Rejoicing in the Lord

 I took this picture when we visited my dad in Arizona

Yesterday I posted about John MacArthur  and listened to Jacob Prasch's teachings about all the things that we see wrong in the world, and how it is going to get much, much worse....and I know it is true and certainly we need to be in prayer about all these terrible things we see happening all around us, AND I can still be joyful in all that God does, has done, and has promised to do for all who are His.

Isaiah 61:10-11 

  

I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, 

my soul shall be joyful in my God;

 for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation,

 he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, 

as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, 

and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.  

For as the earth bringeth forth her bud, 

and as the garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth; 

so the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise 

to spring forth before all the nations. 

Very soon it will be spring. I've planted a few seeds, some of my seedlings are doing well, and others not so well (I have more seeds so I'm gonna keep trying!) I can hardly wait to put them outside and see it all blooming adorning our little home with God's gifts in nature They are reminders from Jesus that one day all of creation will rejoice in the wonderful things He does for us.

Throw Out the Bondwoman and her Son

This is one of those sermons....one that I almost turned off because the speaker's voice "turned me off", however I was prevented from turning it off, and I listened, and I heard, and I was so very blessed by this message. The past week or so I've been dialoguing with Seventh Day Adventists, if you don't know who or what they are about, do a careful search about them and you will find that they are a heretical cult that tries to present itself as a harmless Christian denomination. It is not. They teach heresy, the worst twisting of scriptures to support a dead false prophetess Ellen G. White. Anyway, I'm getting side tracked. This sermon was like a refreshing cup of cool water after having the life sucked out of me by these heretics that refuse to see the falseness of their religion.

Please take the next 45 minutes to be blessed by this sermon, one that I know I will have to revisit often.

Back to Basics

(Bible passages in this post taken from the King James Version)

Sometimes we need to revisit the basics, especially when many pastors are, for the most part, not teaching it anymore.

 Today I'll touch on #1, hearing the word.

The passage that Romans 10:17 comes from is talking about reaching out to Israel, and the fact that other nations are actually being blessed by the fact that Israel rejected the Messiah, and that the Lord will use it to provoke Israel to jealousy.

 Romans 10:13-21  

For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.  

How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed?

 and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard?

 and how shall they hear without a preacher?  

And how shall they preach, except they be sent? 

as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!   

But they have not all obeyed the gospel. 

For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report?   

So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.  

But I say, Have they not heard? 

Yes verily, their sound went into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world.  But I say, Did not Israel know? 

First Moses saith, I will provoke you to jealousy by them that are no people, and by a foolish nation I will anger you.  

But Esaias is very bold, and saith, I was found of them that sought me not; I was made manifest unto them that asked not after me.  

But to Israel he saith, All day long I have stretched forth my hands unto a disobedient and gainsaying people. 

Although I agree with the above tidy little synopsis of what needs to happen in order to be saved, there is much, much more that is going on in the process that goes beyond human ability to perform. Not all who hear the truth receive it, and yet all who hear it receive it with gladness. It is  a paradox.

Act 28:26-28  Saying, Go unto this people, and say, 

Hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; 

and seeing ye shall see, and not perceive:   

For the heart of this people is waxed gross,

 and their ears are dull of hearing, 

and their eyes have they closed; 

lest they should see with their eyes,

 and hear with their ears, 

and understand with their heart, 

and should be converted, 

and I should heal them.   

Be it known therefore unto you, 

that the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles, 

and that they will hear it.

There it is again, the emphasis of the truth spreading to other nations as a result of Israel's neglecting to receive it, having hardened their hearts to the act of hearing from the Lord. Something else that is given in this passage is the fact that there are two types of hearing: 1. hearing that hears and 2. hearing that doesn't hear. 

