What Must We Do to Be Saved?

Transcript

GRM 578
6/28/1998
What Must We Do to Be Saved?
Selected Verses
Gil Rugh

I want to talk about what I believe is the most important issue in the word of God, the most important issue in the church, the most important issue in the world. The issue of God’s salvation and what must we do to be saved. How can a person be brought into right relationship with God, be assured that their sins are forgiven and that they are destined to an eternity of glory, not suffering and destruction? As I mentioned earlier, this comes out of a conversation that I had with a couple of pastors this past week who came to visit with me regarding the issue of salvation and what is included in the gospel. Particularly is it necessary for a person to be baptized to be saved. They are part of a denomination that teaches that baptism is necessary for salvation, and I believe that that is in direct conflict with the scripture. I want to start with you where I concluded with my conversation with these men, and that was in Galatians, chapter l. We will be beginning a study of Galatians in future days.

But in Galatians, chapter l the apostle Paul cuts right to the heart of the issue that he is dealing with. There were those who said it is great to believe in Christ, but that is not enough. You must also be circumcised. You must also keep the law. In other words, it is faith in Christ plus circumcision. It is faith in Christ plus keeping the Mosaic Law that results in salvation. The apostle Paul deals with this very directly. He says in verse 6 of Galatians l, “I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel, which is really not another.” The point he makes there is, it is not a variation of the gospel that I am preaching. It is not another like my gospel. They are preaching a different message all together. “There are some who are disturbing you and wanted to distort the gospel of Christ. But even though we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to that which we have preached to you, let him be accursed! As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to that which you received, let him be accursed!”

As I concluded my conversation with these men, which was a very cordial conversation of seriously looking at the scriptures on these matters, I said, I want you to understand how serious this issue is, there is no variation. We are not preaching a form of the same gospel. The bible says what you are preaching is not the gospel at all, rather it is accursed, and you are cursed for preaching it, because you cannot say that salvation is by faith plus circumcision, by faith plus baptism, and be preaching the same gospel. You say, well it’s close. It is an infinite chasm away. It is the difference between heaven and hell. So, close? There are similarities, but not even close in enabling a person to be forgiven their sins and go to heaven.

One other passage before we begin to look at some specific details. Just after the book of Galatians, the book of Ephesians, chapter 2. We don’t have time to read the whole context, but God has dealt, verse l, with those who were “dead in their trespasses and sins.” Dead in a sense they were cut off from God, they had no relationship with Him. That’s true of everyone, for all have sinned and all were dead in their sins. But verse 4 tells us, “But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us.” You see, we talk about God’s salvation, His dealing with sinners, we’re talking about the richness of God’s mercy, the greatness of His love He operated and worked on our behalf.

Verse 7, “in order that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ.” He had His Son, Jesus Christ, step from heaven, be born into the human race, be crucified on a cross, because the penalty for sin is death. And now He gives, on the basis of His grace and mercy and love and kindness, the free gift of salvation to any and all who will believe in His Son, Jesus Christ. So, verse 8 says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not as a result of works, that no one should boast.”

So, our salvation is a result of God’s grace. It is given to us when we believe, placing our faith in Christ. I have nothing to boast about because God has saved me by His grace.
All I did was receive the free gift of life by believing in His Son, Jesus Christ. Verse l0 says, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God has ordained beforehand, that we should walk in them.” You note the order. “We are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus,” made new creatures in Christ, to do “good works,” works that are pleasing to God. But you note the order. You are God’s workmanship in salvation in Christ, recreated by Him to do what is pleasing to Him. The constant difficulty for mankind is they want to bring the works to the wrong place. They want to say you have to have faith plus works and that results in salvation. That is antibiblical. It is faith in Christ that results in salvation which will lead to doing things that are pleasing to God. That is a difference that is crucial to understand.

If you are trusting Christ plus, fill in the blank, your baptism, your church membership, circumcision, we’ll look at in a moment, you are lost, totally separated from God and on your way to hell. It is faith in Christ alone. That was the whole battle of the Reformation.

Are you saved by believing plus your works? No, you’re saved by believing in Christ and that will lead to doing good works. Sounds like well, we’re making a fine point here.
It is a fine point, but it is the difference between being genuine and being false. So, I want you to follow carefully what we’re going to be working through, because it is the issue of the eternal destiny of mankind.

