brown, grady—it’s all of grace!

8/12/2019 Brown, GradyIts All of Grace!

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A Dayspring Journal Reprint

Its All of Grace!For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; itis the gift of God; not of works, lest anyone should boast.

Ephesians 2:8-9

Part 1 Repentance

with GRADY BROWNwith GRADY BROWN

have doubtlessheard, and perhaps, like me (heaven forbid!),have even been guilty of repeating this overlysimplistic and totally erroneous adage:

Repentance thats mans part.Water Baptism thats the preachers part.Holy Ghost Infilling thats Gods part!

I sometimes cringe when I recall the banalplatitudes, such as this one, that I once echoedwithout testing their veracity against the Wordof God. I can only thank God that His graceprovides us both the opportunity and thecourage to revisit fundamental truths and tohave them more fully elucidated in the purelight of revelatory understanding.

Oh, happy day, when the dazzling light of truth concerning the grace of God blazed intomy life when I finally realized that my salva-tion was not dependent on any of my works good or bad but was solely and completelydependent on the finished work of Jesus Christ!

With that fresh revelation emblazoned uponmy heart, I recalled this platitude from myyouth, and was deeply offended by its message.I now realize that there is no three-, seven-, orten-step plan of salvation for which I am in anyway responsible for fulfilling. I have no partwhatsoever in providing for my own salvation!Its all of Gods grace its all His part!

Repentance Thats Gods Part!

John the Baptist came preaching this message:Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is athand!

Matthew 3:2

When Johns role of forerunner for theMessiah was finished and he was put intoprison, Jesus began His earthly ministry inearnest, and His message did not deviate oneiota from Johns proclamation:

From that timeJesus began to preach and say,Repent, for thekingdom of heaven is at hand!

Mat thew 4:17

Both issued their message in the form of acommand. No one can deny the emphatic man-date found in this simple imperative sentence:

Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is athand!

On another occasion Jesus reiterated thisinjunction with with even greater stress. Whentold of those Galileans whom Pilates soldiershad executed even while they were offeringtheir sacrifices at the altar, Jesus short-circuitedany thoughts they might have been entertain-ing concerning any overt guiltiness on the partof the victims.

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Jesus answered and said to them, Do you sup-pose that these Galileans were worse sinnersthan all other Galileans, because they sufferedsuch things? I tell you, no; but unless yourepent you will all likewise perish .

Luke 13:2-3In light of such straightforward statements,

what other conclusion can we draw but thatrepentance is a mandate of human responsibility that it is something that we are supposed to DO?

Before we strike out to DOour repenting, how-ever, we would do well to find out exactly what itmeans to repent.

Our English word repent is translated fromthe Greek verb metanoeo {met-an-o-eh-o} which

means to change ones mind for the better, to hearti-ly amend with abhorrence for ones past sins.Metanoeo is rarely found in classical or HellenisticGreek, and when it is used, only the emotional con-cepts of remorse or regret are in view. The two rootwords of metanoeo are meta {met-ah}and noeo {no-eh-o}. Meta can have several meanings includingwith, after, or behind. Noeo means to perceivewith the mind, to understand or have understand-ing, to think upon, to heed, to ponder, to consider.In combination, they mean to take note after or

later, often with the implication of too late, thusthe emphasis is primarily on ones feelings. Itshould be also noted that the Greeks placed nomoral value on the thing regretted it could beeither good or bad. To them metanoeo simply meantdissatisfaction with thoughts cherished, plans fol-lowed, or acts performed. And in the dissatisfactionthere resided no more than the wish that thesethings had not been thought, willed, or done, eventhough good.

In the koine Greek of the New Testament, how-ever, metanoeo is found much more frequently, andits meaning encompasses the full range of under-standing of penitence and conversion that wasendemic to the Hebrew religion. The emphasis wasdifferent for these Greek-speaking Jews, being onvolition rather than emotion. When a Jew used theGreek verb metanoeo, he was alluding to an act of the will, something to be done, not simply felt.

While there are no technical terms in theHebrew language that are the direct equivalenciesof metanoeo, the concept is by no means absent inthe Old Testament. The Hebrew word nacham{naw-kham} carries the meaning of regret or

remorse and is translated repent in the originalKing James Version of the Scriptures. Two versesare given here from the KJV along with their ren-dering from the New King James Version:

And the L ORD said, I will destroy man whomI have created from the face of the earth;...for itrepenteth (nacham) me that I have madethem.

