LOVE this channel. QUESTION: Acts 8:37 "And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God." Can a person be saved by belief, but maybe Not with All his heart? Is there mostly believe? How do you gauge "ALL"?
*Do You Need to Believe in Jesus “with All Your Heart” to Be Saved?* July 10, 2024 by Bob Wilkin faithalone.org/blog/do-you-need-to-believe-in-jesus-with-all-your-heart-to-be-saved/ Now as they went down the road, they came to some water. And the eunuch said, “See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?” Then Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.” And he answered and said, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God” (Acts 8:36-37). Today I was reading a booklet that used Acts 8:37 as a proof text. After quoting it, the author wrote, “Salvation is the exercise of the whole heart. It is a passionate thing. It is not half-hearted.”i Anyone who has taken at least two years of NT Greek knows that Acts 8:37 is not found in most manuscripts. It is omitted by the Critical Text and the Majority Text. Only a few Greek manuscripts and some translations (Latin, Coptic, Georgian, Slavonic, and Ethiopic) include it. See this CARM article analyzing the evidence. The Textus Receptus (TR) was the first Greek NT. See here (zondervanacademic.com/blog/textus-receptus) for a two-minute discussion of the TR by Dr. Dan Wallace. Erasmus used three to five Greek manuscripts, some of which contained Acts 8:37. Since the KJV and NKJV are based on the TR and not the MT or CT, they include Acts 8:37, but most English translations do not. None of the editions of the Majority Text have Acts 8:37 in their text. After citing everything but Acts 8:37, F. F. Bruce wrote: This is the account in the original text. But at quite an early date (probably in the second century) an editor felt that this was not adequate. Philip must surely have satisfied himself of the genuineness of the Ethiopian’s faith. (No doubt Philip was well satisfied, but there are some minds which cannot be content to leave such things to be inferred.) So some words were added in which Philip tests the man’s faith… (Acts, p. 178). A concordance study reveals that the only verse in the entire Bible that speaks of believing with all your heart is Acts 8:37,ii which is not Scripture.iii The word believe occurs 100 times in John’s Gospel, the only evangelistic book in the Bible (John 20:31). Not once did the Lord or the apostle John qualify it. They never spoke of wholehearted faith, true faith, genuine faith, or many of the qualifiers often used by preachers today. Many people do not believe in justification by faith alone, apart from works. But they come from a tradition that gives lip service to it. So, they qualify what faith means. That is how they can say that the following are all conditions of everlasting life: turning from sins, surrender, commitment, obedience, and perseverance. If faith is all those things, then justification by faith alone, apart from works, is justification by repentance, surrender, commitment, obedience, and perseverance. It is hard to believe that justification is by faith alone, apart from works. It certainly was for me, due to the influence of the sinless-perfection holiness group I grew up in. It is equally hard for people who grow up in most Evangelical churches today. It doesn’t match up with the common view of justice. How could God give everlasting life with no strings attached? Surely, one must live a godly life to gain entrance into His kingdom. If Scripture teaches something different, then Scripture must be made to conform to our understanding of what is right. No. You do not need to believe in Jesus wholeheartedly in order to have everlasting life. No verse says that. There are no degrees of faith. Either you believe or you do not. Adding a qualifier like wholehearted confuses people. They wonder if they believe enough. Do you have wholehearted faith that two plus two is four? What would that mean? Do you wholeheartedly believe that Jesus was born in Bethlehem? That He died on the cross for our sins? That He rose from the dead? No one asks if you wholeheartedly believe such things. You either believe something or you do not. Don’t needlessly complicate the promise of everlasting life. The Lord and His apostles didn’t. Sola fide. By faith alone. Keep grace in focus. __________ i David W. Cloud, Does Salvation Make a Difference? p. 19. This booklet advocates for Lordship Salvation. ii Two verses speak of believing “in your heart” (Rom 10:9) and “with the heart” (Rom 10:10). There is also one verse that speaks of being slow of heart to believe (Luke 24:25), though it is addressed to believers who were slow to believe that Jesus had risen from the dead. Believing in or with the heart means believing internally (as opposed to confessing with the mouth, which is external). The heart does not refer to the literal heart, but to the inner self where belief occurs. Mind and heart are used interchangeably in the NT (e.g., Heb 8:10; 10:16; Jas 4:8). iii It should be noted that even if Acts 8:37 were Scripture, the issue there is baptism, not salvation. Of course, a Lordship preacher could say, as Cloud does, that what Philip meant was that only born-again people can be baptized, and he could only be born again if he believed in Jesus with all his heart.
