First of all, no one is arguing. Sorry you feel that way. Maybe you just had a bad day. I was just telling you what the scriptures say, you say something else, but that's fine with me. No problem here.

The Kingdom isnt going to heaven. The Kingdom is going to be on earth. We dont go to heaven. Christ comes back to earth to set up His father's kingdom. Everything is on earth, just like the bible says.

The gospel message is the coming Kingdom. Christ and the apostles taught it. Christ will be king on earth.

Do you know the Lord's prayer?
"Thy Kingom come
Thy will be done
On earth as it is in heaven"

Christ tells his apostles how they should pray. It is about God's coming Kingdom that will be done on earth.

John 14. Jesus is telling us that he is the only way to salvation. Believing in any other god or idol wont do it. Has nothing to do with going to heaven, sorry.

Post 14 isnt lacking anything...... I was just telling you what the scriptures say.

People dont go to church for a public baptism. A public baptism would be outside somewhere so "everyone" could see it....

When you read verses like.......... "Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God" (John 3:5).

or

"He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved"

doesnt that mean anything to you?

Plus, i have no problem what you believe. It's not a problem for me, really. And i'm not arguing. We both believe that we know the truth about the bible and would like to share it with people. What's wrong with that?

Moorea, it does appear that you like to argue. Only Gzus was addressing you here and nobody here considered that arguing when he was doing the asking and you were doing the answering. PenquinPeru made two comments above that addressed Gzus and ReiRu and not you. It does appear that you have a problem with what Penquin believes because you immediately had to address his comments.

One definition of argue is:

"To put forth reasons for or against"

I can't see it as anything but an argument on your part when PenquinPeru did not address you but you felt the need to respond with:

"Baptism is NOT a public proclamation at all. And it is the ONLY way! Christ even says that. And it's not an requirement??? How can you even say that??!!!??"

and

"How clear is that??????????? I"ll take Jesus's words............ "

That's arguing. PenquinPeru said:

"So, bye and I know 100 percent for certain you will spit out another reply."

It does appear that you have to have the last word in any discussion when someone does not see it your way. You did agree about the fact that you were engaged in a debate in the Adam and Eve discussion when PenquinPeru brought it to your attention. You did make the final 3 comments in there if I might point out concerning that debate.

I am not hammering you but do want to point out what Penquin and someone else besides me has been noticing this about you. Of course you will give what you believe Scripture teaches that some or possibly even many here will not agree with you about but when you have to give what you believe to a person that was not addressing you here when you already made clear what you believe then you come across as someone that has to be right. I see things posted all the time that I do not agree with and sometimes even cringe by what I've read but I remind myself that this is DS and not my pulpit. Agree to disagree. Feel free to respond to my comments too but do not expect a response as I can walk away from something without the need to constantly justify myself. Just let it go.

point taken........

SALVATION IS BY GODS GRACE. ITS A GIFT FROM GOD, IT COMES THROUGH JESUS CHRIST., HE WAS BORN, HE LIVED AND HE GAVE HIS LIFE FOR A SICK AND DYING WORLD. HE DIED, HE WAS BURIED AND HE ROSE AGAIN AND HE ASCENDED TO HEAVEN, SOMEDAY JUST AS HE LEFT HE WILL RETURN.
IF I BELIEVE WITH MY HEART AND CONFESS WITH MY MOUTH THE LORD JESUS I AM SAVED, WHAT MORE ASSUEANCE DO I EVER NEED. READ THE NEW TESTAMENT. ITS ALL THERE.

As I understand it, it has been said that if you believe and rely on what Jesus Christ did on the cross, you will have eternal life, no if's and's or but's. That is what makes God so great.

