Part 2 of Viewpoint Brief Bible Study #002. |
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The Christian religion is the worship and service of Jesus Christ. It’s not Mary we worship, but her Son. We worship neither saints, angels, a law code, nor even God’s Spirit. It’s JESUS who is to be honored. The Bible is our guide. |
Date sent: Tue, 19 Jan 1999 16:28:43 -0600
To: "Ray Downen Joplin MO 64802-1065" <outreach@sofnet.com>
Subject: Thoughts on Bible Lesson #2I am reluctant to write this letter. My reluctancy is not from lack of information or conviction. Rather, it seems that anyone who places his beliefs in print immediately opens himself up to all types of criticism both just and unjust. However, the subject matter discussed in lesson 2 was such that I felt compelled to respond.
I have many friends who hold the view expressed by "a Texas preacher." Namely, that salvation precedes baptism in God's plan of redemption. Looking at passages such as John 3:16, one can see where the belief originated. I read the discussion in the lesson, I was reminded of the many discussions I have had with these friends over the years.
But there is one passage of scripture which was not mentioned in your discussion which I believe directly answers the issue of baptism and salvation. Please consider:
Acts 9:4-6 4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?" "Who are you, Lord?" Saul asked. "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting," he replied. "Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do."
There can be little doubt that Saul had a direct encounter with Jesus Christ. I do not know whether he "accepted Jesus as his personal savior," but there can be little doubt that Saul acknowledged Jesus as Lord. To many people, Saul's reaction would constitute salvation at this point. Using their logic, Saul was saved on the road to Damascus.
Later Paul recounts the story in his own words and he adds the following statement made by Jesus on this occasion: Acts 26:16-18 “Now get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen of me and what I will show you. I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.”
At this point, Saul has both acknowledged the Lord and has been given his mission directly from Jesus Christ. There can be little doubt that Saul must have been saved on the road to Damascus because these are the elements which make up salvation in the doctrine taught by my friends and probably by “a Texas preacher.”
But wait, consider the teaching or command the preacher, Ananias, gave Saul when he met him at God's command. Acts 22:16 “And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name.”
If Saul was saved on the road to Damascus, he was saved while still in his sins. If salvation in Christ means that Jesus has forgiven an individual's transgressions and sins, Saul could not have been saved prior to baptism because Ananias clearly tells him that he is still in his sin and thus needs to be baptized to "wash away sins calling on the name of the Lord."
If baptism was necessary for Saul, a devout man, to be saved, I would not want to meet God on the day of judgment without being immersed in Christ. For I have not met anyone with the credentials Paul lists in Philippians 3 which he possessed prior to baptism. Neither his credentials, his acknowledgment of Jesus, nor his "mission statement" directly from the Lord replaced his need for baptism to wash away his sins and allow God's grace to save him.
Perhaps, I am a bit dense with regard to God's plan for salvation, but I cannot see any way that man can be saved prior to his immersion into Christ.
Thank you for your consideration of these points. [writer's name withheld by Ray Downen.]
To go back to Viewpoint first page, click here. Or HERE to go on to Viewpoint Study 3. This is Viewpoint Brief Bible Study #2-A from Ray Downen. For Ray's concluding remarks, click HERE.