A Faith that Obeys Podcast

069 – Repentance and Confession

Repentance and Confession [https://afaiththatobeys.org/blog/images/PostImages/Repentance&Confession.png] Editor’s Note: This is the fifth lesson from our eleven part video series called, “A Faith that Obeys.” You can find the original video and transcript HERE [https://www.afaiththatobeys.org/TheBiblicalPlanofSalvation/005-RepentanceandConfession.php]. We are dropping this lesson into our regular podcast feed so that the information can reach a wider audience. In this lesson, we will review the the next two steps in the Biblical Plan of Salvation which are, Repentance and Confession of Christ. HEARING AND ACCEPTING COME FIRST When someone hears the word and accepts it, they have taken the first two steps in the Biblical Plan of Salvation. God, at this point, gives them something they previously did not have. They now have the right or the power to become a child of God. Hearing and accepting the message are great first steps and it’s clear from the scriptures we are placed into a different spiritual classification than we were in before we accepted the message. It indicates a soft heart, a willing heart, a heart that we still must have… but the commands, as required by God, are not yet completed with just these two steps. In Matthew 7:21 Jesus said: Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven but only he who does the will of my Father who is in Heaven. DOING THE WILL OF GOD Did you notice something? Jesus just said the same thing we have been saying. It is not enough of call him Lord, or to simply believe in Him. There is something else we must obey. What is it? Doing the will of God! This is our goal, to do the will of the Father. This is a call to action. Based on what we have seen so far, have you noticed anything in the passages we’ve examined which we could do or act upon? You know, actions we could take which might be considered, “doing the will of the Father?” We already know the first two actions, hear the word and accept the word. These are both things God tell’s us to do. But there was something else in those passages which we may have missed. Remember, we are looking for Biblical commands or religious events which happen in a believer’s life and we are carefully trying to determine if those events are in any way connected with the forgiveness of sins. When we find one, we want to see if the forgiveness of sins or the idea of being saved happens before this event or after this event. Let’s look at those two previous passages again. Here’s the passage which told us about hearing the word. James 1:21 Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you. Do you see it? It’s right at the beginning. There is something in addition to hearing and accepting the word which precedes salvation. It’s something we must DO. Yep, getting rid of all moral filth from our lives. In religious terms, this is called repentance. The word repent means to change one’s mind or purpose. It means to stop doing wrong things and start doing right things. It’s like a U-turn. You were going one direction… now you’re going a new direction. REPENTANCE ALWAYS COMES BEFORE CONVERSION Now, this is critical. Notice that repentance also comes before salvation! Repentance, as it relates to the issue of the “Born Again” experience or the forgiveness of sins, never occurs anywhere in the Bible after someone is saved. While it is true that people will still sin after they are saved and they will continue in repentance, this is vastly different from the need to repent, or “get rid of all moral filth,” before they are saved. But, let’s carefully check this out. Biblically speaking, is repentance from sin really necessary to be saved? After all, this is an act which is squarely on our shoulders. This is a specific action we take. Some people might even suggest that this a kind of works salvation since it is something we do. Once again let’s turn to the scriptures to find out. Acts 3:19 Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, Well, this is pretty clear! Does repentance come before sins are wiped out or after? Before. Is repentance a suggestion? No. Is it optional? No. Is it a command we can obey? Sure! Let’s mark the third step on our illustration, “Repentance” and let’s move that line of salvation up the stairs just a little bit because it is obvious, repentance precedes the forgiveness of sins and that is consistent throughout all of scripture. BUT REPENTANCE ALONE IS NOT ENOUGH Let me interject a quick personal note here. Over the years, I’ve had many religious friends who believe that accepting Christ is all one needs to do in order to be saved. When I show them this very clear, very obvious command and requirement in the plan of salvation and that it precedes the forgiveness of sins, they easily agree because it is so obvious, but suddenly realize there are no longer just two steps, as they previously believed. Things start to get a little uncomfortable. It’s just too hard argue with this. This passage is easy to understand. We must repent before sins are forgiven. If you are feeling defensive, take a breath, pray. God is showing you something really awesome and I have a feeling, He would not be doing this if he has not seen something in your heart which is ready to hear it. Finally, I want to show you something interesting. There was a really small but important word used in both of these two passages. It is the word “and.”  Look how it is used in James 1:21 and Acts 3:19. It locks together two clauses. This is referred to by linguists as a “coordinating conjunction.” This conjunction means that we can’t get to the solution if we don’t do both of the things the scripture is telling us to do! We can’t pick and choose! You will be amazed how significant this little conjunction will become in our future studies. Where the Bible connects two things together in the plan of salvation, we must leave them connected. The Bible can’t be altered! CONFESSION OF JESUS AS LORD Now, let’s talk about the fourth step. We have already seen this one too. Do you know what it was? Let’s look at the other one of our earlier passages again. Romans 10:9 That if you confess with your mouth, Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. I’ll bet you just noticed the word “and,” didn’t you? This was the passage where we connected belief with salvation. But notice, confessing Jesus as Lord is just as important too! And take a look, it also precedes salvation.  So, let’s add “Confession” to our illustration as the fourth step. And let’s move that line which indicates the forgiveness of sins upward as well. Now the Biblical plan of salvation looks like this. Hear, Accept, Repent, and Confess. Very simple, very clear, very Biblical. If we do not obey these four commands, we have not obeyed the Gospel and sins have not yet been forgiven, regardless of what we may have felt or experienced. We do not rely on our emotions as our confirmation of truth, we rely only on the scriptures. IT’S NOT A BUFFET At this point, we have four very clear steps which occur in the Biblical plan of salvation. But I’m an American! I have choices. I have rights! What if I decided to pick and choose which ones I wanted to do? Do you think God would accept that? What if the only thing I wanted to do was repent… you know… get my life cleaned up? Would that be enough? Can I repent of my sins but reject the Gospel or refuse to confess Jesus as Lord and still be saved? Of course not. It’s obvious that all of the things we have looked at so far are part of a Biblical plan of salvation. They all come before the forgiveness of sins. We must obey all four, not just the ones we favor or like. This is where dangerous traditions take a powerful, and sometimes aggressive stand. When the defenses go up, the arguments start. We hear things like: “But this is how my church does it.” or “This is what the Pope says.” or “This is how we have always done it!” Don’t walk on that road. Turn away from traditions, turn into the Bible. Let’s move on. I want to introduce the fifth step in the Biblical Plan of Salvation but before I do that, we need to talk about another amazing and wonderful benefit of becoming a Christian. Do your remember when we discussed the grammar of the Plan of Salvation? We talked about the first two blessings bestowed on every true Christian… our sins are forgiven by God and we are guaranteed that we will go to Heaven when we die.  DON’T FORGET THE HOLY SPIRIT Well, there is a third blessing and some of you may have noticed that it was missing. A person who follows the Biblical Plan of Salvation also receives the gift of the Holy Spirit. This is not the miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit discussed in the Bible, this is the indwelling gift of the Holy Spirit who comes into you and lives with you as a counselor, comforter, friend and security guard. Look at this passage. Acts 5:32 We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him. This is a promise to every single Christian. But, let’s be clear, God only gives His Holy Spirit to people who obey him. It’s a one time event. The Holy Spirit does not come and go. He moves in for good when we obey the Gospel. We will be talking a lot more about this subject in a future lesson but for now, notice that the Holy Spirit is given after obedience, not before! Quite interesting! And, I’ll bet you already guessed, this is our fifth step! Let’s label our fifth step obedience. Next, I want to show you something really important. Remember when I said that Satan hijacks the plan of salvation right before repentance? In the next lesson, I want you to see how he does it and help you understand how easy it is to fall victim to his scheme. After that, armed with this knowledge, we will then talk about this last step in the Biblical Plan of Salvation… obedience. Enjoy! [https://www.afaiththatobeys.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/DanasSigSM.png] Dana Haynes LISTEN TO THE PODCAST NOW

