Quote (Kisssofdeath @ Feb 11 2011 07:44pm)
Are you that blind? I have proven by scripture that baptism is required by God for the remission of sin and to be obedient to his will.
You say all a person needs is to believe and have faith. James 2:14-17 says you are wrong about that. I will repeat again James 2:17 "Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone." There, not to hard to understand. It is plainly saying, "faith without works is dead". Works is referencing baptism, dead means lost. Do not get this confused with Ephesians 2:8-9 which I will discuss later. But first I will answer your question you asked again.
You asked this question, "can you please show me a book chapter and verse where someone was a believer but never baptized and did not receive salvation. i would like to have an example.'
Here is your answer, book, chapter and verse.
James 2:19 says, "Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble". What is this telling you? This says even the Devils believe are they saved? Of course not. The reason for this verse is to show man has to do more than just believe.
By scripture, your ideas for what is required to be saved have been proven false. See below.
James 2:19 strikes down you saying only believing is needed. Again James 2:19 says, "You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble"!
James 2:17 strikes down your saying only faith is needed. Again James 2:17 says, "Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead".
Of course you need both to become a Christian. But that is not all that's needed. Here is God's plan of salvation.
1. You must HEARthe message of the gospel, Romans 10:17 says, "So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God".
2. You must BELIEVE that Jesus Christ is the Son of God (John 8:24 and Mark 16:16). John 8:24 says, "Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins". Mark 16:16 says, "He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned".
3. You must REPENTof your sins. Acts 17:30 says, "Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent".
4. You must CONFESSwith your mouth your faith in Christ Romans 10:9-10 says, "that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved" 10 says, "For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation".
5. You must be BABTIZED into Christ for the remission of sins (Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38; Romans 6:3-4 and1 Peter 3:21). Mark 16:16 says, "He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned". Acts 2:38 says, "Then 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". Romans 6:3-4 says, "Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death" and "Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life". 1 Peter 3:21 says, "Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life".
6 Finally, you must live a FAITHFUL Christian life of continuous service in the church of the Lord. Revalation 2:10 says, "Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life".
A person must do all of these if he wants to have the hope of eternal life. A person cannot pick and choose what he wants when it's commanded by God.
Now let us discuss Ephesians 2:8-9 and James 2:24. Bryce722, this is for you too.
By pitting one verse against another, the Bible sometimes seems contradictory. God inspired the Bible so there cannot be any real contradictions. Apparent contradictions disappear with proper understanding of the text.
Emphasizing man's need to rely on the grace of God, Paul wrote, by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast (Ephesians 2:8-9). A simple definition of grace is unmerited favor. God grants that unmerited favor for the salvation of mankind. Paul said salvation is not of works, lest any man should boast, indicating that man cannot perform any meritorious works that would earn salvation. Salvation is by grace.
The apparent contradiction comes when we compare Ephesians 2:8-9 with James 2: 24, in which James wrote, Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only. The two passages are not really in conflict, because James and Paul were each speaking of two different kinds of works, as each emphasized a different aspect of salvation.
Paul emphasized that the grace of God saves, and man cannot earn his salvation by works of merit. The fact that God's grace saves, however, does not mean that man is relieved of the responsibility to obey God to receive the benefits of that grace. If salvation is by grace alone, with no acts of obedience, then every man would automatically be saved, no matter what he did. We are saved by many things, we are saved by hope (Romans 8:24). Hebrews 5:9 tells us that Christ became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him. Peter wrote of the obedience of Noah and his family, saying "the like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (1 Peter 3:21). The apostle John wrote, if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin (1 John 1:7).
How can salvation come by grace, by hope, by Christ, by the blood, and by baptism? All of these save because salvation is by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8), that is, an obedient faith. As James said, faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone (James 2:17). A living faith is a faith that works, that obeys the commands of Christ, including being baptized.
As one is baptized into Christ he makes contact with the cleansing blood of Christ (Romans 6:3-7). Hebrews chapter 11, sometimes called Faith's Hall of Fame, is filled with examples of grace through faith. By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice (Hebrews 11:4). By faith Noah prepared an ark (Hebrews 11:7). By faith Abraham obeyed (Hebrews 11:8). We cannot earn our salvation through works of merit, but we must obey God to benefit from his marvelous grace. By grace through faith we obediently accept God's love.
dude youre just reiterating the same verses ive already addressed.