Raf

The same way speaking in tongues is an expression of obedience but not necessary. The same way witnessing is an expression of obedience but not necessary. The same way cleaning up your act and getting together with other believers are expressions of obedience but not necessary. The same way daily prayer, and hourly, if you're so inclined, is an expression of obedience but not necessary. When I say necessary, I mean for salvation. I think all those things are important and vital to maintaining a relationship with God in Christ. But to call them necessary FOR SALVATION mocks the sacrifice of Christ. Perhaps we have differing views on soteriology, which would explain our difference of opinion on this subject. As I said, for me, it's academic. I got baptized, praise God, not to become saved, but because God in Christ already had saved me.

No water there. The obedience is to that command: believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. It's the faith itself, not the act of obedience that follows, which saves. I think the ritual is a good thing. I just went through it. I have no problem with it. But I do have a problem with the notion that God can fill you with His spirit but must deny you salvation if you don't go swimming, or sprinkling, or whatever. In other words, I refuse to believe I was not saved until Sept. 17, 2005.

When were the Romans saved? The ones Peter witnessed to, when were they saved?

bzzzt

Baptism was not an Old Testament practice. Or to be more precise, it wasn't a standard practice within Judaism applicable to everyone. There were washings for various purposes, but I've yet to see examples of general baptism in the Bible, and I've yet to encounter a Jewish group that performs baptisms to be in keeping with the Law. As for the Acts 10 record, hey, if God gave them the spirit already, and I decided not to perform the baptism because I didn't like their (fill in the blank), would they then not be saved? I agree, baptism is an act of obedience. But it does not save, and the absence of baptism does not prove the absence of salvation anymore than the presence of baptism proves salvation. It's an outward expression of obedience, praise God, but no more necessary than speaking in tongues.

And now, lessons in division. To find out if a whole number is divisible by 1, well, all whole numbers are divisible by 1. To find out if a whole number is divisible by 2, look at the last digit. If it's even, it's divisible by 2. If it's odd, it's not. To find out if a number is divisible by 3, add the digits. If the sum is divisible by 3, the number is divisible by 3. To find out if a number is divisible by 4, look at the last two digits. If they are divisible by 4, the number is divisible by 4. To find out if a number is divisible by 5, look at the last digit. If it's a 5 or a 0, the number is divisible by 5. To find out if a number is divisible by 6, apply the rules for 2 AND 3. To find out if a number is divisible by 7, there are no shortcuts. Learn some math. To find out if a number is divisible by 8, check the last three digits. If they are divisible by 8, the entire number is divisible by 8. Glad to be of assistance. To find out if a number is divisible by 9, add the digits. If the sum is divisible by 9, the whole number is divisible by 9. To find out if a number is divisible by 10, look at the last digit. If it's a 0, the number is divisible by 10. Thanks for playing. Move to the head of the class.

"I like children." "For breakfast?"

Excellent! Dead wrong, but a really good guess!

Incorrect. MM is Movie Mistakes, one of my favorite sites. It's pop-up heavy, though, unless you buy into membership, which I've done. Can't post on their forum unless you're a member, but they're fun to read.

All right, no word, so I looked it up, and I was right. That said, next quote (and this one drove them nuts on the MM site)... "Confronted by their true selves, most men run away, screaming!" Hint: The film clocks in at 102 minutes, which proves false advertising.

The Incredibles ?

Ok, I'll bite. Huh? Are you saying Kansas is a science joke?

This is uproarious.

And then I take off my shoes and I can count all the way to 12!"

No, seriously, it's not a problem - no chance that any vital organs will be hit.

It's the third Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal Lecter movie.

If there's one thing I can't stand, it's shameless self-promotion.

No real guesses? Oh, all right, I'll come up with another one. This one, FYI, was Red Dragon

But then she saw his face. Now she's a believer!

How about: deter or fight and win... A military that deters a war has fulfilled its primary function. A military that fails to deter but succeeds at fighting and winning has fulfilled its primary function. A military that fails to deter but succeeds at fighting but fails at winning has not fulfilled its primary function. But enough about France.

Incorrect, ZShot. The primary function of the military is to fight and win wars, which requires it to kill people and break things.

But was it superoxygenated H2SO4? Would have been better for him.

Remarkably enough, that was not the film I had in mind. I told you this was a tough one. :)

Well put, Mark. I think people get hung up on the word "need," though. Why is water baptism a "need"? I think water baptism is a need in the same sense that "witnessing" is a need, in the same sense that doing good works is a need, and in the same sense that loving your neighbor is a need. It's not what saves you, but it is what's expected of you.

Donald Trump: Jeans and sneakers. Jeb Bush: Jeans and sneakers. Al Gore: Jeans and sneakers. VP Wierwille: he's lucky the reporters even showed up.