067 – For the Love of Obedience Part 2 – Examine Yourself

How to Obey the Gospel [https://www.afaiththatobeys.org/blog/images/PostImages/ForTheLoveOfObedienceLogo2.jpg]Part 2 In our last podcast we looked at that intense passage of scripture in 1 John Chapter 2 where John challenges us to obey the commandments of Christ and lets us know, in no uncertain terms, that obedience is not optional. Listen to this passage again… 1 John 2:3-6 We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. The man who says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But if anyone obeys his word, God’s love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: 6 Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did. WHAT COMMANDS DOES JESUS WANT US TO OBEY? Just think about that one statement, “God’s love is truly made complete in him.” We need to step back and understand, it is possible for God’s love to “not be made complete” in a person! In our last episode, we learned; John’s conditional statement explains that we do not know Christ unless we are walking in obedience to his commands. But, which commands? We asked, “What commands do I need to obey?” That question launched us into a deep survey of “The Great Commission.”  After that very thorough review, we concluded that if we are not actively involved in obeying the four crisp commands of Christ found in The Great Commission, then we fall short in our obedience. Employing this criteria is a pretty solid, albeit deeply convicting strategy for evaluating our position before God. We are forced by the tenets of The Great Commission to ask ourselves, “Am I going? In other words, “Am I evangelistic?” Am I making disciples? Am I baptizing them? Am I teaching them to make disciples and obey everything Jesus has just taught in The Great Commission and elsewhere? Do you realize; The Great Commission is the only pattern we see for converting souls in the New Testament? EXAMINING OURSELVES The Great Commissions is the only instruction specifically given by Jesus himself as his unambiguous mission for his followers after his departure. How can we claim to know Him if we are not walking in obedience to these very simple commands? This really puts our walk with God under a microscope, doesn’t it? It’s quite a challenge. Now some folks might object to this exercise of “self evaluation” as unnecessary, legalistic, demotivating, discouraging, perhaps even dangerous. But the Bible corrects that notion and indeed challenges us to dial up our introspection; our self-examination. 2 Corinthians 13:5 Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you–unless, of course, you fail the test? This kind of heart searching and probing might possibly reveal that we are not as secure in our relationship with God as we think. And you know what? That conclusion is not a bad thing! Yeah, it rattles our assurance of salvation; but that’s OK. Listen. If we come to the conclusion that we “fail the test,” and are willing to be honest with ourselves, it just means we are still in the process of conversion. God still has us in his plan. Are we trusting Him? Why in the world would we ever think Jesus is going to let us go just because we learned new truth and are convicted that we don’t measure up to the new Biblical standard? Don’t you think that maybe…. just maybe… God is trying to help us get to the place He needs us to be? GOD DOES NOT GIVE UP ON PEOPLE I don’t think God gives up on people if they continue pursuing Him with a humble open heart. Only our pride and arrogance keep us from growing to the next level as we point to our spiritual resume and claim, “But I made a commitment to Christ years ago! Look at all I have done for Him!” That may be true and maybe… just maybe, God sees your heart and that’s exactly why He is nudging you higher! If I “fail the test” as Paul says, Shouldn’t I have an attitude of great humility and gratitude because I realize, I am not saved? And if I come to the conclusion that I am not saved, that does not mean God has rejected me. It means God is not done with me yet. The humble person asks, “Why have I fallen short and how do I move forward in repentance and make the Godly changes I need to make?” Let’s take a cue from the Apostle Paul. He kept an open mind and a humble heart. Listen to what he said in Philippians 3:12-16 about his own self-evaluation. Philippians 3:12-16 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. 16 Only let us live up to what we have already attained. CONVERSION IS A PROCESS. SOMETIMES A LONG ONE. Conversion is a process which leads to a very specific point in time when an individual completely surrenders themselves to the will of Christ, obeys the Gospel in water baptism and is saved. Obedience to the commands in The Great Commission is the only authorized method of conversion. Sometimes this conversion process takes years; especially given the fact that there is such a vast array of seductive false doctrines blurring the clearly defined edges of the narrow path. Actual obedience, however, takes only a moment. If we have settled for the evangelical world’s method of conversion, we fall short of the goal. While folks who have been deeply committed to Christ for years and served him faithfully probably don’t need to repent of some of the “Technicolor” sins a super worldly person may be struggling with, they most certainly need to repent of the “Black and White” sins of doctrinal issues they have held on to. Sometimes we need to repent of bad deeds, sometimes we need to repent of bad beliefs. EVALUATING OUT LIFE AND OUR DOCTRINE There can be no argument. God wants us to continually and confidently evaluate our walk with him and strive to do our very best every day. Paul said it this way to Timothy. 1 Timothy 4:16 Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers. Paul tells Timothy, and by extension… us, to evaluate the way we are living our lives and the things we are teaching in a careful and sober manner. Why? Because the way we live and the things we believe (and teach) are matters of salvation. We can’t live like the dickens and claim to be saved; nor can we teach unbiblical doctrines and expect them to have the power to save ourselves or those who hear us! CONNECTING LOVE FOR CHRIST WITH OBEDIENCE TO CHRIST So, let’s talk about the motivation behind our obedience in the first place. Why in the world should we obey Christ? The bottom line answer to that question is, “Because we love him,” and that might seem pretty obvious. But there are incredible riches in this idea if we are willing to dig just a little bit. As I told you in the last podcast, I was stunned when I saw the connection between salvation, love and obedience. Listen to these passages and think about this connection. It’s pretty challenging. This is in John 14 beginning in verse 15. John 14:15-17 “If you love me, you will obey what I command. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever– the Spirit of truth. This passage presents a simple if / then conditional statement and connects it to salvation. Now, this connection to salvation might not be obvious. Let’s take a closer look. If we love Jesus then we will obey Jesus. When the first part of this if / then statement becomes true, then the second part is fulfilled. What is the first part of the equation? Loving and obeying Jesus. What is the second part of the equation? God gives us His Holy Spirit. If the first part of our equation is not true… if we do not love and obey, then the second part never happens. If we do not love and obey Jesus, God never gives us His Holy Spirit. Remember, God does not give His Holy Spirit to unsaved people! Right? All saved people have the Holy Spirit; therefore all saved people have loved and have obeyed Jesus. THE HOLY SPIRIT IS GIVEN UPON OUR OBEDIENCE Let’s dive a little deeper. Look at the timing. When does Jesus ask the Father to give us the Spirit? Is it before we obey or after we obey? Clearly, the Father is not even asked to send the Holy Spirit until we obey. Wow! That’s pretty intense. Does the Bible say anything else that connects love and obedience to salvation? Yep… a bunch. Look at John 14:21. John 14:21 Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him.” In this passage, the first thing we see is that someone must “have” the commands of God. This infers someone must have told them about the commands… someone must have obviously preached the word to them. It also implies, they accepted the word. After they hear and accept the word, these people obeyed the word. God does not love or show himself… reveal himself… to the disobedient. Obviously God loves all people but all people are not saved, are they? Only those who hear the commands and obey the commands will be loved by the Father. Why? Because they develop a saving faith… the faith that obeys. But wait, there’s more. John continues in verse 23 and 24… John 14:23-24 Jesus replied, “If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me. This passage is about God giving people his Holy Spirt. Right here, we find that God comes and makes his home in a person who loves Him and obeys His teaching. We see that this is a person whom God loves back. And just so the message is clear, Jesus flips things over and shows us the inverse truth. A person who does not love God will not obey his teaching. Now, let’s remember, the Holy Spirt only indwells a house which has been swept clean.  