____________________________________________________ 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). ____________________________________________________ August 28, 1994 ____________________________________________________ What Must I Do To Be Saved? by Richard P. Fleeman With all the denominations that exist, there is much confusion over what you must do to be saved. Some of the ideas out there range from ``you must do nothing'' to ``you must handle deadly vipers to prove your faith.'' Let's look at what we actually find in the Bible: Matt. 28:19-20: Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Amen. Here we see that Jesus intended for his disciples to ``baptize'' all nations. There is much controversy over what the word baptism actually encompasses. The word itself is a transliteration of the word BAPTIZO. BAPTIZO means immersion. So whatever baptism is, it involves immersion. In Mark 16:15-16 we see Jesus say: Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. Now this verse seems simple enough. By using simple logic we can see that you must believe AND be baptized to be saved. Obviously unbelief results in condemnation. Yet some say, ``That's what he said, but that's not what he meant.'' They claim that baptism is not necessary. If you are capable of reading the words that compose this paragraph, then I'm sure you can understand what Jesus meant in Mark 16:15-16. What does Bible baptism entail? Many believe that it is ``Holy Spirit baptism.'' They feel that baptism is not something you actually do, but it is something that happens to you when you believe. A classic example that is used to try to prove you don't need to be baptized is the thief on the cross. This thief had never been baptized, yet Jesus told him: Luke 23:43: Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise. Now let me ask you a question. Did the thief live under the Old Covenant or the New Covenant? The answer is the thief was still under the old law. Jesus had not yet died to establish the church. Therefore the example of the thief is irrelevant to what one must do to become a Christian and be saved under the New Covenant. Let's take another look at some scriptures: Acts 8:35-38: Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning at this Scripture, preached Jesus to him. Now as they went down the road, they came to some water. And the eunuch said, ``See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?'' Then Philip said, ``If you believe with all your heart, you may.'' And he answered and said, ``I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.'' So he commanded the chariot to stand still. And both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptized him. I want you to think about this passage. All the Ethiopian Eunuch was taught was ``Jesus.'' Yet somehow this Eunuch got the idea that he needed to be baptized. He also got the idea that this baptism involved water. When he asked Philip about the water and being baptized, did Philip correct him and say ``baptism does not involve water'' or did Philip baptize the man? In 1 Peter 3 we read of an account of Noah's ark and water. Then in 1 Peter 3:21 this account is compared to baptism. We read: There is also an antitype which now saves us; baptism (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Here we see the statement that ``baptism now saves us.'' Can we deny what was written here? As for what baptism involved, let's examine the verse. For some reason Peter felt the reader might be confused that baptism simply removed filth from the body and wanted to clarify his point. Was this because baptism involved being immersed in the Holy Spirit or being immersed in something like water that actually could wipe filth from the body? In John 3:3-5 we see of Nicodemus' encounter with Jesus. Jesus told him: ``Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.'' Nicodemus said to Him, ``How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?'' Jesus answered, ``Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God." Jesus makes it clear that one must be born of water and the Spirit to be saved. Some say the born of water here simply means to be born of a woman. It would be pointless for Jesus to mention this, wouldn't it? Can you imagine anyone mentioning birth as the qualification for something? For example, what if someone were to ask me the qualifications to become a member of the computer club here in Ashland, KY. Would I say, ``You have to be born, and you have to pay $12''? You can see the ignorance in even suggesting something like this. Being born of water is not ``just being born.'' I pose that it is water baptism as we see many times in the Bible. We could spend hours looking at examples of baptism. What were the very people who killed Jesus told to do to be saved? Acts 2:38: Then Peter said to them, ``Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." What was Saul (later Paul) told to do to be saved? Acts 9:6: So he, trembling and astonished, said, ``Lord, what do You want me to do?'' Then the Lord said to him, ``Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.'' Then even after Saul had believed, we see he had his sins. Some say Saul was ``saved on the road to Damascus'' BEFORE his baptism. If that's so he was ``saved in his sins.'' Let's look at Acts 22:16 to see what Ananias told Saul to do even after he believed: And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord. I hope that this pamphlet has been plain and simple for you. Turn to the Bible and see if what I have written is so. Keep in mind what Jesus said in Matthew 7:13-14: Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it. As mentioned earlier, some are telling you that all you have to do is believe and you'll be saved. Some preach, ``just touch the radio and your sins will be washed away!'' If this was correct, would not MOST be saved, and does that not contradict Matthew 7:13-14? As a matter of fact, by this theory would not even the demons be saved? We read in James 2:19: You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe; and tremble! Lastly I feel I must mention that you must be faithful unto death (Rev. 2:10). One cannot just simply be baptized and expect salvation. Contrary to what some will tell you, it is possible for a Christian to fall away once he has heard the word, repented, confessed the name of Jesus and been baptized: 2 Peter 2:20-22: For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning. For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them. But it has happened to them according to the true proverb: ``A dog returns to his own vomit,'' and, ``a sow, having washed, to her wallowing in the mire.'' ___________________________________________ Come Visit Us Soon! We Would Love To Have You! You'll Find A Warm, Friendly Welcome. ________________________________________ 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 ________________________________________