A fraudulent bomb-detection device.

There is a fraudulent bomb-detection device that has sold thousands of units to countries around the world, and may be responsible for untold numbers of deaths. When a member of the company approach the CEO with his concerns, the CEO replied, "It does exactly what it's supposed to—it makes money." ( http://j.mp/fraudbomb )

In Ephesians 6, God tells us to put armor on. He says, "and take the helmet of salvation..."  Helmets, like bomb detection devices, are meant to protect us. Satan is the great deceiver, though, and would love to give you a fraudulent lookalike. Would you take a helmet that was missing a critical part? That looked so good but was made by an enemy? Could you tell which was which?

Would you reject even one thing that God says saves you? Can you name different things that God says are a part of our salvation?

What difference will one more sin make?

Many Christians let their past failures accumulate to the point where they have a hard time resisting temptation. They think, "What difference would one more sin make?"

There's a way to beat that. 2 Cor 5:17 says, "Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come."  That's a beautiful statement, but God alsosays, "you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus." (Rom 6:11)

We ARE new creations. We ARE dead to sin. But we have to actually believe it—we have to consider it, buy into it, and act in faith on that. Do you really consider yourself as dead to sin? If not, start today. 

Rattlesnakes and salvation.

Want an antivenin for the Serpent's poison? In Luke 4:13, Satan kept trying his tricks with Jesus, but he failed, so 'he left Him until an opportune time." Notice that Satan is looking for opportunities. Have you ever failed again and again? Seen a brother or sister who keeps failing? Let's talk about our part in giving Satan opportunity, and what we can do about it.

Here it is again, opportunity for Satan: "For you brothers were called to freedom, but not the freedom for an opportunity to the flesh. Rather, serve one another through love." (2 Cor 5:17)  Ah ha! It's the counteragent to sin and letting Satan win, and it's serving one another through love!

Something so simple? Can it be? Yep! If you're busy studying with the lost, you won't be out DUI driving. If you're taking your brothers and sisters in Christ on a hike, you won't be getting an STD with someone you met at a bar. Jesus' entire life was characterized by service, and He was perfect. Are you ready and willing to serve? 

Do you strive?

Do you strive?
BQ: Spiritual apathy is present in most of Christianity. "Why go to church every week? Why read the Bible? My pastor/reverend/etc. is smart and takes care of me. I believe in God and I'm a good person..."  What would happen if we took the same approach to eating? If we said, "I think I'm good enough, I'll eat once a week...once a year."

Q: What do we do to enter the narrow gate? What did Jesus Himself say we keep us spiritually alive? 
A: Lk 13:24; Mt 4:4

Just wanting heaven isn't enough. We have to STRIVE to get in. We need to know ALL of the words, not just what a pastor or church leader says.  Being a "best-behavior-Sunday-only" Christian is the wide road to destruction. Jms 1:21 says, " Therefore, putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls." Read that again. It's a salvation issue. Let's put aside perversion and start getting to know God's word.
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Works of God.

Works and faith. 
BQ: “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, emp. added).  

Q: Are we saved without works? 
A: James 2:14-24, John 6:27-29

The NT mentions at least 3 kinds of works: (1) works of the Law of Moses (Galatians 2:16;  Romans 3:20); (2) works of the flesh (Galatians 5:19-21); and (3) works resulting from obedience of faith (James 2:14-24). This last category is often referred to as “works of God.” 

"Then they said to Him, “What shall we do, that we may WORK the  WORKS of God?” Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the WORK of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent” (Jn 6)

Belief is a work. Are we saved without belief? The works of God include belief, baptism, etc. Baptism, for example, is something done TO a person in submission to God, not BY a person.  

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Tumblers in the lock—salvation.

Requirements of Salvation
BQ:What's the process of salvation according to the Bible?

A: 1-Romans 10:14-17 (We must HEAR.)

2-John 8:24, Romans 5:1-2, Acts 16:31 (We must BELIEVE.)