In other words, the Holy Spirit does not come and live within us until our sins have been forgiven by God. He does not live in a believer whose sins are still intact. And make no mistake… sins are only forgiven by God when we complete our faith and obey the Gospel in water baptism. Water baptism is the only Biblically ordained response to the Good News. This stands in wild contrast to the evangelical world’s method of conversion by simply accepting Christ or saying a prayer for salvation. That is NOT obedience to Christ’s commands. WE DO NOT LOVE CHRIST IF WE WILL NOT OBEY CHRIST All three of the passages we’ve just discussed indicate that God’s Love and His gift of the Holy Spirit are predicated on our obedience to Christ’s commands. If we do not love we do not obey and if we do not obey how on earth can we claim that we really do love? And to really drive it home, Jesus tells us, these are not just His words but the Father’s words and there is no wiggle room around them. These conditionals present a choice between two options. You take the blue pill or the red pill. There is no purple pill. We either love Christ as demonstrated by our obedience to The Great Commission, or we do not. Tragically, I think many people experience a form of delusion where they have never truly obeyed the Biblical Plan of Salvation, but still firmly insist they really really do love Christ. These passages tell us that this can’t be true. If / then statements present a condition, they tell us what the result is if the condition is met and what the condition is if it is not met. These particular if / then statements have been crafted by and presented by the God of the universe. And you know what? We don’t get to pick the result any more than we get to debate the conditions. The conditions are non negotiable without discussion or apology and a truly humble person simply surrenders to them. 70% OF AMERICA IS CHRISTIAN? You know, the world is full of people who call themselves Christians. In fact, that great arbiter of truth, Wikipedia says… > “Christianity [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christianity] is the most prevalent religion in the United States [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion_in_the_United_States]. The Public Religion Research Institute [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_Religion_Research_Institute]‘s “2020 Census of American Religion”, carried out between 2014 and 2020, showed that 70% of Americans identified as Christian during this seven-year interval.” > > > Wikipedia [https://wikipedia.com] Isn’t that an interesting statistic? 70% of America is Christian! There’s just one big problem with the claim; nobody is defining the term “Christian.” These surveys, and the world in general, use a very loose goosey definition of “Christian.” When the world says “Christian,” they mean people who believe in Jesus or go to a Catholic, Protestant or Non-Denomination church which uses the New Testament scriptures. Since we are not Jewish, Muslim or Buddhists, etc. we are Christians. The Bible defies that notion. WHAT IS A CHRISTIAN? A Christian is someone who not only believes in Jesus but is walking in obedience to Jesus commands. This is not a person who races out the church doors after a 50 minute church service, having done their “religious due diligence” for the week. A Christian is a person who lives their entire week, all seven days, all waking hours, trying to imitate Christ and live their lives as He did and for His sake. That’s a Christian. Some may say, “That’s a pretty narrow view. Aren’t you being a bit critical?” I don’t think so. Listen to Jesus. Matthew 7:13-14 “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” At a Faith that Obeys, we use the term “believer” to identify that group of folks who practice their faith at a level which falls short of the Biblical standard but are committed to Christ to the best of their understanding. This is not to disparage them or to look down in any way on their sincerity or dedication. Salvation can sometimes be a very long road of progress before the seed of faith blossoms into full repentance and obedience.  I believe there are many, many really sincere and dedicated people who simply have never been aware of what the Bible actually teaches regarding a genuine relationship with Christ. For that very reason, A Faith that Obeys was created. I believe that any truly sincere heart will accept and obey Christ’s commands once they are made aware of them.  Once again, this is not just an arbitrary idea Jesus came up with. He made sure we understood the critical nature of this teaching when he said, “These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.” THE CONNECTION BETWEEN LOVE, OBEDIENCE AND SALVATION For me, seeing this connection between love, salvation and obedience is pretty stunning. I think it gets to me because I know so many people who sincerely care about and are devoted to Jesus to the best of their understanding; but are still lost because they believe and teach an unbiblical method for salvation.  Millions and millions of people claim Christ as their savior but so very few walk as Jesus did and in doing so, make Him their Lord. If we sincerely love Christ, we have no choice but to adjust our course to follow him in the way scripture requires. As I have declared before, “We can’t have a savior if we will not have a Lord.” When we love someone, we have a go anywhere and do anything attitude which kindles the fire of that love into amazing flames. That’s a real relationship with Christ! Folks, what we are learning today should serve to convince us; there is a lot more to a relationship with Christ than punching a time clock at church on Sunday. Our life and our doctrine are matters of our salvation. The Holy Spirit is never given to a believer anywhere in the Bible prior to obedience so we must never teach or believe that we are saved sometime before the final prescribed step in the Biblical Plan of Salvation which is water baptism. Well, so far, we have looked at some of the most intense passages which relate obedience, salvation and love for Christ. Next, let’s take a look at the “nature of obedience” as it appears in the scriptures. Let’s see what else we might learn as we pursue our Faith that Obeys. Enjoy! [https://www.afaiththatobeys.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/DanasSigSM.png] Dana Haynes Join the discussion here. [https://www.afaiththatobeys.org/blog/forums/forum/the-podcast/] Listen Now – Podcast 067 – For the Love of Obedience Part 2

066 – For the Love of Obedience – Part 1

[https://www.afaiththatobeys.org/blog/images/PostImages/ForTheLoveOfObedienceLogo1.jpg] After nearly 70 podcasts here at A Faith that Obeys, there is one aspect of our topic we have never really studied deeply. We’ve skirted around the issue, we’ve included the notion in a number of our discussions but we have never tackled this topic head-on and let the chips fall where they may. The issue? The fact that scripture teaches us that; love for Christ is directly linked to obedience to Christ. STUDY OUT THE WORD “OBEDIENCE” This showed up on my radar last week when I was creating a list of scriptures that specifically mention obedience. That study is an entire study in and of itself and I would highly encourage you to do a search for the word obey in all its various forms, using your Bible Software or online at BibleGateway.com [https://biblegateway.com] or BibleStudyTools.com [http://https;//biblestudytools.com] and discover the amazing things revealed by that search. You will be both delighted and challenged. In my study, I wanted to find scriptures that spoke specifically about obedience being necessary for salvation. In the process, I was struck when I saw how many times obedience is directly connected or associated with love for God and Christ. As I read these passages I was amazed with how dogmatic they are. There is no gray area. We either love God and Jesus through our obedience or we do not. What we are about to look at we have seen before but never in such a challenging way… never so directly. A QUICK PRAYER FOR A SOFT HEART Lets begin with a prayer because I think we’re gonna need it! God and Father, please be with us as we look at these challenging scriptures. Help our hearts be soft and receptive to the facts we are about to see. Help us be willing to change anything we need to change in our lives in order to follow you more closely. In Jesus name I pray, Amen. In this podcast, let’s begin by talking about obedience in general and then talk about how it relates to the love of Christ. Here’s probably the most challenging scripture. It is found in 1 John.  1 John 2:3-6 We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. The man who says, I know him, but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But if anyone obeys his word, Gods love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him:  Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did. This is a scripture about salvation.  