I agree with PenguinPeru, Shaner, and grammykitty.
It's not about being bad or good because all have fallen short as stated in Romans 3:23-24, âfor all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.â But by faith believing you are saved is called Justification. Gal. 2:16, "nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we may be justified by faith in Christ, and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law shall no flesh be justified." As soon as you give your life to Christ, acknowledging Christ as your Lord and Savior, confessing and repenting of all your sins past and present, you are set free from the bondages that once kept you captive to sin. You will become a new creation in Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:17, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new." Once you have made that covenant in your heart to God and accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior and meant it, the old life you once had is the past because Jesus Christ and His Holy Spirit now lives in you and has taken up all your transgressions. It is making that holy covenant between you and God by accepting His Son Jesus Christ into your heart and into your life, meaning it, and to go and sin no more like you did before. You are not perfect when you are saved. You are saved by grace. Sinner still, but your belief in Jesus gets you to heaven.

Salvation is by the Grave of God, yes, but baptism is another part of salvation and we are COMMANDED by God and Christ to be baptised. We must remember that. It is very important. Here is the verse for that. .....
"And he commanded them to be baptised in the name of the Lord." Acts 10 v 48
"He that believeth AND BE BAPTISED shall be saved." Mark 16 v 16
"Repent and be baptised in the name of the Lord." Acts 2 v 38

It would be great if that was ALL we had to do is just believe. So simple. BUT we have to reference other verses by Christ and not just one. By believeing is just a start. That is the point I am trying to make for those of you that just think that you are saved by just believeing. Christ DOES say that, BUT "what else does he say to do?" Be baptised....

Believing in Christ is a start. And a very important one at that. Christ IS the only way to salvation.

What does baptism do for us?
It is the act that God has appointed, by which the BELIEVER puts on christ and recieves the remission of his sin.

How do we know this?
"As many of you that have been baptised into Christ have put on Christ." Gal 3 v 27
"Baptise into Jesus Christ." Rom 6 v 3
"Be baptised every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remissions of your sins." Acts 2 v 38
" Baptism doth also NOW SAVE US." 1 Peter 3 v 21

We shouldnt "just think" that "if we just believe" we will be saved. We really need to understand "what else" does Christ say about things. This is very important. Just believeing would be too easy for the world. God wants to know who will seek Him out. Who will make that effort to change their lives and ways. Who will read and study the scriptures to find the truth. Jesus says when he returns to earth to judge that he will pick out the sheeps from the goats.

If we believe that all it takes is to believe and we are "automactically" saved, then we can still go out and sin and still live our lives like before. It wouldnt matter becaused we are saved no matte what we do. And that's not what God wants. God wants to see who's keeping His commandments. Who is still faithfull unto death. Who is seeking Him out.

Things we need to remember.........

Is Paul going to suggest that baptism is not essential after writing so powerfully about it in the sixth chapter? (Rom. 6:3-5).

These verses in Romans are sound enough when understood in a Scriptural sense. Baptism is essential as the plain evidence of Matt. 3:15; Mark 16:16; John 3:5; Acts 2:38; 10:48; 22:16; 1 Pet. 3:21 shows.

Can one really be a believer and disallow the plainest and simplest (so far as ease of obedience goes) of Christ's commandments?

The same phrase, "Whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved", is used in Acts 2:21 and here is certainly followed in baptism by those who "gladly" received Peter's words. (Acts 2:40,41).

Salvation is not baptism, nor is baptism a proof of salvation. Agape in your life is a proof of salvation. For only a born again person who can say Jesus Christ is Lord over me, can walk in His love. All sin except rejecting the gospel can be forgiven. Assurance of salvation is sure because the work of Jesus is sure. However if you make sin a practice in your daily life then you will not feel secure in your salvation, since this will probably mean that you have not yet given your life to Jesus, and have not been born again.

Oh, I can give biblical proof that baptism is not a requirement for salvation, if you need that Gzus, by the way Jesus loves you and He is able to perform His desires in you, ask Him not only for forgiveness but that He would do that work of making you born again by His Spirit through His Word, that you would become that new creature in Christ, old things passed away all things become new! This is not to say you will no longer sin, nor will you feel temptation, but what you will experience is power through His love to have the free choice not to sin. As an unbeliever who is not born again, you would not have the power to deny the flesh, but the born again believer has the unction of the Holy Spirit and complete power through the cross of Jesus Christ to deny the flesh its desires.