Come to the book of Romans, Chapter 3 and Chapter 4. In my discussion with the two men, I referred to that I met with this week, I initiated the conversation in this portion of scripture. I think it’s important as we talk about what is included in salvation and particularly in the context we’re going to talk about, how does baptism relate to salvation. Often we want to start with passages that could be taken two ways. There’s a possibility this passage could be interpreted one way, or it could be interpreted another way, and there are many passages on many subjects that have that possibility. But when you put them in the broader context of scripture, certain possibilities are eliminated.

In Romans the apostle Paul is setting out the most detailed and clear unfolding of the doctrine of salvation that we have anywhere in the bible. The first three chapters approximately, down to chapter 3, verse 20, he talks about the fact that we are all sinners. We are all lost. we are all under God’s just condemnation. Verse 9 of Romans 3, “What then? Are we better than they, meaning we Jews better than those Gentiles? Not at all, for we have already charged that both Jews and Greeks are all under sin; as it is written.” And now he gives a series of quotations from the Old Testament. “There is none righteous, not even one; There is none who understands, there is one who seeks for God; All have turned aside, together they have become useless; There is none who does good, not even one.”

Isn’t it amazing in light of how clear God has been in both the Old Testament and the New Testament, that there are multitudes of people today who are confident that they’re going to go to heaven because they’re not so bad? They’re moral, upstanding, good citizens, as we would refer to people. They may be church goers, may be actively involved in their religious activities. But God says “there is none who does good, not even one, none righteous, not even one.” I may disagree with that, you may disagree with that, but God is always right. So, that fact is established and that is what He has established through the first three chapters of Romans. The Jews particularly, as Paul writes, had a hard time with that. They thought they were righteous before God because they were Jews, just like there are people today who think they’re righteous before God because they’re Catholics or Lutherans or Presbyterians or Methodists or no denomination or on we go.

Beginning with verse 21, the apostle Paul begins to unfold the salvation that God has provided for sinful people and that will go on through chapter 5 of Romans, verse 21.
So we have established everyone is a sinner. Now how can sinners be saved, become righteous before God, be declared righteous in His sight since He is the judge of all? He established that in Romans, chapter 2. God is the judge of all, so it’s only His verdict that counts. Beginning with verse 21, and we’re just going to pick up certain concepts that fit our line of discussion, he talks about in verse 22 “the righteous of God through faith in Christ Jesus for all those who believe.” You note that’s what we need. We need God’s righteousness. It’s the righteousness that comes through faith in Christ. It’s for all who believe and you’ll note in a section like this if you take time to read it, there are redundancies. He talks about faith in Christ, for all who believe. Well, believe in and faith in translate the same basic word that becomes synonymous expressions we’re stressing. It’s by faith, it’s for those who believe. “There is no distinction, all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” So, all need God’s righteousness and the only hope for receiving God’s righteousness is by faith.

“Being justified,” verse 24, “as a gift by His grace.” Now note that again, “justified.” The word means to be declared righteous. It’s a legal term. It would be like the language of a court room, where the verdict is given. Here being declared righteous, justified, as a gift by His grace. Again, that’s redundant. A gift, by definition, is something you don’t earn or merit. Grace is something undeserved or unmerited. It’s a gift, given by God’s grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood. The word for propitiation means satisfaction. Satisfaction in His blood through faith. In other words, the death of Christ, His blood shed, satisfied the demands of a righteous God, in paying the penalty for sin, which is death. “So that,” the end of verse 26, “He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.”

You know, this is the issue. God must be both just and the justifier. The word just, again, to be righteous or to declare righteous. He must be just. He must be righteous. So, there’s certain things God cannot do. God cannot sin. God cannot violate His own character. God cannot just say I’ve decided every sinner is forgiven, it’s done, any more than you go and stand in the court room and the judge, with all the evidence there, you have confessed you’re guilty, he says, that’s all right, let’s forget it. Well, you might like that if you are the one on trial, but it would be a terrible miscarriage of justice. We’d say, he’s not qualified to be a judge. You have confessed that you killed seven people, there are 35 witnesses that you did it, the evidence is overwhelming, and the judge says, let’s forget it. We would say it’s a miscarriage of justice, he’s unfitted to be a judge. Yet, that’s what people think God is going to do, the judge of all the universe.