3-Acts 2:38, Luke 13:5, Acts 3:19, 2 Cor 7:10-11 (We must REPENT of
our worldly ways.)

4-Mt 10:32-33, Romans 10:8-10, Acts 10:36-37 (We must CONFESS before
men that Jesus is the Son of God.)

5-Acts 2:38, Acts 22;16, 1 Pet 3:21, Romans 6:4, Gal 3:27, Mk 16:16
(We must be IMMERSED in water to wash away our sins and to get the
gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit)

6-Rev 2:10, Rev 3:11, Mt 10:22 (We must remain FAITHFUL until death.)
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Faith alone?

Justification—by faith alone?
BQ: I was talking to a friend who mentioned that we're saved by "faith alone." James 2:24 says, "You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone." When I brought it up, the counter-argument was, "but we are JUSTIFIED by faith alone, then." 

Q: Does the Bible say we are justified by anything other than faith?
A: Mt 12:37, Rom 3:2; 5:9; 16, 8:33, Lk 18:14, 1 Cor 6:11, Titus 3:7, Jms 2:21-26, etc.

The Bible says we're not saved by faith alone and records the same for justification. The sum of His word is truth. Attempting to throw out any of the items listed as justifying or saving us and still getting the only true salvation is impossible. 
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Faith Alone
BQ: Controversy time! Truth doesn't fear examination, so let's examine the book of Truth and see what we find!

Q:Are we saved by faith ALONE?

Let's start off with Romans 5:1, "Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." Faith is obviously necessary, but is that the whole picture?

A: James 2:17; 21; 24. Mt. 12:37. Rom 2:13. Rom 5:9, 1 Pet 3:21.

There are yet more things required. This is just a snippet, but the most salient point is this: "faith without works is dead."
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What is the gospel?

What is the gospel?
BQ: II Thessalonians 1:7-9 says bluntly, "and to give relief to you who are afflicted and to us as well when the Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire,  dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.  These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power."

Q: So what is this "gospel" that brings eternal life or damnation?

A:"Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand,  and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures."

So the gospel is that Christ died, was buried, and was resurrected. HOW DO WE OBEY A HISTORICAL FACT!?! The answer is found in many verses, but the most plainly stated is Rom 6:3-6, which says,

"Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.  For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection,  knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin."

God considers the watery grave of immersion vital. Do we?
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Is your belief enough?

Is your belief enough?
BQ: I studied with a young lady who said, "Well I believe and I go to church sometimes and I love God, I'm going to heaven." 

Q: Is your belief enough? If you're devout and you pray, is that enough?
A: Acts 10:2; 11:14, Jms 2:19

Cornelius was called, "a devout man and one who feared God with all his household, and gave many alms to the Jewish people and prayed to God continually." Certainly that's better than many lukewarm Christians today, who go to church on occasion, but was it enough? It was not. We see that he was told, "and he will speak words to you by which you will be saved, you and all your household." 

You see, James says that "even the demons believe and shudder." Being devout, praying, believing, those are parts of the recipe for eternal life, but they don't grant eternal life by themselves. Do you know what does? Where is your eternity headed? Cornelius wasn't yet saved even with all his great traits--are you? How do you know? 
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If—then conditionals and baptism.

If—then conditionals.
BQ: Satan LOVES to keep you down. Not kidding. Doesn't matter if you're a new Christian, an old one, he wants to trip you up and then pin you down in your fallen position. 2 Cor 5:17 is perhaps my favorite verse in the Bible. It says freeingly, "Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come."  Do you see that? Amazing. But look closely, because this is a conditional statement. See that word in there? "If."

Q: If we are in Christ, then we are new, then the old is gone, then the new has come. How are we in Christ, then?

A: "Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.  For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection,  knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin;  for he who has died is freed from sin." (Rom 6:3-7) Notice that there is that remark on being united again, and also on being new. Coincidence? No!

"For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ." (Gal 3:27)

God's gift is free, but it's also conditional. We don't have to go and die on a cross, but think about about this: I've offered you a free set of tickets to a concert. All you have to do is show up at my house before the concert and I'll hand them over, no charge. You don't bother showing up. It's a free gift. It's right there. And you missed out. 
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What SHOULD come from belief?