KNOWING CHRIST DOES NOT MEAN CHRIST KNOWS ME! When John speaks about coming to know him, he is talking about a person’s relationship with Jesus. Implied in his assertion is the fact that not only have we come to know Jesus, but Jesus knows us, too. I point this out because I am recalling those folks back in Matthew 7 who knew Jesus super intimately and were doing amazing things for him but Jesus never knew them. There are two parts to the equation, right? In this 1 John passage, it is clear that we are talking to real disciples of Jesus. John is talking to Christians. We also know this because he is comparing the “we” of the first sentence with “the man” of the second sentence; who is clearly lost. Here it is again for reference. “We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. The man who says, I know him, but does not do what he commands is a liar and the truth is not in him.” WITHOUT OBEDIENCE, WE DO NOT KNOW CHRIST Now notice something critical. This first sentence is conditional. It contains an if/then statement. We know that we have come to know him… IF we obey his commands. That’s a pretty clear delineation isn’t it? We have assurance of a relationship with Christ IF we obey his commands. People who do not obey his commands, do not know him. Verse 4 is wildly intense! “The man who says, I know him, but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him.” I am not sure I know of any places in the Bible that are more direct an (dare I say) more harsh. Being called a liar, by anyone is a terrible thing. Being called a liar by the Apostle John and by extension, God is terrifying. In the physical realm, them be “fightin’” words. But spiritually speaking, our arms are far too short to box with God nor would we even dare try. God calls certain people liars? Yeah, there it is in black and white. A person who says that they know Christ but does not do what he commands is a liar. And he is not just a liar. John says, “the truth is not in him.” A person who is not living in obedience to Christ can not present the truth because he does not have the truth within him. It’s just not there and we can’t argue with that. That’s what God says. The truth is not in him. But who are we talking about specifically? LET’S TAKE THIS A LITTLE DEEPER. We are talking about a person who is a kin to those folks we have already mentioned way back in Matthew 7. They sincerely believed they had a relationship with Christ. They served him with all their heart and even did miracles but they were not saved. Christ never knew them. They were under a great and magnificent deception that they had a relationship with Jesus… but they did not. If we compare the people in Matthew 7 with this man who says, “I know him,” in 1 John, I think there is a small, subtle difference. “The man,” in 1 John seems to have a bit more boldness and confidence than the folks in Matthew 7. In 1 John, the man who says, “I know him,” is not just excused as unenlightened, or confused. This is a person who is confidently boasting to others that he has a relationship with Christ when he does not. Have you ever been in a situation where you were dead certain of a thing… absolutely convinced of something… only to find out later you were wrong? That’s a tough thing to go through but if we are humble, it can lead to the discovery of the info we were missing. Humility is our gateway to filling in the blanks. This man who so confidently professes that he knows Christ is not in a position of humble correctable ignorance. This person is confronted face to face by John and told, You are a liar. Wow! That’s really intense. This man is a liar and the truth is not in him. AN ENCOURAGING OLIVE BRANCH The next sentence is the antithesis of the first and brings a sense of hope and encouragement. Verse 5. “But if anyone obeys his word, God’s love is truly made complete in him.” This is not only an olive branch to the braggart we see in the second sentence, it sure sounds like a place I want to be. I want to be in a place where God’s love is truly made complete in me. That is endearing, comforting and full of assurance. And what leads to this amazing comfort and assurance? Obedience to God’s word. It’s that simple. While the fist part of this passage is dramatic in its condemnation for those who are disobedient, it offers incredible encouragement as it closes. “This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.” To walk as Jesus did provides absolute assurance that we have a true and correct relationship with him, but you know what? That’s a pretty tall order! Walking as Jesus did… does that mean, no home, no possessions, no place to lay your head? Maybe for some. But why not just try the mission of Christ, first.  HOW TO BEGIN WALKING AS JESUS DID – FOUR THINGS You know, there are some pretty solid commands we can follow if we want to walk as Jesus did but we must start that walk on the right foot. Are we walking as Christ did by obeying and teaching The Great Commission? Those are starting gun instructions and a great place to test our claim of obedience. In those instructions, Jesus told us how he wanted his followers to advance his mission after his departure. Are we doing that? He told us to go. There’s no reason to be thick or confused about the intention in this command. He wants us to not stay home but to reach out to people outside our spiritual community. He wants us to say something about Him. This is implied by the next command to: Make disciples. EVANGELISM IS A MATTER OF SALVATION We need to take a deep breath and agree on something very specific here. Listen carefully. If we are not evangelistic (Going), we are not obeying Christ’s commands. Let that sink in. If we are not evangelistic, we are not obeying Christ’s commands.  Do we really understand this. We are not obeying. We may claim we love Christ, but without obedience to this very first command we are, in the words of John, a liar. Now, let’s not deny it! Let’s not make an excuse for our lack of obedience to go. And certainly, don’t take offense at me. I’m just reporting the truth with the greatest possible love and concern I can. If we are not evangelic we are walking in disobedience to Christ. That’s what the “Go” of The Great Commission is all about. MAKING DISCIPLES Second, are we making disciples? Making disciples is a process. It takes work. What kind of work? Well, in our modern church era we have a challenge of breaking up, digging out and clearing away an unholy ton of religious tradition. People are deeply committed to church and family traditions which have no basis in scripture. Our job is to help people understand what’s really in the scriptures and abandon their religious traditions and practices because these are a massive stumbling block for the modern believer. I suppose there should be no surprise. That is exactly what Jesus faced. Do you realize that for the most part, Jesus entire message was presented to the religious lost? Think about it. Most of the people he reached out to were solidly committed to their own traditional form of religion. Which, by the way, was a false and empty religion! It saved nobody. When Jesus said, “Come to me all you who are weary and burdened,” in Matthew 11:28, He was not talking about the burdens of their marital problems or their soul-sucking careers. He was talking about their empty religious system which was getting them no where yet oppressed them with impossible rules. Making disciples is the single greatest spiritual motivator and inspiring activity a Christian will ever do. When you sit down and open the scriptures, especially with a religious person, and they see the truth for the very first time and you watch their eyes light up with understanding… well, there is no greater thrill in the entire world. There is no greater joy than planting the seed of scripture in a humble open heart and watching it blossom into full compliance and obedience to the scriptures. And why is this true? NO GREATER JOY THAN PLANTING AND WATERING Think about this for a moment. There is absolutely nothing… NOTHING you will ever do in your life that is greater or more important that moving a person from the power of Satan to the Kingdom of God. NOTHING! You may be the greatest brain surgeon who ever lived and save hundreds of lives but they will still eventually die. Or you may be the person who finds the cure for every form of cancer but another death still awaits the cured. Those accomplishments pale in comparison to saving just one soul for an eternity. The sad thing is most believers never have the experience of planting the seed of God’s word and watching it grow.  