Back on my hobby horse
It is no secret that this blog is dedicated to proclaim the unudulterated Word of God and aims to help readers in search for Biblical truth. So where we find a nugget, we like to share.
In what follows I would like to share what Rev. Alexander Hislop says about the nature of Simon the sorcerer in his book, The Two Babylons.
Chapter IV, Doctrine and Discipline.
Section I - Baptismal Regeneration
QUOTE
... It is well known that regeneration by baptism is a fundamental article of Rome...
Speaking of Abraham: "He received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had, yet being uncircumcised (Romans iv.11) ...
So with baptism, it is "a seal of the righteousness of the faith" which the man "has before he is baptized" for it is said "He that believeth, and is baptized, shall be saved" (Mark xvi. 16). ...Where faith exists, if it be geniune, it is the evidence of a new heart, of a regenerated nature; and it is only on the profession of that faith and regeneration in the case of an adult, that he is admitted to baptism.....
God may, or may not, as He sees fit, give the new heart, before, or at, or after baptism; but manifest it is, that thousands who have been duly baptized are still unregenerate, are still in precisely the same position as Simon Magus, who after being canonically baptized by Philip, was declared to be "in the gall of bitterness and the bond of iniquity" (Acts viii. 23).
UNQUOTE
You are right that Baptismal Regeneration is utterly false.
Joe, the person may have been genuinely saved. No believer lives a life that is consistently aligned with Christ. If we allow ourselves to fall into sin, then apostasy becomes a real possibility.
Every Blessing in Christ
Matthew
Matthew,
I am laughing. I got your attention, and you did comment after all.
My point went beyond baptismal regenration.
I am curious to know why do you have a hard time believing that not all who say the right things have a right heart.
I think the assumption that an apostate was never saved in the first place derives from Calvinism and its legalistic theology.
Every Blessing in Christ
Matthew
So that when the Bible says that in believing we have eternal life, those who believe are have eternal life. Believing is what it says.
So many Christians want to make believing into repenting, dedicating one's life to Christ, loving God, being faithful andd ocntinuing to believe. This is very wicked and introduces a Gospel of works.
It is so vital to contend that we arre justified by simple trust in Christ.
God Bless
Matthew
Oh, by the way, Calvinism was (around John Calvin's time) the group most aligned with the Bible. Whereas Martin LUther still believed in the turning of wine into blood during the breaking of bread (which is not Biblically based), Calvin argued against that.
I shall bring up the Simon thing again. Let me use my father as an example:
He grew up in a conservative Christian home, went to church all his life, talked the talk, did everything he was expected to do. Dad hid behind this facade for 52 years. Everyone who knew him thought he was a Christian -- even his own family (for a while).
Because my father was not around, we did not know him well. He read his Bible and could discuss theology with anyone, so we assumed he was a "Christian." When Dad was laid off, he came home on social security disability benefits (he has CMT and Muscular Dystrophy).
With Dad home 24/7, it became very obvious that something was wrong. He could no longer hide behind religiousness. He had all the head knowledge, but he did not have that Knowledge in his heart. Not until a year ago was my dad regenerated by the Holy Spirit and came to a true saving knowledge of Christ.
I rest this case.
The heart does not mean the emotions as opposed to the intellect in the Biblical worldview.
If your father believed in that he had eternal life through Jesus Christ then he was truly converted.
Now, your father might have believed a false gospel of works or was only pretending to believe but was not really sure, in which case he was not saved at all.
However, the Scriptures make no distinction between a merely intellectual faith and a genuine faith.
The Gospel is about facts. The fact that Jesus has obtained eternal life for those who believe. If one believes those facts oen has eternal life.
The idea of a merely intellectual faith is nonsensical as well ass unscriptural. Belief is the apprehension of the truth. The apprehension of knowledge. If one knows the work of Christ to be true, then one has faith that one has received the gift of eternal life.
Every Blessing in Christ
Matthew
I can see where you are coming from and I have the same qualms.
These however should not influence how we read the text, as if it needs our help. I will say that I have not studied the matter and your comments prompt me to do so.
God bless you brother
E-mail me at psalm.42@hotmail.com
God Bless
Matthew
-SkakambBal