Remember Abraham, 2,000 years before Christ, in speaking to God said, “Shall not the judge of all the earth do right?” There is no option. God, by His very character, must be just. So, He must be just and the justifier of those who believe in Christ. And that’s why Christ had to come to earth to die for sins, so that God could forgive sinners, declare them righteous, without Himself becoming an unjust judge.

How did He do it? He had His Son step in and pay your penalty, which is death, to go to the cross in your place, to die for you, so He could offer you a free gift. Believe in My Son and I will credit His death to your account and declare you forgiven, righteous. Crucial. So that excludes boasting. What do I have to boast about? I’m saved, you’re not, ha, I’m better than you! No. Why? Because you weren’t saved by anything you deserve. I wasn’t saved by anything I deserved or earned. It was a gift by His grace.

Verse 28, we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law. The Mosaic Law will come into view here. We have established in chapter 2, that this includes the principles of becoming acceptable before God by Law, period. It’s exemplified in the Mosaic Law and becomes a particular problem of the Jews. but the same principle there, by something I do, I’m going to be acceptable before God, by my efforts, my works.

Now, the issue, is God the God of Jews only or the Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, since God, and note verse 30 and some of you may have it worded a little differently, even if you’re using a New American Standard bible, since indeed God, and in my addition, is one, is at the end and you ought to mark that expression. Since indeed God is one. In my addition it’s since indeed God, and at the last part of verse 30, is one. That’s the point.
Since there is only one God, He is the God of Jews and Gentiles alike. There is no other alternative for any nationality, any race. There is only one God, and He’s the God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith. You see, for the Jews, their thinking was we’re circumcised. That marks us off as members of the covenant people. I think the pagan, non-Jews need to get saved, but we don’t. Just like you talk to some people today. They’re very religious, they go to church faithfully. They are offended if you say they need to be saved. Now, if you use an example of someone who has just been found guilty of mass murder and say, don’t you think that person needs to get saved, they’d probably say, they really do. But what becomes offensive is when you would say and so do you! That was the Jews, we don’t need to be saved. We’re righteous already. We’ve been circumcised. That marks us off as a member of God’s covenant people. What we’re establishing here, is there is only one God. So, He has to be God of Jews and Gentiles alike, circumcised and uncircumcised alike.

Now, let’s find out how this one God saves people. As you come into chapter 4, the apostle has established that everyone is a sinner. That salvation is by God’s grace through faith. Now he’s going to demonstrate that that faith includes or involves nothing else. In other words, it’s not faith plus circumcision. If there is only one God, there can only be one way of salvation. That’s the argument of Romans, chapters 3 and 4. So, if we can find out how God saved one person, we will find out how he saves every person who is saved, whoever will be saved. “So what shall we say,” verse l of chapter 4, “that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh,” has found? “For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about.”

Interestingly here, you ought to take note, Abraham lived 500 years before the giving of the Mosaic Law. The date roughly for Abraham is around 2,000 B.C. The date for Moses is around 1450. Exodus was probably 1445, so round it off, say 1450. So we’re talking 550 years before the Law and we’re using Abraham as an example. If he was justified by what he did, by his works, he could boast about it. You know, I’m better than someone or look what I accomplished. But that’s not the case. Look at verse 3, “For what does the scripture say? And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness.” Genesis l5:6 is the reference, wait a minute, we’ll go back there, I want to look at some passages in Genesis. There is a clear declaration. What did Abraham do? “Abraham believed God and God credited that” to Abraham “as righteousness.” What about all his good deeds, his works? Not a factor. “Abraham believed God.” What is entailed in Abraham’s salvation, in being declared righteous by God? He believed what God said.

Now be careful. In my conversation this week with these pastors, they said to me, you have to understand, we believe that salvation is by grace through faith. So we agree on that, talking about us together. Well, something is wrong here. They say you have to understand that true saving faith also includes being baptized in water. Now wait a minute, that doesn’t fit with what God says in Romans, chapter 4 about Abraham. It says “Abraham believed God and God credited to Abraham as righteousness.” He doesn’t say Abraham believed God and was circumcised and God credited it to him as righteousness.
In fact, just the opposite. Note how it goes on here. “Now to the one,” verse 4, “who works, his wage is not reckoned as a favor but as what is due.” In other words, when you go to work and you work 40 hours and you get your paycheck, you don’t go to your boss and say thank you for this gift of grace. It may be more than you deserve, but you would have deserved at least part of it, because you worked. “But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is reckoned as righteousness.” Then he goes on to quote what David said, “How blessed is the man whose lawless deeds have been forgiven, whose sins have been forgiven. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will not take into account.” Because the very fact David talks about forgiveness of sin, he’s talking about God’s grace, because the penalty for sin is death, and if you got forgiveness in any other way but by dying and being eternally separated from God, you receive the gift of grace.

But Abraham, let’s follow Abraham here, “Abraham believed God, God credited it to Abraham as righteousness.” Verse 9, “Is this blessing then upon the circumcised, or upon the uncircumcised?” The blessing of God’s righteousness, God’s salvation, is it upon the circumcised or the uncircumcised? “For we say, faith was reckoned to Abraham as righteousness. How then was it reckoned? While he was circumcised or uncircumcised?
Not while circumcised, but while uncircumcised and he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while uncircumcised.” It goes on, this was to demonstrate that salvation is for everyone who believes. It’s not limited to those who are circumcised.

The argument of Romans 4 is, Abraham demonstrates and proves, since there is only one God and thus only one way of salvation, how was Abraham saved? By faith and that was before he was circumcised, that was years before he was circumcised. Now, he’s declared righteous by faith in Genesis l5, he’s circumcised in Genesis l7. We’ll go back and look at that in a moment. But the argument here is compelling. Now I’m not equating baptism with circumcision but using it as an analogy or a comparison. The argument to these Jews is, how can you say that circumcision is necessary for salvation. There’s only one God, and He saved Abraham before Abraham was circumcised. Therefore, salvation is only by faith, not by faith plus circumcision. I want to ask you the question I asked the men I visited with. When was Abraham baptized, before or after Genesis 15? You know the answer? Abraham was never baptized. I can understand the Jews having some confusion about circumcision a lot more than I can understand people today having confusion about baptism. You believe there’s two Gods evidently, the one who saved Abraham by faith alone and the one who saves people today by faith plus baptism. Well, no, you understand saving faith includes baptism, because there is unfolding revelation in the plan of God. Now, don’t get confused here, even though I’ll be confusing, it’s your fault!

There is what in the bible we call progressive revelation. In other words, Abraham did not have a completed bible like we have. He did not understand the truth about the Son of God, coming to earth, dying on a cross, being buried, being raised from the dead. He didn’t have that information. The men that I was talking with said, see, it was different. Abraham’s faith wasn’t the same as our faith, because he didn’t believe in the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. Now see what happens, they change the picture here.
They made an invalid analogy. Abraham believed God. What is faith is the question I asked in our discussion. Why, it’s trust, it’s reliance, it’s believing. Okay. That doesn’t change. Abraham believed God. What is faith? It’s relying upon what God said. It’s believing what God said. All right, that is unchanging. So what does it mean when I have faith today? It means I believe God. I rely upon what God said. Now, what is He saying today? He’s saying, My Son, Jesus Christ, died on the cross for you. I must believe that to be saved.

So be careful. People take the discussion and then make an invalid twist or switch in the conversation and say, see, Abraham didn’t believe the same thing we believe today, so that’s why he wasn’t baptized, God hadn’t revealed that. Wait a minute, wait a minute, wait a minute. We’re talking about what Abraham had to do to be saved. He had to believe. What does faith mean? What does believe mean? Then I have to do the same thing. I have to believe what God says. So, be sure that you follow the comparison and the picture through. Abraham believed God. If you’re going to be saved, you must believe God. Here is what He has said. And the focus is on His Son.

