You are quite superior to PLEDGE your own salvation while
denying BAPTISM NOW SAVES US.
A pledge
means that YOU have something to give to God to GUARANTEE
that you were saved WITHOUT obeying the gospel;
h2254. chabal, khaw-bal΄; a primitive
root; to wind tightly (as a rope), i.e. to bind;
specifically, by a pledge; figuratively, to pervert,
destroy; also to writhe in pain (especially of
parturition):x at all, band, bring forth, (deal)
corrupt(-ly), destroy, offend, lay &δ to (take a)
pledge, spoil, travail, x very, withhold.
Hupograph-τ , write
under an inscription, subjoin or add to it,
2. sign, subscribe, to psκphisma autou hupegrapsa,
sign and so make
oneself liable for the payment
IV. Med., pledge,
mortgage,
Arrabo
earnest-money as security.
Answer ALWAYS means
that YOU poor mortal REQUEST that God gives
you the right to read BLACK TEXT on BROWN paper. A good
conscience is A holy spirit meaning that Jesus lets you
in on the secrets.
g1905.eperotao, ep-er-o-tah΄-o; from 1909 and 2065; to ask
for, i.e. inquire, seek: ask (after, questions),
demand, desire, question
g1906. eperotema, ep-er-o΄-tay-mah; from 1905; an
inquiry: answer.
g2065. erotao, er-o-tah΄-o; apparently from 2046 (compare
2045); to interrogate; by implication, to request:
ask, beseech, desire, intreat, pray.
Compare 4441.
A
good conscience or A holy spirit is not the same as SAVES
or REMISSION of sins: Al supposes that he is good enough
to be saved without obeying the approved example and
direct command of Jesus. A good conscience is the
intellectual ability to READ the Word (Logos or regulative
principle) which is required to be a disciple of Christ.
-Suneidκsis
, knowledge shared with
another, [as with a midwife]
2. communication, information,
Heurēseis find that, find means, be able,
eisēnegkan tois kollēgais autōn carry with one, sweep along, of a river,
2. bring
in for oneself, 3. bring in with one, introduce,
3. knowledge, lue tauta panta mē dialeipsas agathē s. (v.l. agathē tukhē)
4.
consciousness, awareness, [tēs hautou sustaseōs]
2 Ep.Cor.4.2, 5.11,
1 Ep.Pet.2.19;
tēs kakopragmosunēs Democr.297, cf. D.S.4.65, Ep.Hebr.10.2;
kata suneidēsin atarakhoi diamenousi
THE
MARK OF ONE DISABLED BY JESUS
2Cor. 4:1 Therefore seeing we have this
ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint
not;
2Cor. 4:2 But have renounced the hidden things
of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness,
nor handling the
word of God deceitfully;
but by manifestation
of the truth
commending
ourselves to every mans conscience in the sight
of God.
CRAFTY
IS PANOURGIA OR A SOPHIST: preaching self,
singing, playing instruments.
Conscience is g4894 suneido,
soon-i΄-do; from 4862 and 1492; to see completely;
used (like its primary) only in two past tenses,
respectively meaning to understand or become aware,
and to be conscious or (clandestinely) informed of:
consider, know, be privy, be ware of.
Jesus said that
God HIDES from the wise or Sophists: sermonizing for
HIRE, singers or instrument players.
2Cor. 4:4 In whom the god of this
WORLD [ecumenical. age]
hath blinded
the minds of them which believe not,
[Apistos means I will not comply and
be baptized]
lest the
light of the glorious gospel of Christ,
who is the image
of God, should shine unto them.
2Cor. 4:5 For WE preach not ourselves,
but Christ Jesus the Lord;
and ourselves your
servants for Jesus sake.
