" But YOU are GOD and there is no other ! "

     We as a Nation have seen the steady decline of our values and morals. Along with them we have seen a darkness also take over the hearts and minds of those who would normally have a good head on their shoulders. Things that we know are evil are now considered good even to the point of making laws allowing such evil to thrive.  

     As a Nation, we were set-up by GOD and have been blessed abundantly by HIM.  But since the 60's and even before we have been turning our backs on the ONE WHO holds our very breath in HIS hand.  No Nation, who once were given the blessings of the ONE TRUE GOD, can now turn their backs on HIM and still also expect HIS continued protection and blessings.

      I have picked a section of Scripture that shows, without a doubt,  the ramifications of turning away from the GOD that created and controls all things. The portion is in Nehemiah 9:1-37 and 2nd.Chron.7:14  and they go as follows:

" Now on the twenty-fourth day of this month the children of Israel were assembled with fasting, in sackcloth, and with dust on their heads.  Then those of Israelite lineage separated themselves from all foreigners; and they stood and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their fathers. And they stood up in their place and read from the Book of the Law of the LORD their GOD for one-fourth of the day; and for another fourth they confessed and worshiped the LORD their GOD.

Then Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani and Chenani stood on the stairs of the Levites and cried out with a loud voice to the LORD their GOD.  Then the Levites, Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabniah, Sherebiah, Hodijah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah, said:

' Stand up and bless the LORD your GOD forever and ever ! Blessed be YOUR glorious name, which is exalted above all blessing and praise !  YOU alone are the LORD;  YOU have made Heaven,  the Heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and all things on it, the seas and all that is in them, and YOU preserve them all, the host of heaven worships YOU.

YOU are the LORD GOD, WHO chose Abram, and brought him out of the Ur of the Chaldees, and gave him the name Abraham;  YOU found his heart faithful before YOU, and made a covenant with him to give the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, and the Girgashites--To give it to his descendants(seed).  YOU have performed YOUR words, for YOU are righteous.

YOU saw the affliction of our fathers in Egypt, and heard their cry by the Red Sea.  YOU showed signs and wonders against Pharaoh, against all his servants, and against all the people of his land.  For YOU knew that they acted proudly against them, so YOU made a name for YOURSELF as it is this day.  And YOU divided the sea before them, so that they went through the midst of the sea on dry land; and their persecutors YOU threw into the deep, as a stone into the mighty waters.  Moreover YOU led them by day with a cloudy pillar, and by night with a pillar of fire, to give them light on the road which they should travel.

YOU came down also on Mount Sinai, and spoke with them from Heaven, and gave them just ordinances and true laws, good statutes and commandments. YOU made known to them YOUR Holy Sabbath, and commanded them precepts, statutes and laws, by the hand of Moses YOUR servant.  YOU gave them bread from Heaven for their hunger, and brought them water out of the rock for their thirst, and told them to go in to possess the land which YOU had sworn to give them.

BUT they and our fathers acted proudly,  hardened their necks,  and did not heed YOUR commandments.  They refused to obey, and they were not mindful of YOUR wonders that YOU did among them.  BUT they hardened their necks, and in their rebellion they appointed a leader to return to their bondage.  But YOU are GOD,  ready to pardon,  gracious and merciful,  slow to anger, abundant in kindness,  and did not forsake them.

Even when they made a molded calf for themselves, and said, ' This is our god that brought you up out of Egypt. ' And worked great provocations, yet in YOUR manifold mercies YOU did not forsake them in the wilderness.  The pillar of the cloud did not depart from them by day, to lead them on the road;  nor the pillar of fire by night, to show them light, and the way they should go.  YOU also gave YOUR good SPIRIT to instruct them, and did not withhold YOUR manna from their mouth, and gave them water for their thirst.  Forty years YOU sustained them in the wilderness, so that they lacked nothing;  their clothes did not wear out and their feet did not swell.

Moreover YOU gave them kingdoms and nations, and divided them into districts. So they took possession of the land of Sihon,  the land of the king of Bashan. YOU also multiplied their children as the stars of Heaven, and brought them into the land which YOU had told their fathers to go in and possess.  So the people went in and possessed the land;  YOU subdued before them the inhabitants of the land, The Canaanites, and gave them into their hands, with their kings and the people of the land, that they might do with them as they would.  And they took strong cities and a rich land, and possessed houses full of all goods, cisterns already dug, vineyards, olive groves, and fruit trees in abundance.  So they ate and were filled and grew fat, and delighted themselves in YOUR great goodness.

Nevertheless they were disobedient and rebelled against YOU, cast YOUR law behind their backs and killed YOUR prophets, who testified against them to turn them to YOURSELF;  and they worked great provocation. THEREFORE  YOU DELIVERED THEM INTO THE HAND OF THEIR ENEMIES,  who oppressed them; AND IN THE TIME OF THEIR TROUBLE,  WHEN THEY CRIED TO YOU,  YOU HEARD FROM HEAVEN;  and according to YOUR abundant mercies YOU GAVE THEM DELIVERERS WHO SAVE THEM FROM THE HAND OF THEIR ENEMIES.

