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Justin and Josiah talk about the doctrines of the Church of Christ and hopefully preacher Norm will join the discussion.
Well, I messed all that up. We're already live messed it all up. That's fun. It's been a long time since I've done this. So welcome everybody. We didn't even do the intro and everything that just messed it all up.
So, let's see if we can do the intro that way it makes everybody happy.
This is apologetics live to answer your questions. Your host from striving for eternity ministries. Andrew Rappaport.
Okay, we are live we have a good show you for you tonight. We're. Sorry, I was talking ahead. I had it on mute and didn't even push in the Push in the audio there and so messed it all up. So anyway, we're live tonight.
We're Andrew's not with us. We're flying solo. Josiah Nichols is here with us and a preacher norms here as well. They're in the back. But see we are live and Andrew's not here. Andrew had a family issue.
I've asked you guys to be praying for him and his family as he's away. I don't know what he wants me to get into so I'm just not gonna get into the detail of it. I would ask you to be praying be praying for him and his family for the strong godly witness a faithful witness.
I would ask you to be praying for our show tonight and We have a lot of really good stuff in tonight, we're gonna have a good conversation, I hope and With that I'm gonna bring Josiah in. Hey, brother.
Hey, how we doing tonight? I'm doing better than I deserve. Well good. You know what you said that a couple of times. So Hey everybody. Marvin Marvin Germino says hi pastor Justin. Hey, how you doing?
It's good to see you. Well, good to see your your writing should I say? Anthony is on the earth KT and Jesus as where's Anthony as he's still on the earth. He is on the earth. I'm not sure what where he's at.
He could be on another planet, but I don't know. Not sure anyway, so Let's get to a little bit of good news. Well, I don't know if it's good news or not. Okay, so I don't know if everybody heard about it, but the bad news part is last week we didn't get to talk about it, but it was a Holocaust remembrance and and that was a terrible time in in the world as People were murdered because of their ethnicity.
They were murdered because they were Jewish now in the woke narrative that you will hear today the only people that are racist are white and you are Grouped. Just I don't know you probably know this too, but you're grouped by your color.
Everything is racial. It's all you're white. So you're the oppressor and it doesn't matter who you are. Well that that narrative has been getting louder and louder and louder and a lot of voices have been have been coming out and even in the church Tim Keller and you know, all these guys have been just just rushing to purport this narrative if you will.
Well in the media everybody knows that in the media it's it's everywhere yes Mike Smith says CRT critical race theory. Everything is about race. Critical race theory is not the idea that you're it's not the idea that you're critiquing.
Racial disparities disparities what you're doing is you're destroying perceived racial disparities. Well, one of the big proponents of it guess who it might be. What do you think. Josiah who might be one of the big voices for the whole idea that everything is racist if it's white.
See, I'm guessing Donald Trump right Donald Trump. He's a racist. Yeah, that's what it is. Yeah, he's a racist but who else might be and whatever the view is that you might have this one. Oops, there it is.
Captain Black Eagle threw it up there before you did. So Whoopi said as a black woman, blah blah blah. She's saying All black women are the same. So now think about this.
Yeah, whoopie. She was Catholic. I thought she was all about, you know. All about peace and harmony, yeah mostly musical harmony and.
Sister act. Something along that line. It's a lot of singing going on in that movie, but I don't know if you guys heard about it, but. Sometime last week I don't watch it. So sometime last week she came out and started proclaiming that the Holocaust was not about race and there's there's a reason for it she's being consistent because white people aren't racist against white people and Jewish people according to their their CRT mindset.
Jewish people are not Jewish people. They're white people, you know, they have a whole list of who's white. In other words if you're. If you're Japanese, well, you're white and so it's okay to disparage you and it depends on where you're at.
So anyway. She comes out. She says that The entire Holocaust was not about race, but she she has to say that to be consistent. But the problem is is that you have a whole world of people who aren't ready to go down that rabbit trail yet and They'll go down it eventually.
Because they'll run right along with her because she's the one that that started out saying it. So she's the one that's going to be Perceived as the the villain for just a little bit. She says, you know, it's not about race and then Joy Behar Got angry and she got upset and they Effective immediately whoopie Goldberg according to the CBS News.
I'm reading a report right now. Whoopie Goldberg was suspended from the ABC's view for two weeks. She needed a vacation. So she's been from the view for two weeks. Because she was saying that the Holocaust was not about race so.
Yeah, what do you think about that?
It kind of goes against everything I learned in middle school whenever I went to the Holocaust Museum and That we were told we were told that Hitler was saying hey we're gonna be promoting the Aryan race because we're the most highly evolved people in the whole world and Everybody who doesn't Who is an Aryan, you know, we're we're just gonna shut you down.
We're gonna we're gonna kill you off and put you in first it was ghettos then concentration camps and Anybody who defended? The Jewish people, you know. Corrie ten. Corrie ten boom was one of those people who Was a Christian who believed that all people were creating the image of God.
She Held that Jewish people, you know Should live and so she hit him and she was sent to the cost of concentration camp for it. Yeah, absolutely, you know.
John he's in the back. He's gonna jump in here with us in a minute. He posted that that's because of the redefinition of racism only black people can be the subjects. They're constantly oppressed no matter what the situation is.
They're constantly oppressed. And so they're the subjects of Racism one thing that you may not know is that? Adolf Hitler his ideology came from Darwinism. He was a staunch Darwinist. He was not a Christian.
He was a staunch Darwinist and he he based his entire system On the belief that there were superior races. There were superior not ethnic groups, which is a biblical concept, but a race, which is a a concept that comes from the the Caucasoids and humanoids and all these other oids and and these these ape-like creatures which were apes and and they which which evolved into you know from monkeys to ape-like creatures to to man and and this type of insanity and and what happened was Darwin's belief got so Predominant that it's everywhere today.
And by the way, this is the whole idea of the the critical race theory Marxism socialism. It's all founded on the idea that there is no God. There is only You know the the better man the perfect man. So Adolf Hitler he says you know what I Believe that we are the perfect race.
The the Aryan race and that would be the blonde hair blue eyes, you know, I'm red so I don't count I guess. Of course, I'm also Scottish. So I really don't count so anyway, so Here they are. They're teaching.
Hey, which is preacher norm. Hold on. No, Andrew, he did not take it out. He's back here in the back. We're just discussing Whoopi Goldberg, I hope everything's going well brother. Yeah, we're praying for you so anyway wasn't gonna say was is is he had this idea that We are going to wipe out the inferior races and the biggest problem they're having is The Jewish people well, why do you think they put the the the gold star and on on the Jewish people or put a tattoo on them.
Does anybody have an idea? It's okay. Probably watch your size them. No, it was because they couldn't tell who was who I Mean you look at both of us. We're two white guys. Well, I can't tell you about what your ethnicity is because you're a white guy.
As a missionaries kid, okay. Well, there you go.
You said I wouldn't know that because we're two people the same skin color. So so he has to come up with this ethnic idea and he has to get papers has to do all these things. Well, here comes the big war all these wars go on at the end of it.
You know what he started doing. He started killing German people because he said the experiment is over and We've proven that the German people are not the inferior of the the superior race. Now by by empirical evidence We've proven it and that's why he started attacking his own people, but you didn't know that.
Well, whoopie Goldberg and whatnot. She said that She's thinking about quitting. That would be a tragic.
That's it. That's that's Andrew Rappaport. All right, if you're talking whoopie Goldberg and. And and that you got to allow your token Jewish person in here. Last week last week. I made an error I was wanted to mention and did not last Thursday actually when we were recording was the International Holocaust Remembrance Day and I wanted to start to show off with that and totally forgot so but yeah, whoopie Goldberg and her comment about.
Yeah, and she doubled down and then tripled down then all of a sudden gave an apology but but the reality is it shows what whoopie Goldberg thinks. I mean she defines racism as. It's it can only be black people that can make this claim.
Yeah, you know, oh this was one white group against another white group so it can't be racism, you know, you know. Yeah, here's the simple thing. She has demanded for like everybody to be canceled. That doesn't well then look fair is fair.
She should just quit and cancel herself if she's gonna be consistent. She should just say. Okay. Well, I said something far worse than Gina Carano did. Yeah, and therefore she you know, hey Gina Carano got canceled by the same company I think that they should say hey cancel her.
You know, but but she's all upset because she got suspended for two weeks. Oh. Two whole weeks. She's gonna do what not be able to voice her her Marxist agenda. Yeah, like that's that's a slap on the wrist compared to what they've done to so many others where they've Tried to get him fired where they can't get any work anywhere.
But but now some people think Anthony and I were talking about this. Some people think that well liberals don't have to be consistent. That's wrong. They are being consistent. You know. The problem that people have is they think that they're consistent in or canceling people for what they say?
No, they're consistent in pushing the Marxist agenda and anything that that pushes it works for them. They don't care what it is as long as they can push the Marxist agenda. That's all. Yeah, and so they're they are consistent because the consistency isn't what they say it's what they push.
So, that's right. You know, what's amazing. It's like I was saying is is Whoopi's the the test case and she pushed the narrative and eventually they're gonna be people come along are gonna agree with her.
Because you're Jewish you can't be a racist. This couldn't be a racist issue blah blah blah. And they're gonna come out with another reason. Because those who don't learn from history are going to be doomed to repeat it.
It's gonna happen.
Well, look and I'm gonna get going because I really want to hear you guys in discussion with norm. But I'll just say this. Can we please make 1984 fiction again? That would be great.
Amen, amen. Okay. So what we have for you tonight. That was just intro. So what we have for you tonight is. A preacher norm is going to come in in a few minutes and talk to us. We wanted to lay some lay some foundational work here and talk about the Church of Christ the history and some of the beliefs.
Josiah has written a lot of very good Information. And brother, would you like to kind of start us out on your on your your maybe your background in your history? You know kind of what you know about the issues so that way we can put it out.
Yeah, the Church of Christ comes from the restoration movement. My family has really deep roots in that. My grandfather Ed Nichols was a missionary for African Christian missions For 50 years. He didn't hold to all of the restoration teachings.
I don't think anybody holds to all the rest restoration teachings. But The Church of Christ started again with the Restoration movement and That started about The 1800s around the second great great awakening.
I know preacher norms gonna contradict me here, but I If you want a really good history on the Restoration movement itself. I recommend in search of Christian unity. And it is written by people who are deeply interested in the restoration movement and They've tried they again.
They think that the Church of Christ goes all the way back to The up back to the Apostles where they teach exactly what the Apostles dude did and they Act exactly like the Apostles did. But in reality they started with I Pull up my article here Because I can't remember his name off the top of my head.
Okay, we got Barton Stone Barton Warnstone and Thomas and Alexander Campbell.
Right. That was that was restoration movement 18. Yeah, well, that's when they merged together. But the Barton Stone started teaching in the late The late 1700s early 1800s. Barton Stone Was an anti conviction of sin experience.
He believed that You need to try to convince somebody intellectually about Their sin as opposed to trying to make them be convicted over their sin using the law. Alexander Alexander Campbell taught against that as well.
Barton Stone was anti-trinitarian. The book I I mentioned in search of Christianity said that he was more in line with Eric with Arius's teaching than any other kind of teaching so he denied the. He denied the pre-existence of Jesus Christ and he said he was similar to God.
