Examples of Christian Salvation

© 2017 by James V. Maurer, Sr.

For more info, please write: [email protected]

Revised 5.15.20

Note: Scripture quotations are from the King James Version of the Bible unless otherwise stated.  They are emboldened in a font different from the body of this text rather than being placed within quotation marks.

What Is Christian Salvation?

The Christian Church is a very special and specific era in redemptive history.  Many people confuse the Christian era as being from the time of the Gospels, meaning from the time of John the Baptist and Jesus.  They would include such persons as the thief on the cross in the Christian era.  But that is not so. The Christian Church did not come into existence until the Day of Pentecost which was fifty days after the resurrection of Jesus.  The thief on the cross predated the Christian era and, therefore, cannot be cited as an example of Christian conversion.  The Christian era will last until the Rapture of the Church.  This significant two thousand year period (the time frame based on interpretation of prophecy) has a specific plan of salvation.  It was revealed on the Day of Pentecost by the Apostle Peter to consist of repentance, water baptism in Jesus’ name, and the infilling of the Holy Ghost (Acts 2:38-39).

The Need For A Clear Salvation Message

Salvation is the primary message of the Bible and the most important reality that humans face.  It involves eternity.  Therefore, it cannot be trifled or gambled with but must be obtained with absolute certainty.  There’s just too much at stake.  Because of this poignant reality, there must be a distinct and clear plan of salvation— one that cannot be obscured to the eyes of a sincere seeker.  God would not have left such an important matter vague in His Word.  Sincere people seeking salvation would want to know beyond the shadow of a doubt what is necessary for salvation and would spare no pains to be certain of the precious salvation Jesus died to bring us.  The question that was first asked on the Day of Pentecost regarding Christian salvation, Men and brethren, what shall we do? (Acts 2:37), would be repeated, in some form or another, countless times throughout Church history.  Preachers of the Gospel must have a sure word to preach regarding how a person can be saved, not only for the sake of eternal souls but for their own responsibility’s sake (James 3:1).  No one on earth has a more serious job.  Certainty of salvation must be attainable more than anything else.  It logically follows that, if we had a book of the Bible that contained active evangelism and conversion in the Apostolic era, then certainty regarding salvation would be obtained.  That is exactly what God gave us in the book of Acts.

The Significance Of The Book Of Acts

Acts is the only New Testament book that contains examples of Christian evangelism and salvation.  In fact, it is the only book that states the Christian plan of salvation.  In the wisdom of God, that leaves nowhere else to go, simplifying matters.  In Acts, the conversion experience of the first generation of Christians is well documented for us, involving thousands of people.  It’s unimaginable what could be clearer than that, or more valuable than that, for salvation purposes.  The clarity comes immediately in the Christian era with the announcement of the plan of salvation on the Day of Pentecost in response to that first inquiry about salvation (Acts 2:37-38) and remains in focus by the other numerous examples of salvation throughout the thirty-year history of the book of Acts. There are five instances where souls received salvation that reveal specific detail as to how they were saved (Acts 2,8,9,10,19).  In all cases, the tenets contained in Acts 2:38 were followed.  We will examine them all.

Salvation Prominently On Display In Acts

1. The Birthday Of The Church (Acts 2)

It all began on the eventful Day of Pentecost (Acts 2).  It came fifty-three days after Jesus gave His precious blood on Calvary.  It was the commencement of the Christian era, the birthday of the Church, the beginning point of Christian evangelism and salvation.  Souls would find salvation on this day for the first time in Christian history, in fact, three thousand of them!  The plan of salvation must be heralded here.  Expect it.  Christ has set the stage well for this momentous event.  It’s impossible to not see the plan of salvation evident on this day.  And, without surprise, what is expected and necessary clamors for notice.  The revelation of the plan of salvation was preceded by the pointed question of those convicted by Peter’s preaching. They asked, Men and brethren, what shall we do? (Acts 2:37).  This question is the bell that signals the coming answer that has to state the plan of salvation.  Undeniably, the next verse must contain these precious tenets.  Acts 2:37 and 38 have a Q&A sequence about them.  In answer to the all-important question, what shall we do?, verse 38 must state the terms of Christian salvation.  And, unremarkably, it does.  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.

And what does Peter reveal the tenets of salvation to be?

• Repentance
• Water baptism in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins
• The infilling of the Holy Ghost

And in verse 39, Peter declares this to be the plan of salvation for the entire Church age. 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 (underline added).