BUT  after  they  had  rest,  they again did evil before YOU. Therefore YOU left them in the hand of their enemies,  so that they had dominion over them;  yet when they returned and cried out to YOU,  YOU heard from Heaven; and many times YOU delivered them according to YOUR mercies,  and testified against them,  that YOU might bring them back to YOUR law.  Yet they acted proudly, and did not heed YOUR commandments,  BUT sinned against YOUR judgments, which if a man does,  he shall live by them. And they shrugged their shoulders, stiffened their necks, and would not hear.  Yet for many years YOU had patience with them, and testified against them by YOUR  SPIRIT in YOUR prophets.  YET they would not listen;  therefore YOU gave them into the hands of the peoples of the lands. Nevertheless in YOUR GREAT MERCY YOU did not utterly consume them nor forsake them;  FOR  YOU  ARE  GOD, gracious and merciful.

Now therefore our GOD,  the GREAT,  the MIGHTY,  and AWESOME GOD,  WHO keeps covenant and mercy;  do not let all the trouble seem small before YOU that has come upon us,  our kings and our princes, our priests and our prophets, our fathers and on all YOUR people, from the days of the kings of Assyria until this day.  However YOU are just in all that has befallen us;  for YOU have dealt faithfully,  BUT we have done wickedly.  Neither our kings nor our princes, our priests nor our fathers, have kept YOUR law, nor heeded YOUR commandments and YOUR testimonies, with which YOU testified against them.  For they have not served YOU in their kingdom, or in the many good things that YOU gave them, or in the large and rich land which YOU set before them;  nor did they turn from their wicked works.

Here we are, servants today !  And the land that YOU gave to our fathers,  to eat its fruit and its good things,  here we are,  servants in it !  And it yields much increase to the kings YOU have set over us,  because of our sins;  also they have dominion over our bodies and our cattle at their pleasure;  AND  WE  ARE  IN  GREAT  DISTRESS  !!! ' "       Nehemiah 9:1-37

As you can see, by the reiteration of just some of the things that Israel went through because of their turning away from the GOD that set them up in the land that was promised to them forever.   GOD also set this great Nation up that we live in and we, as Israel did, have turned from the GOD that has blessed this Nation abundantly above all that we could have ever asked for or think.  Now, knowing what they went through and what sins they repeatedly did, what do you think will happen to our land if we do not repent in humility as HIS Truly Born Again Children ???

2nd. Chronicles 7:14 says,  " if MY people who are called by MY name will humble themselves,  and pray and seek MY face,  and turn from their wicked ways;  then I will hear from Heaven,  and will forgive their sin and heal their land. "

When  will  we,  as  a  Nation  see  our  need,  and  call  out to  GOD  and  say,                                                                                      " AND  WE  ARE  IN  GREAT  DISTRESS ?"

Your servant in CHRIST,

Julie

" Is Water Baptism Essential to Salvation ? " Part 3 of 3

                             First  Peter  3:21

     Another verse used by those who teach that water baptism is necessary for salvation is 1st. Peter 3:21.  Here the Scripture says,  " The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward GOD) by the resurrection of JESUS CHRIST."   The preceding verse, verse 20, tells of how Noah and his family were saved in the ark.  The verse says,  "...when once the longsuffering of GOD waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water."

     There is no difficulty with these verses once you understand the expression,  " The like figure."  The ark was a figure, a type, a picture of Salvation.  That is what the Scripture plainly says.

     Noah and his family, saved from the Flood by the ark, is a picture, a figure of our Salvation through CHRIST.  Noah and his family were saved by getting into the ark, not by getting into the water.  They were trusting the ark for their safety, not the water.

     The expression in verse 20,  " eight souls were saved by water," does not mean they were saved by being baptized. As a matter of fact, Noah and his family didn't even get into the water.  They were on the Ark, safe from the water. All those who got into the water were lost.  They drowned. The only ones who were saved were those who didn't get wet at all.  How foolish,  then, to take these verses, and try to teach that one is saved by being baptized in water !

     One must also keep in mind that the word "saved" here does not mean spiritual Salvation.  It simply has reference to being saved from physical destruction by the Flood.  If you will read the early chapters in Genesis, you will discover that Noah was saved by grace before the Flood ever came.

     In verse 21 the Bible clearly says that baptism does NOT put away the filth of the flesh.  It goes on to say that it is simply the answer of a good conscience toward GOD. The man who is baptized should already have a good conscience toward GOD because his sins are forgiven.  One has a right to be baptized only AFTER his sins are forgiven and he has a good conscience toward GOD.

