I grew up in the Baptist church, and one day in worship I decided I wanted to be saved, so I went to the front and the preacher prayed with me. They told me I was saved at that point, and I was not baptized on that day, because they believe water baptism has nothing to do with salvation, so my baptism was delayed. It was days or weeks later when I was baptized in water.… Read more
Category: Salvation
Proof That People Who Were Once Saved Can Be Sent to Hell
Friends, do you understand how dangerous it is for people to believe that no matter what they do, they cannot lose their salvation and go to Hell, even though God says they can? Many churches teach a doctrine called “Perseverance of the Saints,” which is part of a false doctrine called Calvinism (named after John Calvin). They allege that a saved child of God may “fall” into sin, but somehow God will ultimately keep him from losing his salvation.… Read more
The Book of Life and Falling from Grace
The first time the Book of Life is mentioned in the Bible, God said He would blot names out of it: “…him will I blot out of my book” (Exodus 32:32-33). Also, the last time the Book of Life is mentioned in the Bible, it says God will take people out of it: “…God shall take away his part out of the book of life…” (Revelation 22:19; see also 3:5; Psalm 69:28). A Baptist preacher I studied with this week said that God would never take someone’s name from the Book of Life, and another one I studied with in recent years claimed that God never said He would do that.… Read more
A Living Faith
Works without faith = dead works (Heb. 9:14).
Faith without works = dead faith (Jam. 2:14-26).
Faith including works of obedience to God’s New Testament commands = a living faith granting salvation by God’s grace and the blood of Christ (Matt. 7:21-27; 26:28; 28:18-20; John 14:15, 21-24; 15:10, 14; Acts 2:38-41; 10:34-35, 48; 22:16; Rom. 1:5; 2:5-10; 6:3-5, 16-18; 16:26; Gal. 5:6; Eph. 2:1-19; Php. 2:12; Titus 1:16; 2:11-14; Heb. 5:9; 10:22; 1 Pet. 1:22; 3:20-21; 1 John 1:6-2:6; 5:3; Rev.… Read more
Dialing the Wrong Number
If a man wants to call his father on the phone, several digits must be dialed exactly right, and in the correct order. If the last digit is an eight, and he dials a nine, he will not reach his father. Truth is often narrow, and missing only one detail can often cause complete failure. To reach the Father in Heaven, there are steps He has given man to follow. They are not difficult to understand, but they must be done exactly as He specified, and in the correct order, to reach Him.… Read more
False Teacher Warning: John MacArthur
Regarding false teachers and the need to warn, see Matthew 7:15-20; Romans 16:17; Ephesians 5:20; Colossians 1:28; 1 John 4:1; 2 John 9-11.
In this short 2-minute video linked below, listen carefully to the question asked at the beginning which proves that water baptism is essential, because God plainly and repeatedly said so. Please read the rebuttal to MacArthur’s answer below after watching the video.
Please think objectively. Did MacArthur’s response really prove anything? He tried to explain away all those plain verses, to no avail.… Read more
Ignorance is Not Bliss
First John 2:16 lists three categories of sin: “the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.” These are ways Satan tempts men to sin against God (Gen. 3; Mt. 4), but the Bible also speaks of another category of sin—sins of ignorance. Many have sinned against God in ignorance without being motivated by selfish desires of the flesh, lust of the eyes, or the pride of life. Even so, ignorance does not excuse disobedience to God, so the saying, “Ignorance is bliss” is not a Biblical concept.… Read more
You Are Blessed
If you are a faithful child of God, you are blessed in the greatest ways possible! Here are some of those tremendous blessings:
- Amazing grace and mercy we all so desperately need, realized in Christ: “In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace” (Ephesians 1:7; cf. 1:3; Titus 2:11-12).
- Having assurance that all past sins were forgiven when you were immersed into Christ: “Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water” (Hebrews 10:22; cf.
“I Know In My Heart That I’m Saved”
I once asked a woman working in a convenience store if she believed the Bible and if she believed in Heaven and Hell. She nodded her head and said she did. I then asked if she could tell me what I would need to do to go to Heaven if I had never become a Christian. Before she could answer, her female co-worker spoke up rather loudly and said, “Get down on your knees and pray.” … Read more
Did Christ Do ALL the Work on the Cross?
Christ finished His main mission on earth by giving His life on the cross, saying, “It is finished” (Jn. 19:30), but today some are twisting His statement into a false doctrine. They claim that since Christ said, “It is finished” on the cross, there are no “works” (no actions) men can do today that will have any effect on their salvation. This has led some to the conclusion that baptism cannot be essential, and that once a person is saved, there is no work he is required to do.… Read more
Questions About the Thief on the Cross
If you believe the account of the penitent thief on the cross being forgiven proves that people do not have to be baptized today to become saved, here are a few questions to consider:
1. Can it be proven that the thief had never been baptized to have his past sins forgiven? (see Matthew 3:2, 5-6; Mark 1:4; John 4:1-2).
2. Is it possible to sin after baptism? (see Acts 8:12-ff).
3. Is it possible to be forgiven of sins committed after baptism?… Read more
Time Does Not Wash Away Sin
Time does not wash away sin. Twenty years or more may pass after a sin is committed, and men’s memories may fade, but God’s memory does not. Children of God can deceive themselves into thinking they are fine or someone they love is fine, even when repentance has not occurred, but the blood of Christ is the only thing that can wash away sin, and simply waiting a certain length of time does not make one contact the blood.… Read more
Would You Dare Pull Someone Away from Christ?
How often have faithful members of the Lord’s church begun teaching a lost person, only to have someone else convince the potential convert that he does not need to listen? How often has someone been baptized into Christ, only to have friends or family convince him to leave Christ’s church and become a part of some group that is not in the Bible and not truly following the Bible? Statements or questions like the following are often posed to the person being pulled away: “Who told you that you had to be baptized to be saved?… Read more
Was Water Baptism Only Required for Jews?
When Jews in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost asked what they should do to be saved, Peter commanded them to “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins…Save yourselves” (Acts 2:38, 40). In efforts to explain away the clear teaching of Acts 2 and the necessity of water baptism for salvation today, some claim that water baptism was only required for Jews, not Gentiles, and only for a temporary period.… Read more
