Holy Spirit at this point, but keep in mind that the Holy Spirit IS a person ... The Holy Spirit Himself is involved in the BORN AGAIN experience. That the Holy Spirit is involved shouldn't trouble most Bible students, but the Water in this passage is UNDEFINED. Just what is the "WATER" Jesus is referring to?
"If that which is born of the SPIRIT is Spirit", then both the Water and Spirit mentioned here MUST BE SPIRIT or OF THE SPIRIT. This is our first clue that the Water mentioned in this passage CANNOT BE H2O WATER ! ! !
We know that H2O Water is the life source on earth and is earthy (of the earth). Is there such a thing as "SPIRIT WATER"? If there is, then there must be some type of "Eternal Life Source" associated with it . . . The Water in this passage must be "Of the SPIRIT (heavenly) and not OF THE FLESH (earthy)
This Water is identified by Jesus in the very next chapter of John when He encounters the Samaritan woman . . .
John 4
9 Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, "How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink (H2O water) from me, a Samaritan woman?" For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.
10 Jesus answered and said to her, "If you knew the gift of God, and WHO IT IS (Jesus the Savior) who says to you, "Give Me a drink, you would have asked Him, and He would have given you LIVING (SPIRIT) WATER."
11 The woman said to Him, "Sir, You have nothing to draw (H2O water) with, and the well is deep. Where then do You get that LIVING (SPIRIT) WATER?
12 Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, as well as his sons and his livestock?"
13 Jesus answered and said to her, "Whoever drinks of This (Well) Water will thirst again,
14 but whoever drinks of the (SPIRIT) WATER that I shall give him will never thirst. But the(SPIRIT) WATER that I shall give him will become in him a FOUNTAIN of WATER SPRINGING UP into EVERLASTING LIFE."
Just as there are TWO types of Baptisms, there are TWO types of Water.
Jesus refers again to the WATER springing up into EVERLASTING LIFE again later on at the feast . . .
John 7
37 On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone Thirsts, let him come to Me (Jesus) and Drink (Spirit Water).
38 He who BELIEVES in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of LIVING (Spirit) WATER."
39 But this He spoke concerning the (Holy) Spirit , whom those Believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.
Now we are getting somewhere... Whatever This Water is, it will be found in the HEART of Man and erupt into Everlasting Life.... He is also talking about the Holy Spirit in verse 39, but we know who HE (the Holy Spirit) is and that HE will indwell ALL believers. But our focus and attention at this point is drawn to that (Spirit) "WATER" ....
The Old Testament also refers to LIVING (Spiritual) WATER.
Jeremiah 2
12 Be astonished, O heavens, at this, And be horribly afraid; Be very desolate," says the LORD.
13 "For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, the FOUNTAIN of LIVING WATERS, And hewn themselves cisterns--broken cisterns that can hold no water.
14 "Is Israel a servant? Is he a homeborn slave? Why is he plundered?
Jeremiah 17
12 A glorious high throne from the beginning Is the place of our sanctuary.
13 O LORD, the hope of Israel, All who forsake You shall be ashamed. "Those who depart from Me Shall be written in the earth (earthy), Because they have forsaken the LORD, The FOUNTAIN of LIVING WATERS."
Now we're getting somewhere; for God Himself is the Fountain (Source) of this Living Water. To be BORN AGAIN means to have Eternal Life and therefore must be included within the statement that Jesus made in John 3: "and that which is born of the SPIRIT is SPIRIT". We now know that from the above passage that to forsake the LORD is to forsake "The FOUNTAIN of LIVING WATERS". Somehow the two are related. We don't have far to go now, for in the very next chapter, John 5, Jesus himself will give us the answer we seek ...
John 5:24
"Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My WORD and BELIEVES in Him who sent Me has EVERLASTING LIFE, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into (Everlasting) LIFE.
At last we have found the answer ! ! ! The WATER that Jesus was referring to in John 3 is the WORD of GOD Jeremiah himself was referring to the WORD of GOD when he spoke of the cisterns which could hold no water. Those cisterns were in fact metaphors for Jews who could not hold, nor contain, nor would obey the WORD of GOD. If indeed our answer is correct, we should find other NT verses which ascribe this WATER to the WORD of GOD ...
The answer is now loud and clear... The Born Again experience is Spiritual and requires two elements:
Now the proofs just keep coming . . Moving on to John Chapter 6 ---.