He also held that the Atonement was to reconcile men to God and not God to men. Alexander Campbell taught that salvation was by. Was by belief or and part of belief was in imagination confession. Repentance baptism and living a holy life.
He thought the disciples should call themselves disciples only. They should hold weekly communion. There shouldn't be any church structure above the local congregation. Thomas Campbell is held with these seven Slogans here.
No creed, but Christ. No book. No book, but the Bible do Bible things in Bible ways. Call Bible things by Bible names where the scriptures speak. We speak where the scriptures silent. We are silent. And matters of faith unity and matters of opinion liberty and all things love truth first union afterward and union only.
Not it and union only in truth. Be true to the truth oppose the error but bear with humanity. Back to Christ back to the Bible back to Jerusalem. The only way to make progress in religion is by going back to the Bible.
Okay, and so that's the restoration movement. So now now.
The restoration movement, however, they. Campbell and stone. Maybe even Alexander. I'm not sure exactly but they came out of what the Baptist and the.
Presbyterian Denomination, I believe they first left the Presbyterian denomination and then Alexander and Thomas Campbell joined the Baptist Denomination and then they were excommunicated over to and debates with Pato Baptist who Disagreed with That.
Okay, I'm gonna pull up a quote from Alexander Campbell. It says. I know it will be said that I have affirmed that baptism saves us. Well, Paul Peter and Paul have said so before me if I it was not criminal for them and them to say.
So it cannot be criminal to me When Ananias said unto Paul arise and be baptized and wash away thy sins calling upon the name of the Lord I suppose Paul believed him and arose and was baptized and washed away his sins.
When he was baptized he must have believed that his sins were now washed away in Some sense that they were not before. If he had a sense if his sins had been Already in every sense washed away and Ananias's address would have led him to a mistaken view of himself both before and after baptism.
Of course Alexander Campbell also said This quote Mentioned in my article He believed in anyone is a Christian who believes in his heart that Jesus of Nazareth is a Messiah. The Son of God repents of his sins and disobeys him and all things according to His measure of not of knowledge of his will.
Okay. One thing I notice here is that the Barton stones movement anti-conviction of the sin experience anti-trinitarian and anti-penal substitutionary atonement. It kind of goes to the idea that. It kind of goes to the idea that The work of Christ on the cross was simply to you know Get rid of the old commandment so they'll law and not for the salvation of your soul.
That it wasn't substitutionary in its nature. What I did notice is that stone Stone hill that Christ was similar to God, but he wasn't pre-existent. Now now these these issues are you know. One thing you can you can draw out of them is is when did the these movements begin?
Around the 1800s. Now they had a conflict as I recall with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that they they came out and what one be called the Church of Jesus Christ at first and then they had the Conflict there and I don't remember the quotes on that.
But it was. They did have some type of a conflict as I recall. Yeah the Well thing was they were.
They were trying to come up with an evangelist. The Association for Christian Baptists were trying to come up with an evangelist for their work and one of those evangelists was named Walter Scott and And.
The other guy that was in the picture wanted to be Promoting the movement and he wasn't he what he wasn't voted in as their evangelist. So he decided to join the Church of Latter-day Saints and Became the main evangelist for them.
Yeah.
You know, and so that's that's one thing I do do find amazing is is that you have So many different groups during those timelines that they come out of the body of Christ and they say oh, well, we're the true church we're the historic church, you know, we have a New vision new revelation new teaching.
We have this new idea that that That we're supposed to be the ones that are that have the truth, you know. They all did it wrong, you know. The Latter-day Saints they say that that they were given vision that that theirs theirs was the way in the truth.
You know, you have you have the Jehovah's Witnesses they have the way they have the truth, you know. And even a Church of Christ comes out and they say oh, well, we're gonna change that and we're gonna say that the only thing that that can save you is baptism.
Plus obedience plus a few or the things here. So and and so we want.
Good, I would like to say that Walter Scott's since he was the main evangelist. I think this is why a lot of people in the restoration movement have their view of baptism because according to Campbell you couldn't be you couldn't be.
That baptism was associated with salvation. That's what saved you, but he thought people could be saved. Who had a wrong view of baptism? Yeah. But Walter Scott taught and this is a quote from him. It says.
I have. I Have for some time thought that the waters of baptism must stand in the same position to us that the blood of Sacrifices did to the Jews. The blood of bulls and goats could never take away sins as Pete as Paul declares.
Yet when offered at the altar by the sinner, he had the divine assurance that his faith Sins were forgiven him. This blood was merely tip tip. This boat was very typical of the blood of Christ the true sin offering to which it pointed Perspectively and it seems to me that the water and baptism which has no power in itself to wash away sins now refers Retrospectively to the purifying power of the blood of the Lamb of God.
Yeah, one thing I want to do. I want to point out a couple of things That we're gonna be working with here. Let's see Tom at the Church of Christ and their beliefs 11 things that you need to know. You know, they are different than Baptists now they since they they came out of you know The Baptist denomination and the other denominations Presbyterian one.
Since they do have that history so there's going to be some crossover and some things that are there to believe. I mean and and there are some good things that we we all would agree with you know as Pastor Andrew was trying to to have that Discussion last time when we were trying to have a good discussion about it.
The the things that came out to me were yeah. We believe that salvation is is of the Lord that it is through that. We must hear the gospel. We must repent we must believe. I mean those things we must do but those are granted to us.
The Bible makes it clear as we talked about many times that those issues are are you know, Sola? Christos those are those are from Christ alone. It is God himself that saves us not not a work that we do.
God grants us repentance. God grants us faith, you know, and so when we repent it's because God put it in us to repent. He's regenerated our dead hearts and he's caused us to be born again to a living hope and and so what.
You know what brother Andrew was talking about and he's trying to explain is that is that we're talking about is salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone according to the scripture alone to the glory of God alone or Is salvation an issue where we have to have we include baptism and and other things?
So the Church of Christ Just one of one of the one of the things on One of these websites, I mean the thing is they say we're not a monolithic denomination. So each one of us have our own church. We're not we're not affiliated.
We say no creed, but Christ. No, no, no book, but the Bible, you know, we all say no creed, but Christ which in itself is a creed. I Just want to point that out because it's probably I don't know if it's gonna be said or not so What we will put out here is Let's see.
I'm trying to find this here. We're gonna talk about the things that we need to do to be saved and I want to bring preacher Norm in here just a minute and brother John if you want to I'll bring you in as well and we can just have a polite discussion hopefully and if we can't we'll just stop having a polite discussion and and Go another route and and we'll go from there.
Okay, so let's let's go ahead and get started here and Preacher Norm welcome in. Hey, well, brother John the the the first interaction.
I got tonight was did I chicken out? So if it can get politer that would be okay. Well, how about. How about this? Are we Christians?
No, okay. Well, that's how polite you're gonna be. Okay. Based on what evidence do you say? We're not Christians that you haven't done what the New Testament says to do to be a Christian. How do you know?
How do you know? Well John because I've already talked with John and okay the other two because of. Well for one, I'm not sure the gentleman right above me I'm not sure the name Josiah and Justin and John so I could tell from the things that Josiah was saying that no and Justin.
From last time. No and John from. So is that. Is that because the smugness coming out of you?
I haven't repent. I haven't I haven't believed that Jesus is a Christ the Son of Living God. I haven't. I Don't have faith in him. I haven't repented. I haven't confessed and I haven't been baptized. Pretty sure I did.
I've done all those things.
Not according to the New Testament pattern.
Prove it how. I'm sorry. No, you're making a claim prove it. Okay I Know I don't want to. I want you to prove it. Tell me what what is it that we haven't done?
Well, you believe you were saved before you were baptized into Christ and Then you were baptized as an outward show of an inward faith, correct, correct, or correct, correct.
So right baptism baptism. I mean if I'm wrong tell me I'm wrong. Are you saying that salvation the salvation that the Lord offers? No, no. No, you asked me to answer your question.
I answered your question. So there's my answer because I was baptized. Because you were baptized as an outward show of an inward faith. Right or wrong? Okay, correct. Am I making a correct assertion about why you were baptized or am I not?
Listen to what Josiah was trying to say. I.
Was I was baptized because I Believe that Jesus is the Christ. He he commanded all believers to be baptized and Because I show I repented on my sins.
Okay, because you wanted to show that you repented of your sins. So you're you're actually being very careful of your language because you don't want to agree with me. Even though you just said the same thing I said.
No, we said that we've done all the things you're claiming. But yeah, you've made the so you make a monolithic statement. So Josiah you made. You're saying you were baptized in order to be saved. That's what you're saying.
No, we're not gonna do this. Okay. Hey guys. Guys, I'm good. I'm coming in for a split second here. Go ahead and as a note.
We have we did have last time the norm was on a lot of people complained about Talking over one another. That's a just I'm just gonna ask if you could kind of control Mike's so that we don't have that so people can hear because I'm kind of watching that stage and here and You know, I'm not able to follow with all you guys talking over each other.
So I'm just gonna ask that you do that possible. Thank you. And just the people that were asking For an update with me. I'll just I should have given that earlier. My mother is is is dying. There's no other way of putting it.
She's she isn't doing good. We couldn't actually couldn't even talk to her today couldn't see her. So it was not a good day. She's not doing well with the medication. And we think that she just it was one of these things where she was so excited that we were down there.
She tried to overdo it and then next day would be horrible. And then we go to see her the next time and so We're hoping that we got one more chance for all the kids to be able to see her before Before they leave and it'll be the last chance to say goodbye and for them to share the gospel with her.
So so we do appreciate prayers if we can go and see her before tomorrow morning.
That's the prayer so there's a quick update. Thanks. Bye my brother. Definitely be praying for that, you know. Yeah, he's his mother's and obviously at the last stage of her life and we pray that He has a good good able to have a good witness with him and good conversation, you know.
Preacher norm. I want to ask you What what is it that that you see here? Maybe we can go through this list. And you can tell me if if you believe in these things, we've we've laid them out. I just want to make sure that these this is Congruent with what you're talking about.
You must first hear the Word of God. Yes, okay. You must believe and have faith in the Word of God. Yes. Okay, then you must repent of your sins. That is turning away from your previous lifestyle and choosing God's way.
Yes, okay, you must confess your faith in the Lord Jesus as the Son of God. Yes. I'm gonna ask you a clarifying question on that in just a minute. You have to be baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Yes, okay, and You finally you have to live a faithful and holy life before as a Christian. Yes, and those are the those are things you must do to be saved.
Um. Yeah in in a little overly simplistic Listing of a way. I mean when you say I forget how you said baptism. Have to be baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. I think is what you said. Yeah, but it's for a purpose it's for the purpose of being added to the body of Christ by Christ because that's what he said to do and so.
It is also part of the expression of faith. That you believe the gospel. It's God's power unto salvation. Therefore. I must do what it says in order to be saved. And and from last time all of you agree, you know, right along with that up until baptism and then for some reason Baptism is different from all of the other things that you all agree with.
But there is no for some reason, you know, why. Right, you know, you understand why. It's not for some reason. That's that's kind of a miss. What Andrew said last time was that.
It's because we say that you have to do that to be saved. So you have to do that to be saved. Then, you know, somehow it's a work salvation instead of a expression of faith.
Okay, so what I'm saying to you is first of all, it's not just for some reason you understand what it is that Baptists teach or you wouldn't be having this argument. It's not just for some reason. We've actually had this discussion.
