Ryan Gustason’s Blog

The existence of the Apostolic Oneness Pentecostal belief system typically centers around one central verse: Acts 2:38, of which they interpret the entire Word of God through this one verse. This style of biblical interpretation causes great error, of which is clearly evident in their theology.
As time allows over the next few weeks I am going to deal with each “Oneness Pentecostal Misunderstanding” at a time and try and better clarify the true meaning of the verse and verses they have through the years distorted and abused for personal gain…

This is a mischaracterization of the Oneness Pentecostal doctrine.  We, as bible believing Christians, do not interpret the scriptures through Acts 2:38.

The assessment of the Oneness Pentecostal is that the Apostle Peter’s wording in Acts 2:38 is that “JESUS” is the one name subscribed to the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost.

Apostolic believe that that Jesus spoke a cryptic mysterious riddle and the apostles understood the cryptic message of Jesus, that they where not to invoke the name of the Father, the Son and The Holy Ghost at baptism as Jesus said, but instead – this was a coded message to use the actual name “Jesus”!

Okay one issue at a time

A nice strawman.  Apostolic Oneness Pentecostal Christians, hereafter refered to as Oneness Pentecostals for the sake of brevity, do not believe Jesus spoke in a cryptic mysterious riddle.  We believe that the one name as denoted in the Greek use of onoma by Jesus himself refers to his name.  Father, Son, and Holy Ghost are not proper names, but rather titles denoting the role or relationship God has with man.  God is the Father of creation, God became flesh in the incarnation to redeem mankind from their sinful nature, and God sent His Spirit for regeneration and comfort.

1) Did Jesus ever speak in this code prior to this?

Matthew 10:22 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.

Matthew 18:20 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.

Mark 9:39 But Jesus said, Forbid him not: for there is no man which shall do a miracle in my name, that can lightly speak evil of me.

We can see that Jesus uses freely “my name” in the above texts to indicate that we are to use His actual name - so why now at such a crucial point of salvation does Jesus “mix it up” a bit? Why not be forthwith with it? Why all the code?

Well, this bit of scripture quoting is really not relevent to the discussion, at best it supports the Oneness Pentecostal doctrine that God manifested Himself in flesh as the Son, i.e. Jesus.  At worst it undermines all of Christianity by implying that there are multiple gods to appease by splitting the name of God into Father, Son, and Holy Ghost… making these into “personas” that interact with each other as three seperate beings.  This undermines the basic tenent of Judaism as well as Christianity which was so aptly spoken by God in Deuteronomy 6:4… “Hear O Israel: the Lord our God is one Lord”

2) Is the name of the Father, JESUS?

Here is the crux of the matter – What we really have to determine is this one issue. Is the name of “Jesus” the name of the Father? It is critical because this is where the doctrine stands or falls. Jesus Name people/Oneness Pentecostals state JESUS is the one name of GOD revealed to humanity by which to call – Hence the name of the Father is JESUS, and the Holy Spirit is JESUS, and of course Jesus is JESUS.

The problematic scene we have – is biblically we do not see such a reality, the bible never tells us the name of Jesus is the one name of God

This causes us a problem with the Oneness interpretation of Acts 2:38.

There is no scriptural text to validate that the one name of JESUS is the one name ascribed to the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost. In fact scripture contains distinctions such as those noted in the greetings to the Romans See Romans 1:1-7

(Rom 1:7) To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Again in 2 John 3 (2 John 1:3) Grace be with you, mercy, and peace, from God the Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love.

Such greetings and statements are VERY problematic for the oneness adherents; in fact in most cases such a greeting would not be welcome among oneness ranks, for its supposed Trinitarian implication.

Typically most of the text that is used to support this view are interpretational errors such as…

(John 5:43) I am come in my Father’s name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive.

John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible states…
John 5:43 - I am come in my Father’s name,…. Power and authority; by his consent, with his will, and according to a covenant with him: Christ came not of himself, of his own accord, by a separate power and will of his own, but was called, and sent, and came by mutual agree meat; and brought his credentials with him, doing the works and miracles which his Father gave him to finish:

Adam Clarke’s Commentary on the Bible states…
I am come in my Father’s name - With all his influence and authority. Among the rabbins, it was essential to a teacher’s credit that he should be able to support his doctrine by the authority of some eminent persons who had gone before. Hence the form, Coming in the name of another.

Again, a mischaracterization of the Oneness Pentecostal doctrine.  We do not dispute the dual nature of Christ.  Jesus was both fully God as well as fully man at the same time.  To state the Jesus was only God and not a man would be in error scripturally (called by some the “divine flesh” doctrine), and to state that Jesus was only a man would cause rise for error in truth as well.  Jesus is not a demi-god type of a being as espoused by Arius.  The truth is that Jesus was both fully God and fully man.

The most accurate rendition of this is “I am come in my Father’s authority, power and consent” not that the name of the Father is JESUS. You’ll find few biblical scholars who assume the text to mean anything more than the commentaries above have noted. Much like David stated

(1 Samuel 17:45) Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied.

Meaning the power, authority and might of GOD, David was not implying that the name of the Father was DAVID!!!But under the exegesis of apostolics – we must assume this to be the meaning since they insist the same words spoken by JESUS to mean this very thing.

Another instance is seen here in (John 10:25) Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed not: the works that I do in my Father’s name, they bear witness of me.