If you believe…
BQ: I like John 3:16 which says, "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life." 

Let me ask you a question. You're in a theater. An usher comes in and says, "There's a fire." You believe him. Yep, smells like smoke. Do you exit the building? Do you listen to the rest of what he says, instructing you to exit the building? Do you obey those instructions? Or do you nod happily and think, "Glad I'm not in danger now," and then go back to watching the movie? 

Q: What does belief lead to?
A: "Through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith.  According to the revelation of the mystery which has been kept secret for long ages past, but now is manifested, and by the Scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the eternal God, has been made known to all the nations, leading to obedience of faith." (Rom 1:5; 16:25-26) 

"Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness?" (Rom 6:16)

Sin is missing the mark God sets forth. If we truly believe that usher, we're going to obey and hit the mark he sets forth, which results in life. Look at John 3:16 again. The proper translation is "should not." It's conditional; it's qualified negation. If you believe that usher, you shouldn't perish, but you still can if you choose to do nothing. 
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Saved from what? Or how I learned to stop worrying and love the immersion.

Saved from what, and how?
BQ: People often say, "I'm saved," but from what?

A: "She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins." (Mt 1:21) We see that we need to be saved from our sins, because, as Is 59:2 says, "your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, And your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does not hear." 

Being saved=no separation from God due to no sin. So we need to be saved from sin that we're covered in. In Isaiah 1, God says, "“Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean...Though your sins are as scarlet, They will be as white as snow."  We need to wash ourselves, to be clean from sin, to have a new exterior. How do we accomplish this in order to be saved from sin? What does God see afterward?

"Now why do you delay? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on His name." (Acts 22:16) “So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and there were added that day about three thousand souls....And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.” 

People were being saved from sin—which results in separation from God—in baptism, with God doing the operation.  Why does He see as as being white as snow afterward? Galatians 3:27 has the answer:  "For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. " Truly we come up as white as snow! 

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How do we call upon His name?

How do we call upon His name?
BQ: Acts 22:16 says, "Now why do you delay? Get up and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on His name." We see that washing away sins is associated with being immersed/baptized and "calling on His name." (Tomorrow: saved?) 

Q: How does one "call on His name," and what does it mean? 
A: First, Acts 2:21 records, "And it shall be that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." This is not something audibly done with the mouth, as in Romans 10:9, which isreferred to as "confession with the mouth," which leads "to salvation." So what is it?

In Acts 25:11, Paul "appealed" to Caesar: "I appeal to Caesar." This word is the exact same as in Acts 2:21 and 22:16. It is from "epiklaeo," to appeal, to call upon. We appeal to Him because of what we recognize Him to be: the One before Whom justice would be served, just as Caesar was on earth to Paul.  

So this is an "inquiry" (eperotema; closely related), which is ALSO the same as "an appeal," and we see it in 1 Pet 3:21, which says, "Corresponding to that, baptism now saves you-- not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience-- through the resurrection of Jesus Christ."

We can see from above that calling upon His name takes place with immersion. It's an appeal for a good conscience, and it washes away our sins. What a great thing to be able to make an eternal appeal to God! 
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Christ did not send me to baptize—do you eat Africans?

Qualified prohibitions. (Do you eat Africans?)
BQ: The average North American consumes more than 400 Africans. A woman, without her man, is nothing. A woman: without her, man is nothing. "Don't!!! STOP!!!" vs "Don't stop." How things are written and said can vastly change meaning and interpretation.

Q: 1 Cor 1:17 says, "For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel." What is analytically important in this verse that we see in several other verses in the Bible, yet which causes people to stumble in their understanding? 

A:  There are several "NOT...BUT" passages in the Bible that are relative, not absolute, prohibitions, and they're expressed through this correlative conjunction. Some look at this and fail to understand the impact of the construction and come to the conclusion that Paul was absolutely prohibited from immersing people, as that would be rebelling against Christ. Yet we see in 1 Cor 1:14 that he baptized Crispus and Gaius, and in 16 that he baptized Stephanus' household.

