Choosing to believe the gospel by trusting in the death, burial and resurrection of Christ as the ALL-sufficient means of our salvation is obeying the gospel (Romans 1:16; 10:16). Water baptism is not a part of the gospel (1 Corinthians 1:17; 15:1-4) and it also "follows" believing the gospel and receiving salvation (Acts 10:43-47).
Amen! That is the gospel and we believe the gospel by trusting in the death, burial and resurrection of Christ as the ALL-sufficient means of our salvation. Trusting in the death, burial and resurrection of Christ + "something else" (works) as the means of our salvation is not believing the gospel.
I know of no verse that says obedience to the gospel consists of a mental acknowledge of certain historical facts and nothing more. Luke 6:46 and Christ said one is to believe, repent confess and be baptized.
1 Cor 1:17 Paul does not say baptism is not part of the gospel. In the context Paul uses the necessity of water baptism to get rid of the division where all will be "of Christ" and not "of Paul" of "of Apollos" or of any other man than Christ.
1 Cor 15:1-4 is the gospel and one obeys the gospel in water baptism. Belief only is not how one dies, is buried and resurrected as Christ was.
Acts 15:11 Jews and Gentiles are saved in a like manner way and that was by being commanded to be water baptized in the name of the Lord for remission of sins.
Danthemailman said:
Amen! But the problem is you "add works" to the gospel.
The gospel requires obedience to the will of God in order to be saved. As we've seen, one cannot obey the gospel by doing nothing.
danthemailman said:
Water baptism is the picture, but not the reality. The gospel is not salvation by water baptism. That is a "different" gospel.
From Romans 6, water baptism is a
form of Christ's death burial and resurrection. Not only is water baptism the form of the gospel's death burial and resurrection of Christ, it is the point God has chosen to save man in removing the body of sin.
danthemailman said:
You seem to be obsessed with water baptism. It sounds like church of Christ indoctrination. There is a contrast here in Romans 6 between servants. There are only two kinds of servants in this world, in the spiritual sense; servants of sin unto death, or servants of obedience unto righteousness. When we place our faith exclusively in Christ for salvation/believe the gospel by trusting in His finished work of redemption as the ALL-sufficient means of our salvation, we then become "servants of obedience unto righteousness."
I am no more "obessed" with water bpatism than others are with faith only, eternal security, original sin, etc. Water baptism is HOW one obeys the gospel and therefore one cannot be saved without it but it is of equal importance to believing, repenting of sins and making the great confession.
danthemailman said:
Before they obeyed that form of doctrine by choosing to believe the gospel (Romans 1:16), they had been slaves to sin. Romans 10:16 - But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, "Lord, who has believed our report?"1 Peter 1:22 notice - "Purified your souls in obeying the truth" and notice in Acts 15:9 - "Purified their hearts by FAITH." "Obeying the gospel" and "obeying that form of doctrine" in these passages is really a synonym for BELIEVING the gospel. God pours his new children into the mold of divine truth. Being slaves of sin is put in the past tense. Paul goes on in Romans 6:18 - "You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness."
The order of events for the Romans in being justified, Rom 6:17-18
1) servants of sin
2) obeyed form the heart that form of doctrine (obeyed the gospel)
By being water baptized they did purify their souls in obeying the gospel/truth. It all fits together so perfectly.
3) then freed from sin/justified.
danthemailman said:
Notice in Romans 10:10 - For with the heart one believes unto righteousness..
One believes NOT "believes only". Paul in that context made confession of equal importance in being saved. In other contexts, Paul made repentance and baptism essential to salvation.
danthemailman said:
Notice in Romans 4:5 - But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith (not water baptism or other works) is accounted for righteousness.
In the context Paul is showing the Jewish converts in Rome that the OT law cannot justify. The OT law required the work of flawless law keeping to be justified and Paul is eliminating that work. Abraham was NOT justified by the work of flawless law keeping but by obedient works in doing what God told him to do in moving and offering Issac Hebrews 11:8,17. Therefore Rom 4:5 cannot eliminate all works for Abraham
DID DO WORKS and was justified by those works.