Genesis 6:7 (kjv)

So the L ORDsaid, I will destroy man whom Ihave created from the face of the earth;...for Iam sorry (nacham) that I have made them.

Genesis 6:7 (nkjv)

And also the Strength of Israel will not lie norrepent (nacham) : for he is not a man, that heshould repent (nacham) .

1 Samuel 15:29 (kjv)

And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor

relent (nacham) . For He is not a man, that Heshould relent (nacham) . 1 Samuel 15:29 (kjv)

Nacham most closely corresponds to the Greekunderstanding of repentance. Another Hebrew wordthat is translated repent is shuwb {shoob}whichmeans to turn back, to return unto, to restore, tomake requital or recompense, or to pay as compensa-tion. Shuwb most closely represents the volitionalconcept of repentance, and it was this Hebrew word

which was most likely in the mind of Greek-speakingHebrews when they used the word metanoeo .In King Solomons prayer of dedication for the

temple he had built for the Lord, he made thisrequest for the people:

46 When they sin against You (for there is noone who does not sin), and You becomeangry with them and deliver them to the

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enemy, and they take them captive to theland of the enemy, far or near;

47 yet when they come to themselves in theland where they were carried captive, andrepent (shuwb) , and make supplication to

You in the land of those who took them cap-tive, saying, We have sinned and donewrong, we have committed wickedness;

48 and when they return (shuwb) to Youwith all their heart and with all their soul inthe land of their enemies who led them cap-tive, and pray to You toward their landwhich You gave to their fathers, the citywhich You have chosen and the templewhich I have built for Your name:

49 then hear in heaven Your dwelling placetheir prayer and their supplication, andmaintain their cause.

1 Kings 8:46-49

Notice that the word shuwb is translated both asrepent and as return.

Lets look at two more typical Old Testamentcalls for repentance:

If My people who are called by My name willhumble themselves, and pray and seek My face,and turn (shuwb) from their wicked ways, thenI will hear from heaven, and will forgive theirsin and heal their land.

2 Chr onicl es 7:14

Now, therefore, says the L ORD, Turn (shuwb) to Me with all your heart,

With fasting, with weeping, and with mourning.So rend your heart, and not your garments;Return to the L ORDyour God.For He is gracious and merciful,Slow to anger, and of great kindness;And He relents (nacham) from doing harm.Who knows if Hewill turn (shuwb)

and relent (nacham) ,And leave a blessing behind Him

Joel 2:12-13

So this, then, is the understanding that we

should have concerning repentance when weread that word in the New Testament. It does notmean simply being sorry for ones sins (those par-ticular thoughts and actions one regrets) itmeans turning from sin (that condition of the

entire life that produces ungodliness). This is certainly not to say that remorse has noplace in repentance. Paul indicated that the emo-tional aspect of repentance (being sorry for sin) isa prerequisite for the volitional aspect of repen-tance (turning away from sin).

For godly sorrow produces repentance leadingto salvation, not to be regretted; but the sor-row of the world produces death.

2 Cor inthians 7:10

True repentance, however, is not accomplishedthrough simply being sorry for ones sins; itrather requires the wholesale abandonment of that lifestyle. It means doing a 180-degree turnand heading the opposite direction.

The writer to the Hebrews listed repentancefrom dead works and faith toward God as twoof the foundation stones of the New TestamentChurch (Hebrews 6:1-3). These are essentially twosides of the same coin. At the moment we turnfrom dead works, we simultaneously turntoward God.

Sounds pretty simple, doesnt it? The only prob-lem is: NOT A SINGLE ONE OF US CAN DO IT!

How many times we all have tried to conquerour passions, redirect our lives, curb our appetites,reform our society, remove our defects, alter ourlifestyles, improve our quality of life, adopt newhabits, put an end to wrongs, amend our ways, layaside sin? Some of us abandoned making New

Years resolutions years ago. Too many defeats

have left us with the stark realization that we trulyare victims of our own iniquity.We can all identify with Pauls plaintive griev-

ance concerning the human condition.18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh)

nothing good dwells; for to will is presentwith me, but how to perform what is good Ido not find.

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19 For the good that I will to do, I do not do; butthe evil I will not to do, that I practice.