2Cor. 2:17 For we are not as many, which corrupt
the word of God:
but as of sincerity, but
as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ.
g2585. kapeleuo, kap-ale-yoo΄-o; from
kapelos (a huckster); to retail, i.e. (by implication) to
adulterate (figuratively): corrupt. prostitute
Not only is there nothing in the text
which warrants this translation, but it directly contradicts
the Great Commission by Jesus and what the same Peter
preached on the day of Pentecost. Jesus commanded Peter and
others:
And He said to them, "Go
into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. Mark 16:15
He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not
believe will be condemned. Mark 16:16
But unless there is a contradiction Max
has to rebuke Lord Jesus and translate it this way:
Max Lucado: : He who believes and is baptized HAS BEEN saved; but he who does not believe
will be condemned. Mark 16:16
That's a bad lie:
Jesus Refutes:
Mark 16:16 He that believeth and is baptized SHALL be saved; but he that
believeth not shall be damned
Believeth is Pistis which is trust
which means "to comply."
Believeth
not is Apistos which says "I don't HAVE to comply."
And it marks one as treacherous or in revolt against.
At Pentecost, Peter
understood Jesus to contradict Max:
Then Peter said unto
them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name
of Jesus Christ for (in order to) the remission of sins, and
ye SHALL receive the gift of the Holy
Ghost. Acts 2:38
A holy spirit is OUR spirit made holy
because we have requested A good conscience, consciousness
or a co-perception. We are washed with water INTO the
Word or into the School of Christ. In 2 Corinthians 3
Paul said that without conversion one cannot READ BLACK
text on BROWN paper and
one cannot HEAR the Word when it is read.
But unless there is a contradiction Max
has to rebuke Peter and translate it this way as taught by
Baptists:
Max Lucado: Then Peter said unto them,
Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of
Jesus Christ because
of the the
remission of sins BY YOUR FAITH, and ye shall receive the gift
of the Holy Ghost. Acts 2:38
Unfortunately, no honest version so
translates it that way and you just have to TAKE
SHELLY and LUCADO LIBERTIES and NARRATE your own
gospel! The word EIS never means can can never mean BECAUSE of. Eis is always into or unto.
Let's look at Max's translation again:
Max Lucado: I Peter 3:21MAX. "And that water is like the baptism which now saves
you-not the washing of dirt from the body,
but the promise made to God from a good conscience. And this
is because Jesus Christ was raised from the dead,"
(emphasis added).
But, Peter says that the flood was a
prophetic type: one had to be buried or hidden in the ark as
a type of Christ as the waters passed over and destroyed sin
and the sinners:
Baptism, which corresponds (type) to this, now saves you, not
as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a clear conscience,
through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 1 Peter 3:21
Antitupon (g499) an-teet'-oo-pon;
neut. of a comp. of 473 and 5179; corresponding
["antitype"], i.e. a representative, counterpart: - (like) figure
(whereunto).
Here is how Paul
uses the word:
For Christ is not
entered into the holy places made with hands, which are
the figures
of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence
of God for us: Heb.9:24
Max's Baptist translation would have the
ark story read this way:
Max Lucado: Noah separated himself from the
sinful world and got INTO THE ARK as a
PROMISE made to God that he had survived the overwhelming
flood by his FAITH ONLY.
The word PLEDGE is unique to the NIV and
it is unique FOR the NIV whose translator assuredly had his
own PERSONAL AGENDA which has been approved by Rubel Shelly
and his "narrative theology."
The NIV translates
Eperotao
(g1905) 58 time meaning "to ask" or "request" something.
Only in 1 Peter 3:21 is
it translated as a PLEDGE of an already clear conscience.
The old word "answer" means to ask for,
seek, to request, beseech, pray." A clear conscience means
co-perception, to see completely, be clandestinely
informed of. As Paul said, we are partakers
(co-participant) of the Holy Spirit (Heb 6:4) which is the
Mind or Christ (1 Cor 2) in His Words which are Spirit and
Life (John 6:63)
Weymouth New Testament
And, corresponding to
that figure, the water of baptism now saves you--not the
washing off of material defilement, but the craving of a good
conscience
after God--through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 1 Pet
3:21
> The word eperotao has NO CONNECTION to a promise or pledge of
something in the past. Rather, it ALWAYS means requesting something in the
future.
Therefore, Peter did not contradict Jesus nor himself when he said that BAPTISM is
where we ASK God to regenerate our spirit or conscience.
The Pharisees and
Sadducees came to Jesus and tested him by asking him to show them a sign
from heaven. Mt.16:1
> On the other hand, a PLEDGE
is YOUR OWN
PERSONAL GUARANTEE that YOU will perform something.
