What exactly is the purpose of baptism? While some teach that water baptism is necessary for salvation, Scripture makes the opposite claim – that it is not water baptism but spiritual baptism into the resurrection of Christ that actually saves (1 Peter 3:23). Furthermore, the Apostle Paul states that Christ did not send him to baptize but to preach the Gospel (1 Corinthians 1:17) – an odd statement to make if water baptism were necessary for salvation. So, water baptism is not necessary for salvation, and much like the Lord’s Supper, it is an outward reminder of what occurred inwardly when we believed.
February 20, 2024
The word “Christian” was first used in Acts 11:26, and it refers to people who believe in the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ for forgiveness and eternal life (John 3:16; Romans 6:23; Galatians 2:20; Colossians 3:1; Romans 10:13). We become Christians by believing the same message about Jesus Christ and receiving Him into our lives.
February 13, 2024
To understand why Christ died, we don’t need to look further than the Law which states, “without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness” (Hebrews 9:22). Jesus’ death was required for our forgiveness, and His death brought perfect forgiveness to all who believe (Leviticus 17:11, Hebrews 10:14).
February 6, 2024
The resurrection of Jesus Christ proves His divinity – that He has power over sin and death. But the resurrection is also important to the believer, as it is the means by which we have received new, resurrection life and new identity in Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:17; Colossians 3:1).
January 30, 2024
The term “altar call” conveys Old Testament imagery of dead animals laying on altars for Israel’s atonement. In the New Covenant, Jesus was placed on the last altar, the cross, to take away sins once and for all (Hebrews 10:10). So, while God has saved people through altar calls at church services, the imagery actually conflicts with the New Testament reality of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross.
January 23, 2024
In Matthew 7:13, the narrow gate is the way of grace, and the wide or broad gate is the way of self-righteousness. Not many find the narrow gate (Matthew 7:14), because the religions of the world encourage good behavior for salvation, and this is very appealing to people. Scripture is clear: We must set aside our efforts to earn or maintain righteousness with God and humble ourselves by receiving grace (James 4:6).
January 16, 2024
No, the whole world is not forgiven of their sins. Forgiveness is found only in Christ, not in Adam. A person must admit their sinfulness and their need for a Savior in order to be forgiven and cleansed of all their sins (1 John 1:9; Acts 26:17-18).
December 27, 2023
What if we don’t continue in the faith? Will we lose our salvation? Passages that speak of the need to “continue” or “hold fast” are addressed to those who are not yet saved and still need to continue hearing and believing until they take in the whole message of the Gospel. At some point, if they do continue, each will be born again. Once saved, we can do nothing to maintain or sustain our salvation. Jesus has secured us forever.
December 19, 2023