"But there was a certain man, called Simon, which beforetime in the same city used sorcery, and bewitched the people of Samaria, giving out that himself was some great one: To whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, This man is the great power of God. And to him they had regard, because that of long time he had bewitched them with sorceries. But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. Then Simon himself believed also: and when he was baptized, he continued with Philip, and wondered, beholding the miracles and signs which were done. Now when the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John: Who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost: (For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.) Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost."
Today's lesson comes from the same quote as yesterday's. This is necessary because there is a great deal of scriptural complexity and seeming contradiction within this quote.
Note first that in verse twelve, the author says; " But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, AND THE NAME OF JESUS CHRIST, they were baptized, both men and women."
Obviously Philip had first preached the gospel concerning the kingdom of God and then added, that to enter the kingdom of God, one must be sanctified, by and within, "the name of Jesus Christ".
Today's lesson will concentrate on what the phrase, "the name of Jesus Christ" actually means. There are many who are wrongly convinced that the phrase simply means that anything written, wherein that phrase is applies, it simply invokes the authority of Jesus Christ.
For example, if I said, "I baptize you my brother in the name of Jesus Christ, it would be wrongly accepted that I was baptized in water under the authority of Jesus Christ. That is not at all what that phrase implies in today's lesson, as well as in many other instances throughout the New Testament.
When Philip preached "the name of Jesus Christ", he established that the concept of a resurrected Jesus Christ is the medium into which those Samarians were to be baptized, or eternally immersed. "For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ." (Galatians 3:27)
Their water baptism, which in this instance is *in parentheses, erroneously referred to as a baptism in the name of Jesus Christ, had NOTHING to do with either their salvation or their ability to receive the Holy Ghost.
As we see later in the text, because those Samarians had only been baptized in water, and not actually in the "name of Jesus Christ", they had not yet received the Holy Ghost.
The author of this text, referring to Peter and John, said: "Who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost: (For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.) Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost." Those Samarians were clearly saved AFTER Peter and John had prayed with them.
Note that in *parentheses the author said, "(For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.)"
There seems to have been an error made by the scholars who translated and transliterated the King James version.
*According to the authors of the King James version of the bible, the statements contained in parentheses within the New Testament text, did not appear in the original transcripts of the bible.
Understanding that the phrase "only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus" was added by the translators, we can, I believe rightfully, summise that those Samarians had only been baptized in water within the tradition of the Jews and had not yet fully placed their faith in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ to the point of salvation.
I know this lesson is complicated and that my assertions have been virtually unheard of until now. It is my sincere hope that as these lessons progress we will be able to come to a full understanding of the term "baptism" and its place in the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Misinterpretation of the intent of that term, if what I firmly believe is true, is the cause of the loss of millions of souls that have misplaced their faith by placing it in water baptism instead of in the saving power of our Lord Jesus Christ crucified, resurrected, and ascended.~
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