     When the Ethiopian eunuch asked Philip in Acts 8:36,  " See, here is water;  what doth hinder me to be baptized ? " Philip answered in verse 37,  " If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. "   The eunuch replied,  " I believe that JESUS CHRIST is the SON of GOD. "   Philip then baptized him.

     Baptism always follows Salvation.  It never precedes it. It is always and only, in the words of Peter,  " the answer of a good conscience toward GOD."  The very fact that one is baptized shows that the individual is professing a good conscience toward GOD,  that his sins have already been forgiven.

                                     John  3:5

     John 3:5 is another verse quoted by those who teach that water baptism is necessary for Salvation, as if it referred to water baptism.  Here the Scripture says,  " Except a man be born of water and of the SPIRIT, he cannot enter into the kingdom of GOD."  Does this mean water baptism ?  Absolutely NOT. Baptism is not even mentioned in JESUS' conversation with Nicodemus.

     In this chapter Nicodemus asked how a man could be born again, and JESUS explained that a man is saved by simple faith in CHRIST.  In verses 14 and 15 HE said,  " And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the SON of man be lifted up:  That whosoever believeth in HIM should not perish, but have eternal life." Here JESUS said a man has eternal life simply by believing. No mention is made of baptism.

     In verse 16 HE said,  " For GOD so loved the world, that HE gave HIS only begotten SON, that whosoever believeth in HIM should not perish, but have everlasting life."   Here the Scripture makes plain again that one has everlasting life simply by believing in CHRIST without being baptized.

     In verse 18 our LORD divided the entire world into two groups:  he that believeth on the SON  and  he that believeth not.  And HE said,  " He that believeth on HIM is NOT condemned:  but he that believeth NOT is condemned already, because he hath NOT believed in the name of the only begotten SON of GOD."   Here again the Scripture makes it very plain that a man is condemned for one reason only--" because he hath NOT believed in the name of the only begotten SON of GOD."   No mention of baptism.

     This whole chapter on the new birth closes in verse 36 by saying,  " He that believeth on the SON hath everlasting life:  and he that believeth NOT the SON shall not see life; but the wrath of GOD abideth on him."  Again, nothing about baptism;  and again, the clear promise, if one believes on the SON he has everlasting life, whether or not he is ever baptized.

     But what does the verse mean,  " Except a man be born of water and of the SPIRIT, he cannot enter into the kingdom of GOD " ?   Verse 6 makes it very plain that our LORD is talking about two births--the physical birth and the spiritual birth.  Here HE says,  " That which is born of the flesh is flesh;  and that which is born of the SPIRIT is spirit."

     When our LORD told Nicodemus in verse 3,  " Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of GOD," Nicodemus responded in verse 4,  " How can a man be born when he is old ? Can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born ?"   That is when JESUS explained in verse 5 that a man must be born of water and of the SPIRIT.  The water has reference to the physical birth, and the SPIRIT has reference to the spiritual birth, as is seen in verse 6. Nicodemus thought the LORD was talking about a rebirth, another fleshly birth.  Our LORD explained that one must not only be born of the flesh, but he must be born of the SPIRIT.

                                       Acts  22:16

     Acts 22:16 is another verse sometimes quoted by those who claim that baptism is essential to Salvation.  The verse says,  " And now why tarriest thou ? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the LORD."   The Apostle Paul did not mean in Acts 22:16 to teach a different plan of Salvation from the one he gave to the Philippian jailer in Acts 16:31,  where he simply said,  " Believe on the LORD JESUS CHRIST, and thou shalt be saved..."   Nor did he mean to contradict what he said in Acts 13:39:  " And by HIM all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the Law of Moses."

     Whatever Acts 22:16 means, it certainly doesn't contradict the plan of Salvation by grace through faith, as had already been clearly given by the Apostle Paul. Remember that, according to 1st.Peter 3:21, baptism is a figure or picture.  When JESUS said in Matthew 26:26-28, "...this is MY body..."  and "...this is MY blood...," HE certainly did not mean that the bread and the cup were HIS literal body and blood.  It simply represented HIS body and blood.

     " Be baptized, and wash away thy sins,"  certainly does not mean that sins are literally washed away in the baptismal waters.  It simply means that one is to be baptized to picture the washing away of sins.

     Baptism is a picture of the death, burial and resurrection of CHRIST.  When one is baptized, he is simply saying,  " I believe that JESUS CHRIST died for my sins, that HE was buried and that HE rose again.  I'm trusting HIM as my SAVIOR. "

                                     Galatians  3:27

     Some use the phrase in Galatians 3:27,  " baptized into CHRIST,"  to try to prove that one must be baptized in order to put on CHRIST.  But the preceding verse says very plainly that we are saved by simple faith in CHRIST.  Verse 26 says,  " For ye are all the children of GOD by faith in CHRIST JESUS."  A study of the book of Galatians will reveal that the whole book was written to prove that people are saved by grace through faith and not by works. We have already shown that baptism is a work of righteousness.