A good discussion! Luther didn’t want to include James in the scriptural canon either. I sometimes wonder if this epistle was written at a transitory period between the resurrection and Paul’s teaching on grace and faith. I do recall that James was somewhat still connected with the law, but after hearing about the conversion of the gentiles and Peter’s persuasive argument against circumcision, he also decided against it. Acts 15. Interestingly, in Galatians 2, we read about circumcision supporters coming from James. Therefore, could the faith + works idea have been earlier salvation thinking until Paul gave the true clear gospel message? I’ve heard other scholars say the same.
*Should We Use Paul’s Gospel Today or John’s?* - Bob Wilkin & Mike Lii th-cam.com/video/GCvfPxeuHWw/w-d-xo.html Bob Wilkin and Mike Lii are answering a question about where in the Bible should we find the best information or presentation concerning the gospel of eternal salvation? Do different apostles have differing gospels? Is there more than one gospel for eternal life?
The following also is interesting at this regard… From Luke 24: 44 And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me.
@@DannyLoydHow Can Someone Be Saved Without Being Forgiven? February 8, 2024 by Bob Wilkin in Blog - Acts 2:38, Acts 22:16, Forgiveness And Salvation Grant, a listener to our Grace in Focus podcast, asks a super question: I have a question about the recent podcast that was done concerning Acts 2:38. Towards the end of the answer to the question, Bob said that Saul (Paul) needed to be baptized to receive the forgiveness of sins, but that he had come to faith and been saved three days earlier on the road to Damascus. Can you please explain this more clearly? I suppose my question could be stated: How could Paul be saved before his sins were forgiven? I really do appreciate the GES teachings on many of the confusing passages in the scriptures. My wife and I have recently found GES and have found these teachings so refreshing in reminding us how free the gift of everlasting life truly is! Grant is clearly open to what I said. Most people are not open to anything inconsistent with what they think they know is true. In this case, if I’m sure that forgiveness of sins is necessary to be saved, then Paul could not have been saved on the road to Damascus. He was told three days later to wash away his sins by being baptized: “And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord” (Acts 22:16). That creates another issue. Aren’t people born again and forgiven when they believe in Christ? Ananias said nothing about believing in Christ in Acts 22:16. Paul said in Gal 1:11-12 that he did not receive his gospel from any man, but directly from Jesus Christ. That means that Ananias could not have led Paul to faith in Christ. The Lord Jesus did. Acts 2:38 and Acts 22:16 show that Jewish people who were guilty of having been complicit in Jesus’ crucifixion had to repent and be baptized in order to receive the Spirit and the forgiveness of sins. But they were born again before that, when they believed in Jesus Christ. Lanny Thomas Tanton wrote two great journal articles drawn from his master’s thesis on Acts 2:38 (click here) and Acts 22:16 (click here). I recommend you check them out. When the message moved to Samaritans, they merely had to believe in Christ to be born again and forgiven. However, they had to wait until Peter and John laid hands on them before they could receive the Holy Spirit (Acts 8:12-17). It was not until Gentiles were brought into the Church that they were not only born again but also received the Spirit and the forgiveness of sins when they believed (Acts 10:43-48; 11:14). From that point forward, that was the experience of both Jews and Gentiles. But until then, things were different for Jews and Samaritans. We know from 1 John 1:9 (and Luke 15:11-24) that believers can lack forgiveness and be out of fellowship with God. A believer might die with unforgiven sins. But he remains born again. Forgiveness of sins is not a condition of everlasting life. It is a mistake to make the forgiveness of sins the bullseye in evangelism. The bullseye is everlasting life. All who believe in Him have everlasting life that cannot be lost. Why is it a mistake to make the forgiveness of sins the bullseye? First, it