What the Bible says about...
All Of Us Need Salvation
Friends, it's no secret that we're not perfect. None of us are. "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Rom. 3:23). "If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us...If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us" (1 John 1:8, 10). Because of this, we should thank the Almighty God for His church, the body of Christ (Eph. 1:22-23)! God designed His church to take sinners like us and make us into something so much better.
How does this happen? As God inspired Peter to write, "Therefore, putting aside all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander, like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation" (1 Pet. 2:1-2). When we enter the church, we're like newborn infants that need nutrition and care in order to grow into what we should be. Just as parents provide proper nutrition for their children in order to allow their physical bodies to grow, God through His Word gives each member of the church the power to grow in faith. However, just as infants must start off with milk because they can't handle other types of food, so we also must familiarize ourselves with the fundamentals of our faith first.
Faith Fundamental – Faith
Faith is so important! Read chapter eleven of Hebrews and you'll read of people like Abraham, Abel and Moses, who did everything because of their faith and as a result pleased their Creator. In fact, the inspired writer also tells us, "And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him" (Heb. 11:6). Since faith is so fundamental to our salvation, how do we get it? Paul gives us the answer when he wrote, "So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ" (Rom. 10:17). Brethren, we get our faith from the Word of God alone. It is the word of God which contains the gospel God uses to call us to Him (2 Thess. 2:14), the gospel which is "the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes" (Rom. 1:16). In order for God's Word to save us sinners, we must first hear it and then believe in it. "In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation--having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise" (Eph. 1:13). The Christians at Ephesus were sealed in Christ with the Holy Spirit only after they listened to the message of truth and believed in it! That's why it's so important that we read and study our Bibles with regularity, so that we can give strength to our own faith and proclaim the saving message to others so they can receive the faith which would save them from hell!
In order to receive the salvation God provides, we must also confess the faith we have to our fellow man. God inspired Paul to write, "that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation" (Rom. 10:9-10). Jesus Himself said, "Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven" (Matt. 10:32). Brethren, we all want Christ to confess us to God, don't we? Let's make sure we confess our faith in Him to our fellow man! But that’s not the whole story…
Faith Fundamental – Repentance
We need to recognize that the sin in our lives separates us from God. "But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does not hear" (Isaiah 59:2). What is sin? In a nutshell, the breaking of God’s laws (1 John 3:4). Without the sin problem being taken care of, we will never be reconciled to God and thus will spiritually perish for all eternity outside of heaven in the agony which is hell (Rom. 6:23; 2 Thess. 1:7-9; Rev. 21:8; 1 Cor. 6:9-11; Gal. 5:19-21).
Since sin separates us from God and the salvation He offers, we must turn away from sin. As our Lord Himself said, "I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish" (Luke 13:3, 5). When the sinners at Jerusalem on Pentecost asked Peter what to do (Acts 2:37), he told them, "...Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins..." (Acts 2:38), thereby obeying His Lord's command given a few days earlier that "repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem" (Luke 24:47). Are you willing to turn away from the sin in your life and dedicate it to God? If you are, then click here.
Faith Fundamental – Immersion
Despite what so many believe today, God's Word plainly teaches that immersion in water, the literal meaning of baptism, is essential for salvation and forgiveness of sins. As seen earlier, God through Peter commanded baptism for forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38), and later plainly stated, "Corresponding to that, baptism now saves you..." (1 Pet. 3:21). Jesus Himself said, "He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved..." (Mark 16:16). At Pentecost, those who received Peter's command to be baptized were baptized and immediately were added by God to His church (Acts 2:41, 47). As Paul stated, "For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body..." (1 Cor. 12:13).
That body is the church (Eph. 1:22-23), of which there is only one (Eph. 4:4), just as there is only one faith (Eph. 4:5). True, there are many churches and faiths existing in the world today, but history and investigation into their doctrine shows they were all started by men and teach things contrary to God’s Word in certain areas. As far as God is concerned, there is only one church. That church is His Son’s church, the church of Christ. Salvation is found only when one believes in Jesus and is penitently immersed in water into His church. Are you willing to do that today? “And now why do you wait? Rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on His name” (Acts 22:16). And then…
What Next?
After hearing God's Word, believing its message, confessing one's faith, repenting of one's sins, and being immersed in water, one obtains salvation, forgiveness of sins, and is added by the Lord Himself to His church. However, further study of God's Word reveals that more is required of us who believe. God through Peter commands us, "but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ..." (2 Pet. 3:18).
As mentioned earlier, spiritually we are like newborn infants after God adds us to His church, and we need to grow. This growth comes about when we allow God's Word to teach us the fundamentals of our faith. Paul commanded Timothy, "Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth" (2 Tim. 2:15). Friends, the more diligently we read and study our Bibles and thereby grow in our faith and knowledge of God and His will for us, the more approval we will get from our Creator! After your baptism, join together with other disciples in a local congregation of the church of Christ (Acts 9:26-28). Do not forsake their worship and Bible class assemblies so that you can continue to grow spiritually (Heb. 10:24-25). Explore what abilities you have, and use them in the work of the church according to God’s will and for His glory (1 Cor. 12:14-27; Eph. 4:11-16). Obey the bishops of the congregation you are a part of and encourage them (Heb. 13:17; cf. Acts 20:28, 1 Pet. 5:1-4). Take advantage of every opportunity to do good to everyone, especially your brothers and sisters in the church (Gal. 6:10), and especially in bringing the gospel message to those who are not Christians (Mark 16:15; Matt. 28:19-20).