Therefore, the NIV is legalistic. A pledge translates a man depositing his
clothing with the prostitute as a guarantee that he will
pay his bill!
Webster Pledge:
(Old Eng. Law) A person
who undertook, or became responsible, for another; a bail;
a surety; a hostage. ``I am Grumio's pledge.'' --Shak.
Anything given or considered as a security for the
performance of an act; a guarantee; as, mutual interest is the best pledge for the performance
of treaties.
``That voice, their liveliest pledge of hope.'' --Milton.
A promise or
agreement by which one binds one's self to do, or to refrain from doing,
something; especially, a solemn promise in writing to refrain from using
intoxicating liquors or the like; as, to sign the
pledge; the mayor had made no pledges.
Henry George Liddell,
Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon
Eperτt-aτ , Ion. epeir- , consult, inquire... to be questioned, asked a question, Th.5.45,
Pl.Sph.250a.
2. c. acc. rei, ask a
question, tauta, tade, Hdt.1.30,55, cf. Antipho 1.10;
also, ask
about a thing, [tas naus] kai ton pezon Hdt.7.100 ;
smikron ti tτn rhκthentτn call it in question, Pl.Prt.329a; e. thusiais
kai oiτnois ho ti chrκ poiein inquire what . .,
X.Oec.5.19; e. es . . inquire about, LXX 2 Ki.11.7:--Pass., to
eperτtκthen the question asked, v.l. in Pl.Tht.146e.
2 Ki 11:[7] When Uriah
was come to him, David asked of him how Joab did, and
how the people fared, and how the war prospered.
Eperτtκma [from eperτtaτ] a question, Hdt., Thuc.
Eperτtaτ
1. to inquire of, question, consult, ton theon Hdt., Thuc.,
etc.; tina peri tinos Hdt.:--Pass. to be questioned,
asked a question, Thuc.
2. c. acc. rei, to ask
a thing or about a thing, Hdt.:--c. acc. pers. et rei,
ep. tous prophκtas to aition id=Hdt.:--absol. to put the
question, Dem.
Max Lucado would have to be God to PLEDGE
himself and be washed of sins and receive A holy spirit. No,
Max Lucado is not God Incarnate: He does not have THE Holy
Spirit or God living inside of his body.
We will see below that the NIV had another
word for PROMISE which it always translates as promise.
Therefore, translating A REQUEST FOR a clean conscience at
baptism based on the MERIT of Christ into a PLEDGE that one
ALREADY has a clear conscience is a SECTARIAN fraud.
This verse has a context: Peter says that
those on the Ark were SAVED BY WATER. The earth was totally
polluted or sinful. Therefore, the ark was not to save them
from the FLOOD but the WATER was to save them from SIN as an
environment:
Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering
of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a
preparing, wherein
few, that
is, eight souls were saved by water. 1 Peter 3:20
Diasozo (g1295) dee-as-odze'-o;
from 1223 and 4982; to save thoroughly, i.e. (by impl.
or anal.) to cure, preserve, rescue, etc.: - bring safe,
escape (safe), heal, make perfectly whole, save.
Sozo (g4982) sode'-zo; from a
prim. sos , (contr. for obsol. saoεs , "safe"); to
save, i.e. deliver or protect (lit. or fig.): - heal, preserve, save (self), do well,
be (make) whole
First, look at some translations and see
if you can find Max Lucado's version there:
and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also--
not the removal of
dirt from the body but the pledge of a good conscience
toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus
Christ, 1 Peter 3:21NIV
The ark was the TYPE which the inspired Peter
used to explain the ANTI-TYPE or the spiritual
fulfillment: Water saved teir bodies but now water saves
the soul BECAUSE Jesus told me so. To repudiate that you
have to have REPLACED Jesus as God Incarnate.
The FIGURE does not
say that Baptism is just the TYPE. Rather,
Antitupon (g499) an-teet'-oo-pon;
neut. of a comp. of 473 and 5179; corresponding
["antitype"], i.e. a representative, counterpart: -
(like) figure (whereunto).
