Biblical Obedience To Be Saved

The Bible is a love story spanning 1,500 years of God's interaction with His greatest creation - us. It's central theme is the gospel of Jesus Christ (death, burial, resurrection), and its power to save man from Gods judgement to those who believe it (Rom 1:16). But according to the scriptures, just believing the saving message is not enough to become a saint of God in His kingdom. God asks us to obey the gospel with obedient faith in order to make His free gift of grace real in our lives. Below is the unfolding of the great commission spoken in Matthew 28:19-20 on behalf of Ms. Caitlin Jones’ and any who desire to be saved.

HERE WITNESS A BIBLICAL BAPTISM INTO CHRIST. This is the work of God (Col 2:11-12) upon her in a matter of seconds.

 

The sinner has already heard and read the word of God. Romans 10:14-17.

 

The sinner is already on a path of repenting of her sins. Acts 3:19, 2 Peter 3:9.

 

The sinner by faith is obedient confessing Christ as the Son of God before witnesses. Acts 8:36,37, Romans 10:10.

 

The sinner by faith is then buried (into death like Jesus) by immersion in water. Acts 2:38, Romans 6:3, 1Pet 3:21.

 

The sinners past sins are cleansed by The blood of Christ in the burial. Acts 2:38, Acts 22:16, Colossians 2:11-12, Titus 3:5.

 

The new Saint is raised a new creature white as snow in the eyes of God. Romans 6:4, 2 Cor 5:17.

 

The new Saint receives the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:38, Acts 5:32, Ephesians 1:13.

 

The new Saint now begins to walk a new life clothed with Christ rejoicing. Acts 8:39, Galatians 3:27, Philippians 4:4, 3 John 1:3,4.

Caitlin Jones' Baptism! from James Nored on Vimeo.

Christian's Aren't Sinner's

SHOCKING! Now wait a minute.

I believe it's a healthy practice to read and study on religious things penned by writers I don't agree with because they are asking questions I'm not asking. They turn the camera angle in a way I haven't. It's not that I think they are right, I usually don't. But sometimes I don't even know to ask the question. Here is a faith challenging topic I would like to share and I am sure at first, your going to raise some eyebrows by it's title.

A persons identity is changed from a worldly identity when one has obeyed the gospel of Jesus Christ transitioning from outside the church to inside the church a new member of the Kingdom. Lets explore.

Throughout the letters of the New Testament, the people of God are called lots of things. They are the “elect” (1 Pet 1:1), “faithful brothers” (Col 1:2), “beloved” (1 John 2:7), “children of God” (1 John 3:2), a “holy nation” (1 Pet 2:9), and most of all they are called “saints.”

Conspicuously absent from this list is the term “sinners.”  There is no place I am aware of where the church, the people of God, are collectively called “sinners.”  Moreover, an argument can be made that there is no instance in the New Testament where a believer is referred to as a “sinner.”  The closest is Paul’s well-known reference to himself as the “foremost” (or “chief”) of sinners in 1 Tim 1:15.  But, the context makes it plain that Paul is using this terminology to refer to his old life as a persecutor of the church.  He says, “formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent” (1:13).

Now, of course, this does not mean that Christians do not sin.  Indeed, Christians do sin, and sin in ways that are much deeper and more serious than we often realize.  This is the whole point of Romans 7 where Paul laments the fact that he often does what he does not want to do.   The entire Christian life is a struggle between the new self and the old self, and the latter often wins out.  Paul can even refer to himself as a “wretched man” (Rom 7:24). 

"If we instead view ourselves as “saints,” then we will begin to see our sin in a whole new light."

But, here is what is interesting.  As Paul diagnoses his own law-breaking he concludes that whenever he sins, it is not the real Paul that is doing it.  He declares, “So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me” (7:17).  And again, “Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me” (7:20).

Do not misunderstand what Paul is doing here.  He is not trying to conjure up some excuse where he is not guilty of these sins by reason of having a schizophrenic, split personality.   No, Paul knows he is culpable for these sins.  But, in the midst of doing so, Paul is keen to make it plain that it is not the new Paul that is sinning, but the old Paul.  In this sense, he can say that when he sins, he is not his true self.

Put another way, Paul’s identity is bound up in the new man that he has become in Christ.

If so, then this explains (at least partially) why Paul is so keen to refer to believers as “saints” (literally “holy ones”) at the beginning of almost all his letters.  Paul is not naive about the fact that Christians still sin, and sin in major ways (indeed, his letters are often about their sins!).  But, he wants Christians to think of themselves in regard to their new natures, not their old.   They are saints who sometimes sin, not sinners who sometimes do right.

And when our true identities are understood rightly, it actually affects the way we view (and respond to) our sins.  We might think that the best way to appreciate the depth of our sin is to think of ourselves primarily in the category of “sinners.”   But, this can actually have the opposite effect.  If we think of ourselves only as “sinners” then our sins are seen as something rather ordinary and inevitable.  They are just the result of who we are.  Sure, we wish we didn’t sin.  But, that’s just what “sinners” do.

