Baptism – Jason's Bible Blog

Why Ephesians 2:8-9 Does Not Teach Salvation by Faith Alone

• Acts 19 records the day the Ephesians were saved, and they were not saved by faith alone or told to pray—they were baptized to wash away their sins, just as others had been (Acts 19:5; cf. 2:38; 10:35; 22:16). Ephesians 2 was written after they had been saved by grace through obedient faith, submitting to Christ in baptism (Mt. 28:19-20; Mk. 16:15-16; Gal. 3:26-27).

• Paul was not contrasting faith and obedience, but grace and the Law of Moses.… Read more

“Christ Sent Me Not to Baptize” – What Paul Meant

Was Paul teaching that water baptism is not necessary for salvation when he wrote these words in 1 Corinthians 1:17: “For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel…”? Notice:

1. Paul did baptize. Paul baptized people such as Crispus, Gaius, and the household of Stephanas (1 Cor. 1:14–16). His words cannot mean that he never baptized anyone. Paul was carrying out the Great Commission of our Lord for all nations to believe and be baptized for their salvation (Matthew 28:18–20; Mark 16:15–16).… Read more

Recent Headlines vs. Bible Truths

1. No one man pastor system – God’s Word never shows one man as “the pastor” of a congregation (always a plurality who meet God’s strict requirements), and pastors (elders/bishops/overseers/shepherds) are not the same as evangelists/preachers (Acts 14:23; 20:17, 28; Eph. 4:11; 1 Tim. 3:1-7; Titus 1:5; 1 Pet. 5:1-4).

2. No sinner’s prayer for salvation – forgiveness is granted at baptism (Acts 2:38; 22:16); prayer is how people get forgiveness after baptism (See Acts 8:12-13, 22-24; cf.… Read more

Immigration into the Holy Nation

Countless millions have longed to enter the United States seeking freedom and opportunity. Still, as great as this nation may be, there is one far greater: the “holy nation” built by Jesus Christ nearly 2,000 years ago (1 Pet. 2:9). The USA will not last forever, but Christ’s nation/kingdom/church will last forever and ultimately be “delivered up” to Heaven (Dan. 2:44; Matt. 16:18–19, 28; 1 Cor. 15:24; Eph. 5:23). Regarding immigration into Christ’s holy nation:

We Must Go Through the Legal Process – Just as legal steps are required to become a U.S.… Read more

Another Jesus, Another Spirit, Another Gospel

Paul feared that the Corinthians might be deceived as Eve was, being led away from the pure doctrine of Christ. He wrote, “But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him” (2 Corinthians 11:3–4).… Read more

The Truth May Seem Strange at First

Just because simple New Testament Christianity may seem “strange” to you, that does not mean you should reject it.

When Christ’s church first began, it was new and unfamiliar to everybody. It did not match the Jewish traditions or the pagan practices people had followed for centuries. However, when they realized the Truth, they did not let unfamiliarity stop them. They made the necessary changes and became part of it. That is what God expected then, and that is still what He expects today.… Read more

ChatGPT and the “Deathbed Salvation” Objection to Water Baptism

Question for ChatGPT:

You have repeatedly stated that water baptism is necessary for salvation (based on Biblical teaching), and I agree, but what if someone argues that water baptism cannot be essential, because that would mean people on their “deathbeds” could not become saved?

ChatGPT said:

That’s a great question, and it’s a common objection. Here are a few ways to respond to the argument that water baptism cannot be essential for salvation because it would allegedly exclude people on their deathbeds from being saved:

1.… Read more

ChatGPT and The Thief on the Cross

Question for ChatGPT:

If people use the penitent thief on the cross to say that people do not have to be baptized in water today to be saved, how would you respond?

ChatGPT said:

“If someone argues that the penitent thief on the cross proves that baptism is not necessary for salvation today, here are a few ways you could respond:

1. The Thief Lived Under the Old Covenant

The thief on the cross was saved before Jesus’ death and resurrection, meaning he was still under the Old Covenant (Hebrews 9:16-17).

ChatGPT Recommends Christianity and the Churches of Christ

Question for ChatGPT:

Out of all world religions, which religion is most likely to be true? Please answer in only one word.

ChatGPT said:

Christianity.

Another question for ChatGPT:

You said that out of all world religions, Christianity is most likely to be true. If you could only choose one religious group that is most likely to be following the Bible and pleasing to God, which group would that be? In your answer, please only state that one group.… Read more

Does It Matter Which Church I Attend?

Faithful attendance is a crucial part of Christianity (Hebrews 10:23-31), and many believe that as long as a person believes in Jesus, the church he attends does not matter; but the truth is that the church one attends matters greatly:

It matters because God said there is only one true plan of salvation, and churches teaching conflicting plans of salvation cannot all be correct. The Apostle Paul wrote, “But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed” (Galatians 1:8; cf.

What A.I. Says About the Catholic Church

An Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) chatbot allows people to ask it questions of practically any kind, and it “works by processing large amounts of text data and using patterns in that data to generate responses that are relevant and coherent” (chatgpt.com). The most widely used chatbot is called ChatGPT: “As of September 2024, ChatGPT is the most popular AI tool in the world. The AI chatbot receives 3.1 billion monthly website visits from over 180 million users” (explodingtopics.com).… Read more

What A.I. Says About Presbyterian Churches

What A.I. Says About Methodist Churches

What A.I. Says About Pentecostal Churches

Why I Got Baptized Again

I grew up in the Baptist church, and one day in worship I decided I wanted to be saved, so I went to the front and the preacher prayed with me. They told me I was saved at that point, and I was not baptized on that day, because they believe water baptism has nothing to do with salvation, so my baptism was delayed. It was days or weeks later when I was baptized in water.… Read more