Christ, The Answer To Our Sin Problem
"But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with
which He loved us," has provided a way for us to be saved from the
eternal consequences of our sin (Ephesians 2:4). The way is through His
Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus came to this earth, lived among men for about
33 years, preached the good news of the kingdom, and then died for our
sins. While we have sinned, Jesus committed no sin, and was therefore
qualified to pay the price for our transgressions. "For He made Him who
knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness
of God in Him" (2 Corinthians 5:21). Jesus shed His blood on the cross
that we might be saved (Ephesians 1:7; 1 Peter 1:19).
Is There Anything That We Must Do?
Some would have us believe that there is nothing man must do in order to
be saved by the blood of Jesus. If this were true, however, all men
would be saved. But the Bible says that "few" will be saved in
comparison to the "many" who will not (Matthew 7:13-14).
The truth is, there are some conditions
we must meet in order to be forgiven of our sin and thus saved. Please
do not misunderstand: meeting these conditions in no way makes us
deserving of salvation. We are all unworthy of such. But these
conditions must be met nonetheless. Please read on, and see how the
Scriptures point out the necessity of each of the following.
We Must Believe In Jesus
Jesus Himself said, "for if you do not believe that I am He, you will
die in your sins" (John 8:24). He said, "He who does not believe will be
condemned" (Mark 16:16). We must "believe that Jesus Christ is the Son
of God" (Acts 8:37). These are plain statements. If we do not believe
that Jesus is God's Son, we will be lost.
Truly, Jesus is the Christ. This faith in Jesus comes by hearing
God's word, and by no other means. God will not miraculously give us
faith, nor will we derive such by reading the books of men. "Faith
comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (Romans 10:17).
Though many teach today that one can be
saved by 'faith alone,' the Bible teaches just the opposite. While it
tells us that we are "justified by faith," it also says that we are
"justified by works and not by faith only" (James 2:24). Faith in
Jesus is necessary, but "faith only" will not save.
We Must Repent Of Our Sins
Jesus said, "Unless you repent, you will all likewise perish" (Luke
13:3). His apostles also taught the necessity of repentance. Peter
taught to "repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be
blotted out..." (Acts 3:19).
To repent means to turn or change. It is
more than just "feeling sorry" for our sins. We must change our minds
and actions, leaving the pathway of sin. "For godly sorrow produces
repentance to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the
world produces death" (2 Corinthians 7:10). To truly repent, the thief
must stop his stealing. The sexually immoral must cease his fornication.
The liar must quit lying. This is true repentance (please see Luke 3:8,
10-14).
We Must Confess Our Faith In Jesus
Jesus said, "Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also
confess before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before
men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven" (Matthew
10:32-33). The apostle Paul wrote, "For with the heart one believes to
righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made to salvation"
(Romans 10:10). This is the confession we read the Ethiopian treasurer
making in Acts 8:37.
We Must Be Baptized Into Christ
Jesus said, "He who believes and is baptized will be saved" (Mark
16:16). Notice that He did not say, "He who believes will be saved, and
then should be baptized." Jesus placed baptism before salvation, not
after.
Peter told his audience on the day of
Pentecost, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of
Jesus Christ for the remission of sins..." (Acts 2:38). Notice that this
apostle (as Jesus) put baptism before the remission of sins, not after.
Repentance and baptism were "for" (Greek, eis, "unto") the
remitting of sins. Later, Peter wrote, "There is also an antitype which
now saves us, namely baptism..." (1 Peter 3:21).
Jesus' prophet, Ananias, told an already
believing Saul of Tarsus, "And now, why are you waiting? Arise, and be
baptized, and wash away your sins" (Acts 22:16). If Saul was already
saved before his baptism (as some affirm), why then did he still have
sins that needed to be washed away?
Further, Paul the apostle wrote that we put
"off the body of sins of the flesh" by being "buried with [Christ] in
baptism" (Colossians 2:11,12). Notice that baptism is a burial, a
burial in water (see also
Romans 6:4). The Greek word, "Baptizo,"
literally means "to dip, immerse, to plunge." Nowhere does the New
Testament give any indication that people were sprinkled with water or
that they had water poured on them. Baptism is a burial in water.
Baptism is necessary for salvation. It
puts us "into Christ," in whom are all spiritual blessings (Galatians
3:27; Ephesians 1:3). Can we assist you in being baptized into Christ
and thus becoming a Christian?
We Must Continue To Be Faithful Disciples Of Christ
Jesus commanded His apostles to teach those they baptized "to observe
all things" that He had commanded them (Matthew 28:19-20). True
disciples of Christ seek to practice the teachings of Jesus as revealed
in His New Testament. "And whatever [we] do in word or deed" -- in every
facet of life (job, home, worship, etc.) -- we are to "do all in the
name of the Lord Jesus" (Colossians 3:17). This includes joining
together with other faithful disciples in a local church relationship
(Acts 9:26). We are commanded to
"be steadfast, immoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord" (1
Corinthians 15:58). We are to "be faithful unto death" (Revelation
2:10). If, after we are baptized, we do sin, we can come in repentance
to our heavenly Father, confess our sins, and our Father will forgive us
(Acts 8:22; 1 John 1:9). Can we
help you in coming to Christ? |
