THE CHRISTIAN CHURCHES and CHURCHES OF CHRIST
Christian Military Fellowship
Fred's Facts 5 |
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THE CHRISTIAN CHURCHES and CHURCHES OF CHRISTChristian Military Fellowship
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Fred's Facts includes Bible studies, Christian history studies, and hopefully provocative discussion of Bible-based subjects of interest to servicemen and women. This page also includes offers of free Bible study materials and will include many other features, as we develop them in the months ahead. Feedback on these studies from our readers is encouraged! Also, suggestions from readers on subjects to be included in these studies and discusssions are welcome. Messages should be sent to Fred at cmf@cncnet.com! Following is our fifth study: |
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There is probably not a more controversial subject in the Church today than the issue of how men and women come to be saved. Some say we are saved by faith, while others will say we are saved by God's grace. Others will say that faith without works is dead. Still others will say that we are saved by confession, repentance, and/or baptism. Theologians have been debating this issue for nearly 2000 years and there is no sign of an end to this argument in sight. It's not that the Bible isn't clear on the subject of Salvation. In fact, it could not be clearer. The problem is that man's opinions about Salvation have for the most part replaced the Bible's words about Salvation. Each denomination passes on its human opinions from one generation to the next and few people ever sit down and study with an open mind what the Bible really says on Salvation. It is my contention that there is a very clear, easy to understand Plan of Salvation described in the New Testament which anyone willing to let the Bible's words speak directly to him or her will be able to understand. All it requires is an open mind and the willingness to search all the Scriptures in the New Testament which have a bearing on this subject. |
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First, one must understand that no single sentence or passage in the Bible can be assumed to contain all the Bible's important information on a single subject. God spoke to mankind at different times by different spokesmen for different reasons. In the New Testament, He spoke to us via Paul, Peter, James, Jude, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John over a period of about 50 years. Each writer was led by the Holy Spirit to communicate certain points to an intended audience for a particular reason. No New Testament writer was attempting to say everything that there was to say about a particular subject. It is typical of human communication that we put added emphasis on any portion of a subject that we feel is vital to those receiving our communication. If Paul, for example, was writing to Christians who were incorrectly depending on good deeds to get them into heaven, it would be natural for him to emphasize faith in God as being important for their salvation (Rom 3:22). And James, writing to Christians whose faith hadn't produced any good deeds, would naturally be expected to say, "As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead" (James 2:26). Therefore, it is necessary to examine any sentence in the New Testament in the context of what the Holy Spirit (through the chosen writer) was saying in the entire book on the same subject as that sentence. And, it is also necessary to examine every other passage in the New Testament by the same writer and other writers on the same subject as the sentence we are trying to interpret. Only by approaching every subject in that way can we confidently say that we have examined everything that God wanted to communicate to mankind on that subject. |
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At the birth of the Church, Peter responded to cries from a crowd frightened because he had told them they had crucified the Messiah (Acts 2:36). They cried out, "Brothers, what shall we do?" It is clear that Peter's preaching had convinced them that Jesus was the Messiah---the Savior they had been waiting for. Peter's response was, "Repent and be baptized everyone of you, in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven." Peter's words make it abundantly clear that, if his audience wanted to be saved from their sins, they needed to Repent AND be Baptized. Note that the text does NOT say, "Repent, so your sins may be forgiven and, by the way, be baptized, too." The eight most widely regarded English translations ALL connect "Repent" and "be baptized" with "AND." Thus, Salvation clearly REQUIRES that one Repent AND be Baptized! One might reasonably ask, "Why didn't Peter mention faith in Jesus?" The answer is found in the verses immediately preceding Acts 2:38. In verse 36 Peter had told them they had crucified the Christ. Verse 37 says, "When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?" Their response makes it clear that they now had Faith in Jesus. Peter didn't tell them to have Faith because they already had it! |
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Jesus appeared to His disciples and told them (Mark 16:15-16), "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned." Note that Jesus says Salvation REQUIRES Faith AND Baptism. He DOESN'T say Faith ONLY. The fact that Repentance is not mentioned is not a problem---since it is frequently mentioned as a condition of Salvation in OTHER passages of Scripture. Matt. 28:16-20 also records a post-resurrection appearance of Jesus to His disciples. He said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you." The marching orders for the Apostles was to "make disciples" and part of "making a disciple" was "baptizing them." Is there anyone who would suggest that one could be a disciple of Jesus and NOT be saved? This verse clearly indicates that Baptism is part of the Salvation process. These passages make it abundantly clear that Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and Baptism into His name are basic requirements of becoming a Christian and obtaining Salvation. And they make it clear that NEITHER Faith NOR Baptism BY THEMSELVES qualify anyone for Salvation! |
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Jesus told Nicodemus (verse 3), "I tell you the truth, unless a man is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." Nicodemus responded, "How can a man be born when he is old? Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb to be born?" And Jesus replied (verse 5), "I tell you the truth, unless a man is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God." Nearly all scholars agree that "born of water" is a reference to baptism and that "and the Spirit" is a reference to the spiritual renewal which takes place within a person when he or she comes to Faith in Jesus, Repents, is baptized into Jesus, and receives "the gift of the Holy Spirit" promised in Acts 2:38. Thus Baptism AND a change of heart (the result of Faith and Repentance) are BOTH requirements for Salvation! John 3:16-18 says, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son." These three verses make it absolutely clear that Faith is ESSENTIAL for Salvation. Though no other requirements for Salvation are mentioned in these verses, that doesn't mean they don't exist! Just ll verses earlier, while speaking to the same Nicodemus, Jesus made it clear that Baptism is ALSO ESSENTIAL for Salvation (verse 5)! So the overall impact of the total Nicodemus passage is that Faith, a change of heart (Repentance), and Baptism ARE ALL ESSENTIAL for Salvation! |
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Romans 6:3-4 says, "Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized unto his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life." Again, Baptism is a clear requirement for Salvation and eternal life with Jesus! Galatians 3:26-27 reads, "You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have been clothed with Christ." Once again, Faith and Baptism are inseparably tied together as requirements for Salvation. We are "sons of God" and "clothed with Christ" because of our Faith AND our Baptism. It is clear from this text that, if we don't have Faith, we are NOT "sons of God." It is EQUALLY clear from the text that, if we are NOT baptized, then we are NOT "clothed with Christ!" Romans 10:8-10 says, "But what does it say? 'The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,' that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: That if you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved." Here we are told that we are saved by BOTH our Faith AND by our Confession of our Faith in Jesus! Titus 3:4-5 reads, "But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life." In this passage it is clear that we are saved BOTH by God's Grace AND by Baptism! Romans 3:22-24 says, "This righteousness from god comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus." Here we see that we are saved by Faith in Jesus, but that we are also saved by God's FREE gift of Grace. How do we reconcile this? By understanding that we are saved by God's Grace, but that salvation is granted on the CONDITION that we have Faith in Jesus Christ! |
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The Scriptures we have studied make one thing absolutely clear. We are NOT saved by Faith ALONE, or by Repentance ALONE, or by Confession ALONE, or by Baptism ALONE. But we are, in fact, saved by ALL OF THEM TOGETHER! They are clearly ALL part of an INSEPARABLE package, which we can call God's Plan of Salvation. If we comply with that plan, we can be assured that we WILL be saved to spend an enternity with our Lord Jesus Christ in a glorious heaven! However, it CAN be said that we are saved ENTIRELY by God's Grace. It is because God loved mankind so much, that He devised his Plan of Salvation, the centerpiece of which was the sending of His Son, Jesus, to die on the cross in OUR place for OUR sins. But God's gift of Grace IS CONDITIONAL. He offers us this free gift ON THE CONDITION that we (1) have Faith in Jesus, (2) Repent of our sins, (3) Confess our Faith, and (4) are Baptized into Jesus! If we comply with this Plan of Salvation, then we know that our Salvation is SURE! |
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| Fred invites you to send him some feedback about this Bible Study. Did you agree with the conclusion? Is another conclusion more appropriate, in your opinion? Did you find this Bible study useful? Did it provide you information you didn't already possess? What additional information would you have liked to have seen included? Will you continue to read future studies? Comments and questions may be sent to Fred at PO Box 2408, Oroville, CA 95965, or E-mailed to cmf@cncnet.com. |