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John wrote >
Objections? Acts 2:38 seems to suggest that if we repent and are
baptized, we will, then, receive the Holy Spirit. Mankind individually
would not have the Spirit unless and until a certain response that "gets us
saved" is committed to.
Acts 2.38 -- "Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one
of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins;
and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit."
Hey
John,
If you will allow the word eis to be
translated the way that it is on hundreds of times (perhaps over one
thousand times) in Scripture, you will discover that we are not repenting and
getting baptized "for" the remission of sins, but "into" the remission of
sins. Repentance and baptism are responses to that which has already been
provided in Christ. The "gets us saved" part is already a reality in the
finished work of our Savior. I do agree with you, however, that it is upon
believing (which in the context of 2.38 is called repentance) in Jesus Christ
that we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Bill
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Tuesday, February 01, 2005 5:24
AM
Subject: Re: [TruthTalk] Truth as viewed
by one of the greats
To the Enlighteded:
If no one cometh
to Christ except the Father draw him - then Christ is NOT
the "draw."
Something else is going on. If Philip
2:12,13 (work out your own salvation for it is God at work within you
both to will and to do His good pleasure) is part of the answer to the
question embedded in the "draw," perhaps the Spirit of God is involved
in the life and goings on of all mankind. Response, then, to this
Divine Influence, would be called "repentance" on one occasion, "confession"
on another, "benevolent caring" on another, the expense of one's self for the
hungry on yet another, and doing works of the law apart from actual knowledge
of the law ......................... in short, the function of
faith whether knowingly or not (as in the case of the Gentile in Romans
2). Because of the cross, Jesus dying for the whole world (all of
mankind, i.e. The Dance), this response(s) demonstrates the function of faith
(works) and has a vital role to play as God considers the destiny of all and
each of mankind.
Objections? Acts 2:38 seems
to suggest that if we repent and are baptized, we will, then, receive the Holy
Spirit. Mankind individually would not have the Spirit unless and until
a certain response that "gets us saved" is committed to.
But does the
command in Acts 2:38 counter the idea of a continuing Presence in each of
mankind? What about Eph 5:18,19,20 makes it clear that Infilling
of the Spirit is a repeated possibility based upon a commitment to a specific
function of faith. "Be ye filled with the Spirit as you
................" could be considered a first time event by some when,
in fact, it speaks of a repeated infilling.
Could it be
that Acts 2:38 is not speaking of a first time occurrence for the same reasons
that Eph 5 is not. That those in Acts 2 are responding to the
inward motivations of God as described in Philip 2. That anytime
we do what is right, we are in partnership with God. That
salvation is ours to loose as we consider the "right thing to do" and decide
against it?
Just asking
JD
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