Does it speak of salvation by grace or by works? This is the most fundamental issue. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast (Eph 2:8,9). We are saved not by works but for works. Don’t put the cart before the horse! Let me give a few examples of the teaching which emphasizes works for salvation. I once met a young man with a senior Christian and asked the former whether he was saved. The latter answered for him, He is on his way to the Cross! I asked, How long? He said, Three months. What he meant was, this young man had been going about reconciling with all whom he had wronged and restituting matters, and he had been confessing all his sins committed from childhood one by one! He had not been through yet! There would come a time when this senior brother would tell him, Now that you have confessed all sins and made all necessary restitutions, you can start praying for salvation! Beloved, restitution with men is definitely a Biblical doctrine but it is more an evidence than a condition for salvation. Anyone can be saved in an instant. The tax-collector entered the temple as a sinner and he exited as a saint— justified! Still there are others who quote Matthew 28:19 and say that only fullfledged disciples must be baptized. Their definition of a disciple is one who has fulfilled all the conditions of discipleship laid in the New Testament. But the basic meaning of the word disciple is a student, an adherent or a follower. That means he has joined Jesus to learn from Him and follow Him. Whether your are in the kindergarten or the postgraduate class, you are a student! So the three commandments in the Great Commission (Mt 28:19,20) are Enroll, Baptize and Educate! Sometimes folks make baptism a condition for salvation. We are saved by faith, and faith alone, on the finished work of Christ. Baptism follows this as an outward expression of the inward experience. Salvation on God’s side is all of grace and on our side all of faith. Beware of any addition or subtraction!
Posted on: Thu, 22 Jan 2015 00:51:06 +0000
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