Andrew had this discussion for four hours three and a half hours, whatever it was. He had this discussion with you explaining the issues of baptism. What I'm asking you is.
He didn't explain anything to me.
Then you didn't listen to three and a half hours of the conversation. Okay. Okay. Well, and that's the point is that when you when you listen to the to the other side of the conversation. It's not just saying then just for some reason now.
Here's what I asked you based off the Church of Jesus Christ the Church of Christ Doctrinal statements of belief on on this church website. Well, let me stop you. Let me just stop you real quick. Yeah, go ahead.
Go ahead. Okay.
The way that you just said that the First you said Church of Jesus Christ, then you changed it Church of Christ, which I'm fine with. I'm fine with either one and then you say I've. Maybe not verbatim, but your statement of beliefs.
Okay, what exactly what's the.
I asked you a question. I said, I just pulled up a random church website. You say that you have no creed, but Christ. You say that you don't believe in anything. No, no creedal statements. No denominational statements or anything else.
Well, you know that's not what that means. No, no, no, no. No, no, don't don't step over what I'm saying.
You you claim but if what you're saying is wrong, I shouldn't correct you.
Okay, you. You claim last time. Okay, let's do all the drama. Let's get all out of the way now. Now, let's talk. You claim last time. That that you don't believe in denominations that you only heard of the Bible.
You claimed all these things and yet your church came out of it to denominations. That is in Church of Christ. Yes, that is you. What you're saying is not true. It's just saying right there is not true.
It's historically evidenced.
Anyway, they came out of the historically evidence from what you're saying that I the church that I know I belong to. Yeah, the church that I preach for that. I Came out of the a conglomeration of two different denominations.
Did I say you personally? I know I did.
I said the Church of Christ came out of the Baptist and the Presbyterian denominations.
So so you're saying the Church of Christ did not exist before that time. No, there's the tradition. Traditional movement that you hold to. I don't know what you're defining me as. But that history that you gave which is an interesting part of religious history.
And I do enjoy church history and I enjoy religious history. So I have studied the restoration movement. But I did not come out of the restoration movement. What I belong to did not originate in the arrest in the restaurant.
So maybe This could be a more productive conversation if you get rid of your preconceived notions about what I am.
Okay. Wait a minute. Alexander Campbell held to the beliefs that You should be called to spot disciples only. Do you believe that. No, okay. Okay. Taught salvation by faith or belief. Confession repentance baptism living a holy life.
Don't you? Hold on. That's what the restoration movement was teaching and I just talked to you about it. You said oh, I don't believe those things.
Saying that the preaching of those things that you just listed originated.
With the restoration movement and nobody was preaching those things before the restoration movement. I'm telling you. Hold on.
I'm telling what you're saying doesn't make any sense. Don't don't don't.
We're not on it on the hot seat. You are.
Okay. Okay, so I'm acting like it. Okay, but don't so let's go, you know, don't scream over people. Don't scream over people, please. It's not gonna happen. Like last time don't scream over people, please.
Okay. Yeah, people that are trying to hear the conversation and we're trying to have a logical Debatable conversation if you scream over people nobody can have a discussion. Okay, so please listen. Okay.
What I'm saying to you is this. What I'm saying to you is this. Alexander Campbell. He stated these beliefs and part of those beliefs were That these are what are necessary for salvation and those are you must.
You know, you must believe upon What is taught or you?
Wait, wait, wait. Let's go one at a time. Okay, go one at a time.
So that first one do you agree or disagree with that first one? Okay, I'm asking. I'm gonna lay this out for you.
So you so. I can't I can't.
You I'll stick to yes or no answers. Well, I don't want you to say anything for a minute. I'll just lay this out for you Alexander Campbell. All I said was Alexander Campbell held to these things. Okay, that's what I said, I didn't I guess that's what he said then that's what he held.
I'll tell you why. Because you hold to the same things he held to.
And okay. Okay, so that's right. That's what I that's what I asked you in response to you saying that about so be. Do you believe? You're saying that I hold to those same things that Alexander Campbell held to that makes me what a Campbellite.
Okay, what did you say in there that anybody will disagree with that. You must be baptized to be saved you must live. You didn't say that. Actually, I did say that earlier. I've said that already twice now or three times now.
Well, yeah, the Bible teaches that you have to be baptized to be saved. That is true.
Okay, so back to the Church of Christ and their doctrinal statement here.
Because I'm a jump. There's no such thing as what you just said.
Yeah, because what he's saying is is that because they're not a nomination there there can't be any.
Set theology for for them. We don't have a manual or a creed book or Catechism or we don't I mean, so what. That's what I'm asking. What exactly are you citing as. Your source for what is Church of Christ doctrine.
Because you know something. There's no such thing as Church of Christ doctrine. Okay, I'm a member of the Church of Christ and I'm telling you there's no such thing as Church of Christ doctrine.
Okay a creedal statement just for those that need to know a creedal statement is. A group of statements that are faith that people believe that they say we help we held to these these truths as as truth.
Okay, they say that we hold to these and you know, so you have the Apostles Creed you have all these different statements. Okay, and even the scripture give us Creole statements. So so you you look at the Bible you look at the this historical statements based on Things that have had to be Fought out and and bickered about and and went through in church history, you know from the Trinitary.
Is the Trinity issue or the you know, just baptism and many other issues. What's the nature of salvation is is there is the atonement is it penal substitutionary atonement or is it just a Is it just an example of?
Of living a life, you know, there's all these different statements that are made that are creedal statements. It is what it is is is what we believe statements of faith and things that we believe and so what I've done here is.
Thanks to Josiah who wrote the article who's done the research on this. Who has the research? Written out for us in articles and he's done it for Seminary degree and and things like that done this work he's went down and through and done a historical study of the 1800s the statements and confessions of Alexander Campbell of Warren Stone Barton Warren Stone Thomas and Alexander Campbell and what they held to and what they believed.
I just laid out that you not all of them, but then there was different different ideas here. But Alexander Campbell he held to the fact that he taught that you must be taught the the Word of God. To believe the Word of God you must be taught the Word of God you must confess you must repent of your sins.
You must be baptized to be baptized live a holy life. Weekly communion intellectual evangelism. And be elder that these are salvation issues. Okay, I asked you hold on. I asked you if According to this church website.
Would you agree with these statements? You must be first. You must first hear the Word of God. You said yes. You must believe and have faith in the Word of God. You said yes. You must repent of your sins and turn away from your previous lifestyle and choose God's way.
You said yes. You must confess your faith in Jesus as the Son of God and you said yes, yes okay, you have to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ and you said yes, and then use and then finally you must live a Faithful holy life as a Christian.
Okay, and those are the things you must do to be saved now those six things are. The six things that the Alexander Campbell held to in his faith statement and. And those are his creedal doctrinal statements the same thing you hold to the same thing.
The other churches hold to and and so the point for you to say is oh, I'm autonomous and I don't believe any of these things. I don't have any of these creeds. No creed, but Christ all that stuff. You're making creedal statements based on Alexander Campbell's statements and his belief.
You don't have a monolithic set of that's wrong. That's what you're saying is wrong. Well, I don't know what to tell you then because we just went through what you said I went through the 1800s Teachings from Alexander Campbell.
I went through other churches to show that everything that you're saying you have a creedal doctrinal statement Just like everybody else does you didn't just get it from the Bible. You've made up things that you have come up to from other men.
Okay, you're you're wrong. I know I know. Now do I get to ask a question? Go ahead. What what would I need to do for you and your audience to disavow myself from Alexander Campbell Walter Scott Barton Stone John Smith, you know, what would I need to do here for you live on this program to disavow myself from them?
I do not claim them as my founder of anything. I do not claim them as a religious leader in anything that has to do with me at all. So what more than that what I have to do to disavow myself from them.
How about calling us Christians? I.
Can't I can't do that because you're not.
Well, then that what makes you a cult.
Okay based on Based on what I mean, I can I can take you to Biblical passages for every single thing. I'm not quotes from you know, John Calvin or from you know Barton Stone or not quotes from them to Bible passages for every single thing I believe if and and I've made that I've made the public let me finish I've made the public claim many many times on my podcast on other people's podcasts Everywhere if if you can demonstrate to me where I'm Doing something that I don't have New Testament authority to do my commitment is that I'll stop doing it like that or That I am doing something that I don't have New Testament authority for.
I'll stop doing it Immediately or I'll start doing it if I'm not doing something that the New Testament says I'm supposed to be doing that I'm not. I'll start doing it because all I want to do my only agenda at all.
I have no organizational allegiance or loyalties or You know organizational Binding or whatever, you know, however you want to say it. I don't have any of those things. So you're not counting my only aims let me finish my only aim at all is To just be what the New Testament says.
I'm supposed to be. Okay, so if you show me where I'm not doing that I'll change show me in the New Testament where I'm supposed to be what you're saying I'm supposed to be and I'll be but if you can't.
What we're not doing I? Just did.
Okay, well here's my sentence sentiment, okay, I I don't have any I don't feel like I have any affiliations with you know Anybody Other than the Bible. That's that's my only authority is the Bible. I don't I don't care about creeds I don't care about what John Calvin taught.
I don't care about Any of that. I just care about what the Bible says and according to its original Manuscripts and teaching. And you and I obviously come to completely different conclusions on on belief baptism salvation, yeah, and the only thing I can accredit that for is Your is your traditions that you have in your Movement, I didn't call it a domination by the way.
I called it a movement. Okay.
Yeah, and and see that now I'm gonna just gonna point something out for you. At no time. Did we sit there and say that you're not a Christian, okay? Okay, what I will say to you is that Last week when you and I were talking I told you that I believe that you're being very smug.
And you owned it. You said absolutely you're a very smug person. I'm okay with that. The absolute definition of being a smug person if you go look it up as a proud or an arrogant man. Okay. Now sir, I'm gonna say to you is this now.
No, no, just listen to me if you say you're a preacher Yes, then what is Titus and Timothy tell you that you need to be about and how you should be behaving and acting? I mean the man you're you're claiming things that you cannot know.
You're saying that just because I I differ with you on baptism that that means that I can't be saved. And and oh, by the way, let's make sure we add this because it's not just baptism. You don't just say baptism.
You say that you have to live a holy life. Let's say a faithful and holy life as a Christian. That's okay. But wait a minute. So you're living a faithful life. Yes.
That that doesn't mean he's not sinlessly. Perfect. We should probably ask him.
Let's make sure that we see that because I want to hear the definition of what a faithful person is. Are you saying that you're sinless?
First John 1 -7 says that the blood of Jesus Christ. Continue if you Study in the original language that the blood of Christ continually cleanses me of every sin so I I'm sinless not because I don't sin but because I have the Cleansing of the blood of Christ to wash away those sins.
First John and the blood of Christ isn't baptism, right.
The blood of Christ is contacted in the act of faithful obedience to Christ. So not bad and baptism is part of that. Yes. I mean if if a person you Just goes and gets baptized you know like you all claim that you have been baptized and I would show by the New Testament pattern that You didn't do what the New Testament refers to as being baptized.
And so Baptism is the point at which the New Testament says not me not Campbell not Scott. Not whoever is when the New Testament says that a person is joined with Christ. Now, you know all I can do as somebody who desires faithfulness to God.
