Marty, since Jesus is the Holy Spirit, and Jesus is God, then baptising in His name is legal, and right, and all encompassing.
JL: Christ isn’t the Holy Spirit nor the Father but the Son. Christ commaded to baptize in the NAME (singular) of the ONE GOD. In that one God are three indivisible persons Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The one NAME into which all are to be baptized.
So you are a oneness pentecostal? Believing one God, ACTING, as three different persons or rolls. I would guess you belong to The United Pentecostal Church, is that correct?
Remember Marty, water baptism doesn’t save anyone. It is believing in Christ, and His atonement that does. Water baptism is an outward sign of an inward confession of repentance through sorrow.
And since repentance is marked by this fruit, which are tears of sorrow, and this sorrow is caused by God alone, 2 Corinthians 7: 10 For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation; but the sorrow of the world produces death.
JL: Faith ALWAYS comes first but FAITH ALONE doesn’t save, [Jms2:24 Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and NOT BY FAITH ONLY.]
One is not BORN AGAIN and delivered a child of God till baptized. [Gal 3:26 For **YE ARE all the
CHILDREN OF GOD by faith in Christ Jesus. 27 For
AS MANY of you
AS HAVE BEEN BAPTIZED into Christ
HAVE PUT ON CHRIST.]
According to scripture baptism is a part of salvation, sanctifying, regenerating washing away our sins, renewing of the Holy Spirit making us children and heirs.
[1Pt3:20 Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, **eight souls were SAVED BY WATER. 21
THE LIKE FIGURE whereunto even
BAPTISM DOTH also NOW SAVE US (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ:]
[Eph5:25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; 26 **That he might SANCTIFY and CLEANSE it WITH THE WASHING OF WATER BY THE WORD,] How are we sanctified and cleansed by WASHING OF WATER by the WORD.
[Act22:16 And now why tarriest thou? arise, and **BE BAPTIZED, and
WASH AWAY THY SINS, calling on the name of the Lord.] How does scripture tell us we are REGENERATED?
[TITUS 3:5 **Not by works of righteousness which we have done,
but according to
his mercy he SAVED us, BY the
WASHING OF REGENERATION, and
RENEWING OF the Holy Ghost; 6 Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; 7
That BEING JUSTIFIED by his grace, we should be made HEIRS according to the hope of eternal life.
[1Cor6:11 And such were some of you: **BUT YE ARE WASHED, but ye are
SANCTIFIED, but ye are
JUSTIFIED in the name of the Lord Jesus, and
by the Spirit of our God.]
Believing (faith) is the conception of life. An adult comes to faith thru hearing the Word and God’s free gift of faith. Then that adult makes a decision to accept or reject that Word of God. If they accept they must REPENT, be BAPTIZED FOR remission of sins and they shall RECEIVE the gift of the Holy Spirit. Being BORN AGAIN by WATER and of the HOLY SPIRIT, as Christ tells us in Jn3:5. Peter tells us clearly in Acts2 how one is set on the road to salvation.
[Acts2:37 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? 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. The
PROMISE is unto you, AND to your CHILDREN, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the LORD our God shall call.]
Peter said, REPENT, BE BAPTIZED EVERY ONE OF YOU FOR remission of sins, RECEIVE the gift of the Holy Spirit. If baptism was a outward sign of inward repentence instead of a Sacrament. Peter should have said, Since you now believe you have received the Holy Spirit. Now you can be water baptized as an outward sign of an inward confession of repentance. I challenge you to post one scripture saying baptism is an outward sign of an inward confession of repentance. You wont because you can’t. It’s simply a tradition of men to nullify the Word.
[Acts2:40 And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, **SAVE YOURSELVES from the untoward generation. 41 THEN they that gladly RECEIVED his word were BAPTIZED: and the SAME DAY were
ADDED UNTO THEM about three thousand souls. 42 And THEY CONTINUED stedfastly IN THE APOSTLES’ doctrine and FELLOWSHIP, and in BREAKING OF BREAD (Mass), and in PRAYERS.]
Notice Peter says SAVE YOURSELVES. How? By being BAPTIZED thru which they WERE ADDED to that ONE VISIBLE Apostolic Fellowship the Body of Christ the Church. They continued in the APOSTLES doctrine, fellowship, breaking of Bread=Mass.
Remember Paul had a life changing encounter with Christ, yet he was told to be baptized and wash his sins away. Paul didn’t receive the Holy Spirit when he had his conversion experience and first believed.
[Acts9:8 And **Saul arose from the earth; and when his eyes were opened,
he saw no man: but
they led him by the hand, and brought him
into Damascus. 9 And
he was three days without sight, and neither did eat nor drink. 10 And there was a certain disciple at Damascus, named Ananias; and to him said the Lord in a vision, Ananias. And he said, Behold, I am here, Lord.]
[Acts9:17 And **Ananias went his way, and entered into the house;
and putting his hands on him said, Brother Saul, the Lord, even
Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest,
hath sent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight, AND be filled with the Holy Ghost. 18 And
immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales: and
he received sight forthwith,
AND arose, and WAS BAPTIZED. 19 And when he had received meat, he was strengthened. Then was Saul certain days with the disciples which were at Damascus.]
Three days later Ananias laid hands on Paul and he received his sight immediately. THEN Paul arose to be baptized, to remit and wash away his sins, and receive the Holy Spirit. Being BORN AGAIN by water AND of the Spirit, as Christ tells us in Jn3:5. As Peter tells us in Acts2:38 repent, be baptized FOR remission of sins, RECEIVE the gift of the Holy Spirit. By the way Paul was probably baptized by pouring as he stood. He was baptized in a house.