Oneness Pentecostals agree that in the name of means in the power or authority of Jesus.  But in order to identify yourself with the power or authority of Jesus, you must identify the one you are speaking of.  When we baptize people in Jesus’ name, we are baptizing them into the power or authority of Jesus.

The greek word for “name” according to Strongs is:

onoma
on’-om-ah
From a presumed derivative of the base of G1097 (compare G3685); a “name” (literally or figuratively), (authority, character): - called, (+ sur-) name (-d).

”Name” here could be figuratively or literally – but we see the two fold meaning
1) a “name
2) authority, character
It is scholarly assumed to mean: authority, character

Thanks for the definition.

Thirdly and one I often heard when I was a Oneness Pentecostal was the poor usage of Zechariah 14:9. Some assume the prophecy of Zechariah 14:9 to be fulfilled by the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ

It reads

Zechariah 14:9 And the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one.

Insisting this prophecy has been fulfilled and that name is Jesus, oneness adherents often site this verse to establish the validity of their doctrine…

Lets look at the verse in context…

The chapter starts with this prophetic word

(Zechariah 14:2) For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city.

(Zechariah 14:3) Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle.

(Zechariah 14:4) And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south.

A Commentary on the Old and New Testaments by Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset and David Brown

Zec 14:4 -

… The place of His departure at His ascension shall be the place of His return: and the “manner” of His return also shall be similar (Act_1:11). He shall probably “come from the east”…

John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible

Zec 14:1 - Behold, the day of the Lord cometh,…. Or the day when the Lord will come, both in his spiritual and personal reign; for this is not to be understood of his first coming in the flesh…

Adam Clarke’s Commentary on the Bible

One Lord, and his name one - There shall be in those blessed days, only one religion, and one form of religion. There shall not be gods many, and lords many. All mankind shall be of one religion, the essence of which is, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, soul, mind, and strength; and thy Neighbor as thyself.”

Further the context states

Zec 14:11 And men shall dwell in it, and there shall be no more utter destruction; but Jerusalem shall be safely inhabited.

Zec 14:12 And this shall be the plague wherewith the LORD will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth.

It is quite clear that this is a Messianic prophesy.  If we are going to abolish every Messianic prophesy, then you cannot be a Christian.  And to be so presumptuous as to claim that this is not speaking of Jesus Christ is to be as one decieved.  Read your own commentary posted:  JFB:  “his” refering to the Messiah.  John Gill: “his first coming in the flesh”… of course not.  His first coming was as Jesus many, many years after this prophesy.  Adam Clarke:  One God and One Lord:  Jesus Christ

Obviously this is a futuristic event and not a current reality! Therefore their use of Zechariah 14:9 is improper.

Oneness adherents have a real problem now, since we do not have the scriptural ability to attribute the name of JESUS CHRIST to the Father! In fact thier entire theology is debunked in this one little article!

Interestingly enough the bible actually tells us that Jesus Himself we receive a new name

(Revelation 3:12) Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.

Oneness proponents for years have insisted that Jesus is the one name discussed in Zechariah and that Jesus spoke cryptically in Matthew 28:19 - the unfortunate reality is the rest of the bible does not support such a premise - Error results in any fringe group when a single verse becomes the cornerstone of their movement, and not the unchanging Word of God - the bible reminds us to take the WHOLE COUNSEL - not just a few pet verses

Zechariah is speaking of a prophetic event… Prophetic that is for Zechariah… history for us in today’s time.

Consider also:

Joh 1:40

One of the two which heard John speak, and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother.

Joh 1:41

He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ.

Joh 1:42

And he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone.

Here we see Andrew declaring to his brother, Peter, that Jesus is the Messiah.  This is that same Messiah proclamed in Isaiah 9:6.

Joh 3:16

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Joh 3:17

For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

Joh 3:18

He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

Joh 3:19

And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

Jesus speaking of his human nature.  The eternal Father, mighty God, became flesh in the incarnation for the redemption of man from an eternal hell designed for the devil and his devils.  Notice what Jesus says:  “but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. “  Those who were in the know, i.e. the Apostles, knew what it meant to believe in the name of Jesus.  This is why the Apostle Peter stood up with the other Disciples of Christ and proclamed:

Act 2:36

Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.

Act 2:37

Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?

Act 2:38

Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

Act 2:39

For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.

Act 2:40

And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation.

Act 2:41

Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.

Three thousand souls were saved when they were baptized in the name of Jesus.

An early Christian theologian known as Origen first popularized the idea of a guardian angel and a devil assigned to every soul.

In his work ‘Origen de Principiis’ chapter 8 he states ‘All of which things were disposed, as I have said, not indiscriminately and fortuitously, but by a most appropriate and just decision of God, who arranged them according to deserts, in accordance with His own approval and judgment: so that to one angel the Church of the Ephesians was to be entrusted; to another, that of the Smyrnaeans; one angel was to be Peter’s, another Paul’s; and so on through every one of the little ones that are in the Church, for such and such angels as even daily behold the face of God must be assigned to each one of them; and there must also be some angel that encampeth round about them that fear God.’

This along with other quotes are what started the doctrine of guardian angels. For scripture, Origen sites the following references:

Mat 18:10 Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven.

Psa 34:7 The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them.

Of course, I personally don’t feel there is one guardian angel assigned to every human, but rather that God will send guardian angels when a person is in need of that kind of protection.

echad

Brown Driver Briggs Definition:
1) one (number)
1a) one (number)
1b) each, every
1c) a certain
1d) an (indefinite article)
1e) only, once, once for all
1f) one…another, the one…the other, one after another, one by one
1g) first
1h) eleven (in combination), eleventh (ordinal)

Part of Speech: adjective

God is one. The Hebrews understood this.

echad is used elsewhere in the Tanakh:

1Kings 22:8 And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, There is yet one (echad) man, Micaiah the son of Imlah, by whom we may enquire of the LORD: but I hate him; for he doth not prophesy good concerning me, but evil. And Jehoshaphat said, Let not the king say so.

Joshua 12:9-24 The king of Jericho, one (echad); the king of Ai, which is beside Bethel, one (echad); The king of Jerusalem, one (echad); the king of Hebron, one (echad); The king of Jarmuth, one (echad); the king of Lachish, one (echad); The king of Eglon, one (echad); the king of Gezer, one (echad); The king of Debir, one (echad); the king of Geder, one (echad); The king of Hormah, one (echad); the king of Arad, one (echad); The king of Libnah, one (echad); the king of Adullam, one (echad); The king of Makkedah, one (echad); the king of Bethel, one (echad); The king of Tappuah, one (echad); the king of Hepher, one (echad); The king of Aphek, one (echad); the king of Lasharon, one (echad); The king of Madon (echad), one; the king of Hazor, one (echad); The king of Shimronmeron, one (echad); the king of Achshaph, one (echad); The king of Taanach, one (echad); the king of Megiddo, one (echad); The king of Kedesh, one (echad); the king of Jokneam of Carmel, one (echad); The king of Dor in the coast of Dor, one (echad); the king of the nations of Gilgal, one (echad); The king of Tirzah, one (echad): all the kings thirty and one.

Daniel 10:13 But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one (echad) of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia.


Ezekiel 33:24 Son of man, they that inhabit those wastes of the land of Israel speak, saying, Abraham was one (echad), and he inherited the land: but we are many; the land is given us for inheritance.

Ezekiel 48:31-34 And the gates of the city shall be after the names of the tribes of Israel: three gates northward; one (echad) gate of Reuben, one (echad) gate of Judah, one (echad) gate of Levi. And at the east side four thousand and five hundred: and three gates; and one (echad) gate of Joseph, one (echad) gate of Benjamin, one (echad) gate of Dan. And at the south side four thousand and five hundred measures: and three gates; one (echad) gate of Simeon, one (echad) gate of Issachar, one (echad) gate of Zebulun. At the west side four thousand and five hundred, with their three gates; one (echad) gate of Gad, one (echad) gate of Asher, one (echad) gate of Naphtali.

Are we to assume that the gates were in unity? Or Michael the angel was in unity with himself? Or the kings listed? Or perhaps Abraham was not one man but a unity of man.

Although man will try to take the scripture out of context, God’s truth will always prevail. Trinitarianism is a man ordained doctrine to explain the nature of God in man’s limited thought. It was conceived by men for men.

The concept of three persons in one god is very ancient. The Hindu faith believes this concept of God. The conception most closely linked with Vedism and Brahmanism is that of the Hindu Trinity, the Trimurti. ‘The Absolute manifests himself in three persons, Brahma the Creator, Vishnu the Preserver, and Shiva the Destroyer’. The syllable we write as om, but which is in reality made up of three words, ‘a’, ‘u’, and ‘m’, (which) is the symbol of this trinity.

The Egyptian triad of the sun god was “one god expressed in three persons”. He was known as the “noonday sun” (Ra), “the evening sun” (Tum), and “the dawning sun” (Khepera). The sun god reportedly said, “Lo! I am Khepera at dawn, Ra at high noon, and Tum at eventide”. He was one god in three distinct persons.

Quote:

During the 1st two centuries A.D. Christianity was strongly in favor of it’s Jewish roots of strict monotheism.

During the decades immediately following the death of the Apostles, gnosticism crept into the church via Simon Magus (Simon the sorcerer spoken of in the 8th chapter of Acts)and later by people such as Origen, Alexander (A Catholic Bishop), and other Greek apologists like Justin Martyr.

As far as the mis-interpretation of Genesis 1:26, this scripture has many possible explanations. Some claim it is a majestic plural such as when kings refer to themselves as ‘we’. Others claim it was God talking to the angels. I personally believe it was describing the many attributes of God. One thing we can be sure of, however is God was not referring to a third person in the trinity. context is an important part of hermeneutics. The very next verse disproves the possibility God was talking of a third ‘co-equal, co-eternal’ person in the God-head.

Genesis 1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

And finally, the New Testament confirms the Jewish belief in one God.

Colossians 2:9 For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.

Bible Map

This is a great resource for those who are serious students of the bible. Bible Map allows a person to select a chapter of the bible and see the area being talked about in the bible on an aerial view map.

From their about us page:

BibleMap.org is developed by the duo at He Lives Ministries (HeLives.com).
The motivation for developing the site was simple, create a free Bible
atlas which harnesses Google maps. We hope this site will be a blessing
to you and possibly help make the living book of the Bible more alive
in your life. Any questions or comments may be sent to:

contact@biblemap.org

Many people have helped to make this site possible. Thank you David (BibleMapper.com) for so much GPS help. Thank you to the ESV Bible translation (ESV) team for allowing us to use your translation. Thank you Todd (BiblePlaces.com) for your excellent photos. Thank you Donna and Jackie for entering so much useful information. Thank you Joey (joeyandchristy.com) for the logo.

Genesis chapter Six verses 1-5 reads in the King James Version:

1 And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them,
2 That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.
3 And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be a hundred and twenty years.
4 There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bore children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.
5 And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

Did angelic beings called “Sons of God” come down to earth to have sex with women (Daughters of men)?  Let me try to answer this question.  First, a little fact finding.

Uses of the phrase ‘Sons of God’ in scripture.

Gen 6:2 That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.
Gen 6:4 There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bore children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.
Job 1:6 Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them.
Job 2:1 Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them to present himself before the LORD.
Job 38:7 When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?
Joh 1:12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
Rom 8:14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
Rom 8:19 For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.
Phi 2:15 That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;
1Jo 3:1 Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.
1Jo 3:2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

Uses of the phrase ‘Daughters of men’ in scripture.

Gen 6:2 That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.
Gen 6:4 There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bore children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.

The fruit of that union:

and they bore children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.

Mighty men-
Gibbo’r gibbo’r
ghib-bore’, ghib-bore’

Intensive from the same as H1397; powerful; by implication warrior, tyrant: - champion, chief, X excel, giant, man, mighty (man, one), strong (man), valiant man.

Renown-
Shem

pronounced: shame
A primitive word (perhaps rather from H7760 through the idea of definite and conspicuous position; compare H8064); an appellation, as a mark or memorial of individuality; by implication honor, authority, character: - + base, [in-] fame [-ous], name (-d), renown, report.

The offspring of the union of the Sons of God and the Daughters of men were apparently strong warriors or tyrants as well as men of renown and report.

I would say sons of God would reference the original line of Seth starting with Enos.

And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enos: then began men to call upon the name of the LORD. So with the starting of Enos we have men calling upon the name of the Lord, ie seeking the will of God.

Then came on down the line Enoch.

24 And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.

Enoch had a special relationship with God.

Heb 11:5 By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.

Enoch’s great-great-grandson was Noah, a preacher of righteousness.

29 And he called his name Noah, saying, This same shall comfort us concerning our work and toil of our hands, because of the ground which the LORD hath cursed.

So with the arming of all this information, we can conclude that if we have the Spirit of God (John 1:12; Romans 8:14), we will be graffed into (Rom 11:17) that same lineage that produced the heroes of the faith that we find in Hebrews chapter 11.

Also, we can deduct from further analysis of Genesis chapter 6 that if you mingle righteousness (Lineage of Seth) with unrighteousness (Lineage of Cain) you get pride and arrogance which is what I believe mighty men and men of renown mean.

If not pride and arrogance, then something equally sinful in nature, at least nothing righteous because in the next verses after Genesis 6:1-4 we have our righteous judge (the Spirit of God) proclaiming judgment and salvation through the flood.

Warning! Sidebar ahead!

It is also interesting to note that when Cain was kicked out of the Garden of Eden, he saw kicked out eastward. He was placed in the land of Nod which being rendered literally means wandering. (Brown-Driver-Briggs)

Eastward is a type and shadow of Sin (Tabernacle door eastward). The priest would enter from the east, walk west into the Holy of Holies face back eastward where the people awaited and sprinkle the redemption blood eastward.

Sidebar finished!

To compare this with today’s doctrines of men (unrighteousness) and doctrine’s of God (righteousness) is not an unfair comparison.
Most have an argument stating that the phrase ‘Sons of God’ talks about angels in other passages of the O.T. such as in Job, but I still state the context of the scripture clues us in that it is talking of Seth’s lineage.

All that being said, It’s just an interesting piece of scripture with no salvation impact IMHO.

In regards to the Giants… There were Giants in those days, but their descendents were not men of renoun. Notice the break in thought of Moses. He is trying to place this in context in time. It says ‘and after that’. Then the Sons of God came in unto the daughters of men and produced men of renoun…who were evil and wicked in the site of God and He destroyed them….reminicent of the church of Laodecea Where the Hot and Cold mixed and God was so upset that he spewed them out of His mouth.

The union of the two did not produce Giants. Don’t read something into the text that is not there.

As to the giants or Nephilim in the Hebrew, Strong’s definition is as follows:
H5303
nephi’yl nephil
nef-eel’, nef-eel’
From H5307; properly, a feller, that is, a bully or tyrant: - giant.

I think this nails it. There were tyrants and bullies. Not nice people

I don’t think it was really tall people, because all were destroyed in the flood except Noah and his family… but the Nephilim pop up again after the flood.

See Num 13:33 (And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.)

Everywhere else translated as Giants used the hebrew word rapha, which closer describes big guys.

H7497
ra’pha;’ ra’pha
raw-faw’, raw-faw’
From H7495 in the sense of invigorating; a giant: - giant, Rapha, Rephaim (-s). See also H1051.

Others have used the following texts, out of context, to support the angel sex doctrine.

The parallels between 2Peter 2:1-17 and Jude 3-12 are very interesting. Both authors are using the same story to illustrate their message. One of the first sermon notes swappings! That message is: Do not follow them who would lead you into error, who do not rightly divide the Word of truth, but rather make doctrines of men in vain glory.

This is what the passages mean. I will use Jude for this explanation, although the same can be applied to Peter’s message.

v3. Don’t get led astray. Believe what was originally taught by the Apostles.

v4. Wolves in sheep’s clothing. Don’t listen to them.

v5. Sermon illustration point 1. God delivered you from Egypt. Some doubted their salvation and were destroyed. Don’t let this be you! First warning.

v6. Angels left their 1st estate. Estate is the English translation of the word arche. Arche means the beginning. The same word is used in John 1:1 En arche en ho Logos. In the beginning was the Word. The next word I will define is habitation. Some interpret this and estate to mean they left from reproducing with their own kind to have sexual relations with human females. This cannot be for two reasons. 1. arche and oike’te’rion have nothing to do with this. Oike’te’rion means a dwelling place or habitation. In other words, their home. Their home was heaven. We know that Satan rebelled and took a third of the angels with him. Rev 12:4 And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born. This is also related in Isaiah 14:12,15 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! 15 Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit. This was related twice for our verification and as a witness. It is related in other parts of scripture as well. This was the second illustration to his written sermon if you will. Do good, or judgment will come like it did to your forefathers after they left Egypt, and like they did with the angels who rebelled and did not follow God’s plan. Rebellion to God’s plan was the sin committed by the way.

v7 Example #3. Remember Sodom and Gomorrah? They disobeyed, did not follow after God’s will, but rather turned to their own devices. They were led astray by a false witness and a spirit of deception. Judgment came. Example #3 to illustrate their point.

v8 Do you want to be example #4 for generations that will come after you!?!?! Get with it. Do not be deceived! Don’t become example #4.

v9-10 Do not speak evil of these false teachers. Don’t use profanity or accusations. Instead, show the truth of God’s Word to them. Love them and show mercy to them. (There is a sermon in that all by itself)!

v 11 Gone the way of Cain. They have disobeyed. Gone the way of Balaam, when he was told by God what to do, he still chose to be led by sin and greed. In short he disobeyed God. Gone the way of Core (Korah) who spoke evil of the man of God and disobeyed. He too was judged and them that followed him.

v12 If you keep these false teachers in your midst, you have spots on your love. God is love, and he does not accept blemishes in His bride. If you keep pretending everything is ok and except their false testimony and teaching, it will amount to nothing in the end. They are like clouds without water. Sure it looks good, but they don’t produce anything. It is like a tree without fruit. Sure it looks good, but they don’t produce anything.

I could go on, but you get the point. These were examples of disobedience found in times past that the writers (Peter and Jude) were using to illustrate the need for turning away from disobedience and following after God. In no way do these passages of scripture show that the sons of God in Genesis 6 were angels.

Hope this helps to answer any questions you may have had about Genesis chapter 6.

The Lord multiply blessing upon blessing to you and yours in Jesus Name!

According to recent statistics from the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, 79% of Evangelical Christians (Oneness Pentecostals grouped in here) answered “very important” to the question:  How important is religion in your life?  30% attend church more frequently than once a week while 28% attend church services once a week.  This leaves us with a grand total, a majority, of 58% of Evangelical Christians attending services at least weekly.

78% of Evangelicals stated that they pray daily outside of church or worship services.  Of those who pray, 28% stated that they recieve answers to prayer on a weekly basis.  There is faith in America, and people pray, or at least say they pray consistently and recieve answers to those prayers over one quarter of the time.

58% stated that the bible is the Word of God and is literally true word for word wheras 29% who state they are Evangelical Christians believe the bible is the word of God but not literally true word for word.

To the following question:  [IF RESPONDENT HAS A RELIGIOUS AFFILIATION, ASK:] Now, as I read a pair of statements, tell me whether the FIRST statement or the SECOND statement comes closer to your own views even if neither is exactly right. First/next: My religion is the one, true faith leading to eternal life, OR: many religions can lead to eternal life, the following percentages were given.

36% of Evangelical Christians said “My religion is the one, true faith leading to eternal life”.

80% of Jehovah’s Witnesses said “My religion is the one, true faith leading to eternal life”.

57% of Evangelical Christians said “Many religions can lead to eternal life”.

16% of Jehovah’s Witnesses said “Many religions can lead to eternal life”.

So, a weekly attending saint in an Evangelical denomination who prays daily and believes that the church is a very important part of their lives also believe that there are many ways to get to heaven, not just through Christ.

Source

Here are a few useful resources I recommend getting for Bible studying.

Bible Concordance:

Strong’s Exhaustive

Bible Dictionary:

Smith’s

Vine’s Expository

Gesenius’ Hebrew

Thayer’s Greek- Based of N-A 27^th

Strong’s Greek & Hebrew Lexicon

Liddell-Scott-Jones Greek Lexicon

Brown-Driver-Brigg’s Hebrew

Commentaries:

Who’s who and where’s where in the bible- Miller

Holman Illustrated Pocket Bible Handbook- BHPublishingGroup.com

Nave’s Topical

Also get:

The New Cyclopedic Theological Dictionary:

Definitions and Commentary on Hundreds of Religious Terms an Essential Resource and Study Companion for Every Minister and Layman

by J. R. Ensey

ISBN 1560432063 / 9781560432067 / 1-56043-206-3

Publisher Advance Ministries

Language English

Edition Hardcover

Computer:

Free:

www.e-sword.net

http://www.crosswire.org/sword/index.js

Pay:

http://www.biblesoft.com/new/

http://www.bibleworks.com/

and MAC

Free:

http://macsword.com/

Pay:

http://www.accordancebible.com/

A new online bible study group has just opened up. www.apostolicpentecostalstudygroup.com

Come by and visit if you’re interested. Just started up today.

Baptism in Jesus’ Name

From the beginning, water baptism was an essential part of the New Testament plan of salvation. God sent a pre-cursor to Jesus, John the Baptist, to baptize people with the baptism of repentance.

Jesus told His disciples to (Mat 28:19) “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:” This command was carried out by the Apostles in the book of Acts: “Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.”

Now let us examine some truths and fallacies regarding the act of Baptism. First we will talk about ‘who’, then we will talk about ‘how’, and finally we will talk about ‘why’.

The ‘Who’:

There are two prevailing theories on who is to be baptized. The first we will discuss is the believer’s baptism and the second is infant baptism.

The believer’s baptism (Credobaptism)

1Pe 3:21 The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ:

The parts to believer’s baptism are stated simply as one must repent (turn away from a sinful lifestyle) and one has to be accountable for his/her actions by reaching an age of accountability or age of reason.

Credobaptism was practiced in the book of Acts and for most of the 1^st and 2^nd centuries. It was then expanded and altered by the Roman Catholic Church to include infants and those under the age of accountability.

Infant baptism (Paedobaptism)

Act 2:39 For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.

They use the above scripture to justify the baptism of infants.

From the 3rd century until the 16th century, infant baptism was practiced by all Christian churches. And indeed there was no debate at all about the practice until the 16th century, when the Anabaptists challenged the biblical warrant for this practice.

Christians answer the question “Who should be baptized?” differently because they give different answers to the more fundamental questions which lie beneath it. These more basic questions include:

• Why do Christians baptize anyone at all (i.e. what is the point of baptism)?
• Who are members of God’s covenant community or church?
• What does baptism signify and/or symbolize?
• Is baptism merely a symbol or is it a channel through which God conveys grace (i.e. spiritual power, unmerited favor, spiritual blessing)?
• If baptism conveys grace, does it convey justifying grace (grace that makes one a Christian) or sanctifying grace (grace which makes one a better Christian)?

The ‘How’:

Immersion

The normal form of baptism for the first centuries — until at least the twelfth century — was immersion. Baptism by sprinkling (aspersion) was introduced later by the Roman Catholic Church.

Quote from the Catholic Encyclopedia: “Three forms of ablution have prevailed among Christians, and the Church holds them all to be valid because they fulfill the requisite signification of the baptismal laving. These forms are immersion, infusion, and aspersion. The most ancient form usually employed was unquestionably immersion. This is not only evident from the writings of the Fathers and the early rituals of both the Latin and Oriental Churches, but it can also be gathered from the Epistles of St. Paul, who speaks of baptism as a bath (Ephesians 5:26; Romans 6:4; Titus 3:5). In the Latin Church, immersion seems to have prevailed until the twelfth century. After that time it is found in some places even as late as the sixteenth century. Infusion and aspersion, however, were growing common in the thirteenth century and gradually prevailed in the Western Church.”

The ‘Why’:

Jesus commanded it:

• • Mat 28:19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
• The Apostles practiced it:
  • Act 2:38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
  • Act 8:12 But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.
  • - Act 10:46-48 For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God. Then answered Peter, Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we? And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then prayed they him to tarry certain days.
• It represents dieing to our sin:
  • Rom 6:3 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?
  • Rom 6:4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
  • Col 2:12 Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.

The words to be used:

Next to who, how and why is the words said during baptism. Many have misconstrued the words of Jesus in the great commission (Matt. 28:19) to mean we must be baptized in the titles of The Father, The Son, and The Holy Ghost. However all through the book of Acts we find the Apostles baptizing in the name of Jesus only. Our second lesson detailed the names of God throughout Old Testament times and the Name of God revealed in the New Testament. Mat 16:16-18. And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

Peter is blessed for his recognition of the Name. Acts 4:12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. Recognition of who Jesus is is vital to our understanding of water baptism.

The name is what calls us out as a separated people living for God. Act 15:14 Simeon hath declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for his name. Act 15:17 That the residue of men might seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles, upon whom my name is called, saith the Lord, who doeth all these things.

The Catholic Encyclopedia has an interesting quote concerning what words the early church fathers used at baptism. The Catholic Encyclopedia, II, page 263: “The baptismal formula was changed from the name of Jesus Christ to the words Father, Son, and Holy Spirit by the Catholic Church in the second century.”

The name that was always used in the beginning of early Christianity was Jesus.

Instructions to Nicodemus

Joh 3:1 There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:

Joh 3:2 The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.

Joh 3:3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

Joh 3:4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?

Joh 3:5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

Joh 3:6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

Joh 3:7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.

Joh 3:8 The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.

Joh 3:9 Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be?

Joh 3:10 Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things?

Joh 3:11 Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness.

Joh 3:12 If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?

New Testament Salvation

In the context of Scripture, salvation means deliverance from all the power and effects of sin, and it has past, present, and future aspects.

Salvation by grace through faith. A person can do nothing to save himself. No amount of good works or adherence to law can save him. “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9). Salvation is a free gift from God, which man cannot merit, earn, or deserve. The atoning work of Jesus Christ has made this free gift of

salvation available, and the only way to receive it is to believe in Jesus and in the sufficiency of His acrifice (Romans 3:24-28; 4:22-25).

Saving faith. To believe on Jesus includes believing His Word, and truly believing His Word includes obedience. Faith is more than mental assent, intellectual acceptance, or verbal profession; it includes trust, reliance, commitment, appropriation, and application. We cannot separate saving faith from obedience (Acts 6:7; Romans 1:5; 2:6-10; 10:16; 16:26; Hebrews 11:6-8). Obedience to God’s Word is absolutely necessary to salvation (Matthew 7:21-27; John 14:15, 23; Romans 6:17; 15:18; II Thessalonians 1:7-10; Hebrews 5:9; I Peter 1:21-23; 4:17; I John 2:3-5; 5:1-3). Faith is alive only through response and action (James 2:14-26). It is possible to have an initial degree of faith in Christ and still not be saved if there is

not complete acceptance, commitment, and obedience (Matthew 7:21-23; John 2:23-25; 12:42-43; Acts 8:12-23; James 2:19).

Faith is the means of appropriating God’s grace. It is the means by which people yield to God, obey His Word, and allow Him to perform His saving work in them. Saving faith, then, is (1) acceptance of the gospel of Jesus Christ as the sole means of salvation and (2) obedience to that gospel (application or appropriation of that gospel). The gospel and the new birth. The gospel of Jesus Christ is His death, burial, and resurrection for our salvation (I Corinthians 15:1-4). A person responds to the gospel, or applies

the gospel to his life, by repentance from sin (death to sin), water baptism by immersion in the name of Jesus Christ (burial with Christ), and receiving the Holy Spirit (new life in Christ) (Acts 2:1-4, 38; Romans 6:1-7; 7:6; 8:2). Jesus said, “Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God” (John 3:5). When someone believes on Jesus Christ and obeys Acts 2:38, he experiences the birth of water and the Spirit. He is “born again,” actually becoming a new creation (John 3:3, 7; II Corinthians 5:17). At repentance and water baptism, he buries the old sinful lifestyle, the record of past sins, and the death penalty for sin. When he receives the Holy Spirit he begins to live a new, godly life.

On the Day of Pentecost, the birthday of the New Testament church, the apostle Peter preached the first gospel sermon to the crowds who had gathered to observe the newly Spirit-filled believers as they spoke in tongues and worshiped God. Convicted of their sins by his simple yet powerful message, the audience cried out, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” (Acts 2:37). Peter gave a precise, complete, and unequivocal answer: “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost” (Acts 2:38). Those saved in the Gospels were saved under the Old Covenant while they awaited the New. The New Covenant did not come into effect until after Christ’s ascension (Luke 7:28; 24:47-49; John 7:39; 16:7; Acts 1:4-8; Hebrews 9:14-17). Thus Acts 2:38 is the comprehensive answer to an inquiry about New Testament conversion, expressing in a nutshell the

proper response to the gospel.

Not only did the Jews on Pentecost receive the Acts 2:38 experience, but so did the Samaritans, the apostle Paul, the Gentiles, and the disciples of John at Ephesus (Acts 8:12-17; 9:17-18 with 22:16; 10:44-48; 19:1-6). In short, the New Testament message of salvation is repentance from sin, water baptism in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and receiving the Holy Spirit with the initial sign of speaking in tongues.

Repentance. Repentance is a turn from sin to God (Acts 26:18-20). It has three necessary aspects: an intellectual change (change of views), an emotional change (change of feelings), and a volitional change (voluntary change of purpose). It includes recognition of sin (Mark 2:17), confession of sin to God (Proverbs 28:13; I John 1:9), contrition or godly sorrow for sin (Psalm 51:17; II Corinthians 7:10), and

a decision to forsake sin (Proverbs 28:13; Luke 3:7-8). With repentance comes the willingness to make restitution for past sins as much as possible (Matthew 5:23-24; Luke 19:8). Repentance is the first response of faith to the call of God (Mark 1:15). It is absolutely necessary to salvation (Luke 13:3, 5; Acts 17:30; II Peter 3:9). Without repentance baptism is not effective, and without repentance a person cannot receive the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38; 3:19).

At repentance, a person begins to let God work in his life. He decides to turn away from sin and allows God to turn him. As part of the turn from sin, God enables him to break away from sinful habits and desires. As part of the turn to God, repentance prepares the way for him to have a personal relationship with God, qualifying him for baptism of water and Spirit.

The work of forgiveness and remission comes through repentance and water baptism (Acts 2:38). Repentance deals with a person’s sinful lifestyle, and baptism deals with the record and consequences of sin.

Water baptism. Water baptism is part of salvation (I Peter 3:21). It expresses faith in God by obedience to His Word (Mark 16:16; Acts 2:41). The scriptural mode of baptism is immersion in water, and only this method retains the biblical symbolism of baptism as a burial (Matthew 3:16; Acts 8:36-39; Romans 6:4). Faith in Christ and repentance from sin are necessary to its validity; thus infant baptism is not proper (Matthew 3:6-11; Acts 2:38; 8:37).

The biblical significance of water baptism is as follows: (1) God remits sins at water baptism (Acts 2:38; 22:16). God erases the record of sin and cancels its penalty. He washes away sins, burying them forever. (2) Baptism is part of the new birth (John 3:5; Titus 3:5). (3) Baptism identifies a person with Jesus’ burial (Romans 6:4; Colossians 2:12). It indicates he died to sin by repentance and is burying his past sins, the dominion of sin, and the sinful lifestyle. (4) Water baptism is part of the one baptism of water and Spirit that places believers into Christ (Romans 6:3-4; Galatians 3:27; Ephesians 4:5). It identifies them personally with Jesus and is part of the entrance into His family. (5) Baptism is part of spiritual circumcision (Colossians 2:11-13).

The Bible teaches that baptism should be administered in the name of Jesus Christ. This means invoking the name of Jesus orally (Acts 22:16; James 2:7) and rebaptizing those who have been baptized some other way (Acts 19:1-5). The name of Jesus in the baptismal formula expresses faith in His true identity, atoning work, and saving power and authority. The name of Jesus is the only saving name, the name by which to receive remission of sins, the highest name, and the name in which Christians are to say and do all things (Acts 4:12; 10:43; Philippians 2:9-11; Colossians 3:17). Thus using Jesus’ name is the proper way to fulfill all the purposes for baptism.

The Bible records five historical accounts of baptism in the New Testament church that describe a name or formula. In each case the name is Jesus (Acts 2:38; 8:16; 10:48; 19:5; 22:16). The epistles also allude to the Jesus Name formula (Romans 6:3-4; I Corinthians 1:13; 6:11; Galatians 3:27; Colossians 2:12). Even Matthew 28:19 refers to this formula, for it describes a singular name that represents all the redemptive manifestations of the Godhead, and that name is Jesus (Zechariah 14:9; Matthew 1:21; John 5:43; 14:26; Revelation 22:3-4). Moreover, Jesus is the name described in the other Great Commission accounts (Mark 16:17; Luke 24:47).

The baptism of the Holy Spirit. The baptism with, by, in or of the Holy Ghost (Holy Spirit) is part of New Testament salvation (John 3:5; Romans 8:1-16; I Corinthians 12:13; Ephesians 1:13-14; Titus 3:5). The phrase describes how the believer is immersed in and filled with God’s Spirit. In Acts the terms “baptized, filled, received, fell on, came upon, and poured out the gift on” all describe this experience (Acts 1:4-5; 2:4; 10:44-47; 11:15-17; 19:1-6). It is promised to all who believe on Jesus and obey His Word (John 7:38-39; Acts 5:32; 11:15-17; 19:2; Galatians 3:14; Ephesians 1:13). The Bible records five historical accounts of receiving the Holy Spirit in the New Testament church: the Jews, the Samaritans, the Gentiles, the apostle Paul, and the disciples of John at Ephesus. This record establishes that the baptism of the Spirit is indeed for everyone (Luke 11:13; Acts 2:39) and is accompanied by the initial sign of tongues (Mark

16:17). Speaking in tongues means speaking supernaturally, as the Spirit gives utterance, in a language the speaker has never learned (Acts 2:1-11).

Three of the accounts explicitly describe speaking in tongues as the initial evidence of receiving the Spirit. On the Day of Pentecost, a sound of wind signified the coming of the Spirit and tongue-like flames signaled the availability to each person, but speaking in tongues “as the Spirit gave them utterance” was the initial sign of each individual filling (Acts 2:1-4). Tongues convinced skeptical, astonished Jews that the Gentiles had just received the Holy Ghost; tongues alone sufficiently identified this as the Pentecostal experience (Acts 10:44-47; 11:15-17). The Ephesian disciples also spoke in tongues as the first sign of receiving the Spirit (Acts 19:6).

Tongues are implicit in the other two accounts. An unnamed miraculous sign indicated the exact moment the Samaritans received the Spirit; its prior absence denoted they did not already have the Spirit despite joy, belief, and baptism, and it was so spectacular that Simon the Magician coveted the power to bestow the Spirit with this sign (Acts 8:5-19). Acts 9:17 mentions Paul’s experience without description, but I Corinthians 14:18 says he spoke in tongues often. The baptism of the Holy Spirit is the normal, basic New

Testament experience with God, the birth of the Spirit. The Spirit is the rest, guide to all truth, adopter, intercessor, seal, earnest of the inheritance, and sanctifier (Isaiah 28:11-12; John 16:13; Romans 8:15, 26; Ephesians 1:13-14; I Peter 1:2). Someone can receive the Spirit by repenting, having faith in God, and asking God for His gift. When a person receives the Holy Spirit, he receives power to overcome sin and live a holy life (Acts 1:8; Romans 8:4, 13). If he lets the Spirit continually fill (control and guide) him, he will bear the fruit of the Spirit and become Christ-like (Galatians 5:22-23).

Conclusion. There should be no rejection of those who have not received the New Testament experience, but they should be encouraged to receive everything God has for them. There are many sincere, and even repentant, people like Apollos and the disciples of John at Ephesus who need to be led to further truth so that they can have an apostolic new birth. A person’s experience and doctrine should conform to the complete biblical, apostolic pattern; those who seek God without fulfilling this pattern will answer to God. A person’s responsibility is clear: he must act on the truth.

In summary, (1) the Bible is the sole authority for salvation; (2) the basis of salvation is Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection; (3) salvation comes only by grace through faith in Jesus Christ; and (4) the application of grace and the expression of faith come as a person obeys Acts 2:38, thereby receiving the new birth of John 3:3-5.