Christ Leads The Way

“You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble!” – James 2:19

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Even demons believe in the Lord and tremble. So, if all you do is believe in Jesus and nothing else, then you are on par with demons! Believing in Jesus as the Christ is not enough to get you into heaven. I submit to you that the Bible teaches there’s more to salvation than believing. As we saw in Why Belief in Jesus Is Not Enough for Salvation (Part 2) and Why Belief in Jesus Is Not Enough for Salvation (Part 1), both confession and repentance are also required of us. But there’s more.

The Lord requires us to be baptized in order to be saved. Notice what Jesus said in Mark 16:16, “He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.” That’s pretty clear.

All the verses of scripture that we looked at before and Mark 16:16 complement one another. We must look at the message from the Lord as a whole and not break it into pieces that fit what we think is right. “For I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God” (Acts 20:27).

The whole counsel of God includes 1 Peter 3:21 that says: “There is also an antitype which now saves us—baptism (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.”

Baptism saves us – along with belief, repentance, and confession. We cannot be saved without doing either of these things.

Some argue that baptism is a work. The bible describes it as a working of God in Colossians 2:12. It says we were “buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.”

Shall we deny God of His working in us? Shall we deny what Jesus said in Mark 16:16? Shall we deny what so many other verses teach about baptism being necessary for salvation?

Jesus said, “But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 10:33). If we deny the words of Jesus, we are denying Him.

Will you deny what Jesus said about baptism in Mark 16:16? Or will you obey Him in belief, in repentance, in confession, and in baptism so that you can be saved?

I hope that you will! If you are struggling with what the scriptures teach about this and still believe that you are okay with God by simply believing in Him, let’s discuss it! Drop a note in the comments and include the Bible verses that you are using. I look forward to hearing from you!

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