Many people want to believe that salvation consists of just believing in Christ.
They support their idea in various ways, often with sayings of Jesus, such as:
John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
John 5:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.
John 6:47 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.
By the way, it’s good to understand what believing in Jesus meant in Christ’s day.
Indeed, believing in Jesus was salvific in His day, as the above Scriptures indicate. But, could the people today who want to claim its apparent easy-believism have been willing to do so at the time?
First of all, it must be noted that, in the context of John 6:47, Jesus said to the light believers who followed Him a few verses later (v.53) that, “unless you eat My flesh and drink My blood, you have no life in you”. He wasn’t speaking about receiving communion. No such thing existed at the time. He was talking about imbibing His teaching and consuming all that He stood for, making Him your life.
Believing in Jesus as He walked on planet earth was a huge step, fraught with risk that came at a high price, the very thing that easy-believers today seek to avoid. The price was moral, social, domestic, and religious. The commitment could even cost your entire estate— and that being ordered by the mouth of Christ Himself. Think of the rich young ruler who was told to sell all that he had, give it to the poor, and assume a simple new life as a follower of Jesus.
Understand, there was no certain consensus then about Christ, as in our day. He was hated and branded by some as a deceiver. Even those who did not look on Him so harshly were afraid to even mention His name publicly or offer an opinion of Him due to backlash from the authorities.
Believing in Jesus as He walked on planet earth was a huge step, fraught with risk that came at a high price, the very thing that easy-believers today seek to avoid. The price was moral, social, domestic, and religious. The commitment could even cost your entire estate— and that being ordered by the mouth of Christ Himself. Think of the rich young ruler who was told to sell all that he had, give it to the poor, and assume a simple new life as a follower of Jesus.
Understand, there was no certain consensus then about Christ, as in our day. He was hated and branded by some as a deceiver. Even those who did not look on Him so harshly were afraid to even mention His name or offer an opinion of Him due to backlash from the authorities.
John 7:
12 And there was much murmuring among the people concerning him: for some said, He is a good man: others said, Nay; but he deceiveth the people.
13 Howbeit no man spake openly of him for fear of the Jews.
A believer in Christ could actually be ostracized from the religious community. Think ex-communication from the national religion of your ancient relatives descending from Abraham. It wasn’t like there was another Church to attend down the street.
John 9:22 These words spake his parents, because they feared the Jews: for the Jews had agreed already, that if any man did confess that he was Christ, he should be put out of the synagogue.
John the Baptist and Jesus each told their followers more was coming in the way of salvation doctrine.
(John is not fully relevant here but his example shows how the Bible and the servants of God indicate when further revelation is forthcoming.)
1/ John the Baptist (Matthew 3:11)
I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance. but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:
It’s as if John said, “Hey, don’t get comfortable in this. My baptism is not all there is. Be prepared to receive more from One greater than I.”
2/ Jesus (John 8:31-32)
31 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;
32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
At this point in time, later than the three previous texts of Jesus we cited, which seem to suggest to some people a path of easy-believism, Jesus was literally saying to His followers, “You who believe on Me, continue in divine revelation. There is more to come than mere belief.”
There was a body of saving knowledge yet to be revealed, which Christ referred to as “The Truth”. He was referring to the Gospel truth that would set people free from sin in the Christian era. It would involve the message of the death, burial, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus and the corresponding tenets of salvation announced on the Day of Pentecost. This saving truth would be comprised of complete remission of sins and the regenerating power of the Holy Ghost. Jesus made this clear in His Great Commission. There, He outlined the Christian tenets of faith.
1/ Repentance (Luke 24:47)
2/ Baptism in Jesus’ name (Luke 24:47)
3/ The infilling of the Holy Ghost, to which He had referred on many previous occasions (John 20:23; Luke 24:49; Acts 1:8)
These tenets were announced by Peter on the Day of Pentecost and were stated to be for the entire Church age (Acts 2:38-39).
38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
39 For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.
There is not a commission to preach anything else.
The fact we have been emphasizing in this post that more is needed in the Christian era than mere belief in Christ is played out in Acts 19:1-6.
The disciples whom Paul met at Ephesus on his third missionary journey previously believed in Jesus — in fact, for about twenty years— but had not yet received the Acts 2:38 experience. But, once informed by the Apostle, they obeyed Paul and, thus, came to the knowledge of the truth (John 8:31-32; See also 1Timothy 2:4.). Interestingly, in this context, Paul even reminded them that John had stated there was more to come.
To claim that salvation consists of mere believing in Christ is to take a pre-Christian doctrinal position on salvation. Christianity is comprised of the message of the death, burial, resurrection, and ascension of Christ and the tenets of salvation prescribed by Christ for this era in the Great Commission. It was preached faithfully on the Day of Pentecost and was carried out throughout the thirty-year history of the book of Acts by all the New Testament ministers. It is our privilege and responsibility to preach Acts 2:38 as the Christian plan of salvation today.
Conclusion
Please read Acts 2:38 again as quoted a couple of paragraphs above. Now, let me ask:
1/ Have you sincerely turned to Christ with all your heart? If so, that’s repentance. You have fulfilled that part of the plan of salvation.
2/ Do you want your sins to be forgiven and forgotten (literally, to be non-existent)? That occurs by baptism in Jesus’ name. That’s simple enough to do. The ease of having your sins remitted shows the effectiveness of Calvary.
3/ Do you want to be filled with Christ’s Spirit in order to be regenerated and live a life above sin and to be ready for the soon coming of the Lord? Then ask Him to fill you just as He filled those in the book of Acts— and millions since then. All you have to do is ask (Luke 11:13)! When He fills you, you will begin to praise Him in other tongues (languages) as they did in the book of Acts— and in millions of cases since then. You will not be treated differently from the rest. Salvation for one is salvation for all. There is no one God loves more than you! And there is no one He wants to save more than you! Let Him!