Not that I you know, even Paul said that he hadn't attained to that. And so who would I be to claim that I have. So of course I pray God's forgiveness every day because I know I stumble I make mistakes.
We all fall short of the glory of God.
And so you're not claiming sinless perfection. That's good. That's good. Of course. That's absurd to even think that that would be a possibility. No. No, it's not absurd. It's a question based on your statement.
It's the main originalization after baptism. Yes. When.
When you. What the word that is. For what the New Testament teaches is apostasy up to apostatize. Which doesn't mean that you make a mistake or that you stumble or you know that that you say a bad word when you cross The center line and almost getting a wreck.
That's not what apostatizing means. Apostatizing means that you leave the faith. You're gone you you you make the decision. I'm not going to do this anymore. Okay, that's apostatizing.
Okay, so so you you're saying that you you can you bring yourself in by water baptism and you bring yourself out by no.
No, I didn't say that. Don't don't make me say things. I didn't say, okay.
I'm trying to find out what you did say because you said so many things and I'm trying to figure it out. One thing I want to ask you is is, you know in context of Jesse Heller she asked the question in John 6 28 and 29.
What must I do to do the works of God? These are the works of God that you believe in him that has sent you. There's no idea of water there. Okay, there's no idea of water there. There's the I know that's the only passage in the Bible on salvation.
But you need to do a passage and exegete the passage not run all over the place. So I'm gonna ask you a question. Based on the Gospels. Can you show me where the Gospels tell us about being baptized? Let's just start there.
Let's just start, you know, we got four books. So can you tell me about where the Gospels? Sure. I mean, yeah.
Jesus was baptized by John. John tried to stop him and say I need to be baptized by you because he recognized that Jesus was Sinless and didn't have any sins to remit and Jesus said permit it to be so for now.
For what to fulfill all righteousness. So Jesus wasn't obeying it for the remission of sins. Jesus was obeying it because it was a command from heaven, right? If he if he had not obeyed it he would not be.
Fulfilling all righteousness. He wouldn't be over. Where's that coming from heaven? I Need to say that Bible verse. Are you serious? I'm asking you a question. You said it's a command from heaven. No, don't do that wait, uh.
So John I don't always know so the baptism of John was it from heaven or from men. Didn't Jesus ask that question to the Pharisees, okay, so I'm so was it from heaven or was it from men? Which was asking you a question?
Okay. Okay. I'm asking you a question.
So when John the Baptist Matthew, okay, say Matthew chapter 3, I mean, okay. Okay, Matthew. When John the Baptist was commanding baptism. Was that a command from heaven.
Okay, okay. So as John is preaching on baptism, where did they come up with the understanding of baptism?
John's preaching. Okay.
So so what you're saying is is that that baptism is something that John initiated?
Was this is how this is gonna go then. I mean, what's the point? No, I mean, are you seriously telling me that you don't know that John the Baptist was preaching a baptism for their mission of sins Jesus.
Is it from heaven or from men and they wouldn't answer him?
So, you know, I mean what what is it you want me to show you was the baptism of John? Salvific. Yes. So was Jesus saved at his baptism?
Jesus stated the purpose for him being baptized was to fulfill all righteousness. So With a yes or no question. Therefore if Jesus had not been baptized it would have been what? Unrighteous, I think that's a that's a fair Assessment of the text.
Okay, so here's my point. And the reason I'm asking you this now, I mean the reason I went to the baptism of John Was because you said in the Gospels well, yeah, John was preaching baptism in the Gospels.
Jesus and his disciples. We're preaching baptism in the Gospels. It then it said that Jesus disciples were baptizing even more than John's were Baptizing. And then Jesus gave the baptism of the Great Commission after his resurrection and sending out his apostles He gave them the Great Commission to go and make disciples of all nations Baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son of the Holy Spirit Teaching them to observe what sort of things I've commanded you and lo I am with you even to the end.
All right, so Jesus landed baptism mark 1616. He who believes and is baptized shall be saved. I mean there's from the gospel. All right.
So I muted you because we're not gonna railroad over top of everything everybody's trying to say. Of course, I muted you because I told you we're not gonna have this screaming match. I'm trying to have a conversation with you a little bit at a time.
Yeah. Now, are you ready to have the conversation or not? Okay, if John's baptism was salvific then why did Jesus Christ die on the cross?
If it was already for salvation, look, you're not interested in having an honest discussion here.
I mean, these are these questions. Are I mean, what what is it? You're asking. I just asked you the question.
Why did Jesus Christ question answer it?
Why did Jesus die on the cross? He died for our sins. I mean then I guess.
Understood that I made some assumptions last time and we don't necessarily use the same vocabulary, but I didn't think it was this bad.
Okay. Well, let's use some vocabulary then. Go ahead. I.
Think the thing is what we're trying to find out norm is How you have is how you get your definition of Christian baptism and what it means. And why we're not saved because we were baptized wrong. Apparently we apparently my being immersed in the Father Son.
Holy Spirit wasn't good enough so.
You know, I I have this conversation with people, you know pretty frequently right. And and you know, the question comes up. Well, I have been baptized and my response to that is the same thing. I basically said to you guys Did you do you believe That you were saved before you were baptized.
I.
Mean yes or yes or no? Yeah, I was saving Jesus. Yeah. Okay.
Well, then you could not have been baptized for the New Testament Stated purpose of baptism, which is for salvation because you believe you were already saved which is wrong.
Okay, so I guess the thief on the cross wasn't all those passages on faith or meaningless and repentance or meaningless. Okay.
You're trying to read the Bible like an encyclopedia like you go to one passage and that's everything the Bible says on that subject when actually what you have to do is gather all of the information put that information together and then come to a conclusion.
So here's a question I'm legitimate questions just so that we can be clear on this. If somebody comes to you and they you know profess faith in Christ. And you baptize them and they die immediately are they going to heaven.
They will.
They're saved. Yeah there. No I mean I know you guys don't believe in Hades and Paradise and and Tartarus in Hades and you believe people go straight to heaven or straight to hell when they die.
So just for the sake of argument, we'll just say they would have died saved. Yes, so there is no false conversion. Okay, long as we know that for sure. Okay, I.
Mean you're asking me. I can't know that person's heart. You're just asking me based on well based on what you just said.
There is no false conversion. There is no. No. You said there's no false conversion. I didn't say that.
You asked anybody if somebody comes to me and my assumption of what you were asking me is if they Sincerely obey the gospel. I baptized them and they die immediately after. Would they be saved. And yeah, if they sincerely obeyed the gospel, they would be saved.
I can't know another person's heart. So. Yeah, I've had people do that where they got baptized thinking that they would get some benefit out of it. And when that didn't happen, they immediately apostatized.
I can't know that. How could I possibly know that?
See. The problem is is is you've already told us what's in our hearts. You've already explained. I haven't see what we.
You've told me what's in mine smugness and pride and arrogance and no no, no, no.
No, I pointed out and you agreed to it. So I pointed out and I gladly pointed out because you are very smug and you're very arrogant and you do not listen and You gladly agreed to it until Andrew pointed out what it meant and then you got angry at him.
Oh, you called me prideful and no, I don't equate smugness with being prideful.
Well, the dictionary does so we'll be okay with that. Okay. Okay, then I was wrong. I should I shouldn't have agreed to smug.
Maybe cocky or smart alecky or you know, however you want to say it, but you know I don't think that's the same thing as prideful.
All right. So so a couple of questions. I guess we need to kind of put this together. First Peter 3 21 now, so you let's go. Let's go look over here. What does it mean that corresponding to that baptism now saves you?
Just as Noah and his family were saved from a sin-sick world through the water of the flood. So people are saved today, you know in the New Testament dispensation. Through the water of baptism. Okay, that's why he says there is also an antitype that does now save us or you.
Baptism not the removal of the filth of the flesh. It's not taking a bath. It's not the removal of the filth of the flesh. It's the appeal to God for a good conscience.
Okay, so what I always understood that passage to mean. And just going into the Nitty-gritty. Oh, it seems like Peter's saying we're saved by the confession. That would have taken place in Baptism the good appeal to God for a good conscience.
Not that I don't think. It equates the two so it makes a distinction. I I.
If if you look at that when he says not the filth of the flesh But the ant or the appeal the New King James is what I use and so I quote it The the more correct translation would be appeal. I think you would agree with that that it's making the appeal to God for a good conscience.
Okay? Because it is the expression of faith in God to Save you.
Based on humble submission to his will and you can't do that prior to baptism.
No, because you haven't obeyed him prior to baptism. You have to have the water.
So the bat the water is what saves you? No, okay.
No waters. No. No, the water is not what saves you. It's the expression of faith toward God that saves you.
And you can't do that outside of the water. No. So it's the okay, so there but it is here.
Yeah, but and see the point is because here because God specified the element not me.
I didn't specify the element for baptism. I mean and he actually know if I know we we know people were baptized into the law of Moses or Metaphorically speaking completely immersed under the authority of Moses by him leading them through the Red Sea.
So their baptism is used metaphorically and it's used for the suffering of Christ. That Christ was going to be completely immersed in suffering, right? Because that's what the word baptism means is immersion and and so, you know when you look at the element that is specified for Great Commission baptism its water.
And so okay. I didn't I didn't specify that God did.
That's not the name of the Father Son Holy Spirit, it's the water that that's the element.
It's it's not the teachings of to obey. To obey. The command to be baptized requires water. Yes.
So the point is here is first Peter 321 Tells us that the water is not what saves you not the removal of the dirt. That is not what it says. No, no, it's saying corresponding to that. Now now hold on.
What's it corresponding to. It's the water of the blood. No. It's corresponding to the circumcision of the heart. It's corresponding to that circumcision. It's a spiritual circumcision. Because it goes back and talks about the fact that Abraham believed God and it was accredited to him for righteousness.
It was this the outward sign of circumcision. That that he actually proclaimed. That that shows that he was part of the group, but it wasn't circumcision that brought him into faith.
It's not wait. Wait. I thought we were in first Peter chapter 3.
I said first Peter chapter 3 verse 22, by the way. We also. Well, we started going backwards a little bit and reading backwards as well. We started looking at all of those things.
As we started discussing it, what were you saying about Abraham here called the reckoning? What say that again you. You were saying something about Abraham being saved by faith in this in this passage.
Abraham believed God and it was accredited him for righteousness. What was that about? Where it wasn't about. Hold on. What was Abraham given? Was he given. Was he given the circumcision and. This is talking about our money to that.
That's I mean I thought we were looking at first Peter chapter 3 I am but I went back to what we were talking about with Abraham. And as we were talking about these issues with Abraham, I'm sorry, excuse me.
Mean if you if you got Abraham in there somewhere, you know pointed out because I'm not seeing it.
Okay, and first Peter. Chapter 3 verse 6 talks about Abraham. First Peter. Yeah, because I said we need to look at the context of the entire thing is what I was talking about. Because it's not just one verse.
You see you accused us of only doing one verse. We were doing actually the verse and then going out. Okay, there's Abraham. Right, right. Sarah calling Lord.
Okay, so that goes to the context of okay.
So the whole point that I'm making here you can giggle all you want and be as disrespectful as you because it's it's I mean It's so it's so so the whole point we're making a straw. Wow.
So no, actually we were. Not grasping straws. That's how you interpret. Okay.