     The Greek word for "into"  is  "eis" and is translated "unto" in many other cases.  The same Greek word is translated "unto" in 1st.Corinthians 10:2 where the Bible says,  " And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea."

The word "unto" is a translation of the same Greek word "eis", which is translated "into" in Galatians 3:27.  So if the covering of Israel in the cloud and the sea did not put them into Moses, then baptism does NOT put one into CHRIST.

     What the Scripture is saying in Galatians 3:27 is that, as many as have been baptized, pointing toward CHRIST or unto CHRIST, have already put on CHRIST.  That is, they have already been saved.  Baptism is pointing toward the fact that one is already saved, that he has already put on CHRIST.

                     Trust  Christ  Alone  for  Salvation

     GOD has one simple plan of Salvation.  It is not a process.  Neither is it a series of steps that one must take. Again and again the Bible makes it very plain that one is saved by simple faith in CHRIST.

     In Acts 16:30 when the Philippian jailer asked,  " Sirs, what must I do to be saved ?"  Paul answered in verse 31, " Believe on the LORD JESUS CHRIST, and thou shalt be saved..."   Believing is the sinner's part.  The word "believe" means to trust, to depend on, to rely on.

     Faith is absolute, total dependence.  There is no promise in the Bible to those who partially believe on CHRIST.  One must believe on CHRIST,  HIM alone and nothing else.  The very fact that one is trusting water baptism in any degree shows that he is NOT FULLY TRUSTING JESUS CHRIST.

     We believe in baptism.  The Bible teaches that everyone who trusts CHRIST as their personal SAVIOR should be baptized as an act of obedience, and he should be baptized as soon as possible AFTER he trusts CHRIST as SAVIOR. But he must NOT trust baptism for Salvation.  Acts 4:12 says,  " Neither is there Salvation in any other:  for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved."

     Won't you trust CHRIST today ?  If you're trusting anything other than JESUS CHRIST, we urge you to look away from everything else and look only to JESUS for Salvation.

                      By Dr. Curtis Hutson

                      Is Water Baptism Essential to Salvation ?

Well this is the end of our series, " Is Water Baptism Essential to Salvation ?  As we have seen and been shown by many infallible proofs;  Baptism  is  NOT essential  for one  to  be  saved.   Please,  take this time to correct an error that you may have been believing for a very long time.  As long as the LORD has given you breath in your lungs it is not too late to repent of this error and trust in grace alone, by faith alone, in JESUS CHRIST alone.   You don't want to be one of the ones that the LORD looks at and says,  " Get away from ME for I never knew you. "

Your servant in CHRIST,

Julie

" Is Water Baptism Essential to Salvation ? " Part 2 of 3

New  Testament  Examples  of  Salvation  Without  Baptism

     Since people in the Old Testament were all saved without being baptized, you would expect to find cases in the New Testament where people were saved but never baptized.

     Luke 7:37-50  tells the story of a woman who was saved without being baptized.  JESUS said unto her,  " Thy sins are forgiven."  And HE went on to say,  " Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace."  Luke 18:35-43 tells about the healing and conversion of a blind man who was saved by faith without baptism. Here is the record:  " And JESUS said unto him, Receive thy sight: thy faith hath saved thee."  

     The publican in Luke 18 was saved without baptism. The story is recorded in Luke 18:13, 14.  This poor sinner simply cried out,  " GOD be merciful to me a sinner."  And JESUS said of him,  " I tell you, this man went down to his house justified..."  But there is no record of his ever being baptized.

     The thief on the cross is the classic example of one being saved without being baptized.  The story is recorded in Luke 23:39-43.  This poor thief, dying on a cross, requested of JESUS in verse 42,  " LORD, remember me when THOU comest into THY kingdom. "  And JESUS answered him in verse 43, saying,  " Verily (truly) I say unto thee, to day shalt thou be with ME in paradise. "  He was never baptized;  but according to the very words of JESUS, he was with CHRIST that very day in Paradise.

                     Salvation  Is  a  Gift

     Baptism, then, cannot possibly be a part of GOD's plan of Salvation. Salvation is clearly a gift of GOD which is not deserved,  is not bought and cannot be paid for.  Therefore, no church nor preacher nor any individual has a right to claim the credit when a soul is saved.

     Salvation is a gift to be received,  not a prize to be earned by our good works,  including the good work of baptism.  The sinner's only part is to receive by faith what JESUS CHRIST has purchased with HIS own blood.  John 1:12 says, " But as many as received HIM, to them gave HE power to become the sons of GOD,  even to them that believe on HIS name."  In the words of the old song:

                 I  dare  not  trust  the  sweetest  frame,

                 But  wholly  lean  on  JESUS'  name.