20 Now if I do what I will not to do, it is nolonger I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.

21 I find then a law, that evil is present with me,the one who wills to do good.

22 For I delight in thelaw of God according to theinward man.

23 But I see another law in my members, war-ring against the law of my mind, and bring-ing me into captivity to the law of sin whichis in my members.

24 O wretched man that I am! Who will deliverme from this body of death?

Romans 7:18-24

How dismal would be our lot if we were leftwith only this question! But, thankfully, there isan answer!

25 I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord!So then, with the mind I myself serve the lawof God, but with the flesh the law of sin.

1 There is therefore now no condemnation tothose who are in Christ Jesus, who do notwalk according to the flesh, but according tothe Spirit.

2 For thelaw of theSpirit of lifein Christ Jesushas mademefreefrom thelaw of sin and death.

Romans 7:25, 8:1-2

Does this freedom from condemnation comefrom our ability to repent, to volitionally turnfrom the law of sin and death? A thousand timesNO! It comes only through the enabling grace of Almighty God! I cannot repent, but God can grantme the ability to repent. And this is exactly whatthe Word of God teaches.

Peter, in his defense before the council and thehigh priest, indicated that not only forgiveness of sins,but repentance as well was something given by God.

Him God has exalted to His right hand to bePrince and Savior, to give repentance toIsrael and forgiveness of sins.

Acts 5:31

When Peter apprised the Jerusalem Christians of the conversion of the Gentiles of Cornelius house-hold, their response indicated that they understoodthat repentance was a grace granted by God.

When they heard thesethings, they becamesilent;and they glorified God, saying, Then God hasalso granted to theGentiles repentance to life .

Act s 11:18

In Pauls letter to the Romans, the apostledelineates the plight of man facing the terrible

judgments of a holy God. But nestled in thissevere argument we find this tender promise:

Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, for-bearance, and longsuffering, not knowing thatthe goodness of God leads you to repentance ?

Romans 2:4

When writing to his young protg, Timothy,Paul admonished him concerning soul-winningwith these words of wisdom:

24 And a servant of the Lord must not quarrelbut be gentle to all, able to teach, patient,

25 in humility correcting those who are in oppo-sition, if God perhaps will grant them repen-tance , so that they may know thetruth,

26 and that they may come to their senses andescape the snare of the devil, having beentaken captive by him to do his will.

2 Timot hy 2:24-26

Let me repeat: We cannot repent, but God cangrant us the ability to repent.

If we could truly and completely repent, wecould indeed save ourselves. We could turn our-selves around and head ourselves in the rightdirection. But we cannot do that. It requires the

grace of God. He must grant us repentance; Hemust lead us to repentance.

No one can come to Me unless the Fatherwho sent Me draws him.

John 6:44

The father with the demoniac son should beour model to help us to understand the right

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT First and foremost,baptism represents our response to Gods grace inour lives. It is a public demonstration of our will-ingness to identify with Christ and His Body theChurch.

For as many of you as were baptized into Christhave put on Christ.

Gal at ians 3:27

Although a private baptism ceremony issometimes expedient and always valid, the valueof public baptism can hardly be overstated. This isusually the first opportunity for new believers todeclare their allegiance to their new-found Savior.

The audience for this demonstration of identi-fication is vast. New believers are, in fact, makinga declaration of faith to four audiences.

To God they are saying, In response to thework of grace that has taken place in my life, I ampublicly avowing to You my allegiance and loyal-ty. You are my Savior and I take Your identity asmy own.

To the Church they are saying, I now ownmyself to be an integral part of the Body of Christ.

You are my brothers and sisters in the Lord. To the world they are saying, I am publicly

severing my ties to you and to your system of thought and manner of business. My life, my will,and my desires now belong to a higher authority.

To Satan they are saying, I hereby serve younotice that I belong to the Lord Jesus and His Church.I no longer have any part with you, and I confess thatyou no longer have dominion over my life.

This public acknowledgement is not anexpression of a wistful desire that these thingswill happen sometime in the future, but ratherthey are a firm declaration that they have already

happened by Gods grace!BURIAL Secondly, water baptism is declaredto be a specific symbol of identification, that of our spiritual connection with Christs atoningdeath.

Do you not know that as many of us as werebap-tized into Christ Jesus were baptized into Hisdeath? Therefore we were buried with Him

through baptism into death, that just as Christwas raised from thedead by theglory of theFather,even so wealso should walk in newness of life.