There are other verses which carry this same, important construction: "Do not work for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life." (Jn 6:27) We cannot interpret this as an absolute prohibition, just as we can't say that Paul was prohibited from baptizing. Otherwise we'd all starve, and 2 Thess says, " If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat."

I'll leave these last two for you to think on, given what we've looked at above:
"Let NOT your adornment be external -- braiding the hair, and wearing gold jewelry, or putting on dresses, BUT let it be the hidden person of the heart. (1 Pet 3:3)  "For they are not permitted to speak, but are to subject themselves, just as the Law also says." (1 Cor 14:34)
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Baptism as a "work."

Let’s define a “work” from Eph 2:8-9.
BQ: I've been told that repentance, baptism, etc., have no part in salvation or forgiveness because they're "works and, "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast." (Eph 2:8-9)

Q: Are "works" defined? Is everything I do meaningless? Do I just believe?
A: "Where then is boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? Of works? No, but by a law of faith. For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law." (Rom 3:27-28) 

 “We are Jews by nature and not sinners from among the Gentiles; nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified." (Gal 2:15-16)

Look at that. We're not justified by works of the Law, keeping the commands of the Old Testament. We can see that in Gal 3:10 :"For as many as are of the works of the Law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who does not abide by all things written in the book of the law, to perform them.” Do you see that? You get one strike and you're toast! If you want to be justified by works, you'll have to keep every single one perfectly. Only one man has ever managed absolute perfection. 

Tomorrow: we'll explore deeper. 
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Does your congregation teach that baptism (immersion) saves, or that it’s an unnecessary work?
BQ: Following yesterday, many say, "faith alone saves," and thus discount baptism/immersion as being at all necessary. Partially, this stems from an arbitrary and erroneously applied definition of "faith" and "works" to Ephesians 2:8-9. Being dunked in water is a "work," right? That's something "you have to do," so it can't be required, lest you should boast, right?

Q: Is there anything else that a person must physically do that God says is necessary for salvation?
A: Pay attention to this one. :) "that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;  for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation." (Rom 10: 8-10)

So consider this: if we say that the arbitrary definition of a work is "something a man must physically do (eg, baptism)," does confessing with your mouth fit in with that? It does. And just like baptism, this is also required for salvation. Have you done both of those, too? 
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So you believe, but do you obey?

So you believe, but do you obey?
BQ: So you believe, but do you obey in what you do? This is important to consider.

Q: How much obedience do you show to God? Do you rely on your belief? Is your belief enough without good obedience? When is belief enough?

A:  We'll start off with James 2. "What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him?" (14) You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder. (19) You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone. (24) For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead. (26)"

"As He spoke these things, many came to believe in Him. So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, THEN you are truly disciples of Mine." (John 8:30-31)
The people believed in Jesus, but they had to do more than just that. They had to continue in His word. 

Faith is a necessary foundation. Now that we have the rock and have the foundation laid, let's build something wondrous that leads to eternal life. 
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Is baptism a work of man and thus unneeded?

Is baptism a work of man and thus unneeded? 
Ephesians 2:8-9 is great: "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;  not as a result of works, so that no one may boast." Without studying, people can take this too far. I've even heard it said that repentance can't be necessary, as it would invalidate the free gift of God. (So would a serial murderer be fine as long as he had faith alone?")

Q: From Eph 2:8-9, is baptism unnecessary because it is a work of man? 
A: "Having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead." (Col 2:12) 

Some like to say that anything that is a work cannot be a requirement for salvation. Baptism, along with other factors such as belief, "now saves you." (1 Pet 3:21) Is there something about being wet that does it? Something about our righteousness that we can brag about? Read Col 2:12 again, and the answer is "Nope!" Baptism is the working of God, not man. It's His designated operating table. 

