[soc.religion.christian] Acts 2:38 and how to become a Christian

rmurtha@uunet.uu.net (Rob Murtha - Lotus) (08/12/90)

There are several steps outlined in the bible on how to become a Christian.
Belief that Jesus was GOD manifest in the flesh is the first step. Acts 2:38 
is a response from Peter to the Jews question "what shall we do". 

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.

When you take on the name of Jesus in water baptizm (immersion as an adult), 
you become a Christian! When you receive the Holy Ghost GOD gives you the power to remain a Christian!

I've talked to many people in New England, and accross the country and it seems
that baptizm in the titles Father, Son, Holy Ghost is still being administered.
This is not scripturaly correct. 

Matthew 28:19 says
Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the 
Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

Notice that name is singular! This refers to the name of Jesus, which is the
name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. 

If you were not baptized in the name of Jesus the first time see Acts 19:1-6.

see also

Acts 10:44-48
Romans 6:3
Galations 3:27

Rob Murtha		rmurtha@voyager.lotus.com

boris@tornado.berkeley.edu (Boris Chen) (08/17/90)

In article <Aug.12.04.23.34.1990.16724@athos.rutgers.edu> lotus!rmurtha@uunet.uu.net (Rob Murtha - Lotus) writes:
>There are several steps outlined in the bible on how to become a Christian.
>Belief that Jesus was GOD manifest in the flesh is the first step. Acts 2:38 

What scripture do you base your statement that in order to be a Christian
one must believe that Jesus was God manifest in the flesh? I thought
that one must accept him as our only means of salvation.

>Matthew 28:19 says
>Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the 
>Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
>
>Notice that name is singular! This refers to the name of Jesus, which is the
>name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. 

I think that the scripture quoted is simply a way of combining 3 separate
sentences into one, by the use of parallel construction. You infer that 
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit all have the name Jesus, because 
the word "name" is singular. But if you break the sentence into 3, you can
get: "...in the name of the Father." "...in the name of the Son." "...in
the name of the Holy Ghost." Thus, when the requirement is given that
one must be baptised in the name of Jesus, that is merely a sub-set
of a greater set of requirements. In addition if you read (I assume you
are using the KJ version) Psalm 83:18, it mentions that God's (or the Father's)
name is Jehovah.

/----------------------------------------------------------\
| Boris Chen    || Berkeley, CA  || boris@ocf.berkeley.edu |
\----------------------------------------------------------/

rmurtha@uunet.uu.net (Rob Murtha - Lotus) (08/25/90)

[I'm unable to find the original postings here, and the quotations in
this submission didn't have any of the posters' names.  But the
discussion is on requirements to be a Christian.  Someone apparently
said you had to believe that Jesus was God manifest in the flesh.
There was a response that it was only necessary to accept him as the
only means of salvation.  --clh]

Read John 1:1-14

[Someone had cited Mat 28:19, the great commission, which talks about
baptizing in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
>>Notice that name is singular! This refers to the name of Jesus, which is the
>>name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. 
The response was that this is three separate requirements: the name of
the Father, the name of the Son, ..., and that references to being
baptised in the name of Jesus are a subset of this.  --clh]

All of the apostles where present when Jesus issued this command, they
then baptized in the name of Jesus throughout the book of Acts The
sentance is only one just as the name is only one; Jesus said in John
10:17 "I and my Father are one." Why would you think that there is
some sort of parallelism that you must interpret into the scripture?

Acts 4:12 "Neither is there salvation in any other: for ther is none
other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved."

I don't know exactly where you got you're theory that you can break up
Matt 28:19 into three sentances and therefor declare that baptism in
Jesus's name is a subset of this, but I challenge you to study the
scripture and provide scriptural evidence that baptism in Jesus's name
is incorrect.

Sincerely

Rob Murtha		rmurtha@voyager.lotus.com

boris@tornado.Berkeley.EDU (Boris Chen) (09/02/90)

In article <Aug.24.21.18.07.1990.11044@athos.rutgers.edu> lotus!rmurtha@uunet.uu.net (Rob Murtha - Lotus) writes:
>Jesus said in John
>10:17 "I and my Father are one." Why would you think that there is
>some sort of parallelism that you must interpret into the scripture?

John 10:17 says: "This is why the Father loves me, because I surrender my
soul, in order that I may receive it again."

I think what you are quoting from is John 10:30.

This quote is clarified in John 17:20-22 where it says: 
"My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in
me though their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are
in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may
believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me,
that they may be one as we are one."

I am not interpreting anything into scripture. In light of these scriptures
what Jesus was saying is that he and the Father are united in purpose, for
certainly the apostles are not also God.



>I don't know exactly where you got you're theory that you can break up
>Matt 28:19 into three sentances and therefor declare that baptism in
>Jesus's name is a subset of this, but I challenge you to study the
>scripture and provide scriptural evidence that baptism in Jesus's name
>is incorrect.

I am not saying that baptism in Jesus' name is incorrect. I was merely
commenting on what you said initially, about Matt. 28:19. I was showing
you the grammatical construction of the sentence, and why your conclusion
was incorrect.


+==================================================================+
+ Boris Chen   ||   Berkeley, CA    ||      boris@ocf.berkeley.edu +
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
+ "And they will have to beat their swords into plowshares, and... +
+  neither will they learn war anymore." ---Micah 4:3              +
+==================================================================+