     It is fatal to trust anything other than JESUS CHRIST for Salvation.  "...he that believeth NOT the SON shall NOT see life;  but the wrath of GOD abideth on him."  John 3:36

     There are so many clear Bible verses that teach one is saved by simple faith in CHRIST that even those who argue that baptism is necessary for Salvation cannot deny them. So some of them say,  " Yes, Salvation is by grace through faith, BUT believing includes baptism."  However, such is not the case.  It is one thing to believe on the LORD JESUS CHRIST and a totally different thing to be baptized.  Mark 16:16 clearly says, " He that believeth and is baptized...." If baptism were included in believing,  then it wouldn't have been necessary to add the expression, " and is baptized."  Acts 2:41 plainly says,  " Then they that gladly received his word were baptized...."  No, believing does not include baptism.  Baptism is an act of obedience.  As a matter of fact,  it is the first act of obedience for those who trust CHRIST as SAVIOR,  but it is NOT an instrument of Salvation.

 Supposed Proof Texts for Salvation by Baptism Examined

     Those who teach that water baptism is necessary for Salvation misuse, misinterpret and misapply a number of Bible verses in an effort to prove their point. When studying the Bible, we must never use an obscure passage to contradict many clear passages.

     If a verse seems to indicate that one must be baptized in order to be saved, we must remember that the Bible never contradicts itself.  In the light of John 3:36, John 3:18, John 3:16, John 3:14 and many, many other clear passages, baptism CANNOT be essential to Salvation.  We have already shown that one is saved by simple faith in CHRIST,  HIM alone and nothing else.

     Second Peter 1:20 says,  " Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the Scripture is of any private interpretation." This verse does not mean that one cannot study his Bible privately.  It simply means that we're not to build a doctrine on one verse, ignoring all the Bible has to say on the same subject in many other verses.

     Those who teach water baptism is necessary for Salvation have made this mistake.  They build their doctrine from a few selected verses, disregarding all the Bible has to say about Salvation by grace through faith.

                   Acts  2:38

     One verse, used by those who teach that water baptism is necessary for Salvation, is Acts 2:38.  Here the Bible says,  " Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of JESUS CHRIST for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the HOLY GHOST."

     Does this verse contradict the many clear verses in the Bible that teach Salvation by grace through faith ?  It does not.  The only thing that remits sin is the blood of CHRIST. Hebrews 9:22 clearly says,  "...without shedding of blood is no remission."  If one had to be baptized to have his sins remitted,  then what would he do with the sins he committed after he was saved ?  Suppose a man was baptized twenty years ago.  Since then he has committed many sins.  No one lives absolutely perfect and above sin.

     First John 1:10 says,  " If we say that we have not sinned, we make HIM a liar, and HIS WORD is not in us." If baptism were necessary to remit sin, then this man should be baptized again in order to remit the sins he has committed since he has been saved.  But if he does, what would he do about the sins he commits after he gets out of the water ?  Must he go back and be baptized again and again and again, every time he commits a sin in order to have the sins remitted ?

     If baptism is necessary to remit sin, then a person not only should be baptized, he should get into the baptistery and refuse to ever get out, lest he commit some sin after he gets out of the baptistery and dies before he could be baptized again.

     If water baptism actually remits sins, then why sing, " What can wash away my sin ?  Nothing but the blood of JESUS ? "  Why not sing what one really believes and teaches, " What can wash away my sin ? Nothing but the water in the baptistery ? "

     What does  " baptized...for the remission of sins "  mean ?  If you use the word "for" in this passage just as you use it nearly every day of your life, then it is very simple to see what the verse really means and to see that it does not contradict Salvation by grace through faith.

     A man is stopped by the state patrol and given a ticket "for" speeding.  A lady takes an aspirin tablet "for" her headache.  A child is scolded "for" being careless.  A soldier is given a medal of honor "for" bravery.  In none of these cases does the word "for" mean "in order to receive" or  "to secure,"  but rather,  "because of."  The man is not given a ticket so that he may break the speed limit;  he is given a ticket because he has already broken the speed limit. The lady doesn't take an aspirin tablet to get a headache;  she takes an aspirin tablet because she already has a headache.  The child is not scolded in order to be careless;  he is scolded because he has already been careless.  In the same way one is not baptized to have his sins remitted;  he is baptized because his sins have already been remitted.

     Dr. John R. Rice said the Greek word here is "eis" and is sometimes translated in the Bible "against, among, unto and upon."  He went on to say,  " It might properly be translated here, 'baptized upon the remission of your sins.'"

     What Peter was saying in Acts 2:38 is that one should repent and then, because his sins are remitted, he should be baptized, showing that he is trusting CHRIST as SAVIOR and his sins have been remitted.  If the placing of one under water and bringing him up again actually remitted sins, then it would be the preacher baptizing the convert who remitted the sins, and not CHRIST HIMSELF.

