Minister's Corner

Reasoning Together, Part 1, by Dean Blythe

Let us reason from Scripture:

To say one is saved before baptism, is like saying the following:

1. Saved before being forgiven and receiving the Holy Spirit - Acts 2:38

2. Saved before having your sins washed away and calling on the name of the Lord - Acts 22:16

3. Saved before becoming a disciple of Jesus Christ - Matthew 28:18-20

4. Saved before you are Saved - Mark 16:16

5. Saved before you are Saved in making your appeal to God for a clear conscience -                        I Peter 3:21

6. Saved before being buried with Christ and raised with Him - Romans 6:1-11

7. Saved before being clothed with Christ - Galatians 3:27

8. Saved before being made complete in Christ by bring circumcised with the Circumcision of Christ, in being buried with Christ in baptism in which you are raised up with Him through faith in the working of God Who raised Christ from the dead - Colossians 2:10-12

9. Saved before having your heart sprinkled clean from an evil conscience by the Blood of Christ, and your body washed with pure water - Hebrews 9:14 & Hebrews 10:19-22

We are not saved at some point before baptism, nor at some point after baptism, nor by baptism alone, but we are saved when we are buried with Christ in baptism; then it is that we are raised to walk in newness of life - Romans 6:4 - which is a good place to begin our next Reasoning Together.

Baptism - Immersion is not the end, but rather the beginning.

God bless the study of His Word.

Dean

Destination

Former Senator Dwight W. Morrow searched in vain to find his railroad ticket as he was on a train leaving New York City. "I must find that ticket," he muttered. The conductor, who stood waiting beside him, said, "Don't worry about it, Mr. Morrow. We know you had a ticket. Just mail it to the railroad when you find it." "That's not what's troubling me," replied Morrow, "I need to find it to know where I'm going."



Hmmm... Do you know where YOU'RE going?