God be with you! Contact us if you would like to study more, or if you would like us to pray for you. Click here for more information…
Friends, it's no secret that we're not perfect. None of us are. "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Rom. 3:23). "If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us...If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us" (1 John 1:8, 10). Because of this, we should thank the Almighty God for His church, the body of Christ (Eph. 1:22-23)! God designed His church to take sinners like us and make us into something so much better.
How does this happen? As God inspired Peter to write, "Therefore, putting aside all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander, like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation" (1 Pet. 2:1-2). When we enter the church, we're like newborn infants that need nutrition and care in order to grow into what we should be. Just as parents provide proper nutrition for their children in order to allow their physical bodies to grow, God through His Word gives each member of the church the power to grow in faith. However, just as infants must start off with milk because they can't handle other types of food, so we also must familiarize ourselves with the fundamentals of our faith first.
Faith Fundamental – Faith
Faith is so important! Read chapter eleven of Hebrews and you'll read of people like Abraham, Abel and Moses, who did everything because of their faith and as a result pleased their Creator. In fact, the inspired writer also tells us, "And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him" (Heb. 11:6). Since faith is so fundamental to our salvation, how do we get it? Paul gives us the answer when he wrote, "So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ" (Rom. 10:17). Brethren, we get our faith from the Word of God alone. It is the word of God which contains the gospel God uses to call us to Him (2 Thess. 2:14), the gospel which is "the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes" (Rom. 1:16). In order for God's Word to save us sinners, we must first hear it and then believe in it. "In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation--having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise" (Eph. 1:13). The Christians at Ephesus were sealed in Christ with the Holy Spirit only after they listened to the message of truth and believed in it! That's why it's so important that we read and study our Bibles with regularity, so that we can give strength to our own faith and proclaim the saving message to others so they can receive the faith which would save them from hell!
In order to receive the salvation God provides, we must also confess the faith we have to our fellow man. God inspired Paul to write, "that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation" (Rom. 10:9-10). Jesus Himself said, "Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven" (Matt. 10:32). Brethren, we all want Christ to confess us to God, don't we? Let's make sure we confess our faith in Him to our fellow man! But that’s not the whole story…
Faith Fundamental – Repentance
We need to recognize that the sin in our lives separates us from God. "But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does not hear" (Isaiah 59:2). What is sin? In a nutshell, the breaking of God’s laws (1 John 3:4). Without the sin problem being taken care of, we will never be reconciled to God and thus will spiritually perish for all eternity outside of heaven in the agony which is hell (Rom. 6:23; 2 Thess. 1:7-9; Rev. 21:8; 1 Cor. 6:9-11; Gal. 5:19-21).
Since sin separates us from God and the salvation He offers, we must turn away from sin. As our Lord Himself said, "I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish" (Luke 13:3, 5). When the sinners at Jerusalem on Pentecost asked Peter what to do (Acts 2:37), he told them, "...Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins..." (Acts 2:38), thereby obeying His Lord's command given a few days earlier that "repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem" (Luke 24:47). Are you willing to turn away from the sin in your life and dedicate it to God? If you are, then click here.
Faith Fundamental – Immersion
Despite what so many believe today, God's Word plainly teaches that immersion in water, the literal meaning of baptism, is essential for salvation and forgiveness of sins. As seen earlier, God through Peter commanded baptism for forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38), and later plainly stated, "Corresponding to that, baptism now saves you..." (1 Pet. 3:21). Jesus Himself said, "He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved..." (Mark 16:16). At Pentecost, those who received Peter's command to be baptized were baptized and immediately were added by God to His church (Acts 2:41, 47). As Paul stated, "For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body..." (1 Cor. 12:13).
That body is the church (Eph. 1:22-23), of which there is only one (Eph. 4:4), just as there is only one faith (Eph. 4:5). True, there are many churches and faiths existing in the world today, but history and investigation into their doctrine shows they were all started by men and teach things contrary to God’s Word in certain areas. As far as God is concerned, there is only one church. That church is His Son’s church, the church of Christ. Salvation is found only when one believes in Jesus and is penitently immersed in water into His church. Are you willing to do that today? “And now why do you wait? Rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on His name” (Acts 22:16). And then…
What Next?
After hearing God's Word, believing its message, confessing one's faith, repenting of one's sins, and being immersed in water, one obtains salvation, forgiveness of sins, and is added by the Lord Himself to His church. However, further study of God's Word reveals that more is required of us who believe. God through Peter commands us, "but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ..." (2 Pet. 3:18).
As mentioned earlier, spiritually we are like newborn infants after God adds us to His church, and we need to grow. This growth comes about when we allow God's Word to teach us the fundamentals of our faith. Paul commanded Timothy, "Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth" (2 Tim. 2:15). Friends, the more diligently we read and study our Bibles and thereby grow in our faith and knowledge of God and His will for us, the more approval we will get from our Creator! After your baptism, join together with other disciples in a local congregation of the church of Christ (Acts 9:26-28). Do not forsake their worship and Bible class assemblies so that you can continue to grow spiritually (Heb. 10:24-25). Explore what abilities you have, and use them in the work of the church according to God’s will and for His glory (1 Cor. 12:14-27; Eph. 4:11-16). Obey the bishops of the congregation you are a part of and encourage them (Heb. 13:17; cf. Acts 20:28, 1 Pet. 5:1-4). Take advantage of every opportunity to do good to everyone, especially your brothers and sisters in the church (Gal. 6:10), and especially in bringing the gospel message to those who are not Christians (Mark 16:15; Matt. 28:19-20).
God be with you! Contact us if you would like to study more, or if you would like us to pray for you. Click here for more information…