Come back to the book of Genesis 15. God has told Abraham and given Abraham a covenant back in Chapter 12 of Genesis. Things are unfolding. In Chapter 15 God reiterates that He is going to fulfill His promises to Abraham. It’s what we call the Abrahamic Covenant. It’s a covenant made with Abraham, and with all of Abraham’s descendants, physical descendants. That doesn’t mean every physical descendant of Abraham enters into the blessings of this covenant, because they must have the faith of Abraham. Abraham has a problem. God says I’m going to do what I promised you, basically He says in verse 1. Abraham says I have a problem. I don’t have any heir. Sarah and I have no children. Eliezer, my trusted servant, he’ll inherit everything in my house. God says to Abraham, “No not this man,” verse 4, “but you and Sarah, a child from your own body, will be your heir. Then He takes Abraham outside” and in verse 5 He says, “Now look toward the heavens, count the stars, if you are able to count them, so shall your descendants be.” Verse 6, “Then he,” Abraham, “believed in the Lord and He, God, reckoned it to him as righteousness.” God said, here’s My promise, Abraham. Abraham said I believe it.

Now it’s overwhelming. Here’s a man who is getting up there in years and his wife is too. This isn’t a case where, you know, you got the 82-year-old guy married to the 22 year old woman. This is the old guy married to the old girl, and they can’t have kids.
They couldn’t have them when they were young and they’re past the childbearing age now, so just write it off. No! Go out and look at the stars. Think of what Abraham would have seen, how overwhelming it would be if he had had a telescope. I forget how many stars they say you can see. But here’s a man who has no physical children, who’s getting up in years. God says, I’m going to give you descendants that can’t be numbered. Abraham says, I believe you God. God declared it righteousness for Abraham.

What was involved in what Abraham did? He believed what God said. So keep in mind what is necessary for salvation. You must believe, trust, rely upon what God has said. Now again, you can’t say, well I believe what He has said over here. No, you have to believe what he has said today, and the message today is “God is declaring to all men everywhere that they should repent,” the context of His Son coming to earth and dying to pay the penalty for sin. “For He has appointed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a man that He has appointed, and He furnished proof to all men by His resurrection from the dead.” It’s a message that was preached in the book of Acts.
You have to believe, believe what God said. Now don’t say, well, Abraham didn’t have the information about baptism. Well, Abraham didn’t have the information about circumcision yet either. Later on when God tells him, turn two chapters over to chapter 17 to get circumcised, Abraham is going to do it. I take it that Abraham did it by faith. God told him to get circumcised. He believed what God said and he did it. So, you could say Abraham was circumcised by faith, but it’s not a part of his saving faith in the sense of bringing about his salvation.

Look in Genesis, chapter 17. Here you have certain provisions of the Abrahamic Covenant reiterated in the first five verses. Again, you note how important the physical descendants of Abraham are, this is a little aside. Some people today don’t believe there is a future for physical Israel. Abraham understood that all the promises of God to him and his descendants hinged on having physical descendants. Now some people today say, well, the Jews were unfaithful, the church has replaced Israel, there is no future for physical Israel any longer. I don’t think Abraham would have bought that. The whole issue in these chapters is on a physical descendant. God reiterates the covenant. Verse 7, “I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your descendants after you. I will give to you and to your descendants after you, the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession, I will be their God. God said further to Abraham, “Now for you, you shall keep My covenant, you and your descendants after you throughout their generations. This is My covenant, which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you, every male among you shall be circumcised.”” You see what’s happening here. He’s going to now use the sign. There is a physical sign, that you’re in covenant relationship with Me. It will be circumcision. Since that is the physical sign of our covenant relationship, God calls it the covenant. He calls the physical sign, circumcision, the covenant. This is my covenant, every male shall be circumcised. The end of verse l3, “thus shall my covenant be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant.” So you have the covenant marked in your physical flesh in circumcision.

You can see why the Jews, reading a passage like this, said you can’t be saved without being circumcised, because circumcision gets blended with the covenant itself. You have My covenant in your flesh. In fact, it’s compounded in passages like Exodus, chapter 12, verses 43 and 44, 48. There God says that no one can partake of the Passover unless they’ve been circumcised. No male can partake of the Passover unless they’ve been circumcised. In fact, in verse 48 of Exodus 12 He says the uncircumcised is cut off from his people, can’t be in the covenant relationship and enjoy the provisions of the covenant, such as the sacrificial system.