Romans 6:3-4

Christ Jesus lived the perfect life that we couldnever live, but we could never enjoy the benefitsof that perfect life until He offered it up for us indeath. He died the death that we all would havehad to face had we been left in our sins.

However, His life, death, burial and resurrec-tion were only precursors of spiritual realities inour own experiences. His suffering and deathwere vicarious, to be sure; but that does not meanthat they were remotely removed from us. Ratherthey are meaningful to us only when we followHim in His death, burial and resurrection.

Our death is a death to sin. The fact that everyfollower of Christ has died to sin is shown by hisbaptism. All its symbolism points to death. Thatthe subjects of baptism are partakers of his deathis shown by the form of baptism. It is a burial.

A burial implies death. If water baptism is trulya burial, then it must be that its subject has died.

The death does not take place simultaneously withthe burial; it occurs prior to the burial. Burial is justthe final resolution of the event of death.

Our death to sin does not take place becausewe are baptized. Rather we are baptized, orburied, because death to sin has already takenplace. That death occurred when we repented,which we have already discovered was not any-thing that we could do within ourselves it wasan act of the grace of God!

Not only do we follow Christ in His death andburial, however. We are also privileged to followhim in His resurrection. Thus Paul linked the bur-ial of water baptism with being raised from the

dead with Christ to walk in newness of life(Romans 6:4).

To be baptized into Christ means we haveentered into a vital union with Him in every aspectof His perfect life, atoning death, and glorious res-urrection!

CIRCUMCISION Finally, water baptism isshown to be an antitype of that Old Testament

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cumcised, or was it before he was circum-cised? The answer is that God accepted himfirst, and then he was circumcised later!

11The circumcision ceremony was a sign thatAbraham already had faith and that God hadalready accepted him and declared him to berighteous even before he was circumcised.

Romans 4:9-11 (nl t )

Water baptism, being the New Testamentequivalent of Old Testament circumcision, isthen clearly seen to be a celebration of the factthat Gods work of grace has already begun itseffectual work in the life of the believer. He hasmade us accepted in the Beloved, (Ephesians1:6), and water baptism is the symbol of that

tremendous truth!Water Baptism Thats Gods Part, Too!But someone may ask, Didnt Jesus say that

whoever believes and is baptized would besaved?

Of course He did.

He who believes and is baptized shall be saved;but he who does not believe will be condemned.

Mar k 16:16

The solemn truth of this Scripture, however, isthat unbelief, not lack of baptism, is the cause of condemnation. Throughout the teachings of theNew Testament, it is always faith apart fromworks of any kind that effects salvation.

In another passage, Peter used the story of Noahs deliverance from the flood as an antitypeof salvation.

The like figure whereunto even baptism dothalso now save us (not the putting away of the

filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good con-science toward God), by the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

1 Peter 3:21 (kjv)

Here again the point is being made that bap-tism is a celebration of the resurrection power of

Jesus Christ in the life of the believer. And just incase anyone should be inclined to think that he

was advocating some form of baptismal regener-ation, Peter added a parenthetical to explainexactly what the purpose of baptism is not theremoval of the filth of the flesh which is theconclusion that many of his Jewish hearers might

reach when they compared baptism to the theirwater purification rites but the answer of agood conscience toward God.

Think of it! Water baptism is an answer aresponse that we make toward God for His mar-velous work of grace in our lives. And yet even thisunderstanding falls far short of the depth of mean-ing in this word.

The word answer is translated from theGreek word eperotema {ep-er-o-tay-mah}which isused only this one time in the Bible. It can mean an

enquiry, a question, or a demand (which seemsexactly the opposite of the word answer, doesntit?). But it can also mean an earnest seeking, acraving, or an intense desire.

It is in this sense that the word is used. Whenwe submit to water baptism, it is indeed ourresponse to Gods grace, but if properly under-stood, it will never be entered into nonchalantly.Rather our attitude will be one of earnestly seekingand intensely desiring to express our willingness tofollow our Lord wherever He bids.

If anyone should adopt the attitude: Well, if baptism is not essential to salvation, then I think Ill

just pass, then it is a pretty good indication thatGods work of redemptive grace has not yet takenplace in that heart.