Baptism is the
God-giiven GRACE which Max Lucado repudiates. Anti means:
Anti (g473) an-tee'; a prim.
particle; opposite, i.e. instead or because of (rarely in addition to): - for, in
the room of. Often used in composition to denote
contrast, requital, substitution, correspondence, etc.
If you reject the fact
that Jesus COMMANDED and made available an INSTEAD OF then you are UNDER LAW and
you have to build your own ark and cross your own Red Sea
which you cannot do without dragging Egypt as "sin" along
with you. You have to suffer on your own cross and die for your own sins.
There is NONE righteous and the penalty for sin is DEATH.
Therefore, you have to shed YOUR OWN BLOOD to redeem
yourself. Jesus provided GRACE so that He endures the
suffering but we go along with Him.
Baptism in water is a
GRACIOUS GIFT so you don't have to endure all of the
LEGALISM which "Believer's Baptism" demands.
Jesus and Paul says that
baptism saves because Christ put the power
in the water as surely as He put His own power in flesh
and blood: Max says that Jesus and Peter are wrong.
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: 1
Peter 3:21KJV
Peter says that BAPTISM
IS OUR PRAYER but Max says that JUST ASKING is our prayer.
And corresponding to
that, baptism
now saves you-- not the removal of dirt from the flesh,
but an appeal to God for a good conscience--
through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 1 Peter
3:21NAS
Baptism, which
corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt
from the body
but as an appeal to God for a clear conscience,
through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 1 Peter
3:21NAS
(That, by the way, is
what baptism pictures for us: In baptism we show that we
have been saved from death and doom by the resurrection of
Christ;
not because our bodies
are washed clean by the water but because in being
baptized we are turning to God and asking him to cleanse our
hearts from sin.) 1 Peter 3:21LIV
The death of Jesus
Christ pays
the price
and therefore is the saving power. However, since we cannot wash in the
laver or have the blood of Jesus poured on our bodies OR
souls, Jesus made a substitute. He substituted WATER for
the blood even as Grape Juice or "blood of the vine"
replaces actually DRINKING HIS BLOOD. Isn't that the ultimate in
Grace and demonstration of Divine Power?
Neither the Baptists,
Max or the NIV can get either a PLEDGE or a PROMISE out of
1 Peter 3:21. The Greek word is:
Eperotema (g1906) ep-er-o'-tay-mah;
from 1905; an inquiry: - answer.
In that form it is
used only once. However,
Eperotao (g1905) ep-er-o-tah'-o;
from 1909 and 2065; to ask for, i.e. inquire, seek: - ask (after, questions), demand, desire, question.
This word is NEVER
translated as anything other than to ask, request or
inquire.
Erotao (g2065) er-o-tah'-o;
appar. from 2046 [comp. 2045]; to interrogate; by impl. to request: - ask, beseech, desire,
intreat, pray. Comp. 4441.
A certain ruler asked him, "Good teacher, what
must I do to inherit eternal life?" Lu.18:18
His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned,
this man or his parents, that he was born blind?"
Jn.9:2
If they want to inquire about something, they
should ask their own husbands at home; for it is
disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church.
1Co.14:35
Robertson Word Studies: Answer (eperwthma). Only
here in New Testament. In classical Greek the word means a question and
nothing else. The meaning here is much disputed, and
can hardly be settled satisfactorily. The rendering
answer has no warrant. The meaning seems to be (as
Alford), "the seeking after God of a good and pure conscience, which is the aim and end
of the Christian baptismal life." So Lange: "The thing
asked may be conceived as follows: 'How shall I rid
myself of an evil conscience?
But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that
he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. Heb.11:6
Wilt thou, most holy
God, again accept
me, a sinner? Wilt thou, Lord Jesus, grant me the communion of
thy death and life? Wilt thou, O Holy Spirit, assure me of
grace and adoption, and dwell in my heart?' To these
questions the triune Jehovah answers in baptism, 'Yea!'
Now is laid the solid foundation for a good conscience.
The conscience is not only purified from its guilt, but it receives new vital power by means of the
resurrection of Jesus Christ."
This is the sense of
ejperwtan eijv, in the only place where it occurs in
scripture, 2 Sam. xi. 7 (Sept.): "David asked of him how Joab did
(eperwthsen eiv eirhnhn Iwab)." Lit., with reference
to the peace of Joab. Rev. renders, the interrogation,
and puts inquiry, appeal, in margin.
