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Bible Studies/another question about baptism
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Question
Mr. McCellan,
I read your answer on baptism and I have another question regarding that. I am an immersed believer and do believe Jesus requires baptism and an obedient act. I became a Christian at age 46 and have been involved with one church and I was taught that according to Acts 2:38 and based on Jesus's baptism that you receive the Holy Spirit when you come out of the water of baptism. My church recently closed due to the economy and I am looking at different churches in the area. I like one church but they state that baptism should be done but thats not when you receive the Holy Spirit. You receive the Holy Spirit when you accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior. I am confused. Everything I have read in the Bible convinces me that I am right. Any insight would be so helpful with this. I don't want to teach others I witness to the wrong thing!
Hello Catherine,
I'm just checking with you to see if you think you clearly understand what I said in my answer below to your question. If it's still a little unclear, just let me know what part you are still having trouble with.
Best Regards,
Mr. McClellan
Hello Catherine,
The reason that many people think that a sinner is forgiven, saved, at the moment that they decide to accept Jesus as Lord because the do not correctly understand what the Bible writes meant by the term "faith" of the kind that pleases God. In connection with this misunderstanding, they also mistakenly believe that any outward physical act is a "work" and that salvation is not by works but rather by faith. Therefore, the are prejudiced against what the Bible actually says and favor a false teaching instead.
James said that "faith apart from works (outward acts) is dead; worthless. In other words, to claim to believe something but not prove your claim by doing something to show that you are not being hypocritical is hypocrisy. When Paul said that we are saved by faith and not by works, he meant that we are not saved by trying to earn salvation by doing good things. He did not mean that we are not to obey the commandments of God which include baptism. You see, what determines if an action, or work, is an attempt to earn salvation or just one's response in accepting a free gift is the motive you have in doing the act, or work. There are two kinds of works. There are works of merit and there are works of faith. If you submit to baptism thinking that God owes you salvation and that by being baptized you've earned it, you are trying to saved by works which is not possible. On the other hand, if you submit to baptism out of trust, faith, in Jesus' promise of eternal life for those who are faithful, then it is a work of faith. This is what the Calvinists, which most people are, do not understand and why they will remain lost and accountable for their sins as long as they refuse to listen to Jesus and continue to obey the doctrines of people like John Calvin instead. You see, in reality, John Calvin is their God and not Jesus because they are listening to Mr. Calvin who was a mere man and mistaken in his understanding of the Bible. They've made a false Christ out of John Calvin and other people like Martin Luther and many others. Don't let these people destroy your faith in the real Jesus. There is no other name under haaven whereby we can be saved and no other teachings but his and his Spirit guided apostles can guide you to eternal life.
I hope this answers you question.
Sincerely,
Mr. McClellan
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Mr. McClellan
Expertise
I can answer questions concerning Christian doctrine as well as other kinds of questions relating to religion. One important thing, among many, that needs clearing up is the meaning of religion. Religion is any system of belief that tries to explain how people should think and behave so that life is the best it can be. The definition found in the dictionary is seriously in error being based on popular but wrong ideas. Email me at and.the.truth.is@GMX.com for a free PDF 5 page introduction to my just completed book, "And The Truth Is?" It's uniquely different and interactive, designed to show you that you can actually know the way, the truth, and the life Jesus spoke of and what he expected people to do to participate in it as well as what to expect if they did.
Experience
My education puts me second to none in this area and I have had over forty years experience in the area of teaching Christian theology, doctrine, apologetics, hermeneutics, history, and philosophy. Publications: Among the things that I have written is a summary of the entire Bible that is intended to help people put it all together and quickly understand exactly what the writers of the Bible intended for everyone to understand. By reading it and then reading the Bible, the correct understanding should become quite clear and a sincere student will recognize that they have received an invaluable aid to knowing how to correctly interpret the Bible so that they can know, with certainty, that they are understanding it correctly. At the same time, they will be able to recognize the vast number of false doctirnes that are being called Christian doctrines but are only the teachings of men and have no more authority than any oridinary man can give them.
Organizations
I belong to no officially recognized organizations. I'm simply a person with a deep and lifelong desire to know the truth, a desire so strong that I have, for more than 50 years, poured myself and a lot of money into finding it and making sure of it. I believe that life is too short and valuable to waste it believing a lot of stuff that isn't true. Everyone can't be right and be in disagreement at the same time and the claims made by the writers of the Bible are simply too serious to guess about.
Publications
It's quite obvious that the Bible is not easy to comprehend thus all the divided opinions about what it teaches. I am finalizing a short treatise on the Bible that I believe will help a lot of people who seriously want to get a clear understanding of what the Bible actually has to say to everyone, a treatise that should take the mystery out of it and show that it really makes sense. People deserve help in recognizing the truth about what the Bible says because there is so much false teaching about it that is actually leading people away from God instead of to God. It should be ready to send out by the end of this year, 2011 or before.
Now, you can purchase a PDF copy of my book "And The Truth Is?" on CD. It's very unique and it's interactive. If you're tired of living with a best guess and want to learn for certain what the truth is, this, the result of over 50 years of research and serious study, is what you're looking for.
Education/Credentials
I have two degrees in education, including religious belief systems. I also have many years of experience and many thousands of hours of study and research on which I've based my new book, "The Bible Actually Makes Sense."
Awards and Honors
All of my awards and honors are in the form of compliments from people who've read or listened to my attempts to help them understand what the Bible is about and how to comply with what it actually says. So many have said, in one way or another, that I helped them more than anyone they had ever met. It's comforting to know that my efforts to be of value to others is appreciated.
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