There is a supernatural element (and let me be clear when I use the word "supernatural" it isn't in a new age magical sense of the word) that involves a proper searching, a heart that is humbled before God receives from Him, whereas a haughty, self-righteous, self-promoting, self-centered heart hardens itself against what God says, and even though persons with hard hearts hear the words, those words do nothing to enrich those prideful, selfish, hardened persons hearing them. We have all been there haven't we? I know that I have been there. There have been several occasions that people reached out to me with God's word to me, and those words fell on my deaf ears that couldn't hear Him, couldn't penetrate my hard heart. But when the Lord did it, I wasn't even looking for Him at the time, yet He softened my heart to hear a family that reached out to me in love. He opened my deaf ears to hear for the first time the words that I in my worldly wisdom had scoffed at. Yes, it was supernatural, it was a miracle, but it was such a quiet one, one that had no magical, dazzling, spectacular special effects to bring everyone around to gasping in excited exclamations of wonder. It was a very quiet and humble miracle, just like all other miracles that humbly meet us every day, the ones we for the most part take for granted. 

With eyes to see and ears to hear, the commonplace, the every day things, take on special significance of the many wonderful blessings, miracles, that Jesus performs for us on a continual basis, by which He sustains our lives...until it is time to go to be with Him, or, for those who have not received, have continued to harden their hearts, have continued to insist they know better than the God of the Bible, those will be eternally without Him, only having their own tormenting thoughts to keep them company throughout eternity.   

We can go back and forth, and round and round, whether it ends up being God's fault that many never hear in the saving sense of the word, or whether it is man's fault (false teachers not getting the true word out and rebellious hearts rejecting the truth when it is correctly presented) and I have settled it in my own mind that God knows perfectly what He is doing and He doesn't make mistakes. Man does make mistakes, every day, anyone who does not agree with that fact is very deluded indeed. So in my humble estimation of who is at fault, I would never be so presumptuous as to say it is God who is to be blamed for people going to hell. 

Another factor that needs bringing up in the matter of hearing the truth is prayer. We need to pray for our unsaved loved ones, friends, family, and even strangers who cross our paths. Many pray for frivolous things, or even things that are  not frivolous such as the health and temporal well-being of others, which may or may not receive an answer to the petitioner's liking. Much better to pray for something of eternal significance; the salvation of the lost. That is something of eternal value, all the rest will eventually fade and die anyway. When our prayers for the lost together with the true word going out to them reach the lost via the Holy Spirit of God, a revival of God's quiet and humble miracle of salvation can ignite in the lives of the hearers, having their ears opened by the true and powerful living God, to whom all things are possible (Matthew 19:26).

Next time I'll tackle #2.

Voddie Baucham

I've heard others say "You have got to hear Voddie Baucham...he's an excellent preacher", and filed that away with "things and people I need to check out"...and then one day, a few days ago, I listened to Voddie, and I'm going to find me a whole lot of his sermons and go on a Voddie binge. I hope you will take about an hour to have your socks blessed right off:

"God Doesn't Make Junk" Part One

This is a quote I've heard often...and it is true, yet and however, the Bible does tell us that the good that God created had a potential for becoming bad, and as we can see, it did.

The things of this world, including you and I, are decaying and dying. Yet God made a way to infuse us with His Spirit, but it is done under His conditions, and He causes the healthy changes, not our will...not our religion, not our goodness...His power, His will and done His way.

I've done quite a few posts on the topic of falling away on my other blog I wanted to have this blog to focus more on the Bible, mostly on refreshing and uplifting topics...

The Sound in the Mulberry Trees

This sermon by C.H. Spurgeon is lovely and refreshing. I hope if anyone hears it, they will take the full time to listen all the way through...to not make a judgment at the 5 or 10 minute mark and decide they don't need to hear more, because you will rob yourself of some of the richest blessings that come from hearing the full of it all the way through. What a sweet, sweet blessing.

