____________________________________________________ THE GOSPEL OBSERVER "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations...teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:19,20). ____________________________________________________ March 15, 1992 ____________________________________________________ "...Unless You Believed In Vain" by Tom Edwards The above phrase is taken from 1 Corinthians 15:2. Beginning in the previous verse, Paul writes: ``Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain'' (1 Cor. 15:1,2). Though thousands of people today believe in salvation by ``faith only,'' in this passage, Paul is showing that one is saved by the gospel--only IF one ``hold(s) fast'' to it; and this one does by obeying it. As James also shows, one must be a DOER of the word and NOT A MERE HEARER ONLY in order to benefit from the saving power of the gospel. For to merely hear without responding to that message, will cause one's faith to be vain. Furthermore, it is a deception for one to think he could be saved by having a mere ``faith only'' (James 1:22; 25-27). Chuck Bartlett, a preacher and friend in Benton, Illinois, made the comment in one of his bulletins that ``Just because I believe in Satan, it doesn't make me a follower; the same is true with Christ!'' Yes, we should believe in Satan because he is spoken of in God's word, and we should believe in Jesus because He, too, is spoken of in the Scriptures and shown to be the Son of God; but which one is it to whom we belong? Could I not rephrase this by saying, To which one are we living for? There we'll find the answer. To some Jews who had ``believed'' in Him (Jn. 8:31), Jesus said, ``You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature; for he is a liar, and the father of lies'' (John 8:44). These had belonged to the devil because they were more concerned with fulfilling sinful desires than filling their hearts with the purity of God's truth. Their faith in Jesus, consequently, was useless. As Paul declares in Romans 6:16, "Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness?" We cannot "believe" in God, but obey the devil; our faith must be coupled with obedience to the Lord. Paul shows that one can believe ``in vain'' by not fully obeying the truth. If the false doctrine of salvation by ``faith only'' were true, however, then one's faith could never be vain because it would always lead to eternal life, regardless of how wicked the person lived--or regardless of what he did or did not do--but this is not what the Bible teaches. Again and again, the New Testament shows that ``faith without works is dead'' (James 2:26). During the Lord's Sermon on the Mount, He implies that salvation is based on much more than one's mental acceptance toward His deity; rather, it is based on one's faith AND compliance with the word of God. In Matthew 7:21, Jesus declares, ``Not everyone who says to Me, `Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven; but he who DOES THE WILL of My Father who is in heaven.'' Though millions of people today believe that there is only ``one thing'' a person must do to be saved, and that is have ``faith only,'' the Bible shows there are various ``things.'' For example, in Luke 6:46, the Lord asks, ``And why call ye me, `Lord, Lord,' and do not the THINGS which I say?'' As stated in this verse, there is more than ``one thing'' (have ``faith only'') a person must do to be saved; one must do various THINGS (believe, repent, be baptized, be faithful unto death [Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38; Rev. 2:10]). As we have seen in previous lessons the ONLY passage in the ENTIRE Bible that uses the phrase ``faith only'' is James 2:24; but here it says: ``You see than that a man is justified by works, and NOT BY FAITH ONLY.'' The context shows that Abraham was not justified by faith until after he had obeyed God (James 2:21-23). And, as a result, he was then called the ``friend of God.'' Corresponding to this, we find Jesus saying in John 15:14, ``You are My friends, if you DO what I command you.'' We can not remain neutral. We will either be a friend to the Lord or be His enemy. What you'll be in eternity depends on what you'll be while here on earth. If you are not living in harmony with God's will for your life then begin doing so today so that you may be His friend and be on a road that leads to everlasting glory. Remember, if we do not respond to God's word by our obedience, our faith will be in vain. Let us not procrastinate, but obey the Lord this very day and throughout our lives. ___________________________________________ The Word Of God For feelings come and feelings go, and feelings are deceiving; My warrant is the Word of God Nought else is worth believing. I'll trust in God's unchanging Word Till soul and body sever; For, though all things shall pass away, His Word shall stand forever. -- Selected ___________________________________________ Our Need We mutter and sputter, We fume and we spurt; We mumble and grumble, Our feelings get hurt; We can't understand, Our vision grows dim; When all we need is, A moment with Him! -- Selected ___________________________________________ For a free Bible course, contact us at the address or phone number shown below. We would be happy to share these helpful lessons with you. Also, if you would like to see Bible film slides in your home, let us know of this. If you live not too far away, we could bring this personally to you. If you are too far from our area, though, I will see if I can locate a member of the church of Christ near you, who could share this with you and at your convenience. You will find the lessons informative. ________________________________________ Tri-State CHURCH OF CHRIST 1314 Montgomery Avenue, Ashland, Kentucky 41101 Sunday: 10:00 A.M. Bible class 10:50 A.M. Worship 6:30 P.M. Worship Wednesday: 7:30 P.M. Bible study evangelist/editor: Tom Edwards (606) 325-9742 e-mail: tedwards@zoomnet.net Gospel Observer web site: http://www.zoomnet.net/~tedwards/go ________________________________________