Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!sdd.hp.com!usc!rutgers!aramis.rutgers.edu!athos.rutgers.edu!christian From: boris@tornado.berkeley.edu (Boris Chen) Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian Subject: Re: Acts 2:38 and how to become a Christian Message-ID: Date: 17 Aug 90 07:33:36 GMT Sender: hedrick@athos.rutgers.edu Organization: ucb Lines: 29 Approved: christian@aramis.rutgers.edu In article lotus!rmurtha@uunet.uu.net (Rob Murtha - Lotus) writes: >There are several steps outlined in the bible on how to become a Christian. >Belief that Jesus was GOD manifest in the flesh is the first step. Acts 2:38 What scripture do you base your statement that in order to be a Christian one must believe that Jesus was God manifest in the flesh? I thought that one must accept him as our only means of salvation. >Matthew 28:19 says >Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the >Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: > >Notice that name is singular! This refers to the name of Jesus, which is the >name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. I think that the scripture quoted is simply a way of combining 3 separate sentences into one, by the use of parallel construction. You infer that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit all have the name Jesus, because the word "name" is singular. But if you break the sentence into 3, you can get: "...in the name of the Father." "...in the name of the Son." "...in the name of the Holy Ghost." Thus, when the requirement is given that one must be baptised in the name of Jesus, that is merely a sub-set of a greater set of requirements. In addition if you read (I assume you are using the KJ version) Psalm 83:18, it mentions that God's (or the Father's) name is Jehovah. /----------------------------------------------------------\ | Boris Chen || Berkeley, CA || boris@ocf.berkeley.edu | \----------------------------------------------------------/