Dr. Jay Klopfenstein

I had the privilege and pleasure of going to The Metropolitan Bible Church in Ottawa yesterday with my husband, and his aunt and uncle. They had a guest pastor who they were hoping to vote into being their senior pastor, Dr. Jay Klopfenstein. I found a Vimeo of a previous visit he made there, in May of this year. This is an AWESOME sermon:


Dr. Jay Klopfenstein: A Case for Spiritual Insomnia from Metropolitan Bible Church on Vimeo.

oops! the video disappeared! But here is another link:

Charles Spurgeon

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This past week I've been listening to many of Phil Johnson's sermons, and my absolute favorites (thus far anyway) are his talks about Charles Spurgeon. I would have loved to have met Pastor Spurgeon and attended his meetings! What a sweet man Spurgeon was... his enemies broke his heart which is why he died so young, at only 58 years (!) of age. I'm posting the links, mostly for myself to be able to enjoy them again and again, but also for anyone else to hear about God's greatest preacher (in my opinion, and in the opinion of many others too). I thought all of the sermons on this site were accompanied with transcripts, but unfortunately there aren't any for the ones listed below...however, the second one, "The Conversion of Charles Spurgeon", does has a transcript link to click onto which provides the photos which Pastor Johnson showed in a slide presentation while giving this sermon so it adds to being able to follow along and have the full experience of the teaching.

Charles Spurgeon: His Childhood and Youth

The Conversion of Charles Spurgeon

Spurgeon the Warrior

And this link has more sermons about Charles Spurgeon which I have yet to look forward to listening to.

No Arms, No Legs, No Worries Mate!

Nick Vujicic was born without arms and legs. He tried to take his life when he was eight years old, but found that he couldn't do it. He realized that God had a plan for his life, and allows the Lord to use him to inspire others. :)

Rest

 Someone caught me resting

( at a coffee shop during a recent trip to London, England, lol)

Just finished listening to a wonderful sermon on the topic of the sabbath rest spoken of in the book of Hebrews. It is something I have struggled with, and it showed up ("it" being my struggle, that is) by how I would argue with people who have a legalistic bent toward sabbath-keeping, and the reason for my struggle I believe is partly due to the fact that I had encountered problems early on in my life due to situations arising from our family involvement in the SDA church when I was young. Anyway, I hope you can make time for this one:

 "A Rest for God's People," Hebrews 4.1-10

In This World You Will Have Trouble

Today I met a patient who was in his early forties and was very worried that the illness he is experiencing will lead to his early death. He was very scared. I prayed for words and said:

 "Jesus said in this world you will have trouble", and He was right. Whenever you have trouble you can say "Jesus, You were right".

 Also I was reminded, and so reminded this young man, that we are not owed anything. God does not owe us tomorrow. We didn't even deserve to be born in the first place. How could we deserve something before even ever having been born??? He admitted that is true, and that He is always reading the Bible to try to find out what he needs to know. I told him that I know that I'm not thankful enough, that we must always be thankful for His forgiveness and His kindness toward us. He agreed :)

Next time I find myself in terrible circumstances, I hope I will also remember that Jesus told us that "in this world you (I) will have trouble". Thankfully, it is temporary, just like everything else is in this world. While we are here we too are temporary, but Jesus promised us a better future in a permanent home with Him. Halleluja!

Vacation...sort of...

I will be gone for a couple of weeks so I won't be blogging (will go through massive withdawals, I'm sure) Hope everyone has a blessed time during this time, every time I go through withdrawals I will be thinking of you all and directing those thoughts to Jesus. :)

Mirror Mirror on the Wall....

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I've been pondering mirrors lately...in relation to this world, and how tricky it sometimes is to maneuver about in this world...the devil sure knows how to keep us going in circles trapped in his devices (although in Christ, ultimately we are no longer trapped, but there are sure plenty of illusions and strange things that he can keep us "entertained" with that waste precious time, or daily gets us turned around from where we need to be, optimally). I was thinking about the church's current "prosperity gospel" to be specific. How turned around is that? Jesus said not to lust after the things of this world (and I have to admit I have not completely conquered that hill---however, I do understand that all things of this world are dust, and do not cling to these very tightly---maybe a little more tightly than I should, though). The prosperity gospel teaches that if we put our minds to it and trust in Jesus enough, He will bless us with all kinds of material wealth and health, etc...hmmmm, and by contrast the Apostle Paul said:

 Php 3:13  Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
Php 3:14  I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Php 3:15  Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.
Php 3:16  Nevertheless, whereto we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing.
Php 3:17  Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample.
Php 3:18  (For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ:
Php 3:19  Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.) 