So, Max Lucado misses the point that many
baptisms were PRIVATE and never WITNESSED as your pledge or GUARANTEE that you are ALREADY free of sin and guilt
Max Lucado: This promise is vital. Baptism separates the tire kickers from the car buyers. Would you feel comfortable
marrying someone who wanted to keep the marriage a secret?
Neither does God. It's
one thing to say in the privacy of your own heart that you are a sinner in need of a Savior.
But it's quite another
to walk out of the shadows and stand before family, friends, and colleagues to state publicly that Christ is your forgiver and
master.
In this view, baptism is simply A WORK OF
A PERSON as THEIR public pledge to have a clear conscience
which PROVES that they have been Calvinistly predestinated
and therefore their FAITH is God's high-five that they are
one of the few chosen for heaven.
This intends to DISPARAGE anyone who
believes in the free will to both believe, repent and be
baptized.
However, that is not
enough in the creed of the Baptists. If you want to be a
member of the Baptist
church and
take communion and enter into full fellowship you have to
DEMONSTRATED your regenerated SOUL by having your BODY
washed in water.
Max Lucado: This step raises the ante. Jesus commanded all his followers to prove it, to make the pledge, by public demonstration in
baptism.
Among his final words
was the universal command to "go and make followers of all
people in all the world, baptizing them in the name of the
Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit" (Matthew 28:19).
In the New Testament, baptism was no casual custom, no
ho-hum ritual.
Baptism was, and is "a pledge made to God from a good conscience" (I Peter 3:21, TJB).
On the contrary, the Greek
world knew that BORN AGAIN means regeneration:
Palingenesia 1 [genesis] a being born again, new birth; used by Cic. of his
restoration after exile:-- hence, in NTest.,1. the
resurrection.
# 2. regeneration by baptism.
".. he saved us, not
because of righteous things we had done, but because of
his mercy. He saved us through
the washing of rebirth
and renewal
by the Holy Spirit, Titus 3:5
Anakainosis (g342)
an-ak-ah'ee-no-sis; from 341; renovation: - renewing.
And be not conformed
to this world: but ye transformed by the renewing of your mind,
that ye may prove
what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God. Ro.12:2
Metamorphoo (g3339) met-am-or-fo'-
o; from 3326 and 3445; to transform (lit. or fig.
"metamorphose"): - change, transfigure, transform.
And was transfigured before them: and his
face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light. Mt.17:2
But we all, with
open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the
same image from glory to glory, even as by the
Spirit of the Lord. 2Co.3:18
Anakainoo (g341) an-ak-ahee-no'-o;
from 303 and a der. of 2537; to renovate: - renew.
The operating principle
of ORIGINAL SIN is this. God gave us sexuality to produce children.
If we engage in sex for pleasure we are sinners. Begetting
children is the plan for getting children and that is ok
with God. However, it is impossible to create children
without enjoying the sex and that means that you SIN while
obeying God's will for our lives. THAT is how original sin
is transmitted to every child. At conception the child is a
thief, liar, adulterer and sodomite. If you don't get the
water on him he will surely burn in hell NOT BEING AN INCH
LONG." God doesn't even plan to save all. Therefore, if you
can CALL GOD FATHER this proves that you are ALREADY SAVED.
See CALVINISM which along with MUSIC is being used to STEAL THE
CHURCH HOUSES OF WIDOWS to turn them into Baptist or Christian
Church. Sure, the change method is to INFILTRATE AND DIVERT.
But, Jesus who commanded baptism would also call that GRAND
THIEF of the Pharisees, Scribes and Hypocrites. In the Greek
world the "rhetoricians, sophists, singers, musicians and craftsmen" were SORCERERS even in the
book of Revelation. Because they performed NOTHING for a
WAGE they were all called PARASITES.
Max Lucado is reading
Zwingli and repudiating the Words of Christ.
"To Zwingli, the child was born with an
"inherited
frailty"
which inevitably would give rise to a sin nature in each person.
"To Zwingli, baptism
was more a pledge of what we ought to do rather than a
testimony to what God has already done for us."