     If baptism remitted sins, then JESUS never remitted or forgave any man of his sins, because JESUS never baptized an individual.  John 4:2 says, " JESUS HIMSELF baptized not, but HIS disciples."  Those who teach that one must be baptized in order to be saved also teach that one can lose his Salvation.  They claim, if you fail to continue on for CHRIST, then you are lost again.

     Suppose a man believes in CHRIST, confesses HIM, repents, is baptized and joins the church of the preacher who teaches baptism is necessary for Salvation.  Thus, according to the preacher, he is saved.  After a few years he goes back into sin and loses his salvation.  Being disturbed about his condition, he goes back to the church and wants to regain his salvation or be saved again. Does that same church insist that he be baptized again ?  NO, they do not.

     If water baptism was necessary for Salvation the first time, then how could he possibly be saved the second time without being baptized ?  That is just one of the contradictions and inconsistencies of those who teach that water baptism is necessary for Salvation.

                       Mark  16:16

     Mark 16:16 is another verse misused by those who teach that baptism is essential to Salvation.  Here the Bible says,  " He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved..." Those who teach water baptism as necessary for Salvation claim that this verse clearly says that one must believe and be baptized in order to be saved.  But they fail to see the rest of the verse, which says,  "...but he that believeth not shall be damned."  When the verse is read in its entirety, it is clear to see that believing, NOT baptism, is the determining factor in Salvation.

     The Scripture does not say,  'but he that believeth not and is baptized not shall be damned.'  One is damned simply by not believing on the LORD JESUS CHRIST.  This is consistent with all the other clear passages in the Bible on Salvation by grace through faith.  John 3:36b says,  "...he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten SON of GOD."

     The Bible is consistent in teaching that one is lost for one simple reason: because he has not believed on the LORD JESUS CHRIST.  Nowhere does the Bible say that one is condemned, lost or damned because he has not been baptized.

     Suppose I went to the airport to take a flight to California.  I could say,  " He that getteth on the jet plane and sitteth down shall fly to California, but he that getteth not on the plane shall not fly to California."  Now, anyone who heard that statement would understand that getting on the plane was the determining factor in getting to California, not sitting down.  Of course, if one got on the plane, he should sit down.  It would be the proper thing to do.  But he would make the trip whether he sat down or not.

     And so it is with baptism:  when one believes on the LORD JESUS CHRIST, he should be baptized.  It is the right thing to do.  It is the first thing the LORD commands us to do after we are saved.  But baptism itself is not an instrument of Salvation.  It is simply the first act of obedience for the believer.

     Let me give you another illustration.  I could say,  " He that says, ' I do,' and puts on a wedding band shall be married;  but he that does not say, ' I do,' shall not be married."  It's the saying,  " I do," that gets you married--not putting on the wedding band.  The wedding band is only a symbol.  It shows others that you are married,  but it certainly doesn't constitute a marriage.  I know married people who have never worn a wedding band.  They were simply too poor to afford one when they married, but they're just as married as someone else who wears an expensive wedding band.  A couple is married when they vow to take one another as their lawful marriage partners. The wedding band is placed on the finger as a token and symbol of their love and commitment.

     So it is with Salvation.  One is saved the moment he trusts CHRIST as SAVIOR.  He should go ahead and be baptized as a public profession of his faith, showing that he believes that JESUS died, was buried and rose again. But he is saved whether or not he is ever baptized.

                By Dr. Curtis Hutson

                Is Water Baptism Essential to Salvation ? 

Well we are going to stop at this point in Part 2 of a 3 Part series about whether baptism is needed for Salvation.  We have seen in Part 1 that it definitely is NOT required for Salvation and in Part 2 we have also seen that it is NOT required for Salvation.  As I said last night when I posted Part 1; I have been engaged on many occasions by people who really believe that their baptism was necessary for them to be saved.  And as I said last night,  " I would not want to be the one who stands in front of our dear LORD and SAVIOR, JESUS CHRIST and tell HIM that HIS blood was NOT enough to save me."    Think about it and don't miss the final part tomorrow evening !

Your servant in CHRIST,

Julie

" Is Water Baptism Essential to Salvation ? " Part 1 of 3

     One of the Devil's most successful devices is to get men to trust something other than JESUS CHRIST or in addition to JESUS CHRIST for Salvation.  He gets some to trust in their own righteousness;  others to depend upon church membership;  others to depend upon sacraments.  Some he leads to trust in reformation,  and others he gets to depend upon baptism.

     While there are hundreds of different religions in the world,  there are really only two teachings regarding the matter of Salvation--Salvation by grace or Salvation by works.

     Those who believe in Salvation by grace teach that GOD saves the individual and that Salvation is totally unmerited.  Man can do nothing to earn it.  His only part is to receive by faith what GOD has done.

