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FAQ # 84
QUESTION 84 : Why is salvation so "easy"
in the Bible? And if sinners must first believe "sufficiently"
and cleanse themselves "sufficiently" in order to receive (as
a reward?) the Holy Spirit, why does the New Testament portray faith and
sanctification as the result, not the basis, of receiving the Holy Spirit
(1 Cor. 12:3; Rom. 15:16; 2 Thess. 2:13)? (CRI JOURNAL Gregagory A. Boyd,
http://www.iclnet.org/pub/resources/text/cri/cri-jrnl/crj0082a.txt)
Who said you had to cleanse yourself sufficiently,
in and of yourself, before receiving the Holy Spirit? No one can do that.
What they can do is be baptized in his name and they are cleansed of their
sins, however, salvation is not received until spirit baptism – “Except
a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom
of God” (John 3:5). Faith is a prerequisite for salvation – “this spake
he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive”
(John 7:39); being given a measure of faith is a result gifted by God
after salvation. Sanctification is a result of being born again. Now what
Mr. Boyd alludes to as sanctification is, “cleanse themselves ‘sufficiently.’”
That is not sanctification, neither can it be done by us in and of ourselves.
“Cleanse themselves ‘sufficiently’” could be regarded as staying away
from certain sins, fasting, prayer and other earthly sacraments. Even
if that were done you are still left with original and unknown sins, making
you unsanctified. Therefore, sanctification is a supernatural blessing
from God, to those who are born again – spirit and water baptize. The
trick here might be, if being water baptized takes away all our sins (Acts
2:38), aren’t we then cleansed? Why then do we need to be spirit baptize
for cleansing or sanctification? And if this cleansing is needed for spirit
baptism, how comes some receive the spirit before water baptism? Here
in lies another problem. You can’t separate water baptism from spirit
baptism in being born again or being sanctified. Christ first told Nicodemus
that to be saved he had to be born again – one thing. Then a few verses
after he told him what being born again is, water baptism and spirit baptism
– two things. He needs the one thing but it is broken down into two things.
You aren’t born again or sanctified with just either, it has to be the
two. So though a person’s sins are cleansed with water baptism, he’s not
thoroughly saved or sanctified without the spirit baptism. Sanctification
results from the one thing - born again - but the one thing is compose
of two things - water and spirit baptism. As faith without works is dead,
water baptism without spirit baptism is dead, and vice versa. Faith saves,
but without the works it’s nothing – dead. Similarly, water baptism cleanses
all sins, but without the spirit baptism it is nothing. That’s the reason
in the same verse of Acts 2:38, Peter made it clear that the process isn’t
finished, “ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost;” receive him for
him to come in you or you become spirit baptized. You can also become
spirit baptized before water baptism, because God can choose to come in
you upon initial belief; as such, you can’t deny water baptism (Acts 10).
The thing is, the two must be experienced before salvation comes (John
3:5).
Salvation isn't complicated, but often happens at the
point of belief, that's why belief is first stressed. After believing
it becomes easy. And what Mr. Boyd said is not easy or in the bible is
actual in the bible; it was the first salvation message preached after
Pentecost - "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).
Answer
Notes: 1. Firstly, the gift of
faith is the result of salvation (1 Cor 12:9) not initial faith; both
are sufficient for the task they undertake. We inherently have initial
faith, that’s why you have many religions and men believing in many things.
What God does is cause us to believe on him for salvation, rather than
someone or something else. Having received that salvation, we are blessed
with supernatural faith. Faith that if it hadn’t been given by God you
couldn't have.
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