____________________________________________________ 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). ____________________________________________________ June 28, 1992 ____________________________________________________ Justification By Grace and Mercy -- Not Merit by Tom Edwards From a person whom I had corresponded with a few times about Bible truths, he made the following remark in one of his letters as to why he believes I was baptized: ``I can't help but wonder exactly what your past time held for you. It seems to me that you had approached a difficult time in your life and you needed to release a lot of pain in the only way you knew how, baptism unto regeneration. It isn't an uncommon thing for people to feel they should have to justify themselves before God in order to be saved.'' Let me first of all say to the reader that this statement by my correspondent was made even without any prior knowledge he had of me concerning my past. It is all a mere speculation, apparently, in view of what he sees to be the only explanation for why one would link baptism with faith, repentance, and salvation. The following shows excerpts of my response to his sermon-letter, which can be helpful for others as well: Do you actually think I felt I was justifying myself before God by merely being dunked in some water? Don't get me wrong; I do believe I had to be immersed, but it wasn't merely for some psychological reason that would ease my conscience (though I must admit, it certainly did); I submitted to this because it's what the New Testament shows to be as necessary as repentance; and as Peter shows, baptism serves as ``an appeal to God for a good conscience'' (1 Pet. 3:21). Though we disagree with what one must do to be saved, surely you would agree that one who obeys the gospel in order to have his sins washed away is one who can be greatly relieved--and, yes, I was relieved and happy to know that I had done what the Lord wanted me to do in order to be cleansed by His precious blood. And concerning repentance, could I not say a similar remark about those who feel that one must only believe and repent to be saved? Could I say that they must have had a troubled past and felt that they had to justify themselves by repenting of their sins? Do you not think that if we are talking about doing some type of work in order to alleviate a troubled conscience that repentance and good deeds would certainly do more for an individual than merely be dunked in the water? (psychologically speaking, that is). Is there not more of a tendency for one to boast in his own works of repentance and feel that he had justified himself by these sacrifices? Take for an example the one who was once an ex-alcoholic, an ex-big-time gambler, an ex-notorious criminal, or some other type of ex-big-time sinner who had given up this type of sinful lifestyle in order to follow after Jesus. Perhaps it would mean a loss in one's income, a loss in one's social standing among his peers; perhaps it would involve the breaking up of an unscriptural marriage or a list of many other sacrifices that would have to be made as part of true Bible repentance--which means a turning from sin and a turning to God. Surely, it would be much easier for one to view any of these things (misleadingly, that is) as being a way of ``justifying oneself before God'' rather than feeling the same way toward being immersed in some water. It wasn't a case of feeling I had to do something to ``earn'' my salvation, but I saw baptism as being necessary in order to benefit by the blood of Jesus--just as you would see the need to hear the word of God and believe to be just as necessary (which doesn't happened without some kind of effort on one's part). My justification is made possible by the sacrifice that Jesus made for all, but I had to meet certain conditions in order to avail myself of this. ``Save yourselves from this untoward generation'' (Acts 2:40) was Peter's exhortation to the Jews in Jerusalem. There was something they had to DO. I don't believe that I EARNED my salvation by baptism any more than you probably would from your perspective of a person trying to EARN his salvation by reading the Bible and acquiring faith; I know you would not classify this as ``earning'' redemption. As I mentioned before, baptism is much easier than having to read the Bible; but man must hear the word if he wants to be saved (and that word includes the command to be baptized in order to be cleansed by the blood of Jesus). Just telling someone to believe in Jesus to be redeemed doesn't tell that person who Jesus is or what that person is to believe about Him. One must hear the word and act in obedience to it. One's boasting is not to be in his abilities to acquire faith through reading the Word of God or in humbly repenting of sins or in willingly submitting to baptism, but it is to be in the cross of Christ (Gal. 6:14). There is, therefore, to be no more glorying in one's act of baptism as there is to be in the other acts of acquiring faith through hearing the word or repenting of transgressions. One who does these things should have the same attitude as that expressed in Luke 17:10: ``So you too, when you do all the things which are commanded you, say, `We are unworthy slaves; we have done only that which we ought to have done.''' So ends my excerpts from the letter I sent.... I hope that these thoughts will also help you in your consideration of God's word. How thankful we can be that though we are so unworthy, there is a worthy God who loves us and gave His Son to die in our place--that through Him (by our faith and obedience) we can have everlasting life. Though this eternal bliss can never be ``earned,'' there are still certain conditions (which involve faith and obedience) if we want to receive it. May this be what we will each do. ___________________________________________ "Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide, and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and many are those who enter by it. For the gate is small, and the way is narrow that leads to life, and few are those who find it" (Matthew 7:13,14). "...if you do not forgive men...your Father will not forgive your transgressions" (Matt. 6:14,15). ___________________________________________ ISN'T IT PECULIAR? Many people go through life and never obey the gospel. They have no use for the church. They do not support it, either with their money or presence. Yet when they die, they want their body taken to a church building that they did not help build; they want songs sung from books they never helped buy. They want a preacher that they never helped to support, to read from the Bible that they never respected enough to read, sweet words of comfort and consolation to their loved ones and preach their souls into heaven that they never prepared to live in? Never let it be said of you. Obey the gospel of Christ before it is too late. -- Selected ________________________________________ 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 ________________________________________