John 6:63
It is the (Holy) SPIRIT who gives (Eternal) LIFE; the Flesh profits nothing. The WORDS that I speak to you are SPIRIT and they are LIFE
Now we know that the (Spirit) WATER in John Chapter 3 is not H2O water but is (WORD of GOD) WATER and HIS WORD is SPIRIT . . . The Holy Spirit (GOD) works through the WORD of GOD to produce a Child of God by FAITH. Now we know why so many verses refer to Belief (Believing or Faith) ONLY instead of always including the work of GOD by the power of the Holy Spirit. Our participation and interaction as it relates to Salvation is "TO BELIEVE" the Word of God by "FAITH".
John 6:68
But Simon Peter answered Him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the WORDS of ETERNAL LIFE.
Now we know for sure what the water is
WATER => FOUNTAIN of WATER => ETERNAL LIFE => WORD of GOD
WORD => WORD WAS WITH GOD => WORD WAS GOD => WORD BECAME FLESH => JESUS
That the WATER referred to is the Word of God is further shown by:
Ephesians 5:25-27
25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her,
26 that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of WATER by the WORD (of God),
Jesus Christ => Word of God => Water
John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word (Jesus Christ) was God.
John 1:14 And the Word (Jesus Christ) became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
Revelation 19:13 He (Jesus Christ) was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His NAME is called The WORD of GOD.
Peter refers to being BORN AGAIN related to the Word of God . . .
1 Peter 1
22 Since you have purified your souls in obeying the TRUTH through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart,
23 having been BORN AGAIN, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the WORD of GOD which lives and abides forever
Our part in the Salvation process is Only with the WATER. God (the Holy Spirit) does the saving by Baptism.
Romans 10:17
So then (saving) FAITH comes by Hearing, and hearing by the WORD of GOD.
The apostle John says the born again experience as far as We are concerned involves only the Water which is the Word of God which is Jesus and our Belief that Jesus is the Son of God . . .
1 John 5:1
Whoever BELIEVES that Jesus is the Christ is BORN of GOD, and everyone who loves Him who begot also loves him who is begotten of Him.
Since Salvation is of the Lord, these verses focus on OUR PART in the Salvation Process . . .
Ephesians 2:8
For by GRACE you have been SAVED through FAITH, and that not of yourselves; it is the GIFT of God,
God will do the rest. Salvation is performed by GOD the Holy Spirit and we have no involvement nor participation with the "mechanics" of Salvation, the "BORN AGAIN" experience, because it is "SPIRITUAL". Our part is in the New Birth is BELIEVING . . .
Question: What part did YOU have in YOUR Physical Birth?
Psalm 3:8
SALVATION belongs to the LORD. Your blessing is upon Your people.Selah
Psalm 37:39
But the SALVATION of the righteous is from the LORD;
Psalm 119:41
Let Your mercies come also to me, O LORD-- Your SALVATION according to Your WORD.
We will on occasion find these two (Belief in the Water and action of the Holy Spirit) linked together in scripture as follows:
2 Thessalonians 2:13
But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because GOD from the beginning Chose you for Salvation through
Here we have the same two elements required to be Born Again:
Now we can easily prove that the Truth in the above passage is the WORD of GOD . . .
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,
Also ...
1 Thessalonians 2:13
For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the WORD of GOD which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in TRUTH, the WORD of GOD, which also effectively works in you who BELIEVE.
John 17:17
Sanctify them by Your TRUTH. Your WORD is TRUTH.
What a coincidence, the Holy Spirit is Truth too - - -
John 16:13
However, when He, the Spirit of TRUTH, has come, He will guide you into all truth . . .
Another coincidence, Jesus Christ Himself is Truth too - - -
John 14:6
Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the TRUTH, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
Another coincidence, God the Father Himself is Truth too - - -
John 1:14
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the FATHER, full of grace and TRUTH.
Our involvement in the Born Again experience is to "BELIEVE". The salvation process "Born Again" is performed by God Himself and requires no physical work on our part, hence Salvation is called "The Gift of God" But what about Baptism? If we MUST be born again by:
Where is the Baptism? Does the Water do the Baptizing, does the Holy Spirit do the Baptizing, or do WE do the Baptizing? The answer is given to us plainly:
1 Corinthians 12
12 For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ.
13 For by one SPIRIT we were ALL BAPTIZED into one body--whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free--and have all been made to drink into one SPIRIT.
14 For in fact the body is not one member but many.
So the Baptism that Saves a Believer is performed by the Holy Spirit. This being the case, we have No Participation in THIS baptism. As we have seen before, Salvation is "OF THE LORD" and is the work of the Holy Spirit which is God Himself. Our involvement in the Born Again experience is BELIEVING the WORD of GOD which IS Spirit. Since each and every Believer is BAPTIZED by the Holy Spirit and then placed into the Body Of Christ by the Holy Spirit (God Himself), the following verses are not only TRUE, they are 100% TRUE: From the Authorized King James Version of the bible, the word "verily" can be translated "truly", or "amen" which means "so be it". Therefore if Baptism is by the Holy Spirit, then the following statements by our Lord are 100% TRUE and 100% Standalone TRUE:
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.
