____________________________________________________ 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). ____________________________________________________ December 27, 1992 ____________________________________________________ God's Way of Conversion by Tom Edwards Having not been brought up in the church of Christ, but rather in various denominations, it seemed to be such an odd teaching when I first heard the truth of God's plan of salvation back in 1977. It all started at the end of the service during my initial visit to the church of Christ. There on the top right corner of a bulletin, which I had picked up from a pew, was the statement, ``Belief plus baptism equals salvation.'' When I commented to one of the members that this remark seems to be expressing a need for baptism in order that one may become a Christian, the member indicated that that was exactly right. I was flabbergasted. In the denominations I had attended, none of them ever taught that one needed to be baptized in order to be cleansed by the blood of Jesus and become a Christian. It was always taught that baptism ``was for those who were already saved''; it was ``an outward showing of an inward grace.'' For a long time, I accepted this. I can remember even then, however, when I would read a passage such as Acts 2:38, in which the inspired word instructs the one who would become a Christian to ``repent and be baptized...for the remission of sins,'' that that verse said more than merely ``repent''; it clearly demanded that one ``repent and be baptized,'' but because of my denominational upbringing, I had been taught to ignore the ``be baptized'' part. How many people today are still ignoring God's full plan of salvation and merely accepting false teachings of men that in the Judgment Day will not save their souls? We must each wake up to the truth of God's word because it is only through the Scriptures that we can become His people and be saved from our sins. There is a major difference between what God's word says one must do to become His child and what many religi ous people are saying. Let us consider some of these: Many tell us that ``salvation is by grace only,'' but Ephesians 2:8,9, shows that it takes more than grace (which is on God's part); it also involves faith (which man is responsible for). God by His grace, not only sent us His Son, but also gave us His word whereby we can acquire faith (Rom. 10:17; Rom. 1:16)--but we must read it (or hear it), if we want to attain to this. Others tell us that ``salvation is by faith only''; but James 2:24, which is the only passage in the entire Bible that uses this phrase ``faith only'' or ``faith alone'' (depend ing upon what version you use), clearly states the opposite; it reads, ``You see that a man is justified by works, and NOT BY FAITH ONLY'' (emphasis mine, TTE). James also warns the Christian to make sure he is a doer of the word and not merely a hearer who deceives or deludes himself--by not putting into practice what he hears (1:22). And corresponding to this is the Lord's statement in Mat thew 7:21 that ``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.'' Throughout the New Testa ment, there are numerous examples and commands which plainly show the necessity for one's faith to be coupled with obedience in order for it to be a saving faith. Still others teach, ``You can be saved by praying a sinner's prayer''; yet there is not one passage in the New Testament concerning the gospel age in which we are now living (that began AFTER the death of Christ) that instructs the non-Christian to ``pray a sinner's prayer'' in order to be converted. Though Peter had just quoted Joel's prophecy that ''...everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved'' (Acts 2:21), this was not interpreted by the listeners as simply ``calling through prayer,'' for even after hearing this they cried out ''...what shall we do?'' (v. 36). Apparent ly, they wanted to know God's way for calling on Him--and not merely what man might say. What were they told by the inspired apostle? To ``repent and be baptized'' (v. 38). This is also in agreement with Acts 22:16, wherein Saul had been told by Ananias, ``And now why do you delay? Arise, and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on His name.'' Yes, it was through the act of obeying the gospel--believing, repenting, confessing faith in Christ, and submitting to baptism for the remission of sins--that ena bled one to ``call on the Lord'' for His mercy and forgive ness. Therefore, Peter declares that ``Baptism now saves you...as an appeal to God for a clear conscience....'' (1 Pet. 3:21). Through the act of baptism (coupled with one's believ ing, repenting, and confessing faith in Christ), the believing sinner makes his ``appeal'' to God. The term ``appeal'' has been defined as ``to ask for help, support, mercy...to make an earnest request or entreaty.'' This also helps us to better understand how through baptism one is calling on the Lord, seeking His help, support, mercy, and entreating God to wash away his sins by the blood of Jesus Christ so that he may come up out of that watery grave of baptism as a new creature in Christ Jesus (Rom. 6:3,4; cf. Gal. 3:26,27 with 2 Cor. 5:17). Lastly, there are those who say, ``You don't have to do anything; God has already done it all for you.'' Yet, the Bible shows of man's individual responsibility toward obey ing the gospel. It is true