LOL. If you didnt see my previous post, it may be good to read it. For us apostolics, its great to know how to handle questions that polythiests can pose in protecting the trinitarian doctine. On this particular post we are going to go through those who dont really believe in a salvation plan so here goes...

"Well!!! I dont know what all this Acts2:38 stuff is about i mean the bible says in
John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

• Obviously this is saying that all i gotta do is believe, so whats the point in all of this baptism, repentence, and holy ghost stuff.
  

Also, the bible says in Romans 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

• "My pastor believes this and so do I i mean, COMEON Gods a God of love, not judgement, all it takes is acknowleding that he rose again and is the son of God and tahts all you need brothers/sisters! its grace dude!"

Ephesians 2:9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

• So basically, its not about works like your salvation plan, its jsut about faith that Gods ganna save me so im ganna continue in this way....

give me a break! if all you had to do to be saved is accept christ and believe, then most everyone in this world would be going to heaven, and that isn't what Jesus said..  what I believe in is not popular, and he said few would be saved, why? because no one believes in the narrow way, it is to hard, but the broad way it is easy and many go in there at... There are so many scriptures to back up Jesus name babtism and the holy ghost with the evidence of tongues, people just don't won't to see it! hmm sometimes I  think he added the other stuff to throw people off!! I believe Jesus said he didn't come to bring peace but a sword... what do people and nations seem to fight about the most? religion, I think he wanted it that way, he wanted people with a desire to serve him enough to believe what he told them to do, and it may seem hard or ridiculus to people who don't understand, you have to have a true desire and then God when he opens the understanding... you will see and then you can truly believe,  and faith with out works is dead being alone.... I can believe in something all day, but if I don't put actions with that faith, i will go no where.... you have to believe.. how can we believe with out a preacher and how can he preach except he be sent..... The holy ghost is the spirit of God, which the bible says with out no man can see God, the tongues is sign not to those who believe, but those who don't believe, the tongues also show a sign that you have yielded all your self to God, the unruly tongue is full of deadly poison and can be tamed by no one except God, and when you yield all your will over to God, and you believe his word that he will give the holyghost to them that obey... and seek him with all your heart, and when the spirit comes in you will speak in another tongue, that is when god takes control of that unruly member, your tongue, and it won't be no one teaching you or telling you how to speak in that heavenly language, Jesus said in that day you will know that I am in the father and the father in me.. and I in you, the holyghost is the love of God shed abroad in man, feeling the love of God, is so real and so wonderful, he can make you love your worst enemy in the world! it is joy unspeakable and full of glory and the half hasn't yet been told! the holyghost is Love so strong, you laugh and you cry all at the same time, you feel like you won't to hug everyone all the same time and tell them how much you love them, you have such joy and peace... really this could go on for ever!  I recieved the holyghost, and I have seen many people recieve it, and I know that is the most awesome feeling that words can't even describe.. you come to late to tell me that we don't have to have it to make heaven our home. I believe in,  having the Holyghost, w/tongues, babtism in his precious name and living a holy life unto God.. it will take it or you want go....

When you see the suffix "eth" in the Bible, that means you presently believe in Jesus.  If you believe in Jesus, then you must believe all that he said.  You can't take just one thing He said and make a doctrine out of it.  Read John 7:37, the first part of John 3, and many other passages where Jesus states that simple belief is not enough, although it is a necessary part of salvation.

 In Romans, Paul is addressing people who are already saved.  He is intructing them on what to do should they fall to temptation.  You don't have to get rebaptized and such to recover from your sin.  All you need to to is confess your sin to God and turn away from it and "thou shalt be saved".  A good example is found in the OT when God drew water from a rock.  Moses had to smite the rock first (symbolizing our initial salvation) to get the water from it.  Every time he went back God told Moses just to speak to the rock (symbolizing confessing and believing found in Romans).

Acts 2:38 being fulfilled in our lives is not a work of man.  It is a miracle of God.  Only by his blood and sacrifice can repentance and baptism have any effect.  We are "buried with Him in baptism."  The Holy Ghost is the supernatural occurence of God living inside of us and it flows out of us in the form of speaking in another language (John 7:37, Acts 2).  This is a witness to God's presence in our lives.

