WORDS OF FAITH
“… nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine …”
1 Tim. 4:6
Central Church of Christ
November 27, 2011
Number 65
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Almost all Protestant denominations teach that the alien
sinner is saved (becomes a child of God) at the point of faith in Jesus
Christ before and without any further act(s) of obedience. The
Bible makes clear that this is false doctrine. It can be seen to be
false, for a number of reasons.
1. It is false because Jesus said, “…Except a man be born of
water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God”
(John 3:5). This means that no one can enter into the kingdom of
God without being baptized in the name of Christ (cf. Acts 2:38;
Rom. 6:3-5; Mark 16:15-16; et al.) If one is “baptized” (undergoes
some religious acts involving water) without understanding that
being baptized in the name of Christ is an act of faith which is essential
to salvation, then he is not saved, because he has obeyed a
mere human doctrine and not the doctrine of Christ. But one must
obey Christ in order to be saved (Heb. 5:8-9; Mat. 7:21-23).
2. It is false because it affirms (by implication) that the alien
sinner is saved (becomes a child of God) by a dead faith. Yet
James 2:24-26 teaches that faith without works is dead. Since
whatever is dead is powerless, inoperative, unable to accomplish
anything, then obviously no one can be saved by faith only (a dead
faith). One is saved only when – because of living faith – as penitent
believer in Jesus Christ, he is baptized in the name (by the authority
of) Jesus Christ (Acts 2:38).
3. It s false because it affirms that one can be saved without
doing the will of God. Yet, Jesus said, “Not everyone that saith unto me Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he
that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven” (Mat. 7:21).
One is not saved merely by (1) being religious, (2) being sincere in
religion or by (3) crying out, “Lord, Lord.” While all of the above
matters are necessary, they are not sufficient.
One is saved either (1) before he is baptized or (2) when he
is baptized or (3) after he is baptized. These are the only possibilities.
The truth of the matter is: one is saved when (as a penitent believer)
he is baptized into Christ (Acts 2:38; 22:16; Gal. 3:26-27; et al.)
The other two possibilities are false.
So, no matter how religious, how sincere, how zealous, and
so on a person may be, if he has not been baptized into Christ, then
he is not a child of God, he is not a Christian.
Every child of God (that is, every Christian) is a member of
the church of Christ (the church described on the pages of the New
Testament, the church which Jesus bought with His own blood).
There is not one Christian living on earth today who is not a member
of that church. Every other “church” is of human origin and,
thus, is not authorized by God. Salvation is only in the church
which Jesus bought with His blood (Acts 20:28).
May every person deny himself, take up his cross daily and
follow Jesus – not men or the doctrines of men (Luke 9:23).
– Thomas B. Warren. The Bible Only Makes Christians
Only and the Only Christians. Moore, OK : National Christian
Press, Inc. 1986. 100-101.
The Bible plainly teaches that one cannot be taught incorrectly
and baptized Scripturally. Only the pure unadulterated Gospel
and belief and obedience to the same can save. – Editor