If we instead view ourselves as “saints,” then we will begin to see our sin in a whole new light.  If we really are “holy ones” then whatever sins we commit are a deeper, more profound, and more serious departure from God’s calling than we ever realized.  Our sin, in a sense, is even more heinous because it is being done by those who now have new natures and a new identity.

And it is this “cognitive dissonance” between our identities as saints and our sinful actions that leads us to repentance.  We repent because these sins are not ordinary and expected.  They are fundamentally contrary to who God has made us to be.   It is this tension between our identities and our actions that is lost when we cease to think of ourselves as saints.

In the end, I am not suggesting that Christians can never refer to themselves with the word “sinner.”  If rightly understood, this can be fine.  But, we should also be keen to think of ourselves as saints.  After all, when Christ returns that is what we will be.  In glory, there will be no sinners.  Only saints.

Dr. Michael Kruger

Charlotte, NC

Video lesson by Just Christians

Word study on PRACTICE

PRACTICE and its Varying Natures in the Bible.

Romans 6:1-12, What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? 3 Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? 4 Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

5 For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, 6 knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. 7 For he who has died has been freed from sin. 8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, 9 knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. 10 For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. 11 Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. 13 And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. 14 For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.

Isaiah 32:6, For the foolish person will speak foolishness, And his heart will work iniquity: To practice ungodliness, To utter error against the Lord, To keep the hungry unsatisfied, And he will cause the drink of the thirsty to fail.

Matthew 7:23, And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.

Matthew 13:41, The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness,

Acts 8:9, But there was a certain man called Simon, who previously practiced sorcery in the city and astonished the people of Samaria, claiming that he was someone great,

Acts 19:19, Also, many of those who had practiced magic brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted up the value of them, and it totaled fifty thousand pieces of silver.

Romans 1:32, who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.

Romans 2:1, Therefore you are inexcusable, O man, whoever you are who judge, for in whatever you judge another you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things.

Romans 2:2, But we know that the judgment of God is according to truth against those who practice such things.

Romans 3:13, “Their throat is an open tomb; With their tongues they have practiced deceit”; “The poison of asps is under their lips”;

Romans 7:15, For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do.

Romans 7:19, For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice.

Romans 13:4, For he is God’s minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God’s minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil.

2 Corinthians 12:21, lest, when I come again, my God will humble me among you, and I shall mourn for many who have sinned before and have not repented of the uncleanness, fornication, and lewdness which they have practiced.

Galatians 5:21, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

2 Peter 2:14, having eyes full of adultery and that cannot cease from sin, enticing unstable souls. They have a heart trained in covetous practices, and are accursed children.

1 John 1:6, If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.

1 John 2:29, If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone who practices righteousness is born of Him.

1 John 3:7, Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous.

1 John 3:10, In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother.

Revelation 22:15, But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie.

Are Unfaithful Christians Still Christians?

"A gentle reminder to ALL who claim Christ"

Do you still belong to Christ, are you honorably representing Him in all that you do and in front of all you come in contact with everyday? Are you proud of wearing the name "Christian"?

Since it is possible for a child of God to fall from the faith (2 Thessalonians 2:3; 1 Timothy 4:1), drift into error, and so be worthy of dis-fellowship (Romans 16:17; 2 Thessalonians 3:6; Titus 3:10), when such occurs, is it appropriate to continue referring to such people as “Christians”?

"Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter."  (1 Peter 4:16).

Raised To New Life

Romans 6:4 is where it begins...

Ripple Of Light Productions

Objections To Baptism Pt.13

OBJECTION #13: “ROMANS 10:9-10 INDICATES THAT ALL ONE NEEDS TO DO IS BELIEVE AND CONFESS JESUS.”

The use of eis in Romans 10:10 cannot mean “because of.” Verse nine explicitly says one will be saved “if” he confesses and believes in the heart. Confession and faith are therefore prerequisites to forgiveness. They are God-ordained “responses” to the preached Word (vs. 8) and must occur before salvation is imparted by God. In other words, one’s soul is purified when he obeys the truth (1 Peter 1:22). Jesus provides eternal salvation to those who obey Him (Hebrews 5:9).

But is baptism excluded from salvation since only faith and confession are mentioned in Romans 10:9-10? Notice, four chapters earlier, the order of Romans 6:17-18: (1) slaves to sin; (2) person obeys; (3) made free from sin (righteous). Item (3) cannot occur unless item (2) occurs first. The “whole” of man is to reverence God and keep His commands (Ecclesiastes 12:13). To whom does God give the Holy Spirit?

To those whom He arbitrarily chooses, without any consideration of the individual’s necessitated response? No. Acts 5:32 says God gives the Holy Spirit to those who obey Him. God has always conditioned the bestowal of spiritual blessing upon prior obedient response (Jeremiah 7:23; Genesis 26:4-5). Deuteronomy 5:10 says God shows mercy to those who love Him and keep His commands.

