Jehovah's Witnesses Straight Talk - Forum/Blog

1 Peter 3:21 This is a symbol of baptism, which now saves you--not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

What saves us, some think baptism, putting all the weight on the physical symbol of baptism. But the question begs when does the physical application ever become greater than the spiritual reality in Christ?

1 Corinthians 16:13 Watch! Stand firm in the faith! Be courageous! Be strong!

2 Corinthians 5:7 for we walk by faith, not by sight.

Today there are lots of symbols something we call icons they represent something alright, but we must click on them to get to the reality, that is, the program that we want to use to get our work done.

Romans 3:22 even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ to all and on all those who believe. For there is no distinction.

John 6:63 It is the spirit who gives life. The flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and are life.

John 8:15 You judge according to the flesh. I judge no one.

So what does the symbol of baptism honestly represent? Well, it represent a complete immersion into the life of Christ. So much so that we are now considered dead, but dead to what is the question?

Dead to our life outside of Christ! Yes, dead to the ways of our old life its thinking, it ways, its views. We are dead to the will of our flesh that strives for the things of this world.

Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I that live, but Christ living in me. That life which I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself up for me.

Ephesians 2:1 You were made alive when you were dead in transgressions and sins.

Colossians 2:13 You were dead through your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh. He made you alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses.

Yes, the old person is crucified in Christ and we live, not according to the will of our flesh, but for the will of the new body, that is, the person we have become apart of, like a branch of a tree grafted into a new living tree with fine and good fruit; Christ Jesus. The will in that tree is not ours, it something we become apart of.

John.15:1 "I am the true vine, and my Father is the farmer.
15:2 Every branch in me that doesn't bear fruit, he takes away. Every branch that bears fruit, he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 15:3 You are already pruned clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. 15:4 Remain in me, and I in you. As the branch can't bear fruit by itself, unless it remains in the vine, so neither can you, unless you remain in me. 15:5 I am the vine. You are the branches. He who remains in me, and I in him, the same bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

Where is the old flesh in Christ? It no longer exist, not in his mind, heart, or any other place, it gone because. you see, flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, in Christ because they are both incorruptible Spirit beings. Nothing of sin can be in Christ, nothing of corruption can be in Christ that shouldn’t be hard to figure out!

1 Corinthians 15:42 So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption.

1 Corinthians 15:50 Now I say this, brothers,{The word for "brothers" here and where context allows may also be correctly translated "brothers and sisters" or "siblings."} that flesh and blood can't inherit the Kingdom of God; neither does corruption inherit incorruption.

But here is the quandary, we still live in our corruption of the old flesh, it is like a vessel, a shell, a tent of the old person that we contend with every second of every day.

2 Corinthians 5:4 For indeed we who are in this tent do groan, being burdened; not that we desire to be unclothed, but that we desire to be clothed, that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.

2 Peter 1:13 I think it right, as long as I am in this tent, to stir you up by reminding you;

2 Peter 1:14 knowing that the putting off of my tent comes swiftly, even as our Lord Jesus Christ made clear to me.

So are we saved, or are we not? Now noted, we did not say we are working to be saved, simply because saving us is not our work but God’s work in Christ Jesus. So again what has saved us? Our being put to death, in Christ life, why? It is because death is found in the flesh, not in the Spirit, and/or the life of Christ Jesus.

Ephesians 2:8 for by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God.

2 Timothy 1:9 who saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given to us in Christ Jesus before times eternal.
Yes, we are saved eternally at that moment of our being put to death in our flesh, and made new, now please note what is being said here, made new in Christ eternal life, which is now our life!

2 Corinthians 4:18 while we don't look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

2 Corinthians 5:1 For we know that if the earthly house of our tent is dissolved, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal, in the heavens.

Galatians 6:8 For he who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption. But he who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.

Thus, here is the stumbling block for those who believe that by stopping certain sins they can save themselves. Now don’t belittle this remark because the majority of Christian’s today honestly believe in works for salvation, over 70% of them!

You see, out flesh to God was put away, at our being baptized into Christ. It no longer exist, so God wrath, which is, God’s judgment does not exist for his children it is the flesh that is under God’s judgment not the Spirit in Christ life we now have. But their contest is still ongoing, between the flesh they are in Vs., the truth of being in Christ without judgment. They have been given a clean slated in Christ, and the gift of God is irrevocable but can they maintain faith in that truth?

1 Peter 5:10 But may the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a little while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.

2 Peter 1:11 For thus you will be richly supplied with the entrance into the eternal Kingdom of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

1 John 1:2 (and the life was revealed, and we have seen, and testify, and declare to you the life, the eternal life, which was with the Father, and was revealed to us);

1 John 2:25 This is the promise which he promised us, the eternal life.

Their conscious is cleared not by anything they did good or bad, but by the saving of them that is symbolized by their baptism. Yes, a complete immersion under water symbolizing their complete immersion into Christ, that is, the death to the old flesh, and this world. Now they no longer belong to this world, but to the new heavens, in an unshakable kingdom by being in that kingdom. How are they in that kingdom? It is by their being baptize into Christ the king! They don’t earn the kingdom of Christ they are free given the kingdom of Christ God’s love by his total and complete unmerited kindness.

Hebrews 12:28 Therefore, receiving a Kingdom that can't be shaken, let us have grace, through which we serve God acceptably, with reverence and awe,

James 2:5 Listen, my beloved brothers. Didn't God choose those who are poor in this world to be rich in faith, and heirs of the Kingdom which he promised to those who love him?

2 Peter 1:11 For thus you will be richly supplied with the entrance into the eternal Kingdom of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

We cannot make a dead man repent, he is past that point, so to are those in Christ they are past constant repentance of sin of the old flesh, such repentance's is now pointless. In-fact they are demonstrating a lack of faith in the power and truth in Christ. Their flesh is gone, they are saved, not each day, but once for all times, they are saved for all times that is a long time if they are made to endure for years on this earth in their flesh. But if we lack faith, and we do, we will always try to gain another salvation by trying to put away the filth of our flesh: impossible! What we are gifted with is faith not in ourselves but in Christ who has saved us, and does not change, we must stay in the grace of God by faith in Christ saving power and we do that by the love of God who has given us an indescribable gift of his love, demonstrated in His undeserved kindness.

Romans 5:17 For if by the trespass of the one, death reigned through the one; so much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one, Jesus Christ.

Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

2 Corinthians 9:15 Now thanks be to God for his unspeakable gift!

Ephesians 2:8 for by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God.

Did God make a mistake in acquitting us of our sins giving us salvation. Well, my friend God doesn’t make mistakes that is our lack of faith, but fear not, God is greater than our hearts lacking faith!

2 Corinthians 7:3 I say this not to condemn you, for I have said before, that you are in our hearts to die together and live together.

1 John 3:20 because if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things.

See poweredinpeace.com Also www.nu-truth.com