Anyways, that's all I'll say for now.

2 Tim. 3:5 says that there will be some who have a form of Godliness, but deny the power.  What power?  The power of the Holy Ghost, “ye shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you.” (Acts 1:8)  So Jesus tells that we will receive power and that power is the Holy Ghost working in man to deliver us from sin.  Don't be foolish and deny the power of God which he desires to fill us with.  You can proclaim to be Christian all you want, but unless you accept the power from on high you only have a form of Godliness. 

Jesus prophesied the new birth and Peter proclaimed the new birth. Then James tells us that unless we be doers of the Word we are deceiving ourselves.  So do what Peter said and do what Jesus said and be Born again according the Word of God.

Are you ready to get baptized yet?

I find this outline most helpful.

The Process of Salvation

by
William Arnold III
WmArnold@gmail.com

A. Definitions:

1. The OT concept. There are several aspects of "salvation" in OT thought. First, salvation implies that a person or nation is in great distress - perhaps related to danger from enemies or to suffering caused by some disaster. In such situations the sufferers do not have the ability to help themselves.

Second, salvation involves a deliverer (a savior). This is a person who acts on behalf of the sufferers to deliver them from their distress.

Third, the action of the deliverer effects a release from the circumstances that caused the suffering. Thus, salvation portrays movement - from distress to safety.

2. The NT concept. The core concept established in the OT is carried over into the NT. In fact, the Greek verb swzw (to save) also implies rescue from some life-threatening danger. In the NT, it is God or Jesus who acts to deliver believers from dangers that threaten not only their physical life but also their prospect of eternal life.

B. Salvation has many components:

1. saved by grace – Rom. 3:23,24; Titus 2:11; Eph 2:5,8

2. saved by faith – Acts 16:31; Eph. 2:8; I Peter 1:9

3. saved by confession – Rom. 10:10; I John 1:9; James 5:16

4. saved by repentance – Luke 13:3; II Cor. 7:10; II Peter 3:9

5. saved by baptism – Mark 16:16; John 3:5; I Peter 3:21

6. saved by the Holy Ghost – John 3:5; Rom. 8:9; Eph. 1:13,14

7. saved by endurance – II Tim. 2:10; James 1:12; Heb. 3:6

C. Salvation is a process:

1. we have been saved, "According to his mercy he saved us" (Titus 3:5), and "{God} has saved us and called us to a holy life" (2 Tim 1:9),

2. we are being saved, "For by grace are ye saved" (Eph 2:8), and "Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling" (Phi 2:12),

3. we shall be saved, "much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life" (Rom 5:10) and "Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee." (I Tim 4:16).

God only gives this final salvation if we continue in him (Rom 11:22; Col 1:23; I John 2:24,25). Ralph Reynolds gives this illustration:

When were the children of Israel saved? At the night of the Passover after the blood was applied, while the death angel passed over, they were saved. Yet they were not yet saved. They were saved when they crossed the Red Sea and the armies of Pharaoh were destroyed. Yet they were not yet saved. They were saved when they were led by the cloud in the wilderness. Yet they were not yet saved. Many were never saved for they never entered the Promised Land.

D. God intends to see us through: Matt. 28:20; Ppns 1:6; Heb. 13:5; I Peter 1:5

i expected something like this from you lol. ok here i come again:

BUT THE BIBLE SPECIFICALLY SAYS HERE

(Ephesians 2:8-9) - "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; ⁹not as a result of works, that no one should boast."

(Rom. 3:20,28) - "because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin...²⁸For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law."

(Galatians 2:16) - "nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we may be justified by faith in Christ, and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law shall no flesh be justified."

SO works cannot save me, its a faith in God right?

Thats why Hermanuetics is so important, we must put line upon line, precept upon precept. We cannot take one principle out of context and declare it to be the entireity of the soteriological doctrine.

 Looking at my previous post, show me where the hermaeutics is flawed.

break that down a bit. i think it causes for an elaboration