is wrong because it is possible to believe that forgiveness can be lost. Not so with everlasting life as taught by the Lord Jesus. As Dr. Ryrie loved to say, If everlasting life could be lost, then it has the wrong name. Second, it is a mistake because it violates the principle of WWJD. We know what Jesus did. He did not make the forgiveness of sins the bullseye. Grant, think through John’s Gospel. How often did the Lord Jesus say, “He who believes in Me has the forgiveness of sins”? Never. Not once. How often did He say, “He who believes in Me has everlasting life”? Over twenty times!i Forgiveness is a wonderful blessing. But it has not always been granted to people at the moment of faith. Acts is a book that tells us about the growth and development of the Church. Things changed over time. If we do not recognize that, we will end up with an evangelistic message that contradicts the teaching of the Lord Jesus and His apostles. __________ i Eleven times in the NKJV, the Lord Jesus said that everlasting life or eternal life is the bullseye (John 3:15, 16; 4:14; 5:24, 39; 6:40, 47, 54; 10:28; 12:50; 17:2). Twelve more times He said that life (without a modifier; in context referring to irrevocable life) is the bullseye (John 5:21, 24, 40; 6:33, 35, 48, 53, 63; 10:10; 11:25; 14:6; 20:31). This does not include John 3:36, where John the Baptist twice said that the bullseye is believing in Jesus for everlasting life.
@@DannyLoydAssurance in Acts 2:36-38 March 2, 2021 by Bob Wilkin in Blog - Acts 2:36-38, Assurance of Salvation, the meaning of the Christ Z. P. asks this important question: Bob, you said in regard to Acts 2:37-38, that when the Jewish hearers of Peter’s sermon were “cut to the heart,” that is the time they believed that Jesus is the Christ. I’m struggling to see assurance as the essence of saving faith in this passage. Are you saying that the moment they were cut to the heart is the moment they knew for sure that they had everlasting life? Are you able to share any thoughts on this? We have suggested elsewhere (see Lanny Thomas Tanton’s article here) that Acts 2:38 is not an evangelistic invitation by Peter, but instead it is an invitation for new believers to come into fellowship with God. We have written elsewhere (see here for a list of multiple articles) that assurance is of the essence of saving faith. That is, at the moment one believes in Jesus for everlasting life, he knows that he has everlasting life that can never be lost. What is assurance? That is at the heart of this question. To be assured of something is to be convinced it is true. In other words, assurance is another word for faith. I believe that Canada is north of the U.S. I’m assured that is true. So, the question is whether Peter’s Jewish hearers that day believed that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah (cf. John 11:27; 20:31; 1 John 5:1). They clearly did. Peter was persuading the crowd that Jesus of Nazareth was not a false Messiah, but indeed was the long-promised Messiah. After citing Ps 110:1, a Messianic verse in a Messianic Psalm, Peter said, “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ” (Acts 2:37). Notice the words know assuredly. They did come to know assuredly. That is evident when Luke says, “they were cut to the heart” and then reports them asking, “What shall we do?” They were convinced that Jesus is the Messiah. And what did Peter mean when He said that Jesus whom they crucified is both Lord and Christ. In light of John 11:27; 20:31; and 1 John 5:1, he meant that the Messiah guarantees everlasting life to all who believe in Him. They believed in Him and so they were assured that they had everlasting life that cannot be lost. If they were not yet born again, then Peter would not have invited them to be baptized. Peter and the apostles only baptized born-again people. If they were not yet born again, Peter would have spoken further of the need to believe that Jesus is the Christ who guarantees the eternal destiny of all who believe in Him for it. Notice that in verse 41 Luke says, “Then those who gladly received his word were baptized.” He also says, “that day about three thousand souls were added to them [i.e., became part of the Body of Christ].” To gladly receive the preached word is to believe it. Only believers are added to the Body of Christ.