Dont you just cringe when someone tries to ini-tiate a debate over what is essential to salvation?Anymore when I am asked to address such an issue,my stock reply has become, I cant give you ananswer because I dont agree with your question!

Where did we ever get sidetracked trying to fig-ure out what the bare minimums should be concern-ing our participation in the grace that God has lav-ished toward us? What anemic spirit first fell prey tothis despicable ploy of Satan and then propagated itsfeeble offspring of unbelievers who sit around anddebate about the margins of grace?

How much more healthy is that full-bodied,affirmative response of those whose hearts are

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practically bursting with gratitude, who relishevery opportunity to say, Yes! to God, who savorwith delight his holy bidding!

What foolishness then to say that baptism is thepreachers part. It has nothing to do with the fella

whos doing the dunking. It has everything to do

with me and my God, with you and your God!And ITS ALL OF GRACE!In the next segment, well conclude this series

by examining how Gods grace is exhibitedthrough the outpouring of His Holy Spirit into

our lives.

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Part 3 Baptism in the Holy Spiriton the grace of God will

conclude our examination of the overly simplisticand erroneous adage:

Repentance thats mans part.Water Baptism thats the preachers part.Holy Ghost Infilling thats Gods part!

In the first article we observed that althoughrepentance is a mandate that we are totally inca-pable of fulfilling, the grace of God, provides forour inadequacy. God gives repentance (Acts5:31), He grants repentance (Acts 11:18, 2

Timothy 2:25), and His goodness leads torepentance (Romans 2:4). Thus we concluded:

Repentance Thats Gods Part!In the second article we examined some issues

regarding water baptism, and here, too, we dis-covered that the emphasis must always be placedon Gods provision and not on our participation.Our actions are simply a response to His provi-sion of grace; they are never a prerequisite to Hisgrace. Thus we concluded:

Water Baptism Thats Gods Part, Too!

This final article will focus on that dynamicprovision of God for our lives that should be thenormative experience of every believer theinfilling of the Holy Spirit.

David Cook, President of International BibleCollege in San Antonio, Texas, says that whenasked by someone, Are you Spirit-filled? hisstandard reply is: Sometimes!

His point is that the infilling of the Holy Spiritis not some once in a lifetime event that, onceexperienced, becomes some static milestone upon

which we hang eternal hope. Rather, it is adynamic, on-going encounter with God that isfrequently renewed in order to enable us to fulfillthe purposes of God in our lives.

It is interesting that the same group of disci-ples that participated in the Pentecostal experi-ence in Acts, chapter two, are found repeatingthat episode in Acts, chapter four.

And when they had prayed, the place wherethey were assembled together was shaken; andthey were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and

they spoke the word of God with boldness. Acts 4:31

Just as we can be guilty of minimizing the planof God by debating the margins of grace regard-ing the subject of water baptism (as we discussed inthe last issue), so can we also trivialize the provisionof Spirit infilling by asking such questions as, Is itnecessary to receive the Holy Ghost?

Receiving Gods Spirit is not something youvegot to do its something you get to do!

When we more fully understand why God hasmade this glorious provision available to us, we willnever waste our time quibbling over its necessity.

There are at least four purposes of the infillingof the Holy Spirit in our lives.

SensationI hesitate to use this word at all in reference to

the Holy Spirit for two reasons. First is the variedmeanings poured into this word, most of whichcarry the connotations of superfluity, emotional-

ism, or even carnality. To make the point, I foundthat its synonyms in the thesaurus includedwords like uproar, brouhaha, stir, phenomenon,wonder, marvel, and stunner.

Second is the overemphasis on this aspect of Spirit infilling in times past which led to excessesthat brought no honor to the Kingdom of God.

Yet when used in its most technical sense, I canfind no other word which conveys the meaning thatI want to project. This technical sense of sensationis defined as the faculty to feel or perceive.

Throughout Church history the understand-ing of the role of the Holy Spirit in the loves of believers has been plagued by the twin evils of scholasticism and mysticism. It is to combat theerrors brought about by scholasticism that I wishto employ the word sensation, understandingall the while that I run the risk of drifting towardthe other extreme, mysticism.

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In the account in Acts, chapter four, which wehave already addressed, notice the reason that thedisciples prayed for a fresh infilling of the Spirit:

...and grant to Your servants that with all bold-ness they may speak Your word...