That's quite an indictment....humbling, isn't it?

On the topic of mirrors, there is a very interesting little point of perspective regarding the laver in the temple of the OT. Check it out:

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Exo 38:8  And he made the laver of brass, and the foot of it of brass, of the lookingglasses of the women assembling, which assembled at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.

The lookingglasses (mirrors) of the women were high polished brass similar to what is pictured above, though probably not as tarnished, so the women could see themselves in the reflection. 

Exo 40:30  And he set the laver between the tent of the congregation and the altar, and put water there, to wash withal.

Exo 40:31  And Moses and Aaron and his sons washed their hands and their feet thereat:
Exo 40:32  When they went into the tent of the congregation, and when they came near unto the altar, they washed; as the LORD commanded Moses.

Image link 
(be sure to check out this link, very good article)

Take a moment to muse over this one with me. The laver was set between the congregation and the altar, and where Moses and Aaron and his sons washed their hands and feet. There is so much going on here, main points being:

1. Washing of the hands is symbolic of purifying one's deeds before others (for me this brings to mind Pilate  washing his hands of the terrible cruelty of the people who decided Jesus's fate)

2. Washing the feet, to walk in a way that is worthy and cleansed of previous dirty places that have been trudged along in...and also it is a refreshment, even today, think of soaking and cleaning your achy feet after a long day

3. The laver is made of women's lookingglasses. What women used for vanity, became a temple device that was there for cleansing, so in applying this lesson to ourselves, what used to look so appealing (vanity) now has the appearance of how God sees us (humbling, we are in need of Him washing our hands and feet).... very different perspectives.... comparing God's perspective with how we see ourselves, eh?

Just some things to ponder as we look in our mirrors in the morning, as we dress and get ready for our day. :)

Spiritual Garments

Gen 3:6  And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.
Gen 3:7  And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.
Gen 3:8  And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.
Gen 3:9  And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?
Gen 3:10  And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself. 



There is so much packed in the book of Genesis...even in these few short verses, there's alot going on. One question that had me puzzled in my young Christian days was "If God knows everything, why didn't He know where Adam and Eve were hiding?" and surely the answer must be that HE DID KNOW where they were, but He wanted them to tell Him. He wanted them to "get real" with Him, to tell Him honestly where things went wrong, not because He didn't know, but because He wanted to draw it out of them, so THEY would know. That is an incredible insight, one that would help teachers to be better teachers, and evangelists to be better evangelists.



Pro 20:5  Counsel in the heart of man is like deep water; but a man of understanding will draw it out.


Another thing that is a main feature of this passage is nakedness and covering. Adam and Eve lost something that covered their nakedness after they ate the forbidden fruit. Was it something physical that could be seen tangibly? Was it a spiritual covering that was part of their spiritual senses? I tend to think it was the latter...they tried to make up for it by sewing leaves together, "and made themselves aprons". I tend to think these were grass skirts similar to the type the Polynesian people still make and wear, but that is a small and inconsequential detail, perhaps. God didn't accept their self constructed covering, and provided them with coverings that He chose for them. They were animal skins, so, it obviously  had to involve the death of some other creature(s). I think on the animal rights people who get their panties in a bunch about people wearing fur coats, and mink coats are unnecessary, perhaps, but it is still a reminder of the original animal coverings and the death of God's creatures, and yes, when we really think about this, it is offensive.

When I was a new baby Christian, I came across this scripture passage, and it bothered me:

Mat 22:11  And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment:
Mat 22:12  And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless.
Mat 22:13  Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Mat 22:14  For many are called, but few are chosen.


I thought: "What is this wedding garment, and how do I get one?"

I forgot about it, until a few weeks later, I was listening to a pastor on a radio program. It was a few days before Thanksgiving, and his sermon was on the topic of giving thanks. This pastor said:

"When we come to Jesus and ask His forgiveness, He takes off our dirty garments like our mommies used to after a day of playing and getting dirty. Remember when you were little, and your mom would take off your dirty shirt? You would raise your hands, and she would pull off your dirty shirt. Then after you got your bath and were all nice and clean, you would raise your hands and she'd put on your nice and clean pajamas. So it is when we raise our hands in thanksgiving, and Jesus gives us our nice and clean garments washed in His blood."