     Those who teach Salvation by works teach that man saves himself by some form of works.  Some teach that man is saved by works he performs before Salvation in order to be saved,  while others teach that a man is kept saved by works that he continues to perform after Salvation.

                     Salvation  Is  NOT  by  Works

     Most who teach Salvation by works claim that they really believe in Salvation by grace through faith,  but their teaching clearly contradicts the claim.  To say that one must do certain things in order to be saved,  or continue performing good works after he is saved in order to keep Salvation,  is Salvation by works.

     Ephesians 2:8-9 plainly says:  " For by grace are ye saved through faith;  and that not of yourselves:  it is the gift of GOD:  Not of works,  lest any man should boast. "

                      Salvation  Is  NOT  by  Faith  and  Works

     Salvation cannot be a combination of grace and works. Romans 11:6 plainly says,  " And if by grace,  then is it no more of works:  otherwise grace is no more grace.  But if it be of works,  then is it no more grace:  otherwise work is no more work. "

     It is impossible to mix grace and works.  Either GOD saves a man by grace,  or man saves himself by some form of works.  Those who teach that one must be baptized in water in order to be saved,  teach Salvation by works.

                       Salvation  Is  NOT  by  Baptism

     Baptism is a work of righteousness.  When JESUS went to John the Baptist and requested baptism,  HE said in Matthew 3:15,  "...thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness...."  So baptism is clearly a work of righteousness.  Yet the Bible says in Titus 3:5,  " Not by works of righteousness which we have done,  but according to HIS mercy HE saved us...."

     If we are not saved by works,  as the Bible plainly says, and baptism is a work of righteousness,  then it is clear that we are NOT saved by being baptized.  One would think that these verses alone would be sufficient to convince any reasonable man or woman that Salvation does NOT come by water baptism,  but such is not the case.  This clear teaching is repeatedly refused and rejected by those who insist that one must be baptized in order to be saved.

     For that reason we further explore the subject.

                  Salvation  Is  by  Grace  Through  Faith

     Some have supposed that people in the Old Testament were saved one way,  while those in the New Testament are saved another way altogether.  It will be helpful to understand that GOD's only plan of Salvation in every age has been and always will be by grace through faith plus NOTHING.  Acts 4:12 says,  "Neither is there Salvation in any other:  for there is none other name under Heaven given among men,  whereby we must be saved. "

     JESUS HIMSELF is the only means of Salvation.  Let us see the plain teaching that one is saved by simple faith in JESUS CHRIST.  John 3:36 says,  "He that believeth on the SON hath everlasting life:  and he that believeth NOT the SON shall not see life;  but the wrath of GOD abideth on him. "  The word hath is in the present tense.  In modern English the word is has.  Here the Bible promises that the person who believes on the SON has everlasting life.  It is not something he is going to receive after he is baptized, but it is something he has the moment he believes on the SON.

     In John 5:24 JESUS said,  " Verily, verily, I say unto you, HE that heareth MY WORD, and believeth on HIM that sent ME, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation;  but is passed from death unto life. " Notice again in this verse the same clear teaching that one has everlasting life the moment he places his faith in CHRIST.

     The same teaching is found again and again in the Bible. John 6:47 says,  "Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that believeth on ME hath everlasting life. "  The moment one believes, he has everlasting life, he is passed from death unto life.

                   Salvation  Precedes  Baptism

     In the Bible people believed before they were baptized. That's why it is often referred to as " believers baptism." Acts 2:41 says,  " Then they that gladly received his word were baptized...."  In Acts 8:36 the Ethiopian eunuch asked Philip, " See, here is water;  what doth hinder me to be baptized ?"  And in the very next verse Philip said, " If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest...."  In the same verse the eunuch replied,  " I believe that JESUS CHRIST is the SON of GOD. "  And it was in the next verse,  "after" he believed, that Philip baptized the eunuch.

     If one has everlasting life the moment he believes, as JESUS plainly promises, and he is baptized after he believes, then it is clear that he is saved before he ever gets to the baptismal waters.  Therefore, water baptism is NOT essential to Salvation.  If one must be baptized after he believes, in order to be saved, then why do preachers make people wait about being baptized ?  Why would a preacher teaching that baptism is essential to Salvation tell a believer to wait until next Sunday, or perhaps even until the first Sunday in the next month ?  If I really believed that water baptism was necessary for Salvation,  I would build me a portable baptistery,  put it on the back of a truck,  and keep it with me all the time,  wherever I went. The moment a man trusted CHRIST,  I would make sure he got baptized immediately,  lest he die before the scheduled time for baptizing at the local church.

     I am not trying to be funny.  I am simply saying that, if baptism is essential to Salvation,  then we ought to baptize the individual the moment he believes.  We should not run the risk of the man suddenly dying or being killed in an accident.