Context. All right. Yeah, I'm with you. Go ahead. So do you connect this context? I would love to see that.
Yeah, let's okay. Actually my context for you is you're saying that Baptism saves you and I went back and I asked you about John's baptism. Was it for salvation and you said it was yes, you disannulled the need for Christ.
No Drew thank you so much. He came in. I appreciate you brother. He says norm. He's doing what you said that he doesn't do. He's taking the Bible as a whole and he's putting it together. And I know it's funny.
So what I want to know is how does as Sarah obeyed Abraham calling him Lord whose daughters are. If you do good. And are not afraid with any terror. How that connects to first Peter 321. Okay.
We're talking about Abraham and the way that he. Okay, excuse me I'm listen. I'll tell you what. I'm not. I'm not giggling and laughing. I'm trying to actually have a conversation with you. Okay, dude, seriously.
I mean it's you. You. I'm trying very hard because you're being very disrespectful and condescending and I'm telling you I'm not gonna have much more patience for it. I'm trying to have a conversation with you and.
Try to respond being disrespected and and belittled without being disrespectful. I'm sorry.
Oh. You keep talking. I I got a I got a pot. Stop my camera and mic for a second. Okay. I got you.
So my point to you is this When we go back to John and we come up through these passages. Now we started talking about we started talking about.
I Don't think he muted his mic. We may get a hot mic moment here and just say we're okay.
We don't have a hot mic. I took care of it. So anyway. So we talked about John and his baptism. Right, okay, and If you look at John his baptism, I asked you was his baptism for salvation. Where did it come from.
Was it's from heaven? Okay, and it was for Sal. It was salvific. Yes. Okay, then what was the need in Christ?
What he said to fulfill all righteousness he acknowledged it was a command from heaven and so he obeyed it.
Okay, but he did not define or explain what to fulfill all righteousness technically meant. The are you saying that when he was baptized that he needed to be baptized? Are you saying that he was there for the right that he stayed now?
I'm just I don't know. I'm asking you.
I'm not just saying what he said. I'm not adding anything to it taking anything away from it trying to twist it or manipulate. I'm just saying what he said when John tried to stop it. When John tried to stop him.
Yeah, Jesus said because John recognized. Well, you don't need to be this is a baptism for their mission of sins. You don't have any sins. So you don't need to be baptized. Jesus said in Answer to John's confusion over why he was being baptized Jesus said.
Permitted to be so for now in order to fulfill all righteousness. I'm quoting it. Okay, okay. That's easy. Said. That's all I know about why Jesus got baptized. Okay, it was. Did Jesus have sins that needed to be remitted?
No, well, then why did he get baptized? All I know is what he said in order to fulfill all righteousness, which the way that I understand that and I think I'm correct in my understanding on it is. That means it was a command from God and as a command from God it must be obeyed.
Or else it's unrighteous. So if Jesus had not been baptized, he would have been guilty of unrighteousness. Okay. There's something going on back.
John yes. Did you want to say something brother? I was gonna point out that norm. Have you ever considered that. Maybe? He needed to be baptized because it's part of the priestly duties and Requirements for Christ to be a priest.
To be baptized. Oh, you're talking about the the the ceremonies of washing and dedication for the Levitical priesthood and Jesus is not a priest after the order of Aaron but of Melchizedek. So, no, I have never made that connection because those don't pertain to Jesus priesthood.
So, okay. Mm-hmm.
About our sponsor, yeah.
I'm gonna tell you something this this is this is one of those things that give you a headache when you're trying to talk to people about about these issues and and as as Josiah pointed out we kind of need to you know, take just a minute.
Everybody sit back and relax a little bit and And if you don't have a pillow Take you a pillow out and take a good strong rest. We want to do we do want to say thank you to my pillow and for their sponsoring their phone number is 1 -800 -873 -0176 and if you go to promo code if you go on there and and call in and ask them for a nice comfy pillow or whatever else you want to ask for all their great products and Tell them about the SFE as a promo code.
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So by the way as We're taking just a moment. We want to we want to say that Also, if you want to look deeper into these issues We have a resource for logos Bible software and you could go to bit .ly slash SFE logos and If you go on there, that'll take you to logos .com and it is striving for eternity's.
They they help us out they talk to us or they work with us and with Andrew and I believe maybe still going with the five free books. Is that right Josiah? I.
Bought logos a year ago and there was like a break between there so I didn't get those five free books. Oh.
Man, oh man. Oh, by the way, I'm just gonna throw it out there if you want more information Go to calm org. That'll give you all the information you ever wanted about anything you ever needed to know about and Also Look us up on striving for eternity org give us your support your friendship your love and and Tell her the people about us and we'd love to have you come in any time.
So we have lots of articles on there.
One about one about baptism. That's very helpful on understanding acts 238.
Would you mind tell us about that just for a moment? I'm gonna pull something up while you're talking about it. So.
All right, if you don't mind done my art. Okay, it's entitled what to do about acts 238 or. It's also entitled Ice ice baptism. I decided to do one of those things they did back in the 1800s and give it two titles just for all right and I Talked about the teaching that the Restoration Movement typically gives that They typically interpret it repent.
And each of you be baptizing of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins and you will receive the gift the Holy Spirit. They also believe that one can lose their salvation after being baptized. So I also said it's really the worst of all worlds.
So The main problem that that interpretation usually gives is that it seems to go against the main teaching of acts that salvations by repentance and faith. And yes, the baptism is followed by all of those but seems like the emphasis is always on repentance and faith.
For by grace you've been sick. Ephesians 2 32 8 through 9 says for For by grace you have been saved through faith and it's not ourselves the gifts of God not over works so that no one may boast. So I also Noted that there's no contradictions in Scripture and when there is an apparent contradiction between two tasks.
The contradiction is only in the mind of the beholder. That's right. That's so there's you there's there's always kinds of different ways of Make as making sense of this text and one is to understand how ice is handled the Greek word for usually in or into but it has a semantic range of in into toward to until up to for or etc and the context surrounding this preposition determines the meaning so If you look at the context The context is Repent and be baptized every one of you for the For giving us a sin and the gift of the Holy Spirit so There's other there's other ways if you don't even accept if you don't accept that understanding that it's a passive more of a passive one where it's like for or because of It.
Baptism could be spiritual because water is not the only element mentioned with baptism. John mentions Jesus baptism baptizes with fire and the Holy Spirit fire Referring to hell and the Holy Spirit referring to when one believes and is saved there's also Another important thing to point out is the word metanoisate is the main verb connected with ice.
Therefore everything else including baptizo is Subordinate to repentance and so and another thing to point out is a historical context behind it that the idea of baptism Incorporates the spiritual reality and not just the symbol.
The baptism was one where one repented in the ancient Jewish world where they confessed their sins and promised to forsake and follow God's law. And so With all these different options, I think the best combination is Todd Friel's handling of ice which Which shows that It is more reflexive.
It is Baptism is a witness to the repentance. It shows that you've repented and it It followed repentance being the main verb means that baptism leads to Our repentance leads to baptism forgiveness of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit and so that's that's that's the majority of my article.
But I think you know preacher Norm probably has quite a few problems with it. I.
Actually, I've got a article on my website norm fields comm. Just go to norm fields comm and look up the post on The Baptist use of ace. I just gave it one name the Baptist use of ace.
Okay. Everybody look that up and compare those two along with the scripture, you know. And it's amazing that one thing that we got to think about is it's not the it's not the ideas that that each one of Us has.
It's what the scripture says and it's the divine authority. So so one thing that's that needs to be said here is. Either either norms position is correct and everybody that's not in the Church of Christ is is not saved and going to hell or.
Our position is correct and those that repent and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ will be saved. Those that have heard heard by grace grace through faith in Christ. Those will be saved and so so one of these is true.
The problem comes when you add anything to salvation the Bible says in Galatians. Talks about the idea of the Judaizers who wanted to add things to salvation. Now in defense norm believes. He said it many times he believes that baptism is part of the act of faith.
We believe that salvation is of the Lord alone. That it is it is something that the Lord and I don't so you're saying I don't. I don't believe that I didn't say that I didn't say that what we're what we're saying is is it's not it's not through baptism.
It is by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Now now that's why I said what I said earlier about your baptism, okay. Well, but let's let's get back into the discussion here one thing that that I want to ask you is.
Apart from John's baptism. Are there other places in the in the in the Than the Gospels where you're gonna see these as that you must repent and be baptized for salvation.
Jesus conversation with Nicodemus and John chapter 3 would be an example. And the the parallel to that in Ephesians chapter 5 would be the washing of water by the word Okay, but that's not the Gospels born of water in the spirit, right?
Okay.
But let's stick to the four Gospels. I mean we got plenty of book of Book material to talk about in the four Gospels and I'm asking for a reason because we're talking about the life of Christ During his time, right?
Yeah, okay. So in in several passages we see like say for example Zacchaeus. Okay, we see for example in the passages dealing with Zacchaeus. There's no idea no evidence of baptism there, but he says that no day salvation has come to your house.
Right, you know referring to himself as the source of salvation.
Okay, but I thought John's baptism was salvific.
Uh, there's a there's a fundamental flaw in your whole perception of See you're going back you're talking about you're talking about Zacchaeus talking about the thief on the cross.
Would you do me a favor and read Acts 20 28, well, I'm trying to stick to the four Gospels for okay 20 28 and see Can we stick to the four Gospels and talk about the life of Christ and I'm just asking if we can go for those.
I mean, you're not wanting to deal with the text of Scripture. You want to go to another place? I want to go a different place. I want to go over here. I want to go over here. I'm just trying to say what is it you want to say?
What's the purpose?
Because I want to ask you what is your purpose for limiting my response to the Gospels?
Because you got plenty of material for one because Why let me finish because our Lord is the one that that started here in John Baptism and then we go through and we see him talking about salvation to people that he did not command them to be baptized.
Such as such as Nicodemus. We see others. We see we see the woman at the well. He did not tell them you must be baptized. He didn't tell them that. What he talked to them about is his repentance. He talked to them about their sin.
He explained their sins and the sheen said there's one that's told us everything I've ever done and the whole entire Community comes out. However many that may be the exaggeration maybe it probably wasn't everybody.
But let's say it's quite a few people right and so they come out and there is no discussion there in those contexts of Repent and be baptized. You must be baptized. Let's go get the water. Let's let's dig a hole.
Let's get then in the you know trough or whatever else. There's the idea of your sins. Are what is separated you from God? You're at you're at enmity with God. You need to repent. I am the Savior now.
One thing I want to say here is and that's the reason I'm pointing these things out. But there are passages where he says repent and be baptized, correct?
Jesus yeah. There are those. I'm in those exact words. I'm not sure. Off the top of my head. Oh.
So here's my question now we can go through all these but I do have a question.
John said it in Matthew 3 11. John said it in Mark 1 4. And so yeah, that would be the two examples in the Gospels.
Okay, John, so you have those that you have those in the Gospels. Can you go to Luke 23 38 and this will start there this is talking about the crucifixion. Okay. Okay. So one of the criminals was there he's hurling abuses at him.
He says are you not Christ's save yourself? Okay, but the other answered and rebuked him and said do you not even fear God now originally he started out, you know going against Jesus. Okay, was he saved or not?
Which one the one that says Verse 41 and we indeed are suffering justly for we have we are receiving what we deserved. For our deeds, but this man sounds like a penitent believer to me. Yeah. Oh, so he's penitent.