In most churches, opening the scriptures for the purpose of converting a soul is relegated off to the pastor, or some other leader in the church. The average believer never opens the word with a nonbeliever to show them the truth. They never feel the thrill of victory. And yet, isn’t that what The Great Commission is all about? Every disciple should be involved in this process and every disciple is thrilled when it happens. There is no greater purpose in this life than sharing the Scriptures and helping another soul discover Christ. IT’S THE GREAT COMMISSION, NOT THE GREAT SUGGESTION “Making disciples” is not the second thing in “The Great Suggestion.” It is not an optional exercise of a believer who enjoys a modicum of joy because they know a little bit about Jesus. Making disciples is a command and by definition, every disciple makes disciples. There is no other kind of disciple. We must never claim we are disciples of Jesus if we are not actively involved in making other disciples. If we claim to be in him but do not do what he commands… we are liars. BAPTIZE ‘EM Once we have introduced someone to Christ, what on earth do we do next? Well, what’s the next command? What did Jesus tell us to do? It’s in your bible. We baptize them! Once again, this is not some optional suggestion. It is a direct and clear command of Jesus. It is simple and unambiguous. Elsewhere, the scriptures are full of the mode, method and meaning of water baptism. It is a complete immersion in water, in obedience to this Great Commission command. It is by absolutely no stretch of the imagination, a work of man. It is an act of faith instigated by this command. If you have ever argued that baptism is a work of men, then you’ve never understood that a command of Christ cannot be… at the very same time… a work of man. Is it a work or a command? The two are mutually exclusive. Baptism is not something you do to yourself anyway. It is something you submit to. In baptism a person is buried with Christ, they are raised to a new life. This is the Born Again experience. People are not saved at some point in time before their obedience in water baptism. They are not saved when they first believe and accept. They are not saved when they repent. It is in the commanded process of baptism that a person is Born Again. It is during baptism that God washes away sin and sends the Holy Spirit as a seal of sonship. Baptism is our pledge to keep our conscience clean for the rest of our life and it is how and when we call on the name of the Lord to be saved. This is a work of the Holy Spirit as He baptizes the believer into the body of Christ during physical baptism. Without obedience to this Great Commission command there is no saving experience. Just think it through. How can I have a relationship with Christ if I refuse to obey Christ? I would be a liar. THERE IS NOT OTHER PLAN OF SALVATION. Folks, Jesus authorized no other methods of obedience. The “Sinners Prayer” is a deception. Accepting Christ and repenting as a prelude to conversion is a fine first step but without obedience in baptism, this leaves a person in a very excited but lost state. Without obedience in baptism, the Holy Spirit never indwells them, they must rely on their own power to eke out their life in Christ for the next 50 (or however many) years. Erroneous methods of conversion leave a believer powerless and empty. This leads to a quick exit from the faith and maybe even a bitterness over the failed promises of “life to the full.” Christianity becomes a joke because people begin to build but do not have the power to finish. After all, it’s pretty difficult to deal with addictions for example without the Holy Spirit indwelling you. People fall flat on their faces and 90% of them leave the church where they were introduced to Jesus. When we humbly obey Christ’s commands, he comes and lives in us as our helper. If we try to crawl into the house some other way than the prescribed way, we get tossed out on our ear. Obedience to Baptism seals the deal. It is the final step in conversion. If I reject baptism, I reject the commission. Let’s flip the coin over. Would a true disciple of Jesus… a person trying hard to make real disciples… refuse to baptize someone? Would a true disciple of Jesus delay the command to be baptized until the bi-annual baptism service? I don’t want the potential guilt of that weighing on my soul! First century New Testament baptism was immediate because they understood people were not saved until they obeyed The Great Commission. OBEY EVERYTHING Finally, Jesus told his disciples, and us, to obey everything. Do we really need to say more? He had just given three commands, but just in case we think we can somehow skate around any one of them, he nails it down and puts it into a nice little wrapper, teach them to obey everything. This means that beginning with the first generation of disciples who were made on the day of Pentecost, until this very moment, as you listen to this podcast, every single person who has ever become a true disciple of Jesus has been presented The Great Commission, obeyed all of it and continues to plant it in the hearts of the people they meet and share the Gospel with. All true disciples of Jesus understand that it is their responsibility to Go, Make Disciples, Baptize them and teach them to obey these four things. Folks, we can not get around this and this is just the start of obedience. There are many other things Christ told us to obey. The icing on the cake… the cherry on top of everything Jesus gave us in The Great Commission, is that he would be with us always. That’s awesome! But to be sure; that promise follows the commands. Without obedience to ALL the commands, there is no promise. Folks, let’s make every effort to keep in step with God’s Spirit and commands. AND IN CONCLUSION…. Ok. That’s enough for now. We’ll have more in the next podcast. What we are looking at is how love for Christ is connected to obedience to Christ in the scriptures. The scriptures teach in a variety of ways, in no uncertain terms and in a number of places that if we do not obey, we do not love. I am just discovering this bold and terrifying truth anew. This study is pretty deep. I hope you can accept it. For me, this teaching is tough but doable when I have a Faith that Obeys. Enjoy! [https://www.afaiththatobeys.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/DanasSigSM.png] Dana Haynes Join the discussion here. [https://www.afaiththatobeys.org/blog/forums/forum/the-podcast/] Listen Now – Podcast 066 – For the Love of Obedience – Part 1

065 – The Modern Plan of Salvation

Editor’s Note: This is the third lesson from our eleven part video series called, “A Faith that Obeys.” You can find the original video and transcript HERE [https://www.afaiththatobeys.org/TheBiblicalPlanofSalvation/003-TheModernPlan.php]. We are dropping this lesson into our regular podcast feed so that the information can reach a wider audience. In this lesson, we will review the Modern Plan of Salvation which includes practices like “The Sinner’s Prayer” and “Accepting Christ for Salvation.” LEARNING ABOUT JESUS The Sinner's Prayer is not in the Bible. [https://www.afaiththatobeys.org/blog/images/PostImages/TheModernPlanOfSalvationLogo.jpg]Rethink this very tempting and easy Plan of Salvation! In this world of ours today the scriptures span the globe. There are very few places left, if any, where the name of Jesus has not been proclaimed. Millions of people have put their faith in Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior. At some point in the past, you perhaps made a personal commitment to Jesus because of something you either read or heard. Somebody, sometime, somehow told you about Jesus The story about Jesus, his death and resurrection is called the Gospel. And hearing the Gospel message is the first step everyone takes in the Biblical plan of salvation. I am unaware of any Christian group which does not recognize that there is a process one goes through on the way to salvation. Sometimes we illustrate this process using clever metaphors. These wonderful illustrations are designed to help us understand the plan of salvation clearly. One popular metaphor is called “The Romans Road.” THE ROMAN’S ROAD You may have heard of it. Using the book of Romans, in the Bible, we can trace out a pathway which leads to salvation. The metaphor we will use to illustrate the Biblical Plan of Salvation, is not a pathway but a staircase, as I mentioned in the last lesson. Just as there are steps we travel on the Roman Road, there are several steps on our staircase which every person takes on their journey to salvation, or the forgiveness of sins. Here’s the illustration of our metaphor.  THE STEPS TO SALVATION We have already identified the first step, so let’s label this first step, “Hearing the Message.” Every person in the history of the world, who has ever come to know Jesus, has taken this first step. This should be pretty obvious! If you consider yourself a Christian, that means you heard the Gospel, you made a conscious decision to respond positively. Perhaps you were in a church, listening to the radio, watching the TV or a friend brought the message to you. You decided to make Jesus, Lord of your life. You may remember that day clearly. You made a decision. You accepted the message; you didn’t reject the message. And guess what, that would be the second step in the Biblical plan of salvation.  