The tenets of Acts 2:38 are the tenets of salvation for the entire Church age.  This is necessarily the theological conclusion to be drawn.  Peter has demonstrated this in his discourse, beginning in verse 14, as the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy.  Three thousand were saved that day.  We can only thank God for the clarity of this inspired record in Acts. 

2. The Samaritans (Acts 8)

Philip went down from Jerusalem to preach the Gospel to the Samaritans.  The Samaritans were despised by the Jews because, in the past, their ancestors, who had been Jews, intermingled with Gentiles (non-Jews), bringing about this mixed race.  The Jewish prejudice held against them, however, was no hindrance to them receiving the great salvation of God, Who is partial to no one. It is evident in the passage of Acts 8 that they fulfilled the tenets of salvation in Acts 2:38, introduced by Peter on the Day of Pentecost. 

They had the experience of repentance by turning to Christ upon hearing Philip’s preaching (verse 12).  This is also evident to us by the fact that they were baptized. Repentance was stated by Christ in His Great Commission to be prerequisite to baptism (Luke 24:47).

They were baptized in Jesus’ name (verse 12,16).

And they were filled with the Holy Ghost (verse 17).

That’s the Acts 2:38 experience.

3. The Conversion Of Paul (Acts 9)

Paul’s conversion (formerly, Saul) is quite revelatory regarding salvation.  It corroborates the tenets of Acts 2:38 in a very profound way. 

Paul’s repentance experience was on the Damascus Road when he was confronted by Christ and submitted to Him. 

He was then baptized three days later in Jesus’ name for the remission of his sins (Acts 9:18; 22:16).   

And he received the Holy Ghost (Acts 9:17). 

Once again, that’s Acts 2:38!

What’s especially significant about Paul’s experience is that it shows the incompleteness of mere faith in Christ for salvation and demonstrates the efficacy of Acts 2:38 in providing remission of sins through baptism in Jesus’ name.  It also shows that receiving the Holy Ghost is a separate experience from believing and cannot be claimed just because one believes in Christ.  (The previous example involving the Samaritans proved this point as well.)

The Incompleteness Of Mere Faith In Christ

The encounter Paul had with Christ on the Damascus Road is indisputable.  It was life-altering.  Jesus revealed Himself to Paul in a most dramatic way.  Paul, who previously had been trying to wipe out Christianity, was made a believer in Christ immediately and profoundly.  Christ had spoken to him audibly and Paul melted into submission to Him, asking what Christ would have him do.  The verbal exchange is recorded for us in Acts 9:4-6.  Many people cite this as the point at which Paul was saved.  But the Scriptures are clear that, at this initial point of faith, Paul neither had his sins yet remitted nor had he received the Holy Ghost, both of which are necessary for salvation in the Christian era.  It wasn’t until three days later when he met Ananias, the man commissioned by God to attend to his conversion, that he received these vital tenets and was saved (Acts 9:17-18).

Paul recounted his conversion experience later to the Jews in Acts 22.  There he recalled Ananias’ words to him when meeting him three days after his Damascus Road encounter with Christ.  Ananias said to him, And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord (Acts 22:16).  Three days after a cataclysmic encounter on the Damascus Road that resulted in deep faith in Christ, Paul’s sins were not washed away.  The point of the Scripture here must be received.  Believing in Jesus Christ does not remit sin.  Baptism in Jesus’ name accomplishes that.  That fact was revealed on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:38) at Jesus’ Own direction given to His Apostles in the Great Commission (Luke 24:47).  That’s why Paul was told by Christ to, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do (Acts 9:6, underline added).  The means to have his sins remitted was awaiting him. So was the infilling of the Holy Ghost.

At his meeting with Ananias, Paul received the Holy Ghost (Acts 9:17).  This point of Scripture must also be received.  Believing in Jesus Christ does not mean that one has automatically received the Holy Ghost.  Paul’s conversion experience clearly demonstrates this fact.  Receiving God’s Spirit is a separate experience from initial faith in Christ.  And without the Spirit, a person is not saved.  That is according to Paul’s own testimony (Romans 8:9; 1Corinthians 12:13).  It also complies with Jesus’ word in John 3:5. 

Summary Regarding Paul’s Conversion

On the Damascus Road Jesus revealed Himself to Paul and it inspