The question of whether one is required to obey the gospel or not in order to be saved is one about which men have argued for hundreds of years, and about which they continue to argue! Yet, for all of the arguments, the answer is easily found: Yes! Search the Scriptures. To the law and to the testimony... We must look beyond our prejudices and our ancestors and our feelings to the Word, the Bible. When we look at it, we see plainly that men are required to 1) hear the truth; 2) believe it; 3) repent of sins; 4) confess faith in Christ; 5) be properly immersed; and, 6) remain faithful even to the point of death. It is our purpose in the task at hand to demonstrate the necessity of each of these things by appealing to the Scriptures. We are aware of the fact that most of the world does not agree with these points, and we are further aware of some of them who have gone out from among us who no longer accept these truths. This is sad, tragic -- but irrelevant. Our purpose is to seek and obey the Will of the Lord. Will you not join us in this quest?
I. IN ORDER TO BE SAVED, ONE MUST FIRST HEAR THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST PREACHED.
On the birthday of the Lord's church, the inspired apostles appealed to the listeners to hear the gospel -- "Ye men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you..." (Acts 2:22). Before they could do anything about the Lord, either for or against Him, they had to hear His Word preached. Can one believe without hearing? If so, how? How would they know what (Who) to accept or what (Who) not to accept? Can one do anything about Jesus who has never heard of Him? The prophets understood and foretold the necessity of hearing the gospel preached, "For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you. And it shall come to pass, that every soul, which will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people" (Acts 3:22-23).
Does it not stand to reason that if one will not hear the gospel, he cannot enjoy its benefits? Consider the case of Cornelius, a man living in the miraculous age, and yet when he needed salvation what did he do? "And they said, Cornelius the centurion, a just man, and one that feareth God, and of good report among all the nation of the Jews, was warned from God by an holy angel to send for thee into his house, and to hear words of thee...Now therefore are we all here present before God, to hear all things that are commanded thee of God" (Acts 10:22; 33).
God told Cornelius through an angel to send for a preacher. Why? Because he needed to hear. Could he not have just sat down with the New Testament and read it for himself? No, it was not written. Could he not have just asked the angel about it? You might think so, but again: NO! God told him to send for a preacher to tell him words... We should imitate Sergius Paulus who "...called for Barnabas and Saul, and desired to hear the word of God" (Acts 13:7). We should imitate (in this respect) the city of old: "And the next sabbath day came almost the whole city together to hear the word of God" (Acts 13:44).
We recall the words of Peter to the Jerusalem Conference: "And when there had been much disputing, Peter rose up and said unto them, Men and brethren, ye know how that a good while ago God made choice among us, that the Gentiles by my mouth should hear the word of the gospel, and believe" (Acts 15:7). How do we learn of God? "And he said, The God of our fathers hath chosen thee, that thou shouldest know his will, and see that Just One, and shouldest hear the voice of his mouth" (Acts 22:14).
The basic argument on this point is made by Paul to the Romans: "How 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" (Romans 10:14-15).
We can do nothing about the gospel unless we first hear it. On the mount of Transfiguration God said: "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him" (Matthew 17:5).
The notion that one may be saved without first hearing the gospel is foreign to the Scriptures. Men teach that God sends them angels or dreams signs or whatever else they please, but the New Testament does not support them in this. We must all be taught of God (John 6:44-45). That teaching comes from the Scriptures. It is imperative also to note that the thing we must hear is the gospel, not a perversion thereof. There are many false "gospels" in the world (cf., Galatians 1:6-9), but they will not save. We must be taught the truth (John 8:32); believe the truth (Hebrews 11:6); and obey the truth (Hebrews 5:8-9). The truth saves (James 1:21). Have you heard the truth?
II. IN ORDER TO BE SAVED, ONE MUST BELIEVE THE GOSPEL.
Having heard the truth, what good will it do us if we reject it? By such a rejection would not one be saying to God, "You are a false witness"? Paul wrote, "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. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation" (Romans 10:9-10).
Some say that all we must believe is that Jesus is God's Son, nothing more. But if that is the case, are we at liberty to reject other truth? Is it the case that we can "believe in Jesus" alone, and reject the necessity of baptism, the importance of the church, the inspiration of the Bible, etc. and still please God? Does not this undercut the strength of the record whence we learn of the Sonship of Jesus? Can we say, "God, you told the truth on Jesus, but I do not accept the remaining things..." and not sin in so doing?
Jesus said, "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16). (NOTE: If your Bible renders "should not perish..." as "shall not perish...", your Bible has misled the reading public. It says "should" in reliable versions).
Believing in Him we should not perish, but why? If we believe what Jesus represents to us as truth, will we not act in accordance with it? Will we not do what He commands and abstain from what He forbids? Having heard, belief (faith) is the next logical step. Having believed, obedience is the next logical step. When Jesus sent the apostles out, he bade them: "Go, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned" (Mark 16:15-16). Belief (faith), then, is required before one is saved. It is not the only requirement (here or elsewhere), but it is a requirement. It clearly stood between this man (of Mark 16) and his being saved.
Paul wrote, "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them" (Ephesians 2:8-10). Faith stands between the alien sinner and his salvation. God's part in our salvation is grace, our part is faith, and this faith moves us to action. Before the Ethiopian eunuch could be saved, he had to believe: "If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest" (Acts 8:37). Hear again the Bible: "And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses" (Acts 13:39). Paul wrote, "For it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe" (I Corinthians 1:21).
It must be noted that, whereas faith is essential to salvation, faith alone will not save a man. The doctrine of "faith only salvation" is widely held and taught by men today, but it is wrong. Hear James, in the only instance from Genesis to Revelation wherein the words "faith" and "only" appear in that order in the Bible: "Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only" (James 2:24). The only time "faith only" is discussed in the Bible, and God says "not by..." in front of it! We must act on our faith for it to avail its intended result.
III. IN ORDER TO BE SAVED, ONE MUST REPENT OF SINS.
Repentance was the message of preparation for the coming kingdom: "And saying, Repent ye, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matthew 3:2). Those were the words of John the immerser, spoken to prepare the world for the coming of the ministry of Jesus. Jesus had the same message: "From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matthew 4:17).
Repentance means that one has done wrong and after realized the wrong and effected the necessary changes to bring oneself into compliance with the teachings of the Lord. If we have been walking in sin, we repent when we realize our mistake and take steps to correct it. The apostles knew the necessity thereof: "And they went out, and preached that men should repent" (Mark 6:12). Jesus commanded it: "I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish...I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish" (Luke 13:3, 5).
The first gospel sermon preached in the name of the risen Savior had this epilogue: "Repent, and be baptized..." (Acts 2:38). Such was the habitual message of the apostles: "Repent ye therefore, and be converted..." (Acts 3:19). In preparation for the coming judgment, Paul urged the pagans on Mars Hill to repent: "And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men everywhere to repent: Because he hath appointed a day in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead" (Acts 17:30-31). Jesus stated that his purpose in coming was to "...call sinners to repentance" (Matthew 9:13). The angels rejoice over the penitent sinner (cf., Luke 15:7).
With respect to this doctrine, we must consider the false notion that repentance is merely feeling sorry over past mistakes. It is contended by some that repentance is no more than saying, I am sorry... Such a doctrine is usually invoked to "justify" continuing in a marriage into which one has entered without the approval of God. I suppose a thief could use the argument to say that he has the right to keep the millions of dollars he stole before his conversion... If true repentance takes place, all sin will be forsaken and righteousness will be exhibited in ones' life. Baptism does not make sin "right", it washes it away. But, if one continues to walk in sin, he continues to have that sin imputed unto him. The Gentiles were shown "...that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance" (Acts 26:20). John said, "Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance" (Matthew 3:8). A person who has repented, truly repented, turns from his sin.
IV. IN ORDER TO BE SAVED, ONE MUST FIRST CONFESS HIS FAITH IN CHRIST.
Although the confession of Matthew 10:32-33 is broader in scope than just the one made before immersion, certainly it would include that one: Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven. If one is not willing to confess Christ, he needn’t expect Christ to confess (know, own) him!
We have a record of some who believed on the Lord, but, like many in our world today, their faith was not sufficient to move them to stand for Him by acknowledging their belief both in word and in deed: Nevertheless among the chief rulers also many believed on him; but because of the Pharisees they did not confess him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue: For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God (John 12:42-43).
Can you think of a reason strong enough to deny the Lord? What factor, when fully considered, would warrant such a failure? People through the years have asked me if it was necessary for them to tell their friends and family about their conversion to the Lord; of course, if they are truly converted they probably won’t have to tell them by word – their actions will show it! But, the answer to the question is: YES!!! What have we to fear? What could we possibly suffer at the hands of men that would be worse than being denied by Jesus?
Paul wrote, …with the mouth confession is made unto salvation (Romans 10:10). These brethren had confessed with their mouths their faith in Christ prior to their conversion. This confession was a step on the road to salvation; not the only step, but a step no less. When the eunuch was in the process of obeying the gospel, he was asked of his faith. He did the only thing possible to indicate his faith, he confessed it: I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God (Acts 8:37).
We sometimes hear about the “good confession” in the context of a person “being saved”; but if the confession made is “I believe that God for Christ’s sake has saved me (pardoned me, whatever),” and if it is made before immersion, is it really good? Is it not confessing an untruth? If baptism saves us (and I Peter 3:21 says that it does), is it good to say that we have been saved already before we are baptized?
We know that someday all men will confess Christ, for Paul wrote: For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God (Romans 14:11). Again we read: And that every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:11). The only problem with the confession of which Paul writes in these two passages is that it comes too late – it happens after the door of mercy has been closed. It is somewhat like a thief being sorry for his crime AFTER HE IS CAUGHT. There is no doubt that Jesus is Lord now, so to confess it when standing before Him in Judgment is no accomplishment! The door of mercy is open to all in the Christian Age (cf., II Corinthians 6:2). If we wait until death, or the final judgment, we will have waited beyond our last opportunity to effectually make that confession.
V. IN ORDER TO BE SAVED, ONE MUST FIRST BE BAPTIZED IN WATER FOR THE REMISSION OF SINS.
Baptism was part of the “Great Commission” of Jesus to the apostles: Go, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved, he that believeth not shall be damned (Mark 16:15-16). Again we read, Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost…” (Matthew 28:19). We know that in preparation for the coming kingdom John the baptizer preached and practiced it (Matthew 3:1-6). We know that Jesus submitted to baptism {though His differed from the baptism preached and practiced today} (Matthew 3:13-17). We know that baptism was a part of the work of God in general even before the birth of the Church: And all the people that heard him, and the publicans, justified God, being baptized with the baptism of John. But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the counsel of God against themselves, being not baptized of him (Luke 7:29-30).
Baptism was so prevalent a part of the work of John the Baptist that, due to the water required to perform it, he located in an appropriate place to accommodate the people who came to him: And John also was baptizing in Aenon near to Salim, because there was much water there: and they came and were baptized (John 3:23). These and many other references which could be given indicate that baptism was a part of the religious system of the first century. This being true, it was no strange thing when it also became part of the system of Christ. The work of John was preparatory for the work of Jesus, and as repentance was preached under both, so is baptism.
As to the mode or form of baptism, the word itself tells us what baptism is: an immersion. VINES EXPOSITORY DICTIONARY OF NEW TESTAMENT WORDS, pages 88-89, defines the Greek word {baptizo} whence comes our English baptize: To baptize, primarily a frequentative form of BAPTO, to dip, was used among Greeks to signify the dyeing of a garment, or the drawing of water by dipping a vessel into another, submersion and emergence…
If baptism were but a sprinkling of a few drops of water on the head of a person, why did John make them walk into the river? He was where he was because there was much water there, and much water was required. Baptism is called (cf., Colossians 2:12) a burial, and it is described as a “form” of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus (cf., Romans 6:1-6). How would you be buried? Would you be satisfied if they threw a handful of dirt on your coffin and left it out in the open? How about a few dust sprinkles? Most of us would like to be fully interred (or at least removed from view), that is what you are supposed to do with the dead body. We see that plainly, why cannot we see that a burial in the likeness of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus calls for the same immersion (only in water, not dirt)?
That baptism is part of the gospel plan of salvation for the Christian Age is seen in many places throughout the New Testament, but perhaps no more plainly than in Acts 8. Consider verse 35: Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus. What do you think he said to the eunuch? His text was from Isaiah 53, we know that from the context. What did he talk about? The very next verse seems to give an indication of the topic, or at least of one topic: And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?
Where did he learn of baptism? He was unsure even of whom Isaiah was speaking before Philip came along, surely none would argue that he understood the necessity of baptism before learning of the Lord. Where did he learn of it? There is but one answer: he learned of baptism from the preaching Philip did. But, what did Philip preach? He preached unto him Jesus! Therefore the preaching of baptism is part of the preaching of Jesus.
Some grant that baptism was practiced (immersion) in the First Century, and even say that it ought to be practiced today; but they miss the reason for baptism. It is contended by many that a man is first saved and then baptized.
Why is it that we are to be baptized today? What is the “reason” which must move us to be baptized? Is it important “why” we do it, just so long as we do it? Let us open our Bibles and see.
We are to be baptized because Jesus commanded it! When He gave what we call the Great Commission, he told the apostles to carry His word to all the world, baptizing them, and commanding them to do whatsoever He commanded the apostles to do. So, though the original command was given to the apostles, part of that command was that they should tell all who would follow the Lord under their preaching to do the same thing He told them to do in the first place. In that sense, then, the Great Commission is as binding today as it was when it was first spoken. Would you feel comfortable going into judgment, then, not having done what Jesus commanded? I would not.
The apostles clearly understood it to be commanded (and therefore required) by the Lord, for they repeatedly preached and practiced it. On Pentecost of Acts 2, what we have come to call “The birthday of the Lord’s Church,” in response to the question, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” Peter said, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins…” (Acts 2:37-38).
The questioners stood in their sins as they asked their question, Peter told them what must be done in order to have their sin removed: Repentance and Immersion. It was required - and if it be argued that it was not required, but only optional, why did Peter not tell them that? He could have said, “Nothing at all - Jesus did it all on the Cross, you are already saved…” Of course, if such is the case (as some contend), then preaching itself is rather a foolish endeavor, wouldn’t you say? Why preach anything at all, if there is nothing at all that men must (or, for that matter, even can) do to be saved? They were lost, and Peter gave them the way of salvation, and that way included baptism.
What about Galatians 3:27, Colossians 2:12, I Corinthians 12:13, Acts 22:16, and I Peter 3:21? Do not all of these deal with baptism in a way that connects it with salvation? Can one read I Peter 3:21 (“The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us…”) and not understand the connection between baptism and salvation? Why would God repeatedly mention it in connection with what men must do if it really did not matter?
But further, does it matter why we do what we do? For example, if a man submitted to baptism to join a church which exists by the authority of man only, (and is therefore not the One built by Jesus [Matthew 16:18; cf., Ephesians 1:22-23, 4:4]) and have that baptism “count” for the one baptism of Ephesians 4:5?
There is no power in the water itself (cf., I Peter 3:21 - not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience…”). The power is in obediently submitting to the authority of the Lord.
To be baptized for something other than the remission of sins, therefore, is not to be baptized according to the teachings of the New Testament. Most man-made churches practice baptism “because of the remission of sins”. That is, they claim that a person is saved first, and then at some later time, he is baptized. Some say that he is baptized to join their denomination, others say that one is baptized to show proof of his/her salvation, and I am sure others say still other things.
But notice this: The Bible never says any of those things! It commands baptism for the remission of sins (Acts 2:38), in order to the washing away of sins (Acts 22:16), into the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus (Romans 6:3-4, Colossians 2:12), into the body of Christ (I Corinthians 12:13), to be saved (I Peter 3:21), etc. To do what the Bible commands concerning baptism is to understand that it is for the remission of sins, not because of the remission of sins; that it places one into Christ, not that it is the first thing a new Christian does after entering Christ; that it saves, because it involves doing what Jesus commands. Have you been properly baptized? If not, we would love to baptize you! Let us study with you on this important point.
Tim Smith 1272 Enon Road Webb, AL 36376 (334)899-8131
For questions or comments about this article, contact Tim Smith or email Don H. Noblin. If you decide to email me, please include the title of the article. Thank you.