Although Zwingli was
apparently weak in developing a theology
of baptism, especially in relation to its sacramental
effectiveness, certainly he helped to lay the groundwork
that would be built upon by later Reformed theologians.
Quoted from.
Rev. Christopher C. Arch, M.A
Link gone: Click Here
A pledge looks
forward but Christian Baptism looks backward to God
Who came fully in the flesh:
While believers cannot
save themselves, they must repent before they are baptized:
"Jesus died once and for
all
(Heb. 7:27; 9:25-28; 10:10-14). In contrast, the mystery gods were vegetation deities whose repeated deaths and resuscitations depict
the annual
cycle of
nature.
"Unlike the initiation rites of the mystery cults,
Christian baptism looks back to what a real, historical person -- Jesus Christ -- did in history.
Advocates of the mystery cults believed their
"sacraments" had the power to give the individual the
benefits of immortality in a mechanical or magical way,
without his or
her undergoing any moral or spiritual
transformation. (Ronald Nash, Was the NT influenced
by pagan religions)
Max Lucado somewhat
reversed the MYSTERY CULTS. One is saved "without going
through any transformations" and baptism is the mechanical
PLEDGE that one WILL BE GOOD.
John Mark Hicks warns that the
INCARNATIONAL THEOLOGY of Max Lucado and Rubel Shelly may deny that
CHRIST CAME FULLY IN THE FLESH. If true, that means
ANTI-CHRIST which has the right to DENY everything that
Jesus commanded which is related to the PHYSICAL BODY. That,
proven by the charismatic services and music (guitarISTS,
fluteISTS or harpISTS) were all identified as SEXUALLY
PERVERTED and were PARASITES).
The Gnostic Jesus walked
on the sand and DIDN'T LEAVE TRACKS. He was not REAL FLESH.
In Cosmic Christmas by Max Lucado we see a contest between
God and Lucifer (fiction) as God sent the Christ in a VIAL
OF LIGHT. That, too, is pure Gnosticism.
Max Lucado along with
Rubel Shelly are also the INVENTORS of a NEO-TRITHEISM. God
is composed of a FAMILY OF GODS. They are SEPARATED into
three separate PERSONS. However, no one in history including
trinitarians ever permitted God to be separated into
different persons JUST LIKE ME. This, too, is Gnosticism.
Max Lucado even suggests that God wanted Lucifer to REPENT!
Max Lucado: He motioned toward me, and I
responded, kneeling again before Him. Handing me the necklace, he explained,
"This vial will
contain the essence of Myself; a Seed to be placed in the womb
of a young girl. Her name is Mary. She lives among My
chosen people. The fruit of the Seed is the Son of God. Take it to her."
Thats the FICTION which
is a lie. Here is the TRUTH: Christ is not a God Word: The
One God the Father MADE jesus of Nazareth TO BE both Lord
and Christ.
Phil. 2:5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in
Christ [Messiah] Jesus:
Phil. 2:6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it
not robbery to be equal with God:
The Form is in Greek.
Morph-ē
A.form, shape, twice in Hom.
(not in Hes.), soi
d'
epi
men
morphē
epeōn
thou hast comeliness of words,
Epos generally,
that which is uttered in words, speech
4. word of
a deity, oracle, Od.12.266, Hdt.1.13,
etc.
1Peter 4:11 If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles
of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the
ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be
glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion
for ever and ever. Amen.
God was and is the Word or LOGOS: The Regulative
Principle. Jesus as SON articulated only the WORD of
God. The Form of God was the WORD or LOGOS.
Phil. 2:7 But made himself of no reputation,
and took upon him the form
of a servant,
and was made in the
likeness of men:
Phil. 2:8 And being found in fashion as a man,
he humbled himself, and
became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
The SENDER is God the
"father," the SENDEE is God the "son" meaning that He "spoke
only what He heard from the father" who was WITHIN.
For in him dwelleth
all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. Col 2:9
By rejecting the FULL DEITY of Jesus the
SON, and by reading TOO MUCH Gnosticism or other books from
which Max confesses to getting his MATERIALS which are then
simplified, Max denies all of the FLESHLY COMMANDS OF LORD
JESUS CHRIST.