It was by apostolic Tradition that the Church discerned which writings are to be included in the list of the sacred books. This complete list is called the Canon of Scripture. It includes 46 books for the Old Testament, and 27 books for the New Testament. Many Protestants claim that the Catholic Church added books to the Bible. The Catholic Church did not add books to the Bible. The 7 books in question....Tobit, Judith, Maccabees 1 and 2. Wisdom, Ecclesiasticus, and Bauruch,.............are properly called the Deuterocanonical Books The label "unscriptural" was first applied by the Protestant Reformers of the 16th century. By the time of the Reformation, Christians had been using the same 73 books in their Bibles, and thus considered them "inspired". For more than 1100 years this practice changed with Martin Luther, who dropped the Deuterocanonical Books on nothing more than his own say-so. Protestantism, as a whole followed his lead in this regard, The Catholic Bible is from God. The Protestant Bible is by man. Why don't you spend some time in finding out what Purgatory is and why it is needed before entrance into heaven ?
Catholicism Officially damns assurance of Everlasting Life as a present and endless possession . I used to be a Benedictine Monk & Catechism Instructor ('77-'81) . Not till I read John 3:16 with understanding did I believe in Him for what He clearly Certifies : John 1:12-13,3:1-18,4:1-39,5:24,6:28-47,10,11:23-27,20:31 ; Acts 16:31 ; 1 Timothy 1:16 ; 1 John 5:1,10-13 ; Galatians 2:16,3:26 . Totally apart from all behavioral performance (works) : Ephesians 2:8-9 ; Romans 3:20-5:11,11:6,29 ; Titus 3:5 ; Philippians 3:9 ; book of Galatians . Little children can easily understand and believe in Him for His doubtless Guarantee , instantly having irrevocable Life at that moment . Cuz He cannot lie to the little ones , unencumbered by years of self righteous hardening . No better news , ever (John 3:16 & Ephesians 2:8-9) .
What is it you're affirming - specifically precisely , without exception - one must Necessarily believe and Perform until death in order to enter His Kingdom ? Thanks .
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Really interesting, useful information, thanks. And greetings from England!
LOVE this channel. QUESTION:
Acts 8:37 "And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God."
Can a person be saved by belief, but maybe Not with All his heart? Is there mostly believe? How do you gauge "ALL"?
*Do You Need to Believe in Jesus “with All Your Heart” to Be Saved?*
July 10, 2024 by Bob Wilkin
faithalone.org/blog/do-you-need-to-believe-in-jesus-with-all-your-heart-to-be-saved/
Now as they went down the road, they came to some water. And the eunuch said, “See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?” Then Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.” And he answered and said, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God” (Acts 8:36-37).
Today I was reading a booklet that used Acts 8:37 as a proof text. After quoting it, the author wrote, “Salvation is the exercise of the whole heart. It is a passionate thing. It is not half-hearted.”i
Anyone who has taken at least two years of NT Greek knows that Acts 8:37 is not found in most manuscripts. It is omitted by the Critical Text and the Majority Text. Only a few Greek manuscripts and some translations (Latin, Coptic, Georgian, Slavonic, and Ethiopic) include it. See this CARM article analyzing the evidence. The Textus Receptus (TR) was the first Greek NT. See here (zondervanacademic.com/blog/textus-receptus) for a two-minute discussion of the TR by Dr. Dan Wallace. Erasmus used three to five Greek manuscripts, some of which contained Acts 8:37. Since the KJV and NKJV are based on the TR and not the MT or CT, they include Acts 8:37, but most English translations do not.
None of the editions of the Majority Text have Acts 8:37 in their text.
After citing everything but Acts 8:37, F. F. Bruce wrote:
This is the account in the original text. But at quite an early date (probably in the second century) an editor felt that this was not adequate. Philip must surely have satisfied himself of the genuineness of the Ethiopian’s faith. (No doubt Philip was well satisfied, but there are some minds which cannot be content to leave such things to be inferred.) So some words were added in which Philip tests the man’s faith… (Acts, p. 178).
A concordance study reveals that the only verse in the entire Bible that speaks of believing with all your heart is Acts 8:37,ii which is not Scripture.iii
The word believe occurs 100 times in John’s Gospel, the only evangelistic book in the Bible (John 20:31). Not once did the Lord or the apostle John qualify it. They never spoke of wholehearted faith, true faith, genuine faith, or many of the qualifiers often used by preachers today.
