And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. "He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned." (Mark 16: 15-16)
Yesterday my wife and a few others from our church went out in the neighborhood, going door-to-door, handing out invitations to a free Easter breakfast on Easter Sunday followed by Easter Service. Out of the over 400 doors we knocked on, there were several not home, or not answering, but there were those who graciously accepted our invitation.
In the above scriptures, our Lord Jesus told His disciples to go into all the world, telling everyone that He had paid the penalty for sin and that those who believe in Him can be forgiven and live eternally with God.
But what did Jesus mean when He told His disciples, “He who believes and is baptized will be saved;” So was Jesus telling us that we must also be baptized to be saved? No!, Jesus did not combined being saved and baptism together, because the next passage said, "but he who does not believe will be condemned." Notice that Jesus left out baptism because He did not required it for salvation.
If we continue to read other scriptures that deal with salvation and baptism it clearly states that it is not the water of baptism that saves, but God’s grace accepted through faith in Christ.
Because of Jesus’ response to the criminal on the cross who died with Him, we know it is possible to be saved without being baptized (Luke 23:43). Baptism alone, without faith, does not automatically bring a person to heaven.
We also know that when the Apostle Paul said, “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." (Ephesians 2:8-9) There is no mention of baptism, only by grace we have been saved through faith.
And when the Apostle Paul also said, “For whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved." (Romans 10:13) There is no mention of baptism, only by grace we have been saved through faith.
When Jesus said, "I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture." (John 10:9) There is no mention of baptism, only by grace we have been saved through faith.
Now when Jesus said to the woman that washed His feet with her tears, "Your sins are forgiven.” And those who sat at the table with Him began to say to themselves, "Who is this who even forgives sins?" Then He said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you. Go in peace." (Luke 7:48-50) There is no mention of baptism, only by grace we have been saved through faith.
And again when the Apostle Paul said, “But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),” (Ephesians 2:4-5) There is no mention of baptism, only by grace we have been saved through faith.
These are just a few scriptures that make it clear about what God requires for us to be "Saved". Then when we witness to someone and that person wants to know what it takes to be "Saved", we can explain to them what God's Word has to say about it.
In the above scriptures, our Lord Jesus told His disciples to go into all the world, telling everyone that He had paid the penalty for sin and that those who believe in Him can be forgiven and live eternally with God.
But what did Jesus mean when He told His disciples, “He who believes and is baptized will be saved;” So was Jesus telling us that we must also be baptized to be saved? No!, Jesus did not combined being saved and baptism together, because the next passage said, "but he who does not believe will be condemned." Notice that Jesus left out baptism because He did not required it for salvation.
If we continue to read other scriptures that deal with salvation and baptism it clearly states that it is not the water of baptism that saves, but God’s grace accepted through faith in Christ.
Because of Jesus’ response to the criminal on the cross who died with Him, we know it is possible to be saved without being baptized (Luke 23:43). Baptism alone, without faith, does not automatically bring a person to heaven.
We also know that when the Apostle Paul said, “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." (Ephesians 2:8-9) There is no mention of baptism, only by grace we have been saved through faith.
And when the Apostle Paul also said, “For whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved." (Romans 10:13) There is no mention of baptism, only by grace we have been saved through faith.
When Jesus said, "I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture." (John 10:9) There is no mention of baptism, only by grace we have been saved through faith.
Now when Jesus said to the woman that washed His feet with her tears, "Your sins are forgiven.” And those who sat at the table with Him began to say to themselves, "Who is this who even forgives sins?" Then He said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you. Go in peace." (Luke 7:48-50) There is no mention of baptism, only by grace we have been saved through faith.
And again when the Apostle Paul said, “But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),” (Ephesians 2:4-5) There is no mention of baptism, only by grace we have been saved through faith.
These are just a few scriptures that make it clear about what God requires for us to be "Saved". Then when we witness to someone and that person wants to know what it takes to be "Saved", we can explain to them what God's Word has to say about it.
Father God, thank you for my free gift of salvation and for giving me my marching orders to “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.”