 Psa 100:4  Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.


We enter into His gates because of Him, not because of any garments we can fashion for our own smug selves. We enter through Him, He is the door...if we try to sneak in some other way that involves our own righteousness, we are without the garment of His design, His sacrifice, His gift.

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Daily Bread

A few days ago I awoke with the thought of BREAD.  We had just gotten back from a marvelous vacation to visit with Ken's sister in the Bahamas. While we were there, she had spoiled  us with some delicious breads at a new grocery store they recently opened. Give me some good bread and butter, and I am a happy camper! :)

So as that thought of bread popped into my consciousness, it brought to mind my "daily bread". I haven't been consistent (far from it) in Bible reading, and although this thought was not in a blaming, nagging, accusatory tone, I still felt a slight twinge of conviction. It made me think on how good it is to eat a good, wholesome bread, and how we need good food to stay alive..... EVERY DAY,  if we want to be healthy anyway... and it brought to mind the manna of the OT, and the complaining of the Israelites to eat heavenly food every day (I cannot conceive of that...but the Bible is heavenly manna, and I admit that I am slack to get my daily portion).

God generously supplies us with our daily manna...are we like the early Israelites loving our Egyptian (fleshly) foods more than the heavenly? I guess it's like the writer of Ecclesiastes said: "there's nothing new under the sun". Thank the Lord for His mercy and graciousness. :)

Faith vs Fear

Simple and concise, and accurate. Those are the three components of these charts  (link removed at NehemiahMinistries website owner's request) which compare a life lived in faith, and one that is lived in fear. The "SELF CYCLE" always results in fear. The "LIFE IN THE HOLY SPIRIT" results in faith. Seeing that so simply and elegantly put makes my heart sing and rejoice in the truth of it!

That is the component (fear)  which bothers me so much from those who try to impose their methods of worship onto others. Where is it coming from? Is it coming from a place that longs for loving fellowship? Well, on some level, I do believe that they do desire loving fellowship. Are their methods  coming from a place that imposes subtle threats, and stirs up fear in others, fear that God will punish those who don't follow the prescribed rituals for obedience? That is how it is perceived by me anyway...

Jesus said what He did to us because He loves us. He did not come to condemn the world (John 3:16-17), but to stir us to follow Him, and not a church organization or a system of doctrines and rituals. Jesus desires a relationship with us that is based on truth, an honest one, where we admit our failures, and accept His mercy and life-giving intervention working in us and through us. It is His light that needs to shine through us, not our fear-based efforts to try to placate an angry God

Hebrews 4:15-16  For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.   Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

To Where You Are

Chloe Agnew sings to her (our) forever love...so beautiful! Her voice is so light and clear, like a spring breeze:

Apples of Gold in Settings of Silver

http://steveabbottfineart.blogspot.com/2011/02/apples-of-gold-in-silver-bowl.html

Proverbs 25:11

A word fitly spoken [is like] apples of gold in settings of silver.

Although that verse is in a passage about proper reproof of someone in error, I find it to be an apt description of a wonderful conversation that I was blessed to have with a patient at work last Thursday. It happens every once in a while when you just sense that the Lord brings a person your way and blesses you with the words that uplift you both and have you both praising God for His goodness and His wonderful caring ways. Such a situation occurred for me and this patient.

