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SOMETIMES IT TAKES A MIRACLE
Water Baptism Is An Act Of Faith
Mark 16:16 'He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.'
This scripture has led many to believe that water baptism is a part of salvation and that the born-again experience cannot be a reality without it.
This same kind of thinking would make seeing Jesus a prerequisite for salvation, based on John 6:40.
It is faith in the redemptive work of Christ that produces salvation - not our actions. However, James writes that faith without works is dead (Jas. 2:20).
Faith alone saves, but saving faith is never alone; it must be acted upon.
This is what Mark is referring to when he speaks of baptism.
Water baptism is a command of Jesus and is the initial...
YOU HAVE DONE IT UNTO ME
How To Baptize
Matthew 28:19 'Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:'
In the same way that this commission is to every believer, not just to ministers, the command to baptize is also for every believer. It is proper for any believer to administer the ordinance of water baptism.
Jesus commands us to baptize in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, yet there is no recorded instance where the believers did so. Instead, the instances of baptism that are recorded in the book of Acts, show people being baptized in the name of Jesus only.
Because of this noticeable difference, doctrines have arisen that teach there is no Trinity, and that unless water baptism is...
HAVE YOU ASKED?
God Is Good
John 21:25 'And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen.'
Every detail of every man's life, who has ever walked on the earth, has not impacted the world as much as the few recorded details of Jesus' life. Jesus was not just a man, He was God manifest in the flesh (1 Tim. 3:16).
In Acts 10:38 Peter gives a very brief, yet descriptive summary of the life and ministry of Jesus. Jesus was anointed with power and with the Holy Ghost.
He used this power to do good, not evil. This is one of the main characteristics of God and is one of the easiest ways to discern what is from God and what is from...
THE GREATEST OF THESE IS LOVE
Be Single-minded
John 21:21 'Peter seeing him saith to Jesus, Lord, and what shall this man do?'
Jesus had just told Peter to follow Him. However, Peter wanted to know what the Lord had planned for John. Instead of Jesus answering Peter's question, the Lord told him that what He had in store for John was none of his business.
Satan diverts many people by getting them preoccupied with what others are doing for the Lord. Comparing ourselves with others, whether we come out better or worse, is unwise (2 Cor. 10:12). We need to be so single-minded following the Lord, that we don't look to the right or to the left to see what others are doing. It doesn't matter if we are doing as much to serve the Lord as someone else. The question is, are we doing all that the...
Water Baptism Is A Sign
Mark 16:16 'He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.'
Water baptism is a command of Jesus and is the initial action taken upon believing. Mark's statement could be rendered, 'He who believes with saving faith (i.e. faith that produces actions) will be saved.' In this sense, water baptism is very important. It is an opportunity to act on your new profession of faith. Anyone who refuses to follow Jesus' command to receive water baptism, may be suspected of not really believing.
However, there are scriptural examples of people being born again before they were baptized in water. Cornelius and his friends were filled with the Holy Ghost and spoke in tongues before they were baptized in...