Say, seems like circumcision is necessary for salvation. No. But those who have truly believed God, like Abraham did, what? Walk by faith also and obey Him but that doesn’t mean you can backload all of this into the faith and say, well, therefore you had to be circumcised to be saved. I mention this because when we study the baptism passages in the New Testament, which we’ll do tonight, it seems like some of these are equating baptism with our salvation. They’re doing the same thing that they did with circumcision.

God is speaking the same way, but it’s not confusing to those who really believe in Him and understand His salvation. It’s not surprising, in fact in the context here at the end of verse 11 He says, “it shall be a sign of the covenant between Me and you.” So in the same passage He calls it a “sign of the covenant” and He calls it the covenant itself, and “My covenant in your flesh,” simply meaning, what? It is a physical sign of the covenant that exists between us. But it’s not necessary for your salvation.

Romans 4 argues that conclusively. Abraham had been saved for years. Chapter 17 begins when Abraham is 99. Chapter 16 ended when he was 86, there’s 13 years there, and Abraham was declared righteous in chapter 15. Chapter 16 is about the birth of Ishmael and Hagar, the bondmaid. So, we’ve got years here. Abraham has been declared righteous by God a long time ago. Circumcision is not necessary for salvation. God declared him righteous. He was righteous, but he manifested his righteousness in obedience to God in circumcision. Now with circumcision there was to be the spiritual reality. That’s crucial.

In Leviticus, chapter 26, verse 41 God says, “I was also acting with hostility against them, to bring them into the land of their enemies or if their uncircumcised heart becomes humbled so that they then make amends for their iniquity.” You see, physical circumcision was to be the expression of a circumcised heart. A heart that had been transformed by God. That happens, when? When they humble themselves before Me, when they believe in Me. So, the circumcised heart is foundational to the physical circumcision. The circumcised heart is salvation. The physical circumcision is just to be a sign or physical expression of that salvation and the two go together. If a person is circumcised in heart and circumcised in flesh, the evidence is the fact he belongs in the covenant relationship with God.

Look in Deuteronomy, Chapter 10. Taking these two references from within the Mosaic Law, the five books of Moses, show here that God’s intention was a heart that was circumcised, expressed in the physical action. Verse 16 of Deuteronomy 10, “Circumcise then your heart, and stiffen your neck no more.” See in these contexts a stiffened heart was a heart that was in resistance or rebellion against God. This is where repentance comes in. Repentance is part of saving faith. Baptism is not part of saving faith. Repentance is. Because when you believe in God, what? You’re changing your mind. You’re turning from your sin. You’re turning to God. You’re turning from having a heart hardened and stiffen toward God, toward humbling yourself before God. That’s saving faith.

Jeremiah 4:4, you don’t have to turn there. Again, you need to be circumcised in heart.
Jeremiah, chapter 9, verses 25 and 26, you need to be circumcised in heart. Ezekiel 44:7, you must be circumcised in heart. So, the circumcised heart. The Jews lost their way. They thought the physical circumcision was what really assured them. Like people today, have done the same thing with a physical sign, baptism. They think that’s what salvation is. Salvation has to occur as a heart transaction by believing. Abraham believed God and he was declared righteous. Is circumcision necessary for salvation? No. Was circumcision important? Yes. Was circumcision a physical demonstration and declaration of a heart’s condition? Yes, particularly as it was practiced on infants eight days old of the parent’s faith in covenant relationship with God.

That being the case, Abraham was saved, Romans, chapter 4, apart from circumcision.
He was saved by believing. That should resolve the problem. Now I realize it doesn’t, but you have people now bringing baptism into it because as we look at these problem verses tonight, repent and be baptized for the remission of sins that must mean then that you can’t be saved until you’re baptized. We’ll look at those passages.

But whatever those passages mean according to Romans, chapter 4, unless there are two Gods, it can’t mean that you can’t be saved unless you believe and are baptized, because Abraham was saved without ever having been baptized. And that’s true for everybody who says baptism is necessary for salvation, in any form, Protestant or Roman Catholic, infant or adult baptism. Abraham never was baptized, never practiced baptism. He was declared righteous by God on the basis of his faith. You must believe what God said. What does that mean? Unless you rely upon Him, stop stiffening your neck toward God, believe in Him.