Mean, that's a pretty clear expression that that he recognizes that he's Receiving the due reward for his deeds. So and okay.
So he's he's repentant. Right. Yeah, he's trusted Christ the Savior. And as a result what happened?
He Jesus said assuredly I say to you today you will be with me in paradise. So the man saved. Yes, I have no doubt I.
Have no idea whether he was baptized or not. Oh, so he was on the cross. He was nailed to the cross. Hold on. Let me get this right and you don't know if he was baptized or not. Right. I'm sorry that I didn't mean to just laugh out loud like I did but but you did.
I didn't mean to but I did. I couldn't help it cuz that right you did. Yeah, are you being smug Justin? No, I'm in shock.
Let me show you something if you'll give me a minute with the text. You can put it on the screen if you want to. Okay. Give me a minute with the text and I'll show you why I said that. Go ahead. There it is.
Uh. You come out striving for eternity. Ministries quote there to say deserve. But this man and Jesus. Remember me when you come into your kingdom now. Okay, the interaction between the thief on the cross and Jesus Makes it absolutely Irrefutably clear that this was not his first exposure to Jesus.
Okay, you're speaking in the white spaces there in the Bible where there is no no.
He said For we received the due reward for our deeds. That sounds like penitence to me. But this man has done nothing wrong. How did he know that? How did the thief on the cross know that Jesus was somebody who had done nothing wrong?
Mmm, you're asking me to speculate on something. No No, I'm Speculating. You're the one that's doing the speculating. So I just want to point this out.
I'm dealing with I'm saying I don't know whether he was or not. You're saying, you know for sure. He wasn't.
That I know I'm saying I know he was saved.
You claimed that he was baptized. Come on. Okay, we're talking about baptism, right? Where's his baptism? I'm saying the way you present the thief on the cross and oh, I'm gonna be saved like the thief on the cross.
Well, then climb up on a cross next to Jesus and ask him to save you. It'll you know, it'll work. That's okay.
Oh, man, that's okay. Look straw man. Designed to read.
What I'm saying is the way that you present the thief on the cross is that this is his first encounter with Jesus. No, he knew that Jesus was innocent. Then he said Lord. Remember me when you come into your kingdom.
Where did the thief on the cross learn anything about a kingdom? Excuse me. Let me ask you a question.
What passage of Scripture do you hear. Why not go ahead. What passage of Scripture do you have other than Luke 23 41 to 43 that tells us that this thief on the cross had any conversation with Jesus Christ before him being on the cross.
I don't need another passage because I have this one right? No, you speculate. That's all you know.
I'm saying that the thief on the cross Knew That he deserved to be there because he was a thief. The thief on the cross knew that Jesus was innocent that Jesus hadn't done anything deserving of death.
The thief on the cross knew that Jesus was going to be coming into a kingdom even though even though not now. Get this. Jesus is dying on the cross right next to this thief. Okay, and the thief asked him remember me when you come into your kingdom.
That sounds to me like he had heard something about the death barrel and resurrection preached. There's only one sounds to me like he had heard something about the kingdom. Now I'm reading what's right there in the text.
He knew about one problem. He knew he was going to be able to remember something after his crucifixion. He knew that he was guilty and Jesus was not guilty. So go ahead and mute my mic before you let me get through the text and and then we'll go from there.
But you're gonna do another straw man and and see the whole point. Here is this.
This is the same one as last time. I'm showing you stuff right there. No, you know, you did and you're saying no.
It's not there. Don't look not in the text. Don't look absolutely not in the text. And here's the problem. He had Old Testament truth. He knew that God the Messiah was coming. He knew that he was dead in trespass and sin.
He knew that he was guilty about by the standard of the law because he was a thief and a liar. He knew those things and he knew he deserved the punishment of Almighty God. He knew it just like you know it.
He knew it just like I know it. Okay, he knew it but because this man was dying on the cross and This the signet on top of him was this is the king of the Jews and the signet on top of him was saying This is the Messiah the king of the Jews.
That's how he knew what was in there. This man didn't have to meet Jesus walking down some road that you didn't you don't find in the scripture.
So that's how he was gonna have a kingdom after he died.
Because it's in the scripture in the Old Testament. I don't know if you've read the Old Testament before but it's in there and we know certainly all the Jews had a perfect Understanding of what was there in the Old Testament about the Messiah just because they didn't have a person very much.
That doesn't mean that they didn't have a clear understanding. What you're doing is you're trying to argue from the white spaces.
No, I'm saying it doesn't matter either way. Whether he actually does matter because Jesus was still on actually it does.
Because the only way you can talk about Salvation through baptism is you must demand that he had to have been baptized. No, I don't I don't really care whether he was or not.
It doesn't matter because Jesus looked at him and said this day you'll be with me in paradise. Okay, so whether he was baptized or not is irrelevant and upon. You can't say that he wasn't. And you laugh when I said that and then I pointed out Prior knowledge of who Jesus Christ was.
It's it's right there. He very obviously already knew who Jesus was. He calls him Lord. Why would he call Jesus Lord if if he didn't know who Jesus was? So it's right Doctor you can't read it. You can't see it because you're of your preconceived.
Oh, no.
Actually, I just read it. I put it in context. I gave it to you according to the scripture. You're not gonna say that. I can't read it because I mean right here in front of everyone. It's it's really tragically what you did.
I know it's pathetic. You added to the truth of the Word of God by saying oh it had to have been. It had to have been something that that nobody sees but hit this all this had to happen.
You're saying a bunch of stuff. I didn't say and I'm not gonna let.
That's another straw man, and it's actually not true. I have been dealing with the text and you have not been a good thing about you know. Streaming is because it's there. Oh, it's there. It's there. You probably should just go ahead and go go ahead and and pull it up and look at it because we were dealing with the Tech and the reason I'm dealing with this text is this.
You said this man was saved. Yeah, I mean, it's very obvious. He was. Jesus said you'll be with me the same paradise without water. Sure without baptism. I I can I can go along with that, right? It doesn't matter whether he was baptized or not.
That's what I'm saying.
Okay, thank you, then we're all Christians by God's standards, thank you everyone. I want to thank you all. So Jesus.
Him and said this day you'll be with me in paradise because you're here. I'm sorry, but you lost us.
They're actually I think the trip. Sure. Minds were nailed to the cross with Christ. My sins are nailed to the cross with Christ. I. It is.
Amazing to me how biblically illiterate people who claim to know the Bible actually are. I mean, it's really astonishing. Okay. You're saying that this pastor does not know the scriptures, that's why I'm absolutely saying he doesn't know the scripture.
Yeah. Wow. Okay.
One thing I will point out we're gonna take a few minutes. I want to look at some of the comments that have been rolling in here because we've had a lot of people making a lot Of comments and and really good discussions back here and on the side.
Marcy Oliver. Thank you. You you pointed out exactly what I'm saying is that this is a tragic cultic behavior. Now the scripture doesn't say what it says and that's exactly right. Humble clay, thank you so much for talking about the smug fruit that's coming out.
There is is so much Discussion here that that I just want to bring out some of these things that That some of some of you wonderful people have been talking about. I Do want to say I do want to say something for Melissa.
I can't find it but Melissa who's a Faithful wonderful sister in Christ. Apparently she fell and got hurt. And I do want to I saw that and I just want you to know I'm praying for you and I pray that. That you'll be okay and that God will protect you.
That he'll heal you up and that you'll able to be a good strong faithful witness getting jumping right back in. Just just being faithful, you know as she comes in all the time so Drew points out that in John it says to leave.
They went out from us because they never truly were in the faith. You see that's what the the issue of the posse is they never were truly in the faith. They didn't just walk away and say I've had enough and Clint I'm sorry Cody Cody.
He points out. He's having a private conversation. He's having private conversation so so I don't want to throw him on blast on there. So so Michael you you said it right baptism is from John is from heaven.
It is a biblical thing. The whole point is is is it salvific and Pastor norm preacher norm, whatever you call yourself you you are. You're of the opinion that it is salvific and if it's salvific. Then I got to say then why did Christ have to die on the cross, you know?
Cody Cody people says. All these people taking it so seriously as a reason to rejoice no matter how much you disagree, you know. And the whole point is is this there is truth and salvation, you know that we need to repent and believe the gospel.
We need to be saved by the Lord Jesus Christ. It is it is by grace that we are saved through faith. It's not of works. It's it's nothing that we do that saves us. It's it's by Almighty God himself and.
And so it is very serious. It's something that we need to take very seriously because there are people that are believing in their works. All the time, you know, one thing I want to say is that Justin Peters?
He asked the question last week and he came last time we were on. He asked the question if someone repents believes the gospel and on their way to church. To be baptized if they get run over by a truck and get killed.
Are they going to heaven and Preacher Norm said well, no because no repenting and trusting in Christ for your salvation is not enough. Would you agree with that? Yes. Okay, and so the whole that's the water the element is the water.
The element is the water and and I'll have to and I'll say, you know. There are many people that teach that the Roman Catholic Church teaches, you know. About these issues of repentance and and being in baptism and they talk about the taking on the Sacraments and they take on all these different things that are part of their tradition that they've added to to the things of God KT you said that you were actually gathering all the information we can it is the man who is grabbing verses and not looking at the whole about justification and so the points here.
When every time I try to use a parallel passage I get chided for wanting to run away from the text.
So, okay because we're trying to deal with the text. My friend the whole point that she's making to you is you're jumping all over the place. You're jumping all over the place. I'm asking you specific questions.
So how do you gather the information?
How do you gather the information if you don't go to different verses that talk about that same thing, right? There's so much Information that needs to go with the thief on the cross actually answer your your you know whatever it is you're trying to do with the thief on the cross, but Actually, I did.
That's not okay.
Right, actually I Multiple times did and and so the point I'm trying to I want to get at here is this. The point I want to get at here is this. We're at an hour and 41 minutes in and I believe the conversation is went about as far as it's gonna go.
Right, you know my questions don't matter. Okay, actually we've had because I'm the one in the hot seat not you. Right, okay.
Well, we've had we've had discussions and you know Ted you never did answer my question.
I asked one question tonight and in an hour and a half. I didn't get an answer to my question. Okay, what's that question? What would I need to do to disavow myself from Campbell and Stone. I. I don't I don't want to be.
I don't I don't want. I am in their organization. I don't want to be a doctor. I want to be just in the New Testament Church. Is it possible for me to just be in the New Testament Church?
I think something that my professor said to me one time. I was really good. We all have Preconceived ideas whether we wait or not. Is this the answer to my question? Yes. Yes. I'm trying to answer your question.
No, we all have preconceived ideas whether whether we like them or not. Yeah, we're. We're gonna be influenced by people who've taught us it just like you've been influenced by people who've taught you.
I'm sure I'm sure that you were saved or You think you're saved. No, I'm not gonna try to throw that in the End of question. I'm sure you were saved by somebody coming alongside you sharing the gospel with you and in your your view baptizing you and then teaching you about The Bible and teaching you how to study the Bible, right?
Emphasis on that last how to study the Bible. Yeah.
Okay, well I was. I got some preconceived my ideas of my own and I'm gonna admit them. I'm gonna try to check them at the door whenever I go to scripture, right? And I'm gonna try to go into it.