Look again at the NIV or
Max's version:
Max Lucado: Baptism was, and is "a pledge made to God from a good conscience" (I Peter 3:21, TJB).
and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also--not the removal of dirt from
the body but the pledge of a good conscience toward God. It saves you by the
resurrection of Jesus Christ, 1 Peter 3:21NIV
That's
pretty high and mighty: do you have all
of the goodness and ability to read the Word OF YOURSELF
or do you humbly REQUEST that God gives you the ability
to PREACH the Word by READING the Word. A believer
CANNOT write their own songs or
sermons.
The word translated pledge
means REQUEST for: calling upon the name of the Lord:
Eperotema (g1906) ep-er-o'-tay-mah;
from 1905; an inquiry: - answer.
Eperotao (g1905) ep-er-o-tah'-o; from
1909 and 2065; to ask for, i.e. inquire, seek: - ask
(after, questions), demand, desire, question.
Erotao (g2065) er-o-tah'-o; appar.
from 2046 [comp. 2045]; to interrogate; by impl. to request: - ask, beseech, desire, intreat, pray. Comp. 4441
Ereo (g2046) er-eh'-o; prob. a
fuller form of 4482; an alt. for 2036 in cert. tenses; to
utter, i.e. speak or say: - call, say, speak (of), tell.
Rheo (g4482) hreh'-o; a prim.
verb; for some tenses of which a prol. form rheuo +tx
hryoo'-o, is used; to flow ("run", as water): - flow
The Holy Spirit included
another word for PLEDGE or promise to be a good boy:
Epaggelia (g1860) ep-ang-el-ee'-ah;
from 1861; an announcement (for information, assent or pledge; espec. a divine assurance
of good): - message, promise.
God wasn't STUPID: If
He wanted to say PLEDGE then He would have used PLEDGE
words and not REQUEST words.
A good or clear conscience
is not some subjective feeling that you are INNOCENT and can
therefore TESTIFY to your experience to be accepted (many
times voted on) by the congregation.
Walter Scott says that the
promise should be of A holy spirit. A holy personal spirit
is required in which God can dwell by our faith. The same
Peter who promised the gift of the holy spirit or A holy
spirit said that baptism is HOW we ask for a clear
consiousness. By the remission of sins we then can SEE AFAR
without the obstacles.
This is required so that
we can worship IN SPIRIT and has absolutely nothing to do
with DEMONSTRATING our personal righteousness. Conscience
is:
Suneidesis (h4893) soon-i'-day-sis; from
a prol. form of 4894; co- perception, i.e. moral consciousness; - conscience.
Turning to Christ in
baptism is what clears the veil from over our eyes so that
we can see more clearly into the Word of God:
And not as Moses, which
put a vail over
his face,
that the children of Israel could not stedfastly look to the end of that
which is abolished: 2 Cor 3:13
But their minds were blinded: for until this day
remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the old
testament; which vail is done away in Christ. 2 Cor 3:14
But even unto this
day, when Moses is read, the vail is upon their heart. 2
Cor 3:15
Nevertheless, when it
shall turn to the Lord, the vail shall be taken away. 2
Cor 3:16
Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the
Spirit of the Lord is, there is
liberty. 2 Cor 3:17
But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory
of the Lord, are changed into the same image from
glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. 2
Cor 3:18
Suneido (g4894) soon-i'-do; from
4862 and 1492; to see completely; used (like its prim.)
only in two past tenses, respectively mean. to understand or become aware, and to be conscious or (clandestinely) informed of: - consider, know, be privy, be ware of.
Eido (g1492) i'-do; a prim.
verb; used only in certain past tenses, the others being
borrowed from the equiv. 3700 and 3708; prop. to see (lit. or fig.); by impl. (in the perf. only) to know: - be aware, behold, * can (/ not
tell), consider, (have) know (-ledge), look (on), perceive, see, be sure, tell, understand, wish, wot. Comp. 3700.
Optanomai (g3700) op-tan'-om'ahee;
a (mid.) prol. form of the prim. (mid.) optomai , s
op'-tam-ahee, which is used for it in certain tenses;
and both as alt. of 3708; to gaze (i.e. with wide-open eyes, as at something
remarkable...
This seems to say that
baptism saves us because it is our PLEDGE or PROMISE of a
good conscience.
The NIV translates
Eperotao
(g1905) 58 time meaning "to ask" or "request" something.
Only in 1 Peter 3:21 is
it translated as a PLEDGE of an already clear conscience.
A pledge is something you deposit with
your debtor. Since Baptism is a human act, can baptism
mean OUR pledge or guarantee to God that we have a clear
conscience.
The RSV uses PLEDGE only of the
following:
and so they incur
condemnation for having violated their first pledge.
1Ti.5:12RSV
And the NIV agrees:
Thus they bring judgment
on themselves, because they have broken their first
pledge. 1 Ti 5:17
But this word does not appear in 1 Peter
3:21:
Protos (g4413) pro'-tos; contr.
superl. of 4253; foremost (in time, place, order or
importance): - before, beginning, best, chief (- est),
first (of all), former.
The LIV, KJV, NKJV, NAS finds no use for
the word Pledge in the New Testament.
In the Old Testament the word is:
Chabal (h2254) khaw-bal'; a prim.
root; to wind tightly (as a rope), i. e. to bind; spec.
by a pledge; fig. to pervert, destroy; also to writhe in
pain (espec. of parturition): - * at all, band, bring
forth, (deal) corrupt (-ly), destroy, offend, lay to
(take a) pledge, spoil, travail, * very, withhold.
In Hebrew the pledge is being broke and
giving your clothing to the temple prostitute as a PAWN.
And it shall come to
pass in that day, that his burden shall be taken away
from off thy shoulder, and his yoke from off thy neck,
and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing. Is.10:27
And they lay
themselves down upon clothes laid to pledge by every
altar,
and they drink the wine of the condemned in the house of
their god. Am.2:8
And hath not oppressed
any, but hath restored to the debtor his pledge, hath spoiled none by
violence, hath given his bread to the hungry, and hath
covered the naked with a garment; Eze.18:7
The NIV translates ANOTHER Greek word as
PROMISE. See below.
The Lord is not slow in
keeping his promise, as some understand
slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to
perish, but everyone to come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:9NIV
Epaggelia (g1860) ep-ang-el-ee'-ah;
from 1861; an announcement (for information, assent or pledge; espec. a divine assurance
of good): - message, promise.
Epaggello (g1861) ep-ang-el'-lo;
from 1909 and the base of 32; to announce upon
(reflex.), i.e. (by impl.) to engage to do something, to assert something respecting oneself: - profess, (make)
promise.
Thefore, Max Lucado removes ALL connection
between baptism and SALVATION or REMISSION OF SINS or
REGENERATING the Spirit. Baptism in his view is just to make
a public announcement that you have been saved, had your
sins remitted and your souls regenerated at the instant you
believed or PRAYED.
However, in the Great
Commission the preaching could be to EACH CREATURE. Philip
was told to join himself to a SINGULAR person riding in a
chariot. Philip preached to the singular person, that person
was baptized and it was WITNESSED by God and His angels.
There is absolutely any demand of Christ that your baptism
be to PROVE to any fellowship that you had NOW met their
conditions for church membership.
Max Lucado: Those who have never been
baptized. This study will help you see the importance of
baptism. If you have never been baptized in any form,
you will need to "demonstrate your devotion" by baptism
in order to be
a member at Oak Hills.
Again, this pledge is
demonstrated by LEGALISTIC PLEDGES: it directly repudiates
the prophecy and promise of God that He wold wash and give
us A holy spirit only when we submit to letting Him do it.
Believeth not does not mean that a person has imperfect
faith: it means that to reject God's promise in baptism
calls Him a liar and makes one a traitor.
And He said to them, "Go
into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. Mark 16:15
He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not
believe will be condemned. Mark 16:16
As people were being saved
at baptism
praising God and having
favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved. Acts 2:47
The old story is that "It
is harder to get into the Baptist church than into heaven."
Indeed, this form of baptism not only repudiates every
single statement in the Bible but makes joining Max's church
into a LEGALISTIC STEP to prove that one is WORTH.