"He
who believes and is baptized will be saved, but he who does not believe
will be condemned."
This is such a simple command to obey in the way the Lord says to do
it. Notice the divine order: 1) Believe, 2) Baptism, 3) Saved. Jesus
says that both belief and baptism are required to be saved. But men,
at the prompting of Satan, are trying to tell us many other different
things that are contrary to what Jesus says. Men have taken what the
Lord said, "He who believes and is
baptized will be saved," and have changed it in every way
possible to suit themselves. The following is what Jesus says
and also ways in which man has tried to change what the Lord has said.Jesus
says in Mark 16:16, "He
who believes and is baptized will be saved."
2) There are those who in reality say that, "He that does
not believe and is not baptized will be saved," because they say
God is going to save everyone. This is the Universalist who says that
everyone is going to be saved and no one is going to be lost. We know
this is not true because of what our Lord said in Matthew
7:13-14, that many are going to be lost and only few are going
to be saved.
3)
Then there are others who essentially say that, "He who believes
and is baptized will not be saved." They say that no one is going
to be saved. This is the Atheist who says that there is not going to
be an eternity and that when you are dead, you are like the dog Rover,
you are dead all over. But again we know that this is false. We have
already seen that few will be saved, but the majority will be lost.
4) Still others imply that, "He who does not believe but
is baptized will be saved." These are those who practice infant
baptism, but an infant certainly cannot believe. Of course an infant
is not accountable but is innocent and is not lost.
5) Then there are also those who essentially say that, "He
who believes and is not baptized will be saved." They are trying
to tell us that we are saved by faith only and that baptism is not necessary
to be saved, but all that you have to do is believe. Again, like the
other three, this is contrary to what the Lord has said in Mark 16:16,
"He who believes and is baptized shall be saved." On the day
of judgment we are only going to be judged by what the Lord says and
not by what we think.
Who are you following? Are you following 1) Jesus, 2) the Universalist,
3) the Atheist, 4) those promoting infant baptism, or 5) those promoting
faith only? We can go to heaven only by following what Jesus says
and not what man says. The following chart shows what the Lord
has said and also the many ways that men have tried to change it. They
have changed it every way possible to suit themselves.
1)
Jesus in Mark 16:16 says: Believe + Baptized = Saved
2) Universalist says: Not Believe + Not Baptized
= Saved
3) Atheist says: Believe + Baptized = Not Saved
4) Infant Baptism says: Not Believe + Baptized =
Saved
5) Faith Only says: Believe + Not Baptized = Saved
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When we stand before the Lord on the day of judgment to be judged by
him, there are going to be many who have chosen not to do what the Lord
has said. Rather they have chosen to do what man has said to do. Romans
10:3 tells us that people are "Seeking
to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness
of God." The choice is ours. Either we have tried to establish
our own righteousness or we have submitted to the righteousness of God.
We make the decision; but we will reap the eternal consequences. Are
you ready for those consequences?
The Lord says in John 12:48, "The
word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day."
We are not going to be judged by what man says or by what we think,
but by what our Lord says. This is going to be the standard for judgment.
For the majority of people, the judgment will be a horrible day, and
a day of many terrible surprises. Obedience to our Lord will save any
lost person, no matter how evil his past has been, but obedience to
a mere human doctrine will not save anyone, no matter how good they
have been. Speaking of Christ Hebrews 5:9
says, "And having been perfected,
He became the author of eternal salvation to all them that obey Him."
Yes, we must obey our Lord, if we expect Him to save us.
Baptism is not a work that man does. Baptism is God's chosen
way of imparting His saving grace. Baptism is the submission to the
command of God that saves. As we read in Acts
10:48, "And He commanded them
to be baptized in the name of the Lord." God offers salvation
to all men, but He conditions that offer with obeying the requirements
which He has set out in His word. The Lord has commanded us to be baptized.
The Lord has no nonessential commands. In Hebrews
5:9 we saw that no man can be saved by the grace of God without
being obedient to the will of God.
Believing and being baptized to be saved, as Mark
16:16 says, does not nullify the grace of God, but it activates
it. The fact that baptism is essential to our salvation in no way reflects
upon the wonderful grace offered to all; but rather it honors Christ
who commanded it. Baptism is a very serious matter. According to the
Bible, baptism is for the purpose of salvation. Satan does not
want anyone to be baptized for the purpose of being saved. Satan tells
people that after you think you are saved and your sins are forgiven
then you can be baptized. But this is a lie of Satan which will
cause many people to be lost. We cannot afford to be wrong on
this vital point. Our eternal destiny depends on our being right with
God.
------------------------------------------------------------------------ Questions Lesson 13 Must We Be Baptized To Be
Saved?
1) (Mark
16:16) According to the Bible what must we do to be saved? Believe only. Believe and be baptized. Not be baptized.
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2) He that believes and is not baptized shall be saved.
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3) (Romans 10:3) Why do people not submit to the righteousness
of God? They want to but they don't know how. They want to be saved. They seek to establish their own righteousness.
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4) Many people choose not to do what God has says.
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5) (John 12:48) What will judge us on Judgment Day? What we believe. What our preacher says. The words of Christ.
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6) We are going to be judged according to what man says.
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7) (Hebrews 5:9) Christ is the author of eternal salvation to All who obey Him. To everyone. To no one.
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8) Good people who have not obeyed the Lord will still be saved.
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9) (Acts 10:48) What were these people commanded to do? Only believe. Nothing. Be baptized.
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10) Baptism is a command of God.