ACCEPTING THE MESSAGE Let’s label the second step, “Accepting the Message.” Again, this is pretty obvious. For someone to be saved, they must accept the Gospel message. Rejecting it would get them nowhere! For many people, it is at this point, as they surrender their will to Jesus and make Him Lord of their lives, that they might feel an inexpressible joy and relief as they understand they have crossed over from a dark life of sin and have been born again into the wonderful light of salvation. They are comforted by the fact that they will never walk alone again, they will have their Lord and Savior walking with them. The point in time when this occurs is what we previously called a “salvation experience.”  The goal of this series, “A Faith that Obeys,” is to identify the exact point in time when this “Salvation Experience” occurs. Most people who call themselves Evangelical Christians can point back to a specific point in time… in the past… when a “salvation experience” happened for them. This is the moment in time which they would point back to and say, “That’s when and where I became a Christian.” or “That’s the point in time I was Born Again.” THE SINNER’S PRAYER Many churches use a well know method, which was developed in the late 1800’s, to help folks respond to the Gospel message. It’s called “The Sinner’s Prayer.” You may have prayed it or something similar. Using this technique, a minister, preacher or some other leader will ask someone who has heard the message and wishes to responded positively, to recite a brief, simple prayer which might sound something like this… “Lord Jesus, I recognize that I am a sinner and I need you in my life. I know you are standing at the door of my heart, knocking to come in. Lord Jesus, right here and right now, I invite you into my heart. Save me from my sin and help me live my life for you. Amen.” For the vast majority of people with an evangelical background, this, or something very similar, is how they became a Christian, they gave their life to Christ or “Accepted Christ.” Can you think back to an exact time and place when this happened for you? Mark that clearly in your mind. Jot it down on a sheet of paper. By the way, this was my experience at about 22 years of age. I prayed the “Sinner’s Prayer” with a neighbor friend, accepted Christ and invited Jesus into my heart. Most folks believe, when someone accepts Christ, they are saved; which means, as we have discussed, their sins are forgiven and they begin their new life in Christ.  THE DIVIDING LINE – SAVED OR UNSAVED Let’s mark a “Line of Salvation” right above the second step on our illustration to indicate that the forgiveness of sins occurs at this point in time. Remember, the forgiveness of sins equals saved and saved means this is the exact point in time you were born again and became a Christian.  Born again = Christian = Saved = Sins are Forgiven, it’s all the same thing. Sometimes, if someone accepts Christ through a radio broadcast or television program, they are encouraged to join a local Bible based church in order to experience and be strengthened by the fellowship. New converts are encouraged to read and study their Bible and to live a life that honors God. In many churches, these “babes in Christ” are told that water baptism is a very important command of Jesus and they should be baptized as soon as possible… in obedience to the Lord, since they are now been saved and their sins have been forgiven. Sometimes new converts are taught that water baptism is their first real act of obedience as a new Christian. This is a general overview of the modern plan of salvation which is promoted and used by most of the evangelical world today. Different churches and denominations use different words or phrases and make adjustments to this plan in various ways but basically, this is the plan.  THE PROBLEM WITH THE MODERN PLAN OF SALVATION This might be summed up as, “accepting Christ for salvation.” When you believe or accept the message and receive Christ as savior, you become a Christian and your sins are forgiven. Now, there’s just one problem with the modern plan of salvation. It’s not the Biblical plan. The Bible never teaches us to simply and only believe in Christ for our salvation even though there are scriptures which seem to support that view. It never teaches us to say a prayer to be saved. It never teaches us to ask Jesus to come into our heart. It does not teach that our sins are forgiven as a result of decisions we make or actions we take outside of Biblical obedience. We are not saved by works, things we do. The Bible never uses a phrase like “accept Christ as your personal Lord and savior.” Does this surprise you? There is much more to the Biblical plan of salvation than these first two steps. Something horrible has happened to the plan of salvation over the last millennia. It has been changed! This modern plan is still very very close, but there are critical things missing and out of place. Frankly, this shouldn’t surprise anyone. SATAN IS A COUNTERFEITER Listen. If Satan wanted to offer a counterfeit plan, why would he create a lame one? Remember my $100.00 bill drawn with a green crayon? No one would accept that! Satan’s counterfeit would need to be so good and so convincing, so very close to the Biblical plan, that it could trick anyone who is unwilling to compare the plan they learned and followed to the Biblical plan of salvation… once you are made aware of it. Satan doesn’t deny the plan, he simply changes some things around, just a little bit, then provides a warm environment in which his lie can grow! Satan’s plan is an absolutely delicious plan served up with very real emotions of joy and love, warm physical feelings and often, some very real experiences. All these are expertly crafted to confirm his lie. I hope you are a little concerned at this point. Once again, I’m going to ask you to step back if you’re feeling a little emotionally charged. I am merely asking that you think about, pray about and evaluate the things you are learning. But please, never for a moment think that any of us could not be deceived by that snake. Remember, it has always been his trick to twist or question God’s commands from Eve’s experience in the Garden… to Jesus temptation on the temple roof…. should we be so naive to think he would not try to twist our understanding of the Bible. The only way we can possibly know God’s will and his plan of salvation is to carefully, diligently, study His word keeping a humble attitude and a heart which is open to new understandings. You know. A counterfeit is never effective unless it’s very convincing very full of proof! But then you’re not a person who would allow your emotions, feelings or even some very real experiences to be more important and more convincing than the scriptures, are you? HOW I WAS TRICKED! Remember. I said this would be challenging. It was for me. I told you I had made a very real, very sincere, very solid decision for Christ as a young adult. But I had not yet followed the Biblical Plan of salvation. I was still in my sins and had no power over them at all. I was a very nice, very kind, very loving believer in Jesus, but I was not a Christian. I had been deceived and did not even know it.  It would not be for years later that God very patiently, very carefully led me to discover the truth for myself. The thing which helped me see my errors more than anything else was my respect and love for the scriptures and an understanding that they are the only reliable authority. I decided, I could not rely on my feelings, emotions or experiences, no matter how real they were for me. They are not my source of religious authority. I had to put a lot of things behind me and be open to the possibility that I had been wrong. When someone showed me what the Bible actually taught about the plan of salvation, it was so obvious I accepted it quickly and immediately obeyed it, but I did not stop there. I carefully studied everything out for myself and I am still doing so to this very day. I would love to be wrong about all of this and I have tried for 33 years to punch holes in the Biblical Plan in order to make the road just a little bit wider, but the Biblical Plan is too solid, too consistent, too prominent throughout all of scripture and too obvious, once you see it. COOL STUFF COMING! In the next few lessons, you will see, with absolute clarity, what the Biblical plan of salvation entails and how beautifully it is organized by God and how easily it’s seen with the heart of a child. You will begin to feel a fire in your bones and see a future for yourself which is going to get super exciting. Now it’s time to dig into the scriptures. Enjoy! [https://www.afaiththatobeys.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/DanasSigSM.png] Dana Haynes Join the discussion here. [https://www.afaiththatobeys.org/blog/forums/forum/the-podcast/] Listen Now – Podcast 065 – The Modern Plan of Salvation

064 – Do I need to be baptized again?

