The Bible says, the church did not endure (continue in) sound doctrine. And because of this, some “hard things to understand” are even “more difficult to understand,” but we are going to try to share what we believe the New Testament means in respect to salvation and resurrection of those who place their faith in Jesus Christ to have their sins forgiven. We are sharing this, even though we are not confident this is perfect.Until we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; (Ephesians 4:13), for if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand (Mark 3:25).
We understand New Testament teachings in the age of grace were for three different groups of people.
(1) Teachings by the Apostle Paul were to save and then graft Gentiles believers of the wild olive tree into the good olive tree Israel as a son and heir of GOD in Christ.
Repentant Gentile believers were forgiven of past sins by being baptized with water “in the name of Jesus Christ,” to be reconciled to GOD by receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost (the Spirit of adoption). They were being justified/being saved as their heart was spiritually circumcised of the flesh to be born of GOD and saved as a justified member in Christ by being baptized with the Spirit of Jesus Christ into His death and raised up together by being quickened together with His Spirit. They continued to grow in grace and wisdom as they were purified of sin and as the fruit of the Spirit was developed in their life to become a holy saint when sanctified completely by being anointed with the Holy Spirit of GOD the Father.
Gentile believers were not born of GOD and justified by being joined together with the Spirit of Jesus Christ into His death, until their heart was circumcised of sins of the flesh. They were not born again of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, until they were justified in the name of Jesus Christ by AND by the Spirit of our GOD, the LORD Jesus Christ, who was raised for our justification to make us the righteousness of GOD IN Christ by having His righteousness imputed unto us.
Don’t you know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? (Rom 6:3)
For he who has died is justified of sin (Romans 6:7), What you sow is not made alive unless it dies (1 Cor. 15:36)
There is one God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith (Rom. 3:30).
……circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit, not in the letter; (Romans 2:29b).
the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, "the just (those who practice righteousness) shall live (are born again) by faith" (Rom 1:17).
Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, (Matthew 28:19)
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 (Acts 2:38).
And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him (Colossians 3:17)
To be baptized with water "in the name of Jesus Christ" is not the same as being born of GOD by being baptized with the Spirit of Jesus Christ into Jesus Christ and His death to be of resurrection. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:13).
And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus AND by the Spirit of our God (1 Cor. 6:11).
(2) Teachings by the Apostle Peter were for the “circumcised” (those who practiced circumcision of male babies according to the Law), that is, members of the good olive tree (Israelites) that converted from following the Mosaic Law to living by the grace of GOD for their faith in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins.
They were baptized with water in the name of Jesus Christ to be forgiven of sins and saved from death by being reconciled to the Holy Spirit of GOD within them when forgiven of all trespasses by repenting and confessing their sins. They overcame the world and the sins of the flesh as Christ was formed in them to be baptized with the Spirit into Jesus Christ and His death and raised up together, born of GOD IN Christ. They continued to grow in grace and wisdom as they were purified of sin by Christ being formed in them to be changed to put on immortality by being anointed with the Holy Spirit of GOD our Father.
(3) Teachings by the Apostle John recorded perhaps 50 years after Pentecost to believers included children born holy with the Spirit of Jesus Christ within them, received at conception by parents with the Spirit of Jesus Christ in them (1 Corinthians 7:14). He says those who practice righteousness are born of GOD (1 John 2:29) and righteous, even as HE is righteous (1 John 3:7), and that whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother (1 John 3:10). He says we need to overcome the world (lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, pride of life -1 John 2:15-16) to become heirs of GOD (Revelation 21:7) with our name secured in the book of life (Revelation 3:5).
Because we have and do make errors, and because .......”man shall not live by bread alone, but by every Word of God" (Luke 4:4), we prequalify our words (both written and spoken) with, “We believe these things are truth according to our understanding of scripture,” but are only acceptable as approved by the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY our FATHER.
With love in Christ,..........may GOD bless
