What are you? One stepper or Three stepper

[berkeley]

Originally Posted by Sarah

When the people heard the gospel on the day of Pentecost, and were convicted asked the question of Peter and the Apostles, 'what shall we do'........Peter told them to repent, be baptized in the name of Jesus, and receive the Holy Ghost.

I don't think I have the authority to change the answer. It's just as important (and simple) as it was back then.

He didn't command them to receive the HG. He said they would receive Him.

[1Corinth2v4]

[El Apostolico]

I'm a 2.5 stepper :-P (I feel like a 4.5 Calvinist with this!)

I believe you need to repent/faith, and be baptized in Jesus name for salvation. I also believe that the Holy Spirit must be inside of you, for you to be saved, and is already inside of you working when you have faith and are baptized. For only the Holy Spirit can change people. But I do not believe that you need to speak in tongues for salvation. I do affirm that the Baptism of the Holy Spirit with the initial evidence of speaking in tongues is essential to the Christian, everyone must be baptized with the Spirit before they depart this World, Spirit baptism is crucial for Sanctification. Without the Baptism in the Spirit your Spiritual Growth is stunted and as such to grow as a Christian and to "Be Holy, as I am Holy" is limited.

This is the majority stance of the Apostolic Church in Mexico and is probably fifty percent of that of the Apostolic Assembly (Full Three Stepper-ism is huge in the Assembly with those ministers who fellowship more or have more UPCI influence).

P.S. Though 3 Stepperism can never be found in the early patriarchs of the Assembly or the Church. Men like Antonio C. Nava, Felipe Rivas, Leonardo Sepulveda, Maclovio Gaxiola, Jose Ortega, Marcial de la Cruz would probably be safely where I stand (or I probably stand where they stood :-p). And so I only stand on the shoulders of great men, and they stood on the cornerstone, our Lord Jesus Christ.

[bkstokes]

Originally Posted by 1Corinth2v4

This is a surprise. Very few 3 steppers that I know support Obama.

[Scott Hutchinson]

To the dismay of some of my friends,I still say three.

[Antipas]

Originally Posted by TRFrance

Not at all. You're erroneously blending two different issues here.

Although both say they believe in Acts 2:38, the one-stepper position says that one is saved after repentance....while the 3-stepper does not believe that repentance alone accomplishes Bible salvation. In a nutshell, that is the key distinction between the two sides.

But just because a 3-stepper leaves all final decisions in God's hands, allows for the possibility that God may choose to make individual exceptions according to his will, and chooses not to "condemn people to certain damnation", that does NOT mean he is advocating "essentially the one stepper position".

A three stepper believes that all three steps are an absolute MUST for salvation. No exceptions to the rule. I know, I was first saved in a solid three stepper church. No allowance for ANYTHING outside of FULL Acts 2:38 salvation.

However, if you feel that all three steps are expected of the believer, but that God CAN and perhaps HAS saved people after sincerely repenting....then you are essentially a one stepper, meaning one step is all that is absolutely necessary for God to save according to his sovereign grace and mercy.

You can't have it both ways.

[Antipas]

Originally Posted by Sarah

When the people heard the gospel on the day of Pentecost, and were convicted asked the question of Peter and the Apostles, 'what shall we do'........Peter told them to repent, be baptized in the name of Jesus, and receive the Holy Ghost.

I don't think I have the authority to change the answer. It's just as important (and simple) as it was back then.

Looking at the Greek is valuable. The Greek seems to indicate that Peter's primary answer was that they repent. All else was secondary.

[freeatlast]

Originally Posted by Antipas

A three stepper believes that all three steps are an absolute MUST for salvation. No exceptions to the rule. I know, I was first saved in a solid three stepper church. No allowance for ANYTHING outside of FULL Acts 2:38 salvation.

However, if you feel that all three steps are expected of the believer, but that God CAN and perhaps HAS saved people after sincerely repenting....then you are essentially a one stepper, meaning one step is all that is absolutely necessary for God to save according to his sovereign grace and mercy.

You can't have it both ways.

A real three stepper believes that if you ain't us you are lost. ALL other faiths will burn.

That is the veiw of the UPC articles of faith if you read them.

[Sam]

Originally Posted by freeatlast

A real three stepper believes that if you ain't us you are lost. ALL other faiths will burn.

That is the veiw of the UPC articles of faith if you read them.

But not the faith of the Gen. Supt. nor of many of the Bible School trained preachers.

[bkstokes]

Originally Posted by Sam

But not the faith of the Gen. Supt. nor of many of the Bible School trained preachers.

Seagraves definately doesn't believe how the manual puts it.