John 3:5
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.
John 5:24
Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that HEARETH my WORD (WATER), and BELIEVETH on him that sent me, hath EVERLASTING LIFE, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto LIFE.
John 5:25
Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead (unsaved) shall hear the voice (WATER) of the Son of God: and they that HEAR (Word of God = Water) shall LIVE (eternal life - be saved).
John 6:47
Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that BELIEVETH on ME (Word of God = Water) hath everlasting life.
The "ME" in the above verse must mean either the Water or the Spirit, which is it?
John 1:1
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word (Jesus Christ) was God
John 1:14
And the Word (Jesus Christ) became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
Jesus in John 6:47 is referring to ME, that is, Himself as THE WORD of GOD. When our Lord returns to this Earth in Glory, we find that the Apostle John saw:
Revelation 19:13
He (Jesus Christ) was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God.
How do we get the Fountain of Water inside of us so it will erupt into Eternal Life?
John 6:53
Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye EAT the FLESH of the Son of man, and DRINK his BLOOD, ye have NO LIFE in you.
Many folk left our Lord when He made this statement. Do YOU know what HE means to "Eat the Flesh of the Son of Man and Drink His Blood?" Are YOU eating His FLESH and DRINKING His BLOOD?. You will find the answer in the same chapter 6 . . .
John 6:54
Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has ETERNAL LIFE, and I will raise him up at the last day.
We must CONSUME Jesus in order to have Eternal life ! ! ! How do we do THAT?
John 15:7
If you abide in Me, and My WORDS abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.
Colossians 3:16
Let the WORD of CHRIST dwell in you richly . . .
The Old Testament Saints did the SAME THING . . .
Psalm 119:11
Your WORD I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You.
John 6
60 Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this, said, "This is a hard saying; who can understand it?"
66 From that time MANY of His Disciples went back and walked with Him NO MORE . . .
They didn't understand that:
DRINKING HIS BLOOD = EATING HIS FLESH = Consuming Jesus WORDS
John 8:51
Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my SAYING (WORDS), he shall never see death.
Continuing on, the following verses are also 100% Standalone TRUE . . .
John 8:58
Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.
The idea that the above verses are not the total truth, but a PART of a Truth is a LIE. This is to pervert, distort, and nullify the Word of God. Paul refers to this as the "OTHER GOSPEL". The Churches of Christ as well as the Seventh Day Adventist and others like them fall under this condemnation. They also are fully described as committing this sin via the "Church at Ephesus" in the Book of Revelation Chapter 2.
Gal 1
7 Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would PERVERT the gospel of Christ.
8 But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any OTHER gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be ACCURSED.
9 As we said before, so say I now again, if any man preach any OTHER gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be ACCURSED (Eternally Damned)
In other words, Paul is saying that the Gospel which is NOT of FAITH is the OTHER Gospel. As already shown . .
Romans 1:16
For I am not ashamed of the GOSPEL of Christ, for IT (the Gospel) IS the POWER of God to SALVATION for EVERYONE who BELIEVES . .
According to Jesus and the Apostle Paul, We are saved by Faith and FAITH ALONE . . . To preach differently is to reject Salvation by Faith. Paul refers to these folk as "ENEMIES of The CROSS"
Philippians 3
9 And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the FAITH of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by FAITH:
10 That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;
11 If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.
12 Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.
13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
15 Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be THUS MINDED (Faith alone): and if in anything ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.
16 Nevertheless, whereto we have already attained, let us walk (by Faith) by the same rule, let us mind the same thing.
17 Brethren, be followers together of me, and MARK them which walk (by Faith) so as ye have us for an ensample.
18 (For many walk (not by Faith), of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the ENEMIES of the CROSS of CHRIST:
19 Whose end is (Eternal) destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.)
When the issue of Salvation by Faith is contrasted to Water Baptism, the Apostle Paul pointedly alienates himself from Water Baptism (but only from a Salvation standpoint):
1 Corinthians 1:17
For Christ sent me NOT to BAPTIZE (By H2O Water), but to Preach the Gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the Cross of Christ should be made of none effect.
The Gospel of Salvation is by FAITH ALONE . . .