[https://www.afaiththatobeys.org/blog/images/PostImages/PearlyGatesWithTaglineSmall.jpg] Have you ever considered our tagline here at A Faith that Obeys? It reads, “Rethinking the Traditional Plan of Salvation.” Now, I must admit, this does sound a bit presumptuous doesn’t it? Hopefully the tagline provides a crisp clarity to the issue we are debating and anyone piqued enough to investigate this apparent arrogance, discovers a warm and welcoming place to explore the age old debate regarding water baptism. Now, you know me. I gotta pick apart a term! After all, we need to agree on what a word means. Let’s begin with, “Rethinking.” Why are we “rethinking” anything? Well, because we think we might have gotten something wrong or we need to review our understanding of a thing; in this case, The Traditional Plan of Salvation.  DEFINING OUR TERMS A “plan” is an ordered succession of smaller events leading to a specific goal and our plan leads to salvation. “Salvation” means, a person receives the forgiveness of sins, from God; is moved from a lost state to a saved state and will enjoy the benefits of the indwelling gift of the Holy Spirit and the promise of eternal life with God in heaven.  “Traditional” means; the plan is something which has been used and reused for a very long time and is assumed to be correct. Our process of rethinking, leads us to probe, poke holes in and otherwise scrutinize the assertions made by the traditional plan. At A Faith that Obeys, we’ve discovered the primary and most glaring difference between the Traditional Plan and the Biblical Plan is this small, seemingly insignificant fact. Listen carefully. The only difference between the two plans is that the declaration of salvation is made at different points along the same common path. Let me explain because this issue can be a little hard to see. THE ROADMAP TO SALVATION The plan of salvation is like a map. When we look at the map carefully, we spot two different exit ramps. Both are clearly labeled, “This way to the Pearly Gates.” To arrive at our destination, we must use the correct exit ramp. But, right there on the map are two different exit ramps going off in different directions. The traditional plan asserts a person is saved when they first believe and trust in Christ. This happens at some point before water baptism. That’s ramp one. The Biblical Plan demonstrates that a person is not saved until they obey the Gospel, which includes water baptism. That’s ramp two. Intellectual belief and acceptance of the Gospel message and obedience to that message, are two separate things and happen at different times along the same spiritual highway to heaven. The crazy thing is that if we are not paying attention, the routes look identical! When deeply committed Christian believers, who have not yet obeyed the “Biblical Plan of Salvation,” hear about it, become convinced of its truth and want to obey, the question inevitably comes up, “Do I need to be baptized again?” They are questioning this because, sometime in the past, they experienced a full immersion baptism, and now think they may need to be baptized again, the right way.  They made a sincere commitment to Christ and believed they had been saved but, that happened well before their water baptism. Our goal should always be to humbly obey the Gospel to the best of our ability, right? Everyone who truly loves Jesus wants to please him. If we were baptized at some point in the past with a full immersion baptism, we should ask ourselves a couple of questions; “What teaching were we following?” And, “Why did we get baptized?” Let’s jump in the Wayback Machine and review our thinking. How did our original introduction to Christ play out? WHY DID YOU GET BAPTIZED, WAY BACK WHEN? At some point in the past, we heard the Gospel message. We learned about Jesus’ sacrifice for our sins. This is, of course, is where and when everyone’s journey started. We recognized our sinfulness and our need for a savior. We were ready for a change. We repented of our sins. We accepted Christ’s offer of salvation… we “received Christ.” So far, so good. These are all Biblically prescribed and sanctioned activities in response to the Gospel message. But, this is where the plans diverge.  When we made that initial, sincere commitment, we believed we were saved. We may have even known water baptism would be an important next step, at some point in the future. Accompanying our decision may have been some really powerful and convincing emotional experiences. For example, we may have felt like the weight of the world was now off of our shoulders. We may have felt tremendous joy and a sense that we had truly begun a new life. Now let’s be honest, we were new to the faith and pretty naive. We made a commitment to Christ based on what someone told us and had no clue there are actually two completely different paths. One claims, “You just got saved!” And one says, “Great so far; now take the final step and obey the Gospel in baptism.” One path is the correct path, one is not. One stops us in our tracks, the other urges us to continue and immediately obey Christ’s command to be baptized. Now remember, the next step in both plans is indeed water baptism so the plans can look super similar! These differences may seem subtle and insignificant. It may even seem like splitting hairs; especially to an outsider of our argument. But one path is right and one is wrong. One is the truth, and one is a subtle and clever deception. When we first made our very real and very sincere decision, we were not aware there were two paths and neither was the person who was teaching us. DEDICATED AND SINCERE BUT SOMETHING MISSING And you know what? This is nothing new. Remember those good, hard-working, sincere believers of Matthew 7:28 and following? This is the same issue they were experiencing. They made a solid decision to follow Christ. They were at a point in their spiritual life where they knew Jesus very well. They worked hard for him and called him, “Lord.” But, they were not saved. This is shocking!  Let’s review it so its fresh in our mind. Matthew 7:21-23 Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles? Then I will tell them plainly, I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers! This little story could leave us quite distressed, but thankfully, Jesus explains the problem so we don’t make the same mistake. As He explains, it’s not about how well they know him, it’s about him knowing them. He tells them, He NEVER knew them! Think this through carefully. There’s a forensic timeline. Try this; read the account carefully following the plan of salvation. Sketch it out on a timeline.  We surmise these sincere, hard working people followed a really solid, well presented introduction to Jesus and the plan of salvation. They heard the Gospel. That’s step one. But, the plan they heard must have diverged onto another path, at some point in time, which did not lead them to the correct destination. They never arrived at salvation. Think about this carefully. That critical point of time had to have occurred after they heard about Jesus. This is obvious. Absolutely everything else in the story looks and feels exactly like it should for a solid biblical conversion. It’s difficult to understand Christ’s refusal to accept them. It’s stunning. When we wind the tape backwards, we conclude that some sort of error must have occurred right after they learned about Christ. Something prevented them from hearing a vital bit of information contained in the rest of the story. BUT WAIT… THERE’S A SEQUEL! Now, these are not the only people in the Bible to experience this problem. I suspect God knew we might have a difficult time accepting these people as lost, so He included a sequel!  Yeah, there is another case of this happening in the book of Acts. This is exactly the situation with a fellow named Apollos. Let’s read it. Acts 18:24-26  “Meanwhile a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was a learned man, with a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures. He had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and he spoke with great fervor and taught about Jesus accurately, though he knew only the baptism of John. He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they invited him to their home and explained to him the way of God more adequately.” Apollos had the same problem as the folks in Matthew 7. He knew accurately about Jesus but did not know about obedience through the baptism into Christ! In fact, just like the people in Matthew 7, who were actively promoting Jesus, we meet Apollos while he is on his own personal mission trip. We catch him in the act, so to speak. He is doing one of the exact same things Jesus said those people were doing; preaching about Christ!  