re: Israel / Hamas in a biblical context - any content recs?

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I once was confused on the issue of baptism. It really affected my growth as a new Christian. Seriously affected it.

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I'm sorry to hear this, but there's really nothing confusing about it. Christ commands it be done.

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decided that God was not going to punish me for the method of baptism and probably not even if I was baptised, it was my heart that mattered.

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I'm really not trying to be rude, but God also said that not everyone who says "Lord, Lord" will enter his kingdom, but rather, those who do his will. And his will, nay, his command, is that we believe the gospel and be baptized.

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I did what I thought was "correct" and never looked back.

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Protestantism in a nutshell.

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He isn't going to send one type of baptism or line of thought go to hell and the other ok. "Well, man you lived a great life, dedicated to Jesus and such, but dag-gummit you got sprinkled instead of submersed....go to hades!"

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Thankfully, the Church accepts both sprinkling and immersion as valid forms of baptism.

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So, bottom line, people can debate the specificities of the bible like their specific line of thought is essential for salvation. 99% of the time I would bet God is just shaking his head.

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This is precisely why God didn't leave us with a Bible and our own interpretation as to what is true and what isn't. You see exactly how that pans out in the Protestant Reformation and the 40,000 different "truths" floating about the world today.

He left us with His Church. That church (magesterium), along with scripture and tradition are the full deposit of faith.