Romans 1:16
For I am not ashamed of the GOSPEL of Christ: for IT is the POWER of GOD (Baptism of the Holy Spirit - God Himself) unto Salvation to everyone that BELIEVETH; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
1 Corinthians 15:1
Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the GOSPEL which I preached to you, which also you RECEIVED (by Faith) and in which you STAND,
The Baptism that SAVES us is the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. Since our Lord returned to Heaven, he sent the Holy Spirit as He promised while He was on earth. Therefore, it can be stated that our Lord Baptizes us with the Holy Spirit. The wicked He will baptize with Fire . . .
Luke 3:16
John answered, saying to all, "I indeed baptize you with water; but One mightier than I is coming, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose. He will BAPTIZE you with the Holy Spirit and (the Wicked with) fire.
However, the mechanics of Salvation reveal to us that in a since we are Baptized by our Lord Jesus because He sent the Holy Spirit to us. Even while on earth, He Himself (Jesus) did not Baptize anyone . . .
John 4
1 Therefore, when the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John
2 (though Jesus Himself DID NOT BAPTIZE, but His disciples),
3 He left Judea and departed again to Galilee.
Everyone who is Born Again, Saved, Redeemed, HAS been baptized with the Holy Spirit. This is the Baptism that Saves a person. Now we know what is meant by the following:
Mark 16:16
He who BELIEVES (through Water - the WORD) and is BAPTIZED (with the Holy Spirit) will be SAVED; but he who does NOT BELIEVE will be condemned (Not be Baptized with the Holy Spirit)
Water Baptism WILL NOT and NEVER HAS Saved anyone.
Titus 3
4 But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared,
5 NOT BY WORKS (H2O Water Baptism) of Righteousness which WE have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the WASHING (Word of God = Water) of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit,
6 whom He (Holy Spirit) POURED (Baptized) out on US abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior,
The Salvation process is So Easy that WHOSOEVER BELIEVES can be saved . . . This sounds too simple - - -
2 Corinthians 11:3
But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the SIMPLICITY that is in Christ.
Faith in Jesus (Water) + Power of God => Child of God (Jesus=> Living Water) (Baptism by Holy Spirit) (Salvation) Man's Work God's Work
Man's Work (John 6:28-29)
28 Then they said to Him, "What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?"
29 Jesus answered and said to them, "This is the work of God, that you BELIEVE in Him (Water) whom He sent."
God's Work (1 Cor)
12:13 For by one (Holy) SPIRIT we were ALL BAPTIZED into one body
1:18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to US who are being SAVED it is the POWER (Spirit) of God
Romans 1:16
For I am not ashamed of the Gospel (Water) of Christ, for IT is the POWER (Spirit) of God to SALVATION for everyone who BELIEVES, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.
Child of God (1 John 3:1)
Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called CHILDren of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.
The Baptism that SAVES is . . . . . BAPTISM by the HOLY SPIRIT
1 Corinthians 15:50
Now this I say, brethren, that Flesh and Blood CANNOT inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption.
John 3:3
3 . . . , "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is BORN AGAIN, he CANNOT see the Kingdom of God."
Have YOU been Born Again ?
How were Old Testament Saints saved?
The Old Testament taught the very same thing because OT saints were saved in the VERY SAME MANNER as we, only they were looking forward to their Salvation in Messiah (the KING, Christ) the Sacrificial Lamb of God and we look back to Christ and the Cross.
The Salvation process is So Easy that WHOSOEVER BELIEVES can be saved . . .
Trust (Call) on Jehovah
(Living Water)
(Man's Work)
+
Power (Right Hand) of God
SPIRIT/Right Hand of God)
(God's Work)
=>
Servant of God
(Righteous)
(Salvation)
Man's Work Psalm 55:16
As for me, I will CALL upon God, And the LORD shall SAVE me.
Psalm 37:40
And the LORD shall help them and deliver them; He shall deliver them from the wicked, And save them, Because they TRUST in Him.
Psalm 119:41
Let Your mercies come also to me, O LORD-- Your SALVATION according to Your WORD.
God's Work Psalm 119:123
My eyes fail from seeking Your salvation And Your righteous WORD.
Psalm 20:6
Now I know that the LORD saves His anointed; He will answer him from His holy heaven With the saving strength of His right hand
Salvation Psalm 37:39
But the SALVATION of the RIGHTEOUS is from the LORD; He is their strength in the time of trouble.
Psalm 111:9
He has sent REDEMPTION to His people; He has commanded His covenant forever: Holy and awesome is His name.
Psalm 86:2
Preserve my life, for I am holy; You are my God; Save Your SERVANT who trusts in You!
Psalm 64:10
The RIGHTEOUS (Saved) shall be glad in the LORD, and TRUST (Believe) in Him. And all the upright in heart shall glory.
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