The Social Porcupine

This last Sunday, August 21, I was baptized along with one of my brothers and one of my sisters. I had believed in Yeshua quite a few years ago, but was uncertain for a long time about what I believed about baptism. Was is necessary to do? Is it part of being saved? Must one be baptized to be saved? And what does baptism mean? For a long while I thought baptism unnecessary, that we were now baptized through the Holy Spirit and Fire (Matt 3:12). But then I started a Bible correspondence study called Lamp and Light Bible. Some verses they brought up showed that this was totally true... When Jesus gave the great commission, he included baptism. (Mark 16:15-16) He, Himself was baptized - though this could be argued that this was for the purpose of fulfilling the old law. But what most convinced me was of the examples afterwards, of His followers baptizing people in His name. If it wasn't right and good why would they still be doing it? (Acts 2:38, Acts 22:11-16) ...

In my  post, Am I Safe in My Sin?,  I talked about whether or not we as individual Christians ought to sin or not. But that then brings up the question "What is sin?" According to the online dictionary sin is: "An immoral act considered to be a transgression against divine law. 'A sin in the eyes of God' Synonyms: immoral act, wrong, wrongdoing, act of evil/wickedness, transgression, crime, offense, misdeed, misdemeanor." It's funny, that even if though the Bible has set rules and examples of sin it's hard to understand what sin and evil really are. That's because sin and evil aren't things or made-up rules. They are ideas - theological and philosophical concepts. Once you understand that sin is not a thing but an abstract reality, it's easier to answer the following questions; 1. "What is sin?" 2. "Who made sin?" 3. "Who decided what sin is?" 4. "Who punishes sin?" 1. As ...

"Once saved, always saved." What a controversial statement. One that contains so much meaning - and causes so much arguing. It mostly is based from the following passage, Romans 8:31-39 "What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am ...