This patient came to the hospital because he has been experiencing some painful discomfort in his feet (which already has interesting spiritual application when you do a word search in the Bible relating to feet and our walk, hopefully you understand what I mean). While asking him the normal general questions that I do to place a few comments on the study for our radiologist, he said to me "I know this isn't in your area of expertise, but would you know anything about the disease of cancer and what I should know about it, I think I may have it..." so I asked him what makes him believe he might have cancer, and what symptoms he has that makes him think so. He then said he didn't know of any, nor does he know anything about cancer, except that it runs in his family and that he knows he is more at risk because there is alot of history of cancer in his family. He said his grandma died of cancer, so I asked him how old she was when she died, and he replied 92, but that he wasn't ready to let her go and that he felt that she was still too young to die. This number, 92, brought a recent patient I had xrayed to mind. She had broken her hip, and was yelling alot about how we  were going to kill her or cause her to have a heart attack or stroke. I related that situation to him, and told him that her problem was not with us medical personnel, but it was with the fact that she did not feel ready to face death. He then confessed that this was an issue for him also, that he feared dying, and that he could understand that 92 year old patient's apprehensions about death.

There were many things the Lord brought to my mind, during the 20 minutes (it usually would have taken me about 15, I had to take 12 xrays total...so I didn't do too badly) we had together. By the end of the exam, I said "Ok, Bible study is over" and he said "I LOVED IT!" and was beaming from ear to ear, and his eyes were twinkling with the tears he blinked back. We hugged and acknowledged that one day we would meet again.

With all of the problems that I have at work, this patient reminded me of the most important thing regarding why I work there, (besides the fact that it's helping me pay my bills) it's for the patients. Thank you Jesus for the generous gifts of such blessings in the midst of the trials.

The 23rd Psalm, Revisited

Last night I had a difficult and restless night, waking up often to a darkness that was darker than the darkness of the room. I felt like I was wrestling more than the blankets and sheets that wanted to tangle themselves around me. I felt small and inferior to the tasks that I have a difficult time keeping up with... I cried out "Oh....Jesus..." and a verse came to mind:

Psalm 23:4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou [art] with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

See also my other Psalm 23 posting

Two things gave comfort –

The Shepherd’s rod: The rod which the Shepherd carried was for protecting the sheep from predators. It was never used on the sheep. (Whew!) Do we not gain comfort from the fact that it is Almighty God who is our Shepherd! No robber, predator or enemy ever takes Him by surprise!

The Shepherd’s staff: The staff was used by the Shepherd to direct the sheep in the way in which they should go, and, in the case of a wandering nosey sheep, to pull it back into line[8]. Again, there is comfort in the fact that God directs us and even discipline from the Lord (pulling us back into line!) can be seen as comforting for it is a sign that He loves us scripture says (Heb 12:6)

( Link to the above)

Here are some sheep and shepherding facts that are helpful in understanding our relationship to our Good Shepherd:

The Good Shepherd Cares for His Sheep (us)

Water

Water is essential to our existence. When I lived in California we were constantly made aware of the crucial and dire problems they continually encounter because of their lack of sufficient amounts of water.We need it to drink, bathe, wash our clothes, clean our homes, water our gardens...and we need moisture (water) in the air to breathe. Often the topic of how necessary water (immersion) baptism is to being saved comes up. I found this on Dr. Robert Luginbill's website....excerpt (find the entire discussion at link):



http://www.ichthys.com/e-mails.htm

Question #1: 

Hello Robert,

I'm not sure if you have answered this somewhere, but if you could give your interpretation. This deals with baptism, i am a firm believer that salvation is a gift given by GOD and that a baptism does not save. I find most people dis-agree with that view and it's easy to see why with many references if scripture that make it appear so. One such reference below makes it seem like a water baptism is required. I've heard some say that their tears shed in their acceptance of Jesus as savior is what they feel is sufficient to satisfy that verse. Can you elaborate. Thanks for your time in advance.

"Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God" (John 3:5)

In Christ,

Response #1: 