Many people do not believe in justification by faith alone, apart from works. But they come from a tradition that gives lip service to it. So, they qualify what faith means. That is how they can say that the following are all conditions of everlasting life: turning from sins, surrender, commitment, obedience, and perseverance. If faith is all those things, then justification by faith alone, apart from works, is justification by repentance, surrender, commitment, obedience, and perseverance.
It is hard to believe that justification is by faith alone, apart from works. It certainly was for me, due to the influence of the sinless-perfection holiness group I grew up in. It is equally hard for people who grow up in most Evangelical churches today. It doesn’t match up with the common view of justice. How could God give everlasting life with no strings attached? Surely, one must live a godly life to gain entrance into His kingdom. If Scripture teaches something different, then Scripture must be made to conform to our understanding of what is right.
No. You do not need to believe in Jesus wholeheartedly in order to have everlasting life. No verse says that. There are no degrees of faith. Either you believe or you do not. Adding a qualifier like wholehearted confuses people. They wonder if they believe enough.
Do you have wholehearted faith that two plus two is four? What would that mean? Do you wholeheartedly believe that Jesus was born in Bethlehem? That He died on the cross for our sins? That He rose from the dead? No one asks if you wholeheartedly believe such things.
You either believe something or you do not. Don’t needlessly complicate the promise of everlasting life. The Lord and His apostles didn’t. Sola fide. By faith alone.
Keep grace in focus.
__________
i David W. Cloud, Does Salvation Make a Difference? p. 19. This booklet advocates for Lordship Salvation.
ii Two verses speak of believing “in your heart” (Rom 10:9) and “with the heart” (Rom 10:10). There is also one verse that speaks of being slow of heart to believe (Luke 24:25), though it is addressed to believers who were slow to believe that Jesus had risen from the dead. Believing in or with the heart means believing internally (as opposed to confessing with the mouth, which is external). The heart does not refer to the literal heart, but to the inner self where belief occurs. Mind and heart are used interchangeably in the NT (e.g., Heb 8:10; 10:16; Jas 4:8).
iii It should be noted that even if Acts 8:37 were Scripture, the issue there is baptism, not salvation. Of course, a Lordship preacher could say, as Cloud does, that what Philip meant was that only born-again people can be baptized, and he could only be born again if he believed in Jesus with all his heart.
I pray for this ministry
A good discussion! Luther didn’t want to include James in the scriptural canon either. I sometimes wonder if this epistle was written at a transitory period between the resurrection and Paul’s teaching on grace and faith. I do recall that James was somewhat still connected with the law, but after hearing about the conversion of the gentiles and Peter’s persuasive argument against circumcision, he also decided against it. Acts 15. Interestingly, in Galatians 2, we read about circumcision supporters coming from James. Therefore, could the faith + works idea have been earlier salvation thinking until Paul gave the true clear gospel message? I’ve heard other scholars say the same.
*Should We Use Paul’s Gospel Today or John’s?* - Bob Wilkin & Mike Lii
th-cam.com/video/GCvfPxeuHWw/w-d-xo.html
Bob Wilkin and Mike Lii are answering a question about where in the Bible should we find the best information or presentation concerning the gospel of eternal salvation? Do different apostles have differing gospels? Is there more than one gospel for eternal life?
The following also is interesting at this regard…
From Luke 24: 44 And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me.
@@DannyLoydyou conveniently left out Acts 16:30-31
@@DannyLoydHow Can Someone Be Saved Without Being Forgiven?
February 8, 2024 by Bob Wilkin in Blog - Acts 2:38, Acts 22:16, Forgiveness And Salvation
Grant, a listener to our Grace in Focus podcast, asks a super question:
I have a question about the recent podcast that was done concerning Acts 2:38. Towards the end of the answer to the question, Bob said that Saul (Paul) needed to be baptized to receive the forgiveness of sins, but that he had come to faith and been saved three days earlier on the road to Damascus. Can you please explain this more clearly?
I suppose my question could be stated: How could Paul be saved before his sins were forgiven?
I really do appreciate the GES teachings on many of the confusing passages in the scriptures. My wife and I have recently found GES and have found these teachings so refreshing in reminding us how free the gift of everlasting life truly is!
