It is an astonishing thing that we who have been
redeemed need a reminder of our Lord’s death on the cross. Yet it is so! If we
search our hearts and examine our ways, we shall find it is easy to forget. Our
Lord, who knows well the weakness and treachery of our human hearts, has made
provision for us to be constantly reminded. Thus He has established the memorial
feast with this intent, “This do in
remembrance of Me.”
If you remember a commenter stated that water baptism is
necessary for salvation. It seems that by salvation he meant both justification
and regeneration in that he believed water baptism was (a) necessary for the
forgiveness of sins and (b) that you are raised to life by means of water baptism.
We’ve worked our way through several baptismal accounts and have been eroding
at his foundation (simultaneously addressing some other baptismal concerns and
God-willing reflecting a Bible based study). At this point though my commenter
brought up the (in)famous 1 Peter text as undeniable proof of baptism that
saves us.
So after I confessed to not particularly liking
the ESV and favoring my
NASB anyday over it I started to wonder: Why is it that so many people
online seem to be embracing it anyway? I mean, one person seems to
think my Bible preference is a "Satanic Roman Catholic perverted piece of garbage " while others think only the KJV
is perfect.
Last night our church baptized over 20 people [This posted on Tuesday but brother Russ is referring to Sunday night.-rey].
Embarrassingly, I have not been keeping up with Rey’s series on baptism, so I’m
not sure whether he has touched on this. However, I came away from this service
with a couple of thoughts that might contribute to what he is saying:
Last time I touched the book of James I was taking a small
look at personal patience (or perseverance) and the joy a believer can have in
trials. Today I’d like to look at corporate patience in the work of
the Lord and what that has to do with the individual.