Good to make your acquaintance. This is a very involved question and a topic which is somewhat "hot" at present. While there are some materials for this on the site (see the links below), not I everything I have written about the topic of water-baptism is yet posted. For example, it is only recently that it has come to my attention that there are some people out there who actually see water-baptism in Jesus' conversation with Nicodemus in John chapter three (your citation – I assume you are getting this from someone else). I don't believe any of the materials yet posted at Ichthys at present deal with this particular verse and chapter, though I have written some about it in the recent past. Simply put, neither the word, nor the action, nor the concept of water-baptism occurs anywhere in this conversation or context, and indeed the word "water" is to be found only in verse 5. It never occurred to me before (that is, before being confronted by some misguided water-baptism-necessary-for-salvation folks) that anyone would find water-baptism in this conversation. After all, Jesus never water-baptized to anyone (as John himself makes clear in the next chapter: Jn.4:2), never mentioned water-baptism elsewhere (including in Matthew 28:16-20 where He is referring to Spirit baptism), and never suggested anywhere that any such ritual was necessary to be saved. Indeed, this context, John chapter three, is one of the strongest expressions of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ alone to found anywhere in the entire Bible. Therefore to assume that the mention of the word "water" reverses all that is to put on a very heavy set of blinders purely for the purpose of advancing one's own (in this case false) doctrinal agenda.

Naturally, the word "water" in John 3:5 has to be explained, and that is very easy to do. Throughout scripture, "water" is an extremely common symbol for the Word of God (Is.55:1; Jn.3:5; 3:8 [Greek]; 4:10; 4:13-14; 7:37-39; 1Cor.10:4; Eph.5:26; Heb.10:22; 1Jn.5:8 [Trinity]; Rev.7:17; 21:6; 22:1; 22:17; cf. Ex 17:5-6; Num. 20:8; Ps.42:1-2; 63:1; 84:5-7; Is.41:17; 44:3).

And the Spirit and the bride say "Come!" And let the one who hears say, "Come!" And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost.
Revelation 22:17

And this is precisely what we have here in John 3:5, with this use of the word "water" meaning the life-giving truth used by the Spirit to quicken those who believe (and often also for the Spirit who ministers the Word, making it understandable; cf. 1Cor.2:4-16). Moreover, this usage is certainly not unprecedented elsewhere in John's gospel:

(13) Jesus answered, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, (14) but whoever drinks the water I give him (i.e., who believes in the gospel of eternal life through faith in Me) will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life."
John 4:13-14 NIV

He that believeth on me as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water (i.e., the truth will live in him, as a believer). But this spake he of the Spirit, [who ministers the Word received] which they that believe on him should receive.
John 7:38-39a KJV

Just as literal water is essential for life, so the Word of God is essential for spiritual life (with an initial "drink" necessary for initial regeneration). Thus, in John 3:5 our Lord's use of the word "water" represents the truth of the gospel to which the person in question responds in faith; the Spirit is then the Agent of regeneration for all who drink this water of truth (i.e., for all who believe the gospel message about Him). That interpretation is certainly affirmed everywhere else in this chapter where faith (i.e., in Jesus) is later very clearly expressed as the one single thing needful for salvation (and "water" is not repeated: i.e., Jn.3:10-12; 3:15-16; 3:18; 3:36).

Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water (i.e., the gospel which he believes) and the Spirit (i.e., the Agent of regeneration for all who believe and drink the "water of truth").
John 3:5 NIV

Just as in the communion ritual (the only authorized ritual for the Church Age) we drink the cup as a symbol of our faith in the work of Christ, so water in all these contexts represents our faith in what we drink, the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

It is true that there are instances of water-baptism in the gospels and in the book of Acts, but in my opinion the idea of any necessity to be baptized with water comes exclusively from tradition and not directly from any Bible verse – and how much more is that not the case for any false notion of water-baptism-necessary-for-salvation!?

It is well to start such considerations with three pertinent facts: 1) John said emphatically that while he himself was baptizing with water, that ministry was preparatory to the coming of the Messiah who would baptize with the Spirit (and fire) – as opposed to water (e.g., Mk.1:8); 2) Jesus never baptized anyone (Jn.4:2) and never even mentioned the ritual; 3) there is no water-baptism whatsoever in any of the New Testament epistles (including 1st Peter chapter three where the "baptism which saves" is Spirit baptism), only Spirit baptism – except in 1st Corinthians chapter one where Paul repents of ever having water-baptized anyone at all. From these critical points of emphasis throughout the New Testament, we can easily conclude that it is the baptism of the Spirit experienced by all true Christians at the point of salvation which is important, not the water ritual which looked forward to the coming of Christ.