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." (Jn 3:16) "Jesus answered and said to them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent."" (Jn 6:29) 

These are great works, and they're absolutely necessary. 
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What about the thief on the cross?

What about the thief on the cross?
BQ: A common objection to what the Bible says about being immersed/baptized is, "What about the thief on the cross? He wasn't baptized, but Jesus said he was saved." How can this be?

A: Before Jesus died, the Old Testament/Covenant/Will was still in effect. Hebrews 9:15-17 explains "For this reason He is the mediator of a new covenant, so that, since a death has taken place for the redemption of the transgressions that were committed under the first covenant, those who have been called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance. For where a covenant is, there must of necessity be the death of the one who made it. For a covenant is valid only when men are dead, for it is never in force while the one who made it lives. Therefore even the first covenant was not inaugurated without blood."

Jesus hadn't yet died, but he had full power over his last will and covenant.  “And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.” (Mt 28:18) 

Imagine that you you're planning out your will. You have $500. While you're still alive, being the owner of the will, you can still give away money (salvation) as you see fit to anyone you think deserves it. After you're dead, as the Bible points out, the will is then in effect, and the money (salvation) is only given out as stipulated. For these reasons, the thief on the cross is not a valid example of New Testament salvation. 
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Are you a new creation?

Are you a new creation?
When you came out of the waters of immersion, did you become an overwhelming conqueror? (Rom 8:37) Look at your life now versus your life before you were clothed in Christ (Gal 3:27) in baptism. Did you actually change who you were? Are you, as this verse says, " a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come?" 

Q: Can we be the same as we were before baptism, or do we have to change? 
A: We're told, "do not be conformed to the FORMER lusts which were yours in your ignorance, but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior." (I Pt 1:14-15; 4:1-3) For we have spent enough of our PAST lifetime in doing the will of the Gentiles--when we walked in lewdness, lusts, drunkenness, revelries, drinking parties, and abominable idolatries." 

"What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? And having been set free from sin...For the wages* of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Rom 6:1-2; 22-23)

Look at your life. God gave you a gift in baptism, and it's the greatest ever. Are you using it? God freed us from our bonds so that we'd NO LONGER BE IN THEM. We sometimes slip and fall, but if we continue to do as we've always do, we'll get what we've always gotten. . "He who is steadfast in righteousness will attain to life, and he who pursues evil will bring about his own death. The perverse in heart are an abomination to the Lord, but the blameless in their walk are His delight" ( Pro 11:19-20) Let's not get the wages of sin, but commit to that change and receive eternal life.

*freebie: wages are something you have to work for. What are you working towards?
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A simple addition.

A simple addition is a deadly thing.
BQ: I talk to  many people who say, "The Bible says that 'faith alone through grace saves you.' They believe it is so, and it's hard for them to imagine why my eyebrow arches up like it does. :P

Q: 1.) How many times does the Bible say that faith alone through grace saves you? 2.) How many times is the phrase "faith alone" used? 3.) Why is saying, "we are saved by grace through faith alone" bad?

A: 1.) Zero (0) times. It says, "For by grace you have been saved through faith." (Eph 2:8-9) Notice how that is worded. God specifically left out the word "alone." It absolutely never says that.

2.) One (1) time. "You see that a man is justified by works and NOT by faith alone." (Jms 2:24)  Now observe the similarity in sentence construction between Eph 2:8-9 and Jms 2:24: they both say, "X saves you," but neither of them say that "X alone saves you." In fact, we can see that both of these save us, and that James implies both are necessary. Otherwise he would have had to say, "You see that a man is justified by works, and not by faith." By saying "justified by works and not by faith alone," James makes the implicit assertion that both are necessary. 

3.) God never approved of people adding even a single word—in this case, "alone"—to His teachings. "You shall not add to the word which I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you." (Deut 4:2) "I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues which are written in this book." (Rev 22:18)

Saying that "faith alone saves" is just as bad as saying "works alone saves" a person. There is just as much evidence in the Bible for both of these doctrines: absolutely none.
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