Terry wrote: > I do believe that ol' Zach was baptised as soon > as possible after he was saved.
Good. We agree. Terry wrote: > I also know that he was saved before being baptised. > Jesus said so. Did he? Jesus said, "THIS DAY salvation has come to this house." Don't you think this situation may have been similar to the jailer that believed and was saved with his whole house? In that situation, it appears that baptism followed within the same hour. "... Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway. And when he had brought them into his house, he set meat before them, and rejoiced, believing in God with all his house. (Acts 16:30-34 KJV) Terry wrote: > No Christian is going to refuse to be baptized. > It is the first command to be obeyed by a new > convert. Is baptism a duty obeyed by commandment or is it a expression of faith? Terry wrote: > I am simply saying that if you lead someone to faith > in the finished work of Jesus Christ, and before you > can dunk that convert, he is struck by a train, or > lightning, or heart attack, he is going to Heaven, > because he was saved by faith, even though he died > dry as a bleached out bone. Baptism is an act of > obedience, not a means to salvation. What Bible passages teach you that baptism is an act of obedience? The Scriptures tie faith to baptism, and so it seems better to speak of baptism as being a vehicle whereby one applies saving faith in Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 3:21 specifically says that baptism saves us, so we should be very careful about disassociating it completely from salvation. Can a person be saved without baptism? Yes, of course. We have a clear Biblical example of this with the household of Cornelius. Does this mean that baptism has nothing to do with salvation? No. Jesus taught baptism as the vehicle whereby saving faith is expressed and manifested. Peace be with you. David Miller, Beverly Hills, Florida. ---------- "Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer every man." (Colossians 4:6) http://www.InnGlory.org If you do not want to receive posts from this list, send an email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] and you will be unsubscribed. If you have a friend who wants to join, tell him to send an e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] and he will be subscribed.
