"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
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 Godís 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? (click on the button
of the answer of your choice)
1) (Mark
16:16) According to the Bible what must we do to be saved?
Believe only.
Believe and be baptized.
Not be
baptized.
2)
He that believes and is not baptized shall be
saved.
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.
4)
Many people choose not to do what God has
says.
5) (John 12:48) What will judge us on Judgment Day?
What we believe.
What our preacher says.
The words of
Christ.
6)
We are going to be judged according to what man
says.
7) (Hebrews 5:9) Christ is the author of eternal salvation
to
All who obey Him.
To everyone.
To no
one.
8)
Good people who have not obeyed the Lord will still be
saved.
9) (Acts 10:48) What were these people commanded to do?
Only believe.
Nothing.
Be
baptized.