Absolutely, and see that's and and that's what makes the difference right. Acknowledging that you may have some preconceived notions and purposely Putting them aside when you go to study the text because every time I study a passage I study it like I'm studying it for the first time.
That's great. That's what we try to do.
But what are my preconceived notions? Well, I mean. What would I need to do to disavow myself. So those are preconceived. Preconceived notions on my part not yours. I Didn't.
Okay, that's. You're twisting his words because he's actually trying to be very gracious to you, but you don't allow for that.
Okay. No, I'm just asking. Okay. So you're saying this conversation for the whole past hour and a half is over my preconceived notions and I'm saying I don't have.
You don't have any preconceived notions at all.
Not when I go to scripture to study the scripture. No.
Wow, that's amazing. So you didn't.
We found a perfect person to study the Bible. I.
Gotta say I never get something wrong. I'm just I'm just waiting to hear the Idea here. Are you saying that you you don't get anything wrong if you have no, you know, no errors in your and. How is it that you don't have preconceived notions?
When I go to the text to study the text I just do it to look to see what's there in the text not anywhere up just there in the text and and If if I go to study a text Thinking that I already know what it means.
Because I mean you call up some verses I'm gonna you know say yeah, I've studied those verses and I know what they mean. Okay, but but when I go to study to sit down in my study I Purposely discount those things and say, you know, no, I'm looking at it to see what is actually there.
Okay. So if I were to say You know if I were to bring up Ephesians 1 right.
Written in about 64 from Paul in prison. Okay, so we got some historical context there. There's no preconceived notions in that.
Right, that's that's that's right. So if I were to bring up Ephesians 1 13 and him when you heard the word of truth the gospel of your salvation and Believed in him were sealed with the Holy Spirit You wouldn't have any preconceived Notions when I would when you read that verse I.
Mean just looking at it now responding to you. Now, of course, I'm not based on my prior study of the passage. Yes. Right. I mean we both we both believe that we have studied this passage and we understand what it means.
So, of course.
But that's not what I said. When I sit down sake of argument say that this is your first verse you've ever read. Okay.
Okay, so for the sake of argument this is the first verse I've ever read and.
First time you've ever read the Bible and that that's the verse that you read. How would you get. How would you?
Get well, I mean if I just open it if I just opened a Bible for the first time and I read first Ephesians 1 13 and I read in him. Well, I'd start searching to see who him is. You also trusted after you heard the word of truth.
Well, I'd start searching to see what the word of truth is the gospel. I'd start searching to see what the gospel is of your salvation. I'd start searching to see what salvation says in whom also having believed you were sealed with the Holy Spirit promise.
So I'd start, you know searching about what it says about sealed what it says about the Holy Spirit because just from reading that one Verse, I don't have enough information to do anything or to believe anything.
So is that not what I'm supposed to do?
So, where did you get that notion? No, no, no actually way not you're doing. Okay. Go ahead. Sorry I'm sorry when I wasn't trying to jump over but I do I want to ask the question here because I want make sure it's clear.
Where did you get that preconceived notion from? The preconceived notion of what that you should take apart that text that way.
Just natural reading of it. Just I mean, that's I don't just from reading that one. I'm taking John's speculation and Saying how I would react if that was the only verse of Scripture I've ever read. You know who him is.
So of course I would want to know who him is. Because it says, you know, you also trusted. Okay. Well, who is this that is talking about trusted? You know that the people this is written to. I don't know that either if that's all the the only verse I've ever read.
So me personally the way I read, you know, I guess anything is if. That's if that's the only snippet I get I need a whole lot more information. So that's not a preconceived notion.
That's just me wanting to understand what the verse is saying. Well one thing I would say is is the praise there is that this Bible was not given in one snippet. It was actually given in context in a letter Ephesians, right?
And so I read the whole letter you you would actually be reason reading from this Bible passage. So therefore you would know that the one that that's talking about is Jesus Christ who predestined you for adoption.
Okay, so this isn't the only passage I've read then because I thought I was going from that from that. You know, I'm.
Asking you a question. I'm asking you. They're asking questions. I'm asking questions and so building on that is how we come to.
Understand are we building on the idea that this is the only verse I've ever read.
Sure, let's start there. Okay, go with it. Okay, let's start there. How do you know how you would have actually reacted if this is the only verse you'd ever read and nobody ever told you to go. Look elsewhere.
Because I don't know who him is I don't know what I'm supposed to trust about him. I don't know what the word of truth is. I don't know what the gospel is. I don't know what salvation is. I don't know what it is I'm supposed to be believing or who the Holy Spirit is or what the Holy Spirit is for that matter and what the promise is.
If that's the only verse I've read I don't know any of those things. And so me being the inquisitive person that I am I'm gonna want that information. So so you have a pre that's not a preconceived notion, is it?
Well, but no I want to know what it says. But that's actually I think our understanding of preconceived notions is wrong and actually when we get into the study when you get into the study and and you actually do some of the historical context of who Paul's even writing to here and you've Realized that these are people who have already been baptized twice.
You're not going to read a passage in a personal letter that was written to this Congregation that was founded by people who were baptized twice and and and and Convinced me that when they read Paul's statement in Ephesians 2 5 through 8 that they looked at and they said oh We really didn't need to be baptized both those times, right?
You're you're reading somebody's personal mail, but you're not understanding it based on the audience. It was written to so. Now I realized I went way beyond Ephesians 1 13 and I'm sorry.
Because your preconceived notion is to go throughout the passages of Scripture and you can't deal with that one. Okay, and that's way at the whole point that he's trying to make I think is that we all have preconceived notions.
You just ridiculed him for saying you had preconceived notions. What is my preconceived notion there? What is it? You're calling a preconceived notion that you need to go elsewhere. Is talking about your preconceived notion is that you need to go elsewhere and that's the point.
You got me you're not you're not just there on that one thing. We're there through the whole entire discussion. You actually started with preconceived notions about Alexander Campbell and about how's that how I didn't bring up Alexander Campbell.
I know I just laid it out. I just what I said is.
What do I have to do to disavow myself from Alexander Campbell? John. I don't want to be with Alexander Campbell. I Desire to disavow myself from him. What would I have to do? Go ahead guys.
How about you acknowledge that we are saved I?
Can't see and then guess what. See what that I'm looking at the Bible and saying that based on the.
Oh, you're looking at Campbell and saying.
You're looking at Campbell's teaching. That's Campbell's teaching that's not I.
Literally and Without reservation of any kind here in this public forum. Disavow Alexander Campbell. He is not my founder. He's not my leader. I don't look to him for anything. Okay is now I'm sure that still won't be good enough.
But okay. Oh, it's good enough for me.
It just means you don't believe that doesn't saves you anymore. That's great. I did not originate with Alexander Campbell.
That originated with inspired scripture.
No that originated with an argument between Alexander Campbell and many other people who Who kicked him out of the churches because he was and so if it originated with Alexander Campbell.
I shouldn't be able to go anywhere in the Bible and show that a person you can. You can pull any text.
Also, just. Just keep ripping out spitting out same script that you've heard over and over and over from the teachings.
All the ones that talk about baptism, I can't use any of those. Okay. Got it. So you just. You're you're you're like the lady that that took a pin I know cut out all the passages in the scripture that she didn't like and she just had it really was always.
We still keep baptism. We love baptism. Yeah.
If you were Where it goes, that's like saying you love the number seven and so you dial the number seven. But if you keep dialing number seven and nothing else, you're not gonna get me, right? You have to dial my number and put the sevens in the right place in the number or else You're not gonna get to me and if you make a mistake, you know, you transpose a couple of numbers you can't just keep going.
You got to go back and start over and and put the numbers in right. So what I'm saying is you claim to love baptism as a Symbol as an outward show of something that the Bible doesn't say it is. The Bible says that we are baptized into Christ.
We put on Christ in baptism. We we're we're baptized into Christ to be buried with him In death and we're still raised with him in newness of life. That's what the Bible teaches about baptism.
I didn't originate that Alexander Campbell didn't originate that the Bible originated that for Ephesians 1 13 originates that idea that we are sealed in Christ. That's exactly what that's talking about.
We are. That's right. We are buried with him in faith. We're not physically buried with him. We didn't physically go to the tomb with him. We didn't physically die on the cross with him.
And I know why you guys don't put the Bible on the screen. You just did.
Multiple times anyway your straw man fallacies aside. It's been it's been us an informative conversation.
This still didn't answer my question. So I can't all right. Okay, can I can I ask another question. Then since you won't answer that one I'm not allowed to disavow myself.
We answered it about six times. Okay.
Those slogans that you went through in the beginning when you were, you know. You got a member of the Church Christ on the program, but you wanted to give a dissertation about the Church Christ before me.
So, yeah. Those slogans you went through. Okay. Now I know you're saying we're close to time and you know, so I can't get you about one minute.
But I would be curious as to which one of those slogans you disagree with. Okay, you already know we've already.
Was there an original church. That's a simple yes or no question. Was there an original church? Well sure.
Okay, what happened to it? It's still alive and well and still going great. It's the church and I'm I started that's that's exactly right.
And I don't want to claim is also that we're not hold on now. Hold on John.
Hold on John. I do the reason that he says you belong to man-made organizations. And so do you and so do you. You claim to be able to? What.
You can say Just go ahead Josiah, go ahead Josiah. Churches in the Philly with any denomination we're non-denom. Okay, so you're saying you're saying that I'm affiliated with the denomination when I'm not.
And my teachings are influenced by denomination when I'm not. When it's not.
The faith only system of salvation that you teach it definitely had a man-made origin with Luther was probably the earliest recorded one to teach faith only salvation. Actually in response to appreciate that.
No, and and we went through that last time that every single verse you use where Paul is saying not by works. Every single one it's in the context of him Refuting the the binding of the law the old law of Moses on Christians.
Every single one of them.
Mm-hmm, and so that can't be applied to man-made traditions like water bad like water baptism. Water baptism is not a man-made tradition.
Since the second century I. The earliest the earliest controversy over baptism that I know of from my study of church history was When someone was too sick to be put in the baptistry and they deluged him with buckets of water.
And and then it kind of went from there reasoning. Well, if we could do that, then you know, we don't need the baptistry. Well, they they couldn't do that. And so they did something that wasn't authorized by Scripture.
Then there was places where there wasn't much water so that they had to sprinkle and there was places where. Where. Yeah, you're right about the pouring of water. Right only there was times when water was scarce and you couldn't so that did not originate in the New Testament.
But the problem is is you're saying baptism now saves you but the problem is is here.
You just quoted a Bible verse.
It's not that's not the washing the water is the part that you can. Now you're not quoting Bible verse. He's with you. Hey, I want to says for by grace You have been saved through faith that it not that not of yourselves.
It is the gift of God not as a result of works. So that no one may boast and the whole point that we're trying to make translation is that? In ASB, okay. Okay. It's probably it's probably not biblical according to you.
But it's the NASB and the whole idea was that smugness just that were you a little smug there? Actually, I'm just being quippish. There you go. Maybe you'll try to figure out what that means. I'll go with it.
Now that was smug. Okay. Hmm s Hopkins did a did a Dollar nine. I thought you were talking about a feeling on here. I'm sorry with these come up. We throw this out quick acts 10 and 11 proves that water is not needed.