Look in 1 Corinthians, chapter 1. There was a division in the church at Corinth over baptism. They were fragmenting. Peter baptized some people, Paul baptized some people, Apollos baptized some people. Whoever baptized them they said I’m a follower of him. You know, I follow Eddie, he baptized me. I follow Gil, he baptized me. I follow Don, he baptized me. The apostle Paul says that’s stupidity. You baptize in the name of Christ. But Paul says in 1 Corinthians, chapter 1, verse 14, I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius. Verse 16 I also baptize the household of Stephanas; beyond that I don’t know whether I baptized anyone else. I can’t remember who I did and didn’t. The point is, verse 17 of 1 Corinthians l, Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel. In my conversation with the gentlemen I visited with, they said well, the real issue, was Paul’s not saying baptism isn’t necessary here, he’s just saying there shouldn’t be division over it. Well, he’s saying there shouldn’t be division over it, but if you read verse 17 properly he’s saying it’s not part of the gospel. Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel.

If baptism is an essential part of the gospel, then Paul is saying I did not preach a complete gospel, because Christ didn’t send me to baptize, to preach the gospel. Well wait a minute, baptism is part of the gospel according to their view, not according to Paul’s view. Christ didn’t send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel. But they’re trying to say the gospel includes baptism. That true saving faith includes baptism. It’s really a convoluted handling of scripture. The contrast here is clear. I didn’t baptize very many people because God didn’t send me to baptize. He sent me to preach the gospel. Paul said I’m not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, Romans 1:16.

Look over in 1 Corinthians 15, verse 1. Now I make know to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand. So you want to know what the gospel was that he preached? The gospel that brought salvation, verse 2, “by which also you are saved?” Verse 3, “I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures. He was buried, He was raised on the third day,” He appeared to many witnesses. The death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, substantiated by apostolic witnesses and others, that’s the gospel I preach.

If you believe Christ died for your sins, you must believe the truth about your sinfulness, you must believe the truth about Jesus Christ. You are a sinner, turn from your sin and believe that Christ died for you and was raised in victory, and you will be saved. Where’s the baptism in the gospel? It’s not part of his gospel. He already said in chapter 1, it’s not part of my gospel. He elaborates that in chapter 2. The gospel is the preaching of the cross of Christ. You say, well, baptism is not an additional work, that really is included in the gospel and in faith. Well, we’re back to Galatians 1, doing the same thing the Judaizers did. You’ve got to be circumcised to be saved. Paul said that’s not a variation of my gospel. Whoever preaches that is accursed, under the curse of God. Condemned, damned to hell is the significance of what he’s saying, “anathema.”

Why? Am I saying there’s not a place for baptism, that baptism is not an important step of obedience for one who has believed in Christ? No, I believe it is. Is it necessary for salvation? No. Do I believe that circumcision was important in a life of a Jew during the period of the Old Testament scriptures? Of course, it was. You couldn’t be a functioning part of the physical nation Israel without being circumcised. Was it necessary for salvation? No. And those Jews who brought it back and put it in that context, and said, you can’t be saved without faith plus circumcision were accursed. Now we do the same thing with baptism.

Paul says I didn’t baptize, I came to preach the gospel. God didn’t send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, and here’s the gospel I preached. How clear must it be. Now we’ll look at the passages that cause people confusion that are passages sprinkled throughout the scripture, I think one reason is to throw unbelievers off the track. I don’t mean this to be unkind, but there are passages that, if they stood alone, they raise questions about the deity of Jesus Christ. But the deity of Jesus Christ is overwhelmingly taught in scripture. You just have to understand these few passages in the proper context of the rest of the scripture. Until the Spirit of God opens your eyes, it leads to confusion.

Let’s pray together. Thank you, Lord, for the salvation that is found only in Christ. Lord, above all it is of utmost importance that each one of us here today be clear on this most important issue of time and eternity, what must I do to be saved. Believe on the Lord, Jesus Christ and you will be saved. Lord, I pray for each person who is here. That we might take a moment and consider carefully, have I believed the gospel. Have I let go of everything and everyone and placed my confidence and trust in the Savior who died on the cross and was raised again? Lord, I pray that our consideration of these truths might impress them upon our heart and mind, we might have the confident assurance that you are our heavenly Father. We pray in Christ’s name, Amen.