The Strand Study Bible

MARK

MARK

1609

5. Acts 22:11-16 According to Acts 22:13, Saul (Paul) was already saved and considered a brother in Christ long before he was ever baptized. Acts 9:17-18 confirms this truth. Calling on the name of the Lord Jesus is what washes away sin and saves a person, (Acts 10:43, Rom 10:13 and I Cor 6:11), not baptism. Ananias exhorted Paul to be baptized “in token of” the washing away of his sins, not “in order to” wash away his sins. J. Frank Norris, Christian apologist and debater, recorded a debate he had for three straight days back in November of 1934 in Fort Worth, Texas with a Church of Christ leader by the name of Rev. Foy E. Wallace ( Eph 5:19 ). Norris then had that debate written in book form, called Norris-Wallace Debate . J Frank Norris’ elucidation of Acts 22:16 is as follows: Now concerning the baptism of Paul: Two questions: 1. When was Paul saved? 2. Was he lost or saved between seeing the Lord and baptism?

He believed and three days afterwards Paul was baptized. I want Mr. Wallace to tell this crowd this: During those three days’ time between the time he believed and the time he was baptized, was he lost or saved? I wait now for your answer. Again silence. Lets read the record: Acts 22:8-10: “ And I answered, Who art thou, Lord? And he said unto me, I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou persecutest. And they that were with me saw indeed the light, and were afraid; but they heard not the voice of him that spake to me. And I said, What shall I do, LORD? And the Lord said unto me, Arise, and go into Damascus; and there it shall be told thee of all things which are appointed for thee to do .” I say then and there when the Apostle Paul surrendered his life, accepted the Lord; right then and there he was saved. All right, how long does it take a man to be saved? I Cor. 15:8: “ And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time .” Now, he says, “When I saw the Lord, that’s when I was born.” Now let’s stop and have a recess on that–“ Last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time .” Now, let’s get what happened: (Acts 9:3-6:) “ And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven: And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? ” I want to ask Mr. Wallace if an unsaved man, out of an impenitent heart would cry out, “Lord, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do”? “When I saw the Lord, I was born again.” That is what he says in I Cor. 15:8. I want to ask Mr. Wallace to try to fix this. Paul says: “When I saw the Lord I was born again.” When was he born? “When I saw the Lord.” 1

Baptism has no saving merit whatsoever. It is a picture of salvation, a likeness of it, and of the meritorious work of Christ by which it was accomplished ( Rom 6:4 ). Only the blood (Lev 17:11) of Christ washes away sin and saves a person (Acts 20:28, Rom 3:25, Eph 1:7, Heb 10:19-20 and Rev 1:5). 6. John 3:1-6 There are some religions that would have you to believe that the water in verse 5 is speaking of baptism and therefore baptism is a part of salvation. However, there are four irrefutable reasons why the phrase “ born of water ” in John 3:5 cannot mean baptism ( Jn 3:5 ). The water in verse 5 refers to the washing of the water of God’s Word (Eph 5:26). 7. Titus 3:5 According to John 15:3 and Ephesians 5:26, the washing of regeneration here in verse 5 refers to the Word of God, not baptism (I Pet 1:23). According to the Bible, it takes a combination of the HOLY SPIRIT (the WIND ) and the Word of God to produce the new birth in a person (Ezk 37:1-10, II Thess 2:13, Titus 3:5, I Pet 1:23, Jms 1:18 and Jn 1:13). 16:17 a A "sign gift" is just that –it is a sign . Question is: Who are the sign gifts for? According to Mark 16:17-20, Exodus 4:1- 9, Acts 2:22 & 3:1-12 and Hebrews 2:4, the sign gifts (tongues, miracles, and miraculous healings), were always performed by a Jew for the sole purpose of confirming the Word (when preaching the Gospel – Acts 2:6 ) to unbelieving Jews (I Cor 14:22). Even Church historians infer that the gift of tongues (one of the three “sign gifts” used to reach the lost) was used solely for the proclaiming of the Gospel in “foreign languages” ( Acts 2:3a – point #4). Irenaeus, one of the early Church fathers (AD 140–203), in Against Heresies notes:

For this reason does the apostle declare, “We speak wisdom among them that are perfect, terming those persons ‘perfect’ who have received the Spirit of God, and who through the Spirit of God do speak in all languages, as he used himself also to speak. In like manner we do also hear many brethren in the Church who possess prophetic gifts, and who through the Spirit speak all kinds of languages, and bring to light for the general benefit the hidden things of men, and declare the mysteries of God, whom also the Apostle terms ‘spiritual.’ 2

Robert R. Gustafson in Authors of Confusion notes:

Note if you will that Irenaeus makes two things very clear about the gift of tongues. First of all, he reveals that the gift of tongues was a gift provided by the Holy Spirit for the purpose of speaking “in all languages” and not in sounds which were undiscernible.