that God has done His part in making a way of salvation attainable, but we must reach out for it by our faith and obedience to His word. The Hebrew writer declares that Jesus is the ``source of eternal salva tion'' to ``all those who OBEY HIM'' (Heb. 5:9). Salvation is conditional upon not just our faith, but also upon our obedience. I am reminded of those whom Paul speaks of who ''...profess to know God, but by their deeds they deny Him....'' (Titus 1:16). What good was their faith without obedience? ``Faith only'' is not the way of salvation; it is a misconceived way that leads to ruin and spiritual death: ''...faith without works is dead'' (James 2:26). If we want to choose the way of life, we must choose Jesus Christ. And this we cannot do without accepting His word. As one old preacher used to say, ``You can't accept the man, but reject his plan.'' Accepting Jesus involves approving and receiving what he taught--mentally, as well as by our actions. Let us close with--not man's plan--but God's way of salvation as revealed in the Scriptures: 1) One must first hear the gospel, for that's how faith is acquired -- Romans 10:17; John 20:30,31. 2) One must believe in the deity of Jesus -- John 8:24. 3) One must repent of sin -- Luke 13:5; Acts 2:38; 17:30. 4) One is to confess his faith in Christ -- Acts 8:37; Matt. 10:32,33 5) One must be baptized into Christ in order to be saved from past sins -- Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38; Acts 22:16; Rom. 6:3,4; Gal. 3:26,27; 1 Pet. 3:21. 6) One must remain faithful unto death in order to make it to heaven -- Rev. 2:10; Heb. 10:35-39; 2 Pet. 2:20-22. 7) The Christian who sins must meet certain conditions in order to be restored, such as by repenting and praying -- Acts 8:22; 1 John 1:9; Rev. 3:20. Have you submitted yourself to God's plan of salva tion? If not, why not do so this very day? The faithful child of God will never regret having obeyed the gospel and striving to remain loyal to the Lord; but what of those who don't? Now is the time for you to take charge of your eternal destiny. God desires very much that you will steer in His direction, but you are the master of your own ship. Will you eventually arrive at God's heavenly shore or will you remain lost in a sea of sin and indifference until your ship will inevitably break upon the rock of judgment and cause you to sink into the depths of an eternal separation from the Lord--where not even the slightest glimmer of the light of His glory will be seen? Let us each chart our course using the lighthouse of God's word to guide us, so that we may soon rest in the eternal beauty of his realm--for having submitted ourselves to the Lord's way of conversion. ___________________________________________ Selected Quotes Concerning Alcohol Alcohol makes a man colorful; it gives him: a red nose, a white liver, a yellow streak and a blue outlook. The booze-dealer is the businessman who is ashamed of his best customers. The driver is safer when the roads are drive. The roads are safer when the driver is dry. "Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging, and whoso ever is deceived thereby is not wise" (Proverbs 20:1). ___________________________________________ About``Christmas'' 1) Are Christians instructed anywhere within God's word to make a religious holiday to celebrate the birth of Jesus, similarly to the Day of Atonement, the Passover, or any of the other Old Testament festivals that were to be observed during the Mosaical Age? No. Though, Christians are given a memorial concern ing Jesus' death: the Lord's Supper (Matt. 26:26-29; Acts 20:7; 1 Cor. 11:20-34). "Christmas" is a man-made holiday. 2) Was Jesus really born December 25? No one today really knows when Jesus was born, but it was probably in the warmer months when shepherds would be out watching their flocks--rather than in winter. 3) I have seen in some Nativity scenes of the shepherds and the wise men around the Christ child as He lay in the manger. Were they actually all there at the same time soon after His birth? It appears that the shepherds were there first, and that they left even prior to the coming of the wise men (Luke 2:8-20). The account shows that the shepherds came to Jesus in the manger (Luke 2:16) on the same day that He was born (v. 11). The magi (wise men), however, saw Jesus in a ``house'' (Matt. 2:11); and it could have been several days after His birth. Though the New Testament does record the day on which the shepherds came, it does not tell us when the wise men did. When we consider that it wasn't until the eighth day that Jesus was circumcised and the additional 33 days that had to be completed before Mary could offer a burnt offer ing and a sin offering to the priest for her purification, according to the Law (Lev. 12:1-8), we can see that there were many other days in which the wise men could have visited the Christ child prior to Jesus' family going to Egypt. Apparently, the shepherds and the wise men saw Jesus at different times and in different places. 4) Were there three wise men? The Bible doesn't say. ``Three'' is an assumption, most likely made on the basis of the three types of gifts that were brought for the baby Jesus. These were gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh (Matt. 2:11). ________________________________________ 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 ________________________________________