Grant is clearly open to what I said. Most people are not open to anything inconsistent with what they think they know is true. In this case, if I’m sure that forgiveness of sins is necessary to be saved, then Paul could not have been saved on the road to Damascus. He was told three days later to wash away his sins by being baptized: “And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord” (Acts 22:16). That creates another issue. Aren’t people born again and forgiven when they believe in Christ? Ananias said nothing about believing in Christ in Acts 22:16.
Paul said in Gal 1:11-12 that he did not receive his gospel from any man, but directly from Jesus Christ. That means that Ananias could not have led Paul to faith in Christ. The Lord Jesus did.
Acts 2:38 and Acts 22:16 show that Jewish people who were guilty of having been complicit in Jesus’ crucifixion had to repent and be baptized in order to receive the Spirit and the forgiveness of sins. But they were born again before that, when they believed in Jesus Christ. Lanny Thomas Tanton wrote two great journal articles drawn from his master’s thesis on Acts 2:38 (click here) and Acts 22:16 (click here). I recommend you check them out.
When the message moved to Samaritans, they merely had to believe in Christ to be born again and forgiven. However, they had to wait until Peter and John laid hands on them before they could receive the Holy Spirit (Acts 8:12-17). It was not until Gentiles were brought into the Church that they were not only born again but also received the Spirit and the forgiveness of sins when they believed (Acts 10:43-48; 11:14). From that point forward, that was the experience of both Jews and Gentiles. But until then, things were different for Jews and Samaritans.
We know from 1 John 1:9 (and Luke 15:11-24) that believers can lack forgiveness and be out of fellowship with God. A believer might die with unforgiven sins. But he remains born again. Forgiveness of sins is not a condition of everlasting life.
It is a mistake to make the forgiveness of sins the bullseye in evangelism. The bullseye is everlasting life. All who believe in Him have everlasting life that cannot be lost.
Why is it a mistake to make the forgiveness of sins the bullseye? First, it is wrong because it is possible to believe that forgiveness can be lost. Not so with everlasting life as taught by the Lord Jesus. As Dr. Ryrie loved to say, If everlasting life could be lost, then it has the wrong name. Second, it is a mistake because it violates the principle of WWJD. We know what Jesus did. He did not make the forgiveness of sins the bullseye.
Grant, think through John’s Gospel. How often did the Lord Jesus say, “He who believes in Me has the forgiveness of sins”? Never. Not once. How often did He say, “He who believes in Me has everlasting life”? Over twenty times!i
Forgiveness is a wonderful blessing. But it has not always been granted to people at the moment of faith. Acts is a book that tells us about the growth and development of the Church. Things changed over time. If we do not recognize that, we will end up with an evangelistic message that contradicts the teaching of the Lord Jesus and His apostles.
__________
i Eleven times in the NKJV, the Lord Jesus said that everlasting life or eternal life is the bullseye (John 3:15, 16; 4:14; 5:24, 39; 6:40, 47, 54; 10:28; 12:50; 17:2). Twelve more times He said that life (without a modifier; in context referring to irrevocable life) is the bullseye (John 5:21, 24, 40; 6:33, 35, 48, 53, 63; 10:10; 11:25; 14:6; 20:31). This does not include John 3:36, where John the Baptist twice said that the bullseye is believing in Jesus for everlasting life.
@@DannyLoydAssurance in Acts 2:36-38
March 2, 2021 by Bob Wilkin in Blog - Acts 2:36-38, Assurance of Salvation, the meaning of the Christ
Z. P. asks this important question:
Bob, you said in regard to Acts 2:37-38, that when the Jewish hearers of Peter’s sermon were “cut to the heart,” that is the time they believed that Jesus is the Christ. I’m struggling to see assurance as the essence of saving faith in this passage. Are you saying that the moment they were cut to the heart is the moment they knew for sure that they had everlasting life? Are you able to share any thoughts on this?
We have suggested elsewhere (see Lanny Thomas Tanton’s article here) that Acts 2:38 is not an evangelistic invitation by Peter, but instead it is an invitation for new believers to come into fellowship with God.