Acts 4:29

Earlier in that same chapter, when the apostleshad to face the rulers, elders, and scribes, they foundthe courage to speak boldly because of the Spirit:

Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said... Acts 4:8

Paul faced down the sorcerer Elymas by thesame power.

Then Saul, who also is called Paul, filled with theHoly Spirit, looked intently at him and said, Ofull of all deceit and all fraud, you son of the devil,you enemy of all righteousness, will you notceaseperverting thestraight ways of theLord?

Act s 13:9-10

Even when the early Church assigned the job of waiting on tables, they relied on the power of the Spirit.

Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you sevenmen of good reputation, full of theHoly Spirit andwisdom, whom wemay appoint over this business.

Acts 6:3

Gods grace should be understood in abroader sense than simply the favor whichone receives without any merit of onesown or the economy of divine gracewhereby we receive forgiveness based on the

finished work of Christ. It is also thatsupernatural working of the Holy Spirit that:a) enables us to be what we were created tobe, and b) empowers us to do what we havebeen called to do.

In this sense, the word grace is more averb than it is a noun. The Holy Spirit hasbeen given to us in order to grace our l iveswith power for service in the Kingdom.

Of the three statements with which webegan this series of articles, only one...

Holy Ghost Infilling thats Gods part!

...is even remotely close to the truth. Yetisnt it interesting that in our resolute driveto change Gods plan of grace to a system of works, so many have made even this a thingof striving. How many have I seen (and, yes,myself included) who have been guilty of begging God for the Holy Ghost or trying towork it up or pray it down when the

Scriptures plainly declare that the HolySpirit is a gift.ITS ALL OF GRACE!

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Appendix A Letter from Pastor BoydDecember 30, 1998

Dear Bro. Grady Brown,

Greetings in the most Holy Name Jesus!I write this letter with some serious confusion, perhaps misunderstanding of where we stand as a organ-ization on salvational doctrine.

I will admit with gladness that my viewpoints in some areas of scriptures has changed as God has dealtwith me about them. But I am also concerned that GNCM has in some cases drifted from one extremeto the other.

I certainly agree with you that in the past our emphasis has perhaps been more on works than godsgrace.

Allow me in the following paragraphs, to present to you my feelings and concerns, and see if our con-

sensus is the same.It concerns me that you would write an article on water baptism, approximately 2,221 word long,excluding the scripture quotes, and you would make no direct mention of the : 1. (Name of Jesus), 2.(Remission of Sins), 3. (The Blood of Jesus). Am I missing something? Is Acts 2:38 still necessary? Wouldyou please explain to me what Jesus meant when he told Nicodemus, (Except a man be born of waterand Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.)

I agree with you the the Bible is pretty clear that salvation is by faith in Gods grace, which allows forthe enablement of works - Ja. 2:14, 17, do you agree?

On page 9 about the (essentials to salvation), I would like to know what the question is that you can giveme an answer to regarding essentials.

On page 10, it is obvious that in water baptism, the water, the blood of Jesus, and the Spirit are the mostimportant ingredients. I would like to hear your thoughts on what needs to be said, if anything, duringwater baptism, and do you feel the preacher is necessary at all?

I hope you do not feel that I am trying to be argumentive. I am searching for Biblical answers to ques-tions such as (what does it take to be in the body of Christ)?

I will be eagerly awaiting your explanations and answers.

With Christian Sincerity,

Bro. Jerry Boyd

Las Vegas, Nevada

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Appendix B Reply to Pastor Boyd January 6, 1999

Dear Pastor Boyd,

Greetings in the Name that is above every name! Thank you for your letter, and thanks even more for the sweet Christian spirit with which it was sent. Iknew when I wrote this article that it would raise some question. However, my intent was not just to becontroversial and to see what kind of ruckus I could stir up. Rather I wanted to try to express the over-whelming sense of awe that has enveloped me over the past 20 years as I have revisited basic doctrinaltruths and found in them depths of understanding that I was never aware of when I was a part of myprevious legalistic religious environment. I will attempt to answer each of your questions.

Before I address your questions, however, let me make the following disclaimer. In your first paragraph,you speak of confusion and misunderstanding concerning exactly where we stand as an organi-zation on salvational doctrine. Let me begin by saying that I am not an official spokesperson for

GNCM nor any other of the several organizations to which I belong. My newsletter is only a toolthrough which I have tried to promote my personal teaching ministry. I send my journal to GNCMsmailing list, but GNCM does not endorse me nor is it responsible for any views that I express there.