In Romans 10, Paul is not stressing the specific aspects of the conversion process. That is not the context. Rather, the context addresses whether one is acceptable to God in the Christian dispensation due to physical heritage (i.e., race/ethnicity), versus whether one is saved when one complies with God’s instruction. Paul was stressing that their nationality could not bring the Jews into God’s favor. Rather, people are saved when they render obedience to the Gospel. He quoted Joel 2:32, where the emphasis is on the word “whosoever” in contrast to “Jews only.” Verse 12 argues that God does not distinguish on the basis of race. The individual’s response to the preached Word is the deciding factor. However, Romans 10 does not reveal all of the details of that obedient response. One must be willing to search out the whole truth on such a subject.

If repentance is essential to salvation, one must concede that such teaching must come from some passage other than Romans 10. Does Romans 10:10 mean that repentance is unnecessary, just because it is unmentioned in the text? No, since repentance is required in chapter 2:4. If not, then why assume baptism to be nonessential simply because it is not mentioned in this particular text? It is enjoined in chapter 6:3-4. To ascertain the significance of baptism in God’s sight, one must go to passages that discuss that subject, rather than dismiss them in deference to verses on faith. If God says, “faith saves” (Romans 5:1), let us accept that truth. If God says, “baptism saves” (1 Peter 3:21), let us accept that truth, too! Jesus Himself said: belief + baptism = salvation (Mark 16:16), not belief = salvation + baptism.

Notice also, Romans 10:10,13 does not say that salvation can be acquired by mere verbal confession (e.g., “I accept Jesus into my heart as my personal Savior”). Why?

(1) Nowhere is the statement, “Accept Jesus as your personal Savior,” found in Scripture.

(2) Jesus forever dashed the idea of salvation by mental acceptance/verbal profession alone in Matthew 7:21 and Luke 6:46, where He showed that oral confession alone is unacceptable. In every age, there have been specified actions of obedience that God has required before He would count individuals as pleasing or acceptable.

In fact, if faith is not coupled with the appropriate obedient action (like baptism), then such faith is unable to justify. Such faith is imperfect (James 2:17,20,26) and therefore cannot save!

(3) The phrase “call on the name of the Lord” is an idiomatic way to say: “respond with appropriate obedient actions.” It is the figure of speech known as synecdoche (i.e., the part stands for the whole). To “call” on God’s name is equivalent to saying, “Do what He tells you to do.” Isaiah 55:6 told the Jews of Isaiah’s day to call on God. Verse 7 explains how: (1) forsake wicked ways, (2) forsake wicked thoughts,

(4) return to the Lord. To obey these three stipulations constituted “calling on God.”

Likewise, those in Jerusalem who “called on the Lord’s name” (Acts 9:14,21) had done so, not solely by verbal confession, but by repentance and baptism for forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38). Similarly, Paul himself became a Christian, that is, he “called on the name of the Lord”—not by verbally confessing Christ—but by being baptized (Acts 22:16). For Paul, “calling on the Lord’s name” was equivalent to (not precedent to) being baptized. God washed his sins away by the blood of Jesus at the point of his baptism.

Objections To Baptism Pt.12

OBJECTION #12: “IF BAPTISM IS NECESSARY TO SALVATION, JESUS WOULD HAVE SAID, ‘BUT HE WHO DOES NOT BELIEVE AND IS NOT BAPTIZED WILL BE CONDEMNED’ IN MARK 16:16. AND BESIDES, THE LAST TWELVE VERSES OF MARK 16 ARE NOT INCLUDED IN THE OLDEST AND BEST GREEK MANUSCRIPTS.”

The omission of “and is not baptized” in Mark 16:16 is completely logical and necessary. The first phrase (“he who believes and is baptized”) describes man’s complete response necessitated by the preaching of the Gospel: Faith must precede baptism, since obviously one would not submit to baptism if he did not first believe. It is non-essential to ascribe condemnation in the second clause to the individual who is not baptized, since the individual being condemned is the one who does not initially believe. The person who refuses to believe “is condemned already” (John 3:18) and certainly would not be interested in the next item of compliance—baptism. He who does not believe would obviously not be baptized—and even if he would, his failure to first believe disqualifies him from being immersed. Only penitent believers are candidates for baptism. An exact grammatical parallel would be: “He who goes to the store and buys coffee for his father will receive $5.00. He who does not go to the store will be spanked.” Obviously, if the child refuses to go to the store, he would not be in a position to buy coffee, and it would be redundant—even grammatically and linguistically inappropriate—to include the failure to purchase the coffee in the pronouncement of an impending spanking.

Are the last verses of Mark 16 uninspired? The textual evidence supporting the authenticity of Mark 16:9-20 is exceptional in light of the vast sources available for establishing the original text. While it is true that Vaticanusand Sinaiticus omit the last 12 verses, it is positively misleading to assume that “the validity of these verses is weak.” In fact, the vast number of witnesses are in favor of the authenticity of verses 9-20. The rejection of Vaticanus is less weighty in light of its comparable exclusion of the Pastoral Epistles, the last part of Hebrews, and Revelation. The rejection of Sinaiticus is similarly unconvincing, since it includes some of the Apocryphal books.