Everywhere in Scripture there are statements that man must do this, that, or the other IN ORDER TO BE saved.
Acts 2:38
Acts 3:19
Rom 10:9-10
Mark 16:16, and there are many others.
Good morning Doug, and greetings,
As an old solider of the cross, when I see words like:
"There are statements that man must do this, that, or the other IN ORDER TO BE saved" ~ this gets my attention immediately, and it should;
woe unto me, in that day when that statement does not.
Most use the words save/saved/salvation in only
one sense, and that sense is salvation from condemnation and sin, to eternal life, in heaven. Most have no biblical knowledge beyond that, even those who attend worship services
weekly in this world. That's the sad state of
mystery Babylon in our day, its
religious sector.
1) Acts 2:38 ~“Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.”
Doug, if we lift any scripture from its context, then we have taken
the very first step toward teaching a false doctrine, CONTEXT is king and will always drive the true biblical interpretation for us, it never fails,
no never.
Doug, interpretations must agree with their context.
Remember this law:
A text used out of context is a pretext.
A text is a word, clause, verse, paragraph, chapter, or book you are seeking to interpret.
Context is the
surrounding information, which shows the author’s true meaning by the text.
Out of context is using words and their sound
contrary to the surrounding information.
A pretext is a false and incorrect impression designed to hide or disguise the real intent.
Using a verse contrary to its context gives a misleading and
deceitful sound of words to teach something the author did not intend and/or is not true. Doug, we all have had our words used out of context before, and we hated the corruption of our intent and meaning. We
must sure we never do it with the precious Word of God.
This rule applies to all writings and conversations of every sort, and so context is well understood by most people. Contracts, court records, novels, promises, and poetry are all understood in context, or surrounding information, to truly understand their meaning.
Even single words are meaningless
without a context, which is why you asked your teacher to use them in a sentence before you would try to spell them in a spelling bee! Even if we use a verse to teach a true point, we must make sure we still honor its context. For using the wrong verse to teach the right point is the
first subtle step to heresy.
For me, Acts 2:38 is very easily to understand
in its context and the overall teachings of the scriptures. Peter, had just finished a short message concerning, what those at Jerusalem were witnessing was the results of the prophesy of the prophet Joel. Peter then said:
"Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know: Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain:" He then proceeded to informed them, that death had no power over him; he went on to prove that these things were prophesied in their own scriptures by David himself, concerning Christ, and his death, and resurrection, and after his resurrection he was exalted to David' throne, ruling over the tabernacle of David that had fallen in Adam raised you in Christ to sit with him legally speaking. Once they heard how THEY had rejected and killed him, some were pricked in their hearts, and said:
Acts 2:37
“Now when they heard
this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles,
Men and brethren, what shall we do?”
Doug, the key of understanding Acts 2:38,
is understanding Acts 2:37! Peter, a man of God saw the deep conviction of what just happened after they heard the word of God, and Peter
understood what it meant to be pricked in one's heart according to the word of God...he knew that was a evidence of regeneration, thereby, he said what he did in Acts 2:38. Before we look at Acts 2:38, let me add this:
In Acts 7, we have one of, it not the most powerful sermon ever preached by someone other than Jesus' sermon on the mount, by Stephen. After this man of God was finished we read:
Acts 7:54
“When they heard these things, they were
cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with
their teeth.”
Doug, do you know the difference between being pricked in one's heart, and being cut to the hearts? I think not, because of what you teach concerning Acts 2:38. No pun intended just Trying to help another brother see clearly. Doug, Peter knew the difference, and that's why he said what he said in Acts 2:38! Selah!
Now, Acts 2:38 said:
1) Acts 2:38 ~“Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ
for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.”
Peter. the man of God knew that God had open their hearts and cause them to be humbly pricked in their spirits which moved them to ask
what should we do, and Peter rightly told them what to do ~ by using the word
"for" and in this verse it mean
BECAUSE OF, (based on what Peter was witnessing), the word
for does not mean
in order to obtained, Peter carefully used words based upon what he heard and witnesses!
For is used in the scriptures many times over to mean
"because of"~proof, no problem.
Mark 1:44
“And saith unto him, See thou say nothing to any man: but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer
for thy cleansing those things which Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them.”
How is it used here? The very same manner in which Peter used the word for.
Coming back to address this one.