Having said that, however, let me also make the following observation, based on my extensive exposureto the preachers and churches associated with GNCM: Unlike the United Pentecostal Church, which isthe common background that many of us share, GNCM is not monolithic doctrinally, nor does it intendto be or desire to be. At least that is the message I have gleaned from the statements of its leaders. Infact, the liberty to express myself openly and not be expected to line up with an official stand on anygiven topic is the primary reason that I am a part of GNCM. When GNCM becomes more restrictivethan that, I will no longer be a part of it. Thats the reason I left the UPC. In GNCM one can find a vastgamut of doctrinal positions along with a healthy environment for discussing them. There are some inGNCM who still hold to the plan of salvation as was taught in the UPC. There are others, like myself,who have arrived at different conclusions.

Regarding your concern that I would write such a lengthy article and never make direct mention of the1) Name of Jesus, 2) Remission of Sins, 3) Blood of J esus Please remember that the theme of this seriesof articles which I am presenting in the newsletter is the Grace of God. This article was written to showhow water baptism relates to this lavish outpouring of Gods grace. It was not intended to be a doctri-nal statement, nor did I think of it as an exhaustive treatment of the subject. There are a myriad of aspects of this vitally important subject which I did not address in my article.

What bothered me about the stance of my former religious affiliation was the expectation that any timea particular doctrinal issue was addressed, certain words, phrases, or concepts has to be explicitly reit-erated. Consequently, the literature of the UPC became a diatribe of the same handful of observationsrepeated ad finitum, ad nauseum .

The end result was that there was no growth theologically in the movement. In fact, as the years wentby, the acceptable expressions became narrower and narrower. I ask you, do we have to mention thatwater baptism should be administered in the Name of Jesus every time we address the subject? Are weso insecure in our position that we become anxious unless certain creedal phrases are used each time weopen our mouths? When I expand upon the theology underlying my doctrinal positions, I do not want

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efficacious. What if a person in genuine faith and repentance were to be baptized by a preacher livingin secret sin? Would that invalidate that persons baptism? Would he need to be re-baptized by a holi-er preacher? I think not!

Where did we get the idea that baptism had to be administered by a clergyman anyway? I like the prac-tice of some groups who encourage the one who led that person to the Lord to also baptize them!

The second item, REMISSION OF SINS, is equally interesting, and my response will also address yourquestion, I s Acts 2:38 still necessary? Remission simply means forgiveness, although growing up inthe UPC I was taught there was a difference. There is not a difference. Furthermore, I do not believe thatsins are forgiven at baptism. Sins are forgiven at repentance.

The misunderstanding concerning the message of Acts 2:38 stems in part from the word for whichtranslates from the Greek preposition eis, pronounced ice, and which can mean into, unto, to,towards, for, among, or because of. Its meaning is determined by the context in which it is found. Anyof these translations is valid, and Acts 2:38 is one of those cases where what you believe will dictate howyou translate the passage. I believe that baptism is a celebration of the work of salvation that has alreadybeen accomplished in the life of the believer; therefore, my choice of words naturally would be, Repent,and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ BECAUSE OF the remission of sins; andyou will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Now obviously, we cannot just pick and choose what we think the Scriptures mean. I derive my under-standing from what seems to be the clear teaching of the rest of Scripture. That affects my understand-ing of Acts 2:38, not the other way around, where I let one verse overpower everything else the Biblesays on the subject, which is what I feel most Apostolic Pentecostals do.

A quote from Strongs Greek Lexicon might help here:

For (as used in Acts 2:38 for the forgiveness) could have two meanings. If you saw a poster sayingJesse James wanted for robbery, for could mean Jesse is wanted so he can commit a robbery, or is want-

ed because he has committed a robbery. The latter sense is the correct one. So, too, in this passage, theword for signifies an action in the past. Otherwise, it would violate the entire tenor of the NT teachingon salvation by grace and not by works.

The third item, THE BLOOD OF JESUS, has been a controversial issue for years. The controversy is usu-ally expressed in he question, When is the blood applied? I was taught in the UPC that the blood wasapplied at water baptism.

I can remember when I was a kid and we would gather down on the sandbar beside Caney Creek for abaptismal service. The congregation would sing the old hymn, Glory to His Name, in its entirety, andthen we would repeat the chorus as each baptismal candidate came up out of the water. The key phrasewas : there to my heart was the blood applied, glory to His name. And so in the song we thought wewere reiterating our doctrinal position, that the blood was applied in the waters of baptism. I dont thinkanybody ever paid any attention to what the song really said:

Down at the cross where my Savior died, There where for cleansing from sin I cried, There to my heart was the blood applied,Glory to His name.

The song was proclaiming that the blood was applied at the cross, at the place of death.

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ested in knowing what it takes in order for me to just make it in.

The Bible teaches that personal requirements vary from individual to individual:

And that servant who knew his masters will, and did not prepare himself or do according to his will, shallbe beaten with MANY STRIPES. But he who did not know, yet committed things deserving of stripes, shall

be beaten with FEW. For EVERYONE TO WHOM MUCH IS GIVEN, FROM HIM MUCH WILL BEREQUIRED; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more (Luke 12:47-48).

It also varies with giftings and callings:

My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment(James 3:1).

The only answer I can give to this question, when pressed, is:

For by GRACE you have been saved through FAITH, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,not of works, lest anyone should boast (Ephesians 2:8-9).

What does it take to be in the Body of Christ? I, too, wrestled with this question years ago as I triedto reconcile what I had been taught with what I was observing God doing in the earth. Over and over Iwas brought into contact with people from streams of Christianity quite different from my background.(Ironically, most of these encounters came about in workshops and conferences to which I was sent bythe UPC in the course of my work at headquarters!)

I found that I could not deny the validity of the walk with God that these precious people possessed. Atfirst I approached these encounters with a very superior attitude (after all, we were the only ones whohad the truth, right?). Yet I soon realized that in many areas these precious people were miles ahead of me in spirituality and maturity. Who was I to try to disqualify those whom God had obviously chosen!?!

Thus began my spiritual quest that eventually led me to leave the UPC. I now enjoy the rich fellowshipof the greater Body of Christ and find myself working in tandem with people from a number of groupsthat 25 years ago I would not have even considered to be saved (Church of God, Baptists, Presbyterians,

Trinitarian Pentecostals, Campus Crusaders, the Navigators, the Vineyard, and even the Church of Christ and the Worldwide Church of God).

I have been relieved of the responsibility of having to figure out whos saved and whos not. Obviously,there are people in each of these groups who arent, just as there are many in the UPC who arent, and(heaven help us!) even in GNCM who arent. The beautiful thing is: I dont have to figure out whoswho! All I have to do is follow the leading of the Lord in my life, and when that leading brings me intocontact with those who are not of my stripe, be diligent not to foul up what God is doing with a sec-tarian, judgmental attitude.

What has been exciting for me is to see how God is working this same miracle of grace in other denom-inations. They, too, are experiencing the tug of the Holy Spirit drawing them away from their doctrinaland traditional citadels and toward the other members of the Body of Christ from varied streams of Christianity. So here we are all meeting out here in middle, bringing our varied perspectives and gift-ings to the table. Praise God! What a rich fellowship it is! How my heart leaps when I hear a SouthernBaptist confessing to me that he now considers himself to be a Bapticostal!

We always thought everyone else would abandon their traditions and embrace ours. What utter arro-gance! What is happening is that God is sovereignly tearing down the middle walls of partition and tear-

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ing down everybodys little traditional playhouses in the process!

Do I ever encounter things with which I dont agree? Of course. But so did I when I was in the UPC, andso do I today in GNCM and the other groups with whom I am affiliated. If it is egregious error, I dis-tance myself from it. If it is a trivial matter, I overlook it. But in NO instance do I fight it with the self-righteous attitude I once had.

Thank you again, my brother, for writing to me. To have someone read my material and disagree is bet-ter than being ignored. I appreciate you concerns, and the last thing I would ever want to be is a dis-ruption to the Body of Christ. In spite of our differences, we need each other no, let me rephrase that:BECAUSE OF OUR DIFFERENCES, we need each other!

I look forward to meeting you in person. When Wayne Law visited your church, he returned with sucha good report. Please keep me in your prayers as you are in mine.

Yours because His,

Grady Brown

brown, grady—it’s all of grace!

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