                       Trusting  CHRIST  Saves

     The Bible makes it very plain that those who are trusting CHRIST are saved and those who are not trusting CHRIST are NOT saved.  In John 3:18 JESUS divides the whole world into two groups:  Those who are believing on the SON and those who are not believing on the SON.  And here is exactly what HE said:  " He that believeth on HIM is NOT condemned:  but he that believeth NOT is condemned already,  because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten SON of GOD."

     The person who is not believing on CHRIST is already sentenced;  he is already condemned for Hell.  He does not go to a judgment to have his eternal destiny determined. It is already determined now by whether or not he is believing on JESUS CHRIST.  If he is believing on CHRIST, the sentence has been lifted;  he is NOT condemned.  If he is not believing on CHRIST,  he is condemned already--for one simple reason:  in plain Bible language,  "...because he hath NOT believed in the name of the only begotten SON of GOD."   NOT because he has not been baptized.

                     Believe  Means  " to  Trust "

     The word believe means  " to trust,  to depend on."  To believe on CHRIST means to trust HIM completely,  without reservation.  There is no promise in the Bible to those who partially believe on CHRIST.  One cannot trust JESUS CHRIST ninety percent and water baptism ten percent.  He must trust JESUS CHRIST,  HIM alone and nothing else for Salvation.  And the promise is,  "....He that believeth on ME hath everlasting life "  John 6:47

     To trust water baptism,  plus JESUS,  is not to put one's full faith in CHRIST.  The man who is trusting baptism is simply saying JESUS CHRIST is not enough.

                      Sinners  Are  Saved  by  Faith

     Now here is the simple story:  all men are sinners;  and, as sinners,  we owe the sin debt.  Romans 6:23 says,  " For the wages of sin is death...."  If we pay what we owe as sinners,  it means we must die,  go into Hell and  STAY THERE  FOREVER.  That is the penalty for sin.

     But two thousand years ago JESUS CHRIST bore our sins in HIS own body and died on the cross to pay our sin debt.  That is the clear teaching of John 3:16:  " For GOD so loved the world,  that HE gave HIS only begotten SON, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish,  but have everlasting life. "      We are sinners.  We owe the sin debt. JESUS CHRIST was not a sinner.  HE died on the cross to pay that debt.  One is saved by simple faith in CHRIST. That is the clear teaching of the Bible.

     After explaining this simple plan of Salvation to a family, a teenage boy asked,  " But what about the people in the Old Testament ?  How were they saved before JESUS died on the cross ? "

                Salvation  ?  ?  in  the  Old  Testament

     I explained that we on this side of the cross believe that JESUS CHRIST did die in our place to pay our sin debt,  and we trust HIM completely for Salvation;  while those in the Old Testament looked forward to the death of CHRIST, believing that HE would die for their sins.  Thus,  they died with their faith in CHRIST,  just as we on this side of the cross die with our faith in CHRIST.

     I explained to the young man that it is like two people leaning against the same tree,  depending on the tree to support them:  one leans forward on one side of the tree, while the other leans backward on the opposite side of the tree:  but both are leaning on the same tree,  both are depending on the same tree to support them.  So it is with Old Testament and New Testament saints.  They are ALL saved by depending on CHRIST.

     People are saved exactly the same way in every age,  in every dispensation--by simple faith in CHRIST.  This is made plain in Acts 10:43,  where the Scripture says:  " To HIM give all the prophets witness,  that through HIS name whosoever believeth in HIM shall receive remission of sins. "  This was the message of  " all the prophets."  The Old Testament prophets preached remission of sins by faith in CHRIST.  The New Testament prophets preached remission of sins by believing in CHRIST,  and those who preach the truth today still preach the remission of sins by believing in CHRIST.

     The message was the same for all the prophets,  "...that through HIS name whosoever believeth in HIM shall receive remission of sins. "

     There you have it as plain as day.  One receives remission of sins by simple faith in CHRIST--NOT by baptism or any other act of righteousness.

     If water baptism were necessary for Salvation,  then none of the Old Testament saints were saved because baptism is not mentioned one single time in the Old Testament,  and there is no record of a single individual ever being baptized before John the Baptist began baptizing converts.  The 11th. chapter of Hebrews tells of case after case where people in the Old Testament were saved by simple faith in CHRIST.

                 Part 1 of 3  by Dr. Curtis Hutson

                 Is Water Baptism Essential To Salvation ?

We are going to stop there for this first of three parts to this study.  I thought this would be a great read since I do seem to come across this issue quite often.  When I read this gentlemen's book it screamed to me the same things that I had been telling people about baptism.  I would not want to be the one who stands in front of our LORD JESUS CHRIST and tells HIM that what HE did on the cross,  " Was not enough "  to pay my sin debt in full.  I have been trying to let people know in many of the same ways that this, in fact, is what they are saying to the LORD when they add anything to HIS finished work.  I'll see you for part 2, don't miss  a  word  of  it  !!!!!

Your servant in CHRIST,

Julie