Acts 18:26 He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. Now don’t miss the language used in verse 25, right before this. “He taught about Jesus accurately but knew only the baptism of John.” Let’s understand this? Luke, the author of Acts, makes a comparison between two things. Apollos has experienced the baptism of John the Baptist, which is very obviously a water baptism, but he did not know about the baptism of Christ; likewise a water baptism and thus the comparison. Apollos has not obeyed the Gospel. If he was teaching the Gospel adequately, there would have been no need for Pricilla and Aquila to have him over of lamb-chops and explain the way of God, more adequately. And that is exactly the same situation as our friends in Matthew 7. They obviously knew Christ but Christ says, He never knew them. US KNOWING GOD IS NOT THE SAME THING AS GOD KNOWING US. The big take-away from all this is, “It is possible to know God, but God not know us!” That’s tough to swallow but that’s the truth. Not convinced there’s more! Here’s a fascinating scripture from Galatians. Listen to this carefully! Galatians 4:8-9 “Formerly, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those who by nature are not gods. But now that you know God…  or rather are known by God… how is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable principles?” Knowing God and being known by God, are completely different things! I know all about the President of the United States but rest assured he does not know me. If we were baptized in a church which teaches that salvation comes before baptism, it is important to understand, that is not the Biblical Plan of Salvation. I HAD BEEN WRONG! If you have been listening to the Podcast for a while, you know I made a sincere commitment to Christ and prayed the Sinner’s Prayer when I was about 22. That’s what someone told me to do. They never opened the Bible to show me anything. I said the prayer and considered myself saved. Years later, I was shown the Biblical Plan of Salvation and quickly repented and obeyed it because I knew based on the scriptures I had been wrong. For over 10 years I believed I was saved, but I was not. When I saw the truth, I was eager to obey. I wanted to be right with God.  But please understand something. The second time around, it was not a person who was telling me what to do. It was the scriptures. I read the Bible for myself. I made a decision based on scripture, not the same old Sinner’s Prayer confession I had previously followed. Someone showed me the scriptures and asked me if I had obeyed them. I said, “No.” On January 20th, 1985, I stood in the waters of baptism and said, Jesus is Lord. This happened AFTER I had repented of my sins and knew I would mean what I said for the rest of my life. The older I get, the more I understand just how lost I really was. After this, my life changed in indescribable ways. IT’S NOT ABOUT DOCTRINE, IT’S ABOUT REPENTANCE. Now, there’s another subtle point of discovery in all this which I think is important to understand, I was not saved by simply changing doctrines. I did not, at one point in time, believe baptism was just an outward sign of an inward grace, and now that I understood the doctrine correctly my original baptism was somehow magically valid. I did not, at one time, believe people were saved when they Accepted Christ and now understood things correctly so I was good to go. We don’t clean up a little doctrinal error and now everything is fine. Let’s not fall into that deception. An incomplete or erroneous Gospel saves nobody! People are lost because they have not obeyed the Gospel, regardless of any religious experience they have had or have been participating in maybe for years.  Here’s why.  Repentance always precedes salvation, right? Sometimes we need to repent of things we have done. Sometimes we need to repent of things we have believed. Sometimes we need to repent of things we have taught.  Without repentance, no one will be known by God. Erroneous beliefs are sort of the black and white sins we repent of just like the technicolor sins of adultery, lying or stealing; and as always, salvation follows repentance. If I have believed, followed and taught an erroneous plan of salvation, it certainly did not save me or anyone I taught. How could it? An erroneous plan is no plan at all. So, this is not a matter of patching up some erroneous doctrine and slapping a new coat of paint on it. It’s not about our doctrine. We are repenting of something we are doing wrong and obeying what we learn is right. This is a matter of facing the truth that we are still in a lost state and repenting of the things which have brought us here. Is it hard to believe God may be revealing new truth to us? Really? Do we really think we have it all figured out? I sure don’t. WHY SO DIFFICULT TO ACCEPT? For some, this is incredibly difficult to accept and I completely understand that. Some really great people have spent years serving the Lord and have experienced truly amazing things. They have known joy, peace, patience, the thrill of introducing people to Christ and more! They have given their time, money, sweat and sometimes blood for the cause of Christ. To even consider the possibility that they are not saved is pretty crazy and honestly, maybe even a bit offensive.  But step back and think about it. Let the scriptures guide us. Are we really absolutely certain that those good folks, who had dedicated their lives to the cause of Christ back in Matthew 7:28, were really lost? Do we want to waffle on that? Because of that story, we know it is possible for someone to be in the same position. But when we think of ourselves in that position, it raises red flags and warning lights because we use our spiritual resume as our defensive proof of salvation. But isn’t that exactly what the believers of Matthew 7 did? Their protests were all about their past experiences!  And isn’t that exactly what our dear brother Apollos did? No! Nothing like it! His reaction was far different and exemplary. We see no protest from Apollos, we just see the church rejoicing and sending on his way to continue preaching that Jesus is the Christ! He didn’t argue with Pricilla and Aquila, he accepted the truth and obeyed it. How do we know he obeyed it? Well, the church would never have endorsed his ongoing mission! Listen. Acts 18:27 “When Apollos wanted to go to Achaia, the brothers encouraged him and wrote to the disciples there to welcome him. When he arrived, he was a great help to those who by grace had believed.” The church would have never approved if Apollos was still teaching only the baptism of John. He had obviously been baptized into Christ which the church would have witnessed. This is why they were enthusiastically confident sending him off to a sister congregation. GOD IS STILL IN CONTROL… ALWAYS HAS BEEN! Now listen to me. Coming to the earth shattering conviction that; even though we have years of sacrifice and devotion to the Lord… we are actually in a lost state, did not suddenly remove Jesus from His throne! Nothing happened which shook the foundations of Heaven. Creation did not come to a stand still in shock and disbelief just because we have accepted new truth. In fact, I hear the distant sound of applause! Listen carefully. Do you think God does not know or has not known what He has been doing regarding your relationship with him? Do you think he has not lovingly and patiently led you to this exact point in your life; preparing you, perhaps for years, to understand the things you are now learning? Do you think God has not been watching over you and protecting you and loving you enough to bring you to salvation, no matter how long it took? I’m pretty sure God knows what He is doing. God knows our hearts. God knows our past, our present and our future. God sees the desires of our heart and God knows how to lead us to repentance… even from bad doctrine. Our part is to accept the truth; to gratefully accept God’s mercy and gentleness as He reveals his plan. In fact, if we really stop and think about it, we could be quite overwhelmed when we consider the gentleness and patience as He has skillfully employed, leading us to this time in our lives. Our hearts should overflow with gratitude! SHALL WE GRUMBLE OR WHINE? No. Wait. Can you imagine complaining that God didn’t lead us to salvation in the way we thought it should be done? Shall I whine that God should have saved me sooner or used some other way to do it? Do I really want to pick that fight? No! We must never grumble, “God just took too long to save me and I have been working so hard for Him!” Oh! Now we understand the parable of “The Workers in the Vineyard.” Some worked a full day others worked only a couple of hours but both got paid the same wage. Here’s the owners response to their complaints: Matthew 20:13-16 “But he answered one of them, Friend, I am not being unfair to you. Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius? Take your pay and go. I want to give the man who was hired last the same as I gave you. Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?” Do we really want to be the guy who complains about how God conducts his business? I hope not. God knows exactly what it took to save me and He knows exactly what it takes to save you. THIS IS REALLY GOOD NEWS! In reality, this is amazingly Good News! From the first time we decided to make Jesus the Lord of our life, until this time when we can now obey the Gospel the correct way; God has kept us safe and sound, preparing us for such a time as this? Is it not amazing how God crafts all the experiences of our life to bring us… or anyone for that matter… to a knowledge of the truth?  So, do we need to be baptized again, even though we were baptized as an infant or as an adult in a full immersion baptism? The short answer is, “No, you do not need to be baptized, again.” In reality, you need to be baptized for the first time.  An immersion for the wrong reason is not a Christian baptism and hopefully we want to do things the right way. Ultimately, it’s your decision. But, I can tell you that as for me and my house, we will follow the Lord, no matter how or when He leads us. We will obey the Lord, making sure that if and when any new understanding is revealed, we do not lean on our old understanding and we do not rely on our spiritual resume. Our charge is to repent and believe the Good News and that kind of belief is a special kind of belief… a special kind of faith we call, “A Faith that Obeys!” https://youtu.be/KYQBGXaRc2s Enjoy! [https://www.afaiththatobeys.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/DanasSigSM.png] Dana Haynes Join the discussion here. [https://www.afaiththatobeys.org/blog/forums/forum/the-podcast/] Listen Now – Podcast 064 – Do I Really Need to be Baptized the “Right Way?”