We have written elsewhere (see here for a list of multiple articles) that assurance is of the essence of saving faith. That is, at the moment one believes in Jesus for everlasting life, he knows that he has everlasting life that can never be lost.
What is assurance? That is at the heart of this question.
To be assured of something is to be convinced it is true. In other words, assurance is another word for faith. I believe that Canada is north of the U.S. I’m assured that is true.
So, the question is whether Peter’s Jewish hearers that day believed that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah (cf. John 11:27; 20:31; 1 John 5:1). They clearly did. Peter was persuading the crowd that Jesus of Nazareth was not a false Messiah, but indeed was the long-promised Messiah. After citing Ps 110:1, a Messianic verse in a Messianic Psalm, Peter said, “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ” (Acts 2:37). Notice the words know assuredly.
They did come to know assuredly. That is evident when Luke says, “they were cut to the heart” and then reports them asking, “What shall we do?” They were convinced that Jesus is the Messiah.
And what did Peter mean when He said that Jesus whom they crucified is both Lord and Christ. In light of John 11:27; 20:31; and 1 John 5:1, he meant that the Messiah guarantees everlasting life to all who believe in Him. They believed in Him and so they were assured that they had everlasting life that cannot be lost.
If they were not yet born again, then Peter would not have invited them to be baptized. Peter and the apostles only baptized born-again people.
If they were not yet born again, Peter would have spoken further of the need to believe that Jesus is the Christ who guarantees the eternal destiny of all who believe in Him for it.
Notice that in verse 41 Luke says, “Then those who gladly received his word were baptized.” He also says, “that day about three thousand souls were added to them [i.e., became part of the Body of Christ].” To gladly receive the preached word is to believe it. Only believers are added to the Body of Christ.
Jesus, “Behold, I am coming as a thief. Blessed is he who watches, and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked and they see his shame. (Rev 16:15)
Let me guess, the popes are all “super saints”?!
Transferring rewards to others?!? 😮
The things people will believe is amazing!😢
It was by apostolic Tradition that the Church discerned which writings are to be included in the list of the sacred books. This complete list is called the Canon of Scripture. It includes 46 books for the Old Testament, and 27 books for the New Testament.
Many Protestants claim that the Catholic Church added books to the Bible. The Catholic Church did not add books to the Bible. The 7 books in question....Tobit, Judith, Maccabees 1 and 2. Wisdom, Ecclesiasticus, and Bauruch,.............are properly called the Deuterocanonical Books
The label "unscriptural" was first applied by the Protestant Reformers of the 16th century. By the time of the Reformation, Christians had been using the same 73 books in their Bibles, and thus considered them "inspired". For more than 1100 years this practice changed with Martin Luther, who dropped the Deuterocanonical Books on nothing more than his own say-so. Protestantism, as a whole followed his lead in this regard,
The Catholic Bible is from God. The Protestant Bible is by man.
Why don't you spend some time in finding out what Purgatory is and why it is needed before entrance into heaven ?
Catholicism Officially damns assurance of Everlasting Life as a present and endless possession .
I used to be a Benedictine Monk & Catechism Instructor ('77-'81) .
Not till I read John 3:16 with understanding did I believe in Him for what He clearly Certifies :
John 1:12-13,3:1-18,4:1-39,5:24,6:28-47,10,11:23-27,20:31 ; Acts 16:31 ; 1 Timothy 1:16 ; 1 John 5:1,10-13 ; Galatians 2:16,3:26 .
Totally apart from all behavioral performance (works) :
Ephesians 2:8-9 ; Romans 3:20-5:11,11:6,29 ; Titus 3:5 ; Philippians 3:9 ; book of Galatians .
Little children can easily understand and believe in Him for His doubtless Guarantee , instantly having irrevocable Life at that moment .
Cuz He cannot lie to the little ones , unencumbered by years of self righteous hardening .
No better news , ever (John 3:16 & Ephesians 2:8-9) .
I'm Catholic, so on this we disagree.
Easy one Scripture can’t contradict scripture.
What is it you're affirming - specifically precisely , without exception - one must Necessarily believe and Perform until death in order to enter His Kingdom ?
Thanks .