Okay, then, based on the passages that were given, which was my argument:
Acts 16:31 states, "And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house."
Romans 10:9 states, "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
how is it "in accordance with the word" that:
"we should come to "Almighty" God the Father, and confess to Him that we are a sinner and acknowledge to Him that we need His Son Jesus as Lord and Savior and would desire Jesus to come into our life in order for our sins to be forgive," and that 'We should also ask God for His Holy Spirit to sanctify (cleanse) us from our sins and place us in the "body of Christ" so that we can be "born-again Spiritually", and become a "child of God"'"?
Where is any of the above stated in those passages? Don't those passages just say that we need to "believe on the Lord Jesus Christ" and believe that God raised him from the dead?
Free, just to add a few points of interest relating to the subject at hand. In Luke 11:13 it states, "If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him? There's a direct verse that relates to man, "asking for the Holy Spirit."
In John 3:1-8 decries the "necessity" of being, "born-again by the Spirit." John 3:5 speaks of, "being born of water and the Spirit." Water represents the physical birth by which the Mother's "water" breaks" and the baby comes forth. The "Spiritual birth" is the work of the Holy Spirit. Which happens after we hear the word of our salvation, place our faith in Christ as Lord and Savior, and the Spirit "cleanses" us and we become a member of the "Body of Christ" and a "child of God." This is a part of the work of the Holy Spirit...After being "born again Spiritually" God's goal is, for us to become "conformed to the image of His Son." The Spirit is there to help us, not only to bring forth the fruits/good works, but to help us "repent" of our old sins, and to make us realize we are "dead to sin" and "alive to the will of God." 2 Corinthians 5:17---"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new."
We must and will as believer's "continue" to confess Jesus as Lord, before the world, Matthew 10:13--"Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven."
I see nothing wrong with, after we have believed, and been saved, that we come before God and confess His Son as our Lord and that we are "certainly a sinner, saved only by His Grace through the work of Christ His Son..."
Although salvation be "a work done within the heart," confession is necessary before the world, and I believe, respectfully, before God Himself and His Son and the Holy Spirit...1 John 1:9 states, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." Romans 10:9 states, "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." A true "born-again" believer "will" show forth the "fruits/good works" influenced by the, Holy Spirit in the believers life... It's truly "not" just a few words said (by you or I) at a revival, camp meeting, church outreach, words spoken out of a track. It's a "lifetime" commitment to the God of the universe... As Billy Graham used to say, "count the cost" When you place your faith in Christ as Lord of your life, that is truly the "most important" commitment you'll make in your entire life...You don't receive Christ and then spend the rest of your life like the devil, it doesn't work that way...You will have to sacrifice the sinful passions you used to cherish... Your going to have to start speaking differently, acting differently, thinking differently. Now your body is "the temple of the Holy Spirit...1 Corinthians 6:19---What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? We were "bought" with a price, that being, the shed blood of the Son of God...Count the cost, before you place your faith in Christ...The Spirit will help you to live as you ought, but, we still have our "sinful bodies" that will sin. But, those sins ought not to turn into a "lifestyle" if we are "truly born again by the Spirit of God. Jesus, told Nicodemus you "must' be born again, and that's true for everyone who places their faith in the Son of God...