There you go. Okay, so that's thank you there for the acts. I don't prove water is not needed go there. Okay? Yeah, you know go there. We don't have.
Right, I don't have to close. Hey Norm Peter said any forbid water that these should not be. Norm, it was so nice.
Yeah, I muted him. See you later Norm. Have a great time with your baptism your water baptism whatnot. He dropped out. He's got angry. Guys, this is the whole point is this. When the scripture makes it clear that you're saved by grace alone.
Through faith alone in Christ alone. You better believe it. There's only one way of salvation and that is Jesus Christ and we must repent and believe the gospel. It's not a work of righteousness, which we do and.
And the pride in it comes in saying look what I did in the entire book of Galatians the issue is There's not salvation sufficient in Christ. It must be by becoming Jewish and by adding two things the works of the of the of man of the works of the law the doing the things that evidence that then you can be saved.
And the whole point that we're trying to make and in this entire discussion is That he doesn't come blank in a blank slate. He comes with preconceived notions that we can trace back to the 1800s that come from Alexander Alexander Campbell from the restoration movement 1832.
Barton stone brother Josiah you did a great job on this stuff. Guys go to striving for eternity and look at this. You're gonna get great information here. Great stuff that that talk about the history of this.
It's not a blank slate. Okay, this stuff has passed down and carried out throughout history and what we can see is at least since the 1800s. We've had so many different groups that say that that your ways not the way your Baptist way your Presbyterian way.
You're Lutheran way your non-denominational way. It's not the way I have a new truth. I have a new wisdom. An angel told me or this person told me or that person told me and so we have to listen to these groups.
The Bible tells us that you're saved by grace that it's through faith and you can't boast and what you had what you saw tonight what you saw the other week was a man boasting in his baptism and then condemning everyone else for not submitting to his authority and.
That's exactly what happened to the Galatians and Paul says I would not submit to that not for even one Moment, I wouldn't allow Titus to be Circumcised. I wouldn't allow him to come under the knife to become a Jew I.
He says I wouldn't allow any of that because anything you add to the gospel nullifies the gospel of Jesus Christ. If you don't know Christ as your Savior. Or if you're in this in these cults that say you must do these extra works and these extra things including baptism.
I'm going to ask you please Examine yourself. Trust in Jesus Christ not in your works and. And think about what Josiah was talking about Ephesians many places Ephesians 2. Ephesians 3 tells us that it is by the power of the Spirit.
We're sealed that it is by grace through faith. We're saved. It is a gift of God. We're not giving God anything by jumping in the water. It's not a result of works and the evidence that this that What's preacher norm doesn't believe what he's saying is he had to go to a blank space in the Bot in the Bible to find some place where we he he can say see look.
The man on the cross the thief on the cross. He had to have been baptized. He had to have heard he had to have believed because he had to have been baptized. We know it when I expose and explain that he got it from where?
The Old Testament. He got it from the Old Testament. He got the truth of the Word of God from the Old Testament the same Old Testament that Paul was preaching about that Peter was preaching about that John was preaching about That all the Apostles were preaching about the Old Testament that Jesus used to rebuke those who were trying to make salvation an act of work.
Guys works won't save you. You must trust in Christ alone by grace through faith. If you don't know him, please do. Okay, guys. I hope we've had a great time guys. Y 'all want to say anything else before we close up.
You want to go first John?
First John. You know just I Just want to clear the air let norm know that there's something that he doesn't know About me that I've never gotten chance to express Express to him, but during the the year of 1990 in the month of August through December I was down in San Diego After boot camp and I was going through while I was in the Navy and.
So what basically what happened was I met across I came across a bunch of guys from the Church of Christ. Now I didn't know a thing about them. Didn't know anything about. I thought there were regular Christians wanting to have a Bible study.
I joined in with their little group went through the whole rigmarole went through and believe me They have it all scripted. They have everything all just right down the line you just go ahead and ask you all these same questions and make you feel guilty and basically, they just They trick you into thinking that you weren't saved in the beginning and now you know you have to be a part of us and You know it took Took a little while.
It took a lot. I was a part of the church for like maybe like two weeks. Maybe maybe not even that and so. Basically what it ended up with is me asking them questions, and it finally It came to the point where I'd ask him Are you guys over the only true church?
You know, it's like, you know, because because I was trying to convince him. It's like look I would say before. And so they were saying no you weren't and so basically they they finally admitted saying yes We are the only true church and that's when I realized oh you guys are a cult and that's exactly what Norm said.
Yeah, yeah, I mean that's exactly the point is they're the only two church and what I want to point out to is My father was Church of Christ and I was in Church Christ for a long time with him and The one thing that was told to me is what preacher Norm said at the end The he is the only Christ the Church of Christ is the only true church.
Because they are Christ's Church. There is no other church than Christ Church and because they take the name then they have the mantle.
Which is another twisting of the words, I mean, it's it's just it's just manipulation. It's all it is in order so that they can claim authority and position and power and. It's ridiculous. It's really sad it really is my heart is actually hurting because of this it really is.
Norma, I mean I just I weep for you, buddy. I really do because it's just it's so sad that you know you you think that your little niche your little slice of heaven is is all there is and. And. You know, you don't get the chance to it's a fellowship with these other believers.
You don't get a chance to even You know Grow in in in other with other denominations. I mean, I'm just a regular non-denominational guy. You know, but I I hold to tulip, you know. But that doesn't mean that I discredit other people who don't hold to Monarchism or Calvinism.
I don't exclude them out of the out of the family of God. You know, and in fact, I I love those guys. I love my my pre my pastor my church. He's not Calvinist, but you know what? I still learn from him.
I still grow from him. I still you know lean into him and actually Become a stronger Christian because of it and yet norm, you know. He just has one little Just a minor just a little narrow a very narrow looking into what a Christian is.
I'm sorry. I'm rambling right now. But anyways, go ahead.
That's okay I have a lot of history with the restoration movement my my family comes from the. They come from the Christian churches the independent Christian churches and they were split off of the disciples of Christ churches that deny the physical resurrection of Jesus and My my the church independent Christian churches, I think there's probably more Christians in them than there are in the other branches of the movement, but That's because again, there's no doctrinal unity.
Yeah, there's no doctrinal unity that if you the thing that they that they are unified on is baptism and Lord's Supper being weekly and Sometimes people in the Church of Christ Actually ministers do get saved and they do stop teaching that baptism saves you and They start teaching the truth.
So, I I know a few of them that have that have been gotten saved and become more grace through grace through faith the thing I went to a restoration college that taught people from Independent Christian Church disciples and Church of Christ and verses like Ephesians 1 13.
They kept me going Realizing hey, you know what Bible doesn't teach you're saved by baptism. We're saved by by believing in in Jesus and being sealed by the Holy Spirit. We're saved by grace first through faith not of ourselves gift of God.
Not a result of any kind of works.
And that's what I was trying to point out. There's you know, it's I've got neighbors that I love. I mean, I My stepdad. I Love him, you know, I know people in my uncle. He's these guys are Church of Christ and I love them with all my hearts.
We've sat down had these respectful discussions and we agree. One of us is wrong and it's that's why this is so serious. You know, this is why you're like, you know, Marcy Oliver. She's you know Comment on here talking about, you know and thanking us for doing this.
This wasn't about hate. This isn't about hey, let's See who can get you with a gotcha moment. This is about praying for somebody who has made the claim that you guys aren't brothers. I'm not a brother.
You know, nobody's Christian, you know. Nobody's Christian except for you know, let's see. How do you say it? Nobody's Christian except for the Christ Church, you know. You know people saying these things and you go, okay, where do you get this from?
You know, where do you get this ideology from and it's. It's part of that mindset. It's part of the teaching and it it becomes elitist. And guys, this is so important. That's why we wanted to spend the time to do this.
You know, I I gladly said, you know Josiah knows we were gonna do this show where the norm came on or not. I'm glad he came on so we could have some discussions. I didn't. I'd pray The Holy Spirit save his soul.
Okay, I pray for it based on his his the the way he's teaching the actions the attitude the smugness all of the things the the. The one thing that you got to think about is if he's a preacher. What is what is Titus and Timothy tell us about a man?
Who's a preacher? He's not a brawler. He's not a quarreler. He's not a debater and a fighter. It's it's not just saying that you don't debate. It's saying that you're not someone that wants to be just you know in the screaming yelling you know, you know bloodshed or The or the the the massive just knockdown drag-out arguments because you've got to be right.
It reminds me of diatrophies. Diotrophies in the book of John and he says John says This man would not so much as allow anyone into the church that did not submit to him and agree with him. He was kicking people out of the church, you're not saved you're not a part of the body of Christ.
You're because of my doctrine my things. Guys this is why we did this. You know, this is why we did this and I hope and I pray. That those that are that don't know Christ that that are stuck in these things will hear this and as KT said not being pugnacious.
Not having that heart of bickering and fighting but have a heart of love. Because you know what breaks my heart Josiah John. During this entire time he never tried to share the gospel with us. Not one time not one time all he said was this Bible versus the one this one this one this one this one.
Yeah, if you really if he really was concerned about our soul wouldn't he I mean, wouldn't he actually be just Grasping at our legs and just begging us to listen to the gospel. Yeah, that's right. I Tried to do that every day.
Linda Yost. And and we're gonna close up guys. I know Linda Yost closes with Acts 10 47 to 48. She asked the question the scripture says can anyone withhold water for baptizing these people? Who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?
And have commanded. And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to remain for some days. Now, here's the thing. You look at that passage. Look at the thief on the cross.
And look at many other passages. You see over and over and over again that baptism is not what saves. The physical act of water baptism. And Norm was taking the verse out of context. When I said you're you're miss.
Misapplying baptism now saves you. You see it's in the Bible. Baptism doesn't save you. It's what what is it? Josiah? It's the outward evidence. You know that you've received the Holy Spirit. That you've been born again.
It's. That's what it is. It's. It's the symbol of you dying with Christ and being risen from. Risen from the dead it. It's the symbol that identifies you with that. You've already repented and trusted you're gonna and you if you've already repented and trusted it having believed you're still with the promised Holy Spirit.
It's guarantee of inheritance to the age to come. But we're not saved by that water, right? It's an outward.
Yeah. Description of what you've done with yourself. Spiritually. What Christ has has done, you know, he buried and rose again, you know, and yeah. It's frustrating.
You know, okay guys. Just be praying because you know, there's people that we know that we love we care about. That are caught up in so many different false teachings and this is what we do that apologetics live.
Our purpose is to proclaim the truth, you know we're trying to try to. You know share the gospel as often as we can and expose the errors, you know guys if you want to see. Just verse after verse applied in context go to striving for eternity and look at Josiah's work, you know.
Look at Andrew's work. Look at the other people's work. Don't look at mine. I barely do anything, but you know, I you know I don't know. I mean, maybe just look at these guys. Look at these guys and see what they're trying to explain.
They deal with a lot of deep subjects, you know,. Matt's Matt slick at CARM. You've got the guys that Got questions. They do a good job as well. You have you know, so many people that are trying to give truth.
And our prayer is that God will save. Our prayers that God will save you know, and so we pray that you all had a wonderful evening. We pray that you thank you so much for everybody being here. Please remember to keep Andrew and and his family in prayers and well.
What is it make each day an eternal day for the glory of God? Okay. Amen. Amen. Okay. God bless and good night.