The Church of Christ teaches that a sinner is forgiven of sin when he is baptized in water by a Campbellite elder. Where does the Bible teach that water baptism is required in order to have ones sins forgiven? Every time the phrase for the remission of sins occurs it is speaking of the fact that sins have been forgiven previously! The Bible plainly teaches that the forgiveness of sins is conditioned upon repentance of sin and faith in Christ - never upon water baptism! (Matthew 3:11; Luke 24:47; Acts 3:19; Acts 5:31; Acts 10:43; Acts 20:21; Romans 1:16; Romans 4:5; et.al.) Where does the Bible teach that forgiveness of sin is linked with water baptism? When Christ made the statement in Matthew 26:28 Says IN Matthew 26:28 King James Version (KJV) 28 For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. / Me Quote Me Saying it had to be because they had been forgiven all through the Old Testament! Christ shed His blood because God forgave repentant and believing sinners for thousands of years before the Son of God came to take away sins and to redeem us and pay the sin-debt with His own precious blood. How can one say that for the remission of sins means in order to obtain in light of the fact that God never uses the phrase in that sense? In the Old Testament God forgave sin on the basis of a blood sacrifice (Heb. 9:22) - the Old Testament saints had their sins remitted (i.e., forgiven) but they were not redeemed until Christ came and shed His blood at Calvary. Their sins were covered (Romans 4:7; Psalm 32:1), but the sinner was not cleared of his guilt (Exodus 34:7) until the Cross (Heb.10:4). Before Calvary, the sins of believers were pardoned, but they were not paid for (i.e., redeemed) until the crucifixion (see Romans 3:25 and Heb. 9:12-15). When Jesus said, It is finished, (John 19:30), all sin - past, present and future - was paid for, and the plan of salvation was completed, so that The King James Bible Says IN Acts 10:43 King James Version (KJV) 43 To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins. / Me Quote Me Saying In Acts 2:38, the people were baptized because their sins were forgiven (at Calvary when Jesus said, Father, forgive them,) and they received the blessing of forgiveness when they repented of their sin of rejecting Christ and accepted Him as their Saviour and Lord. Friend, heaven or hell depends on what you believe about this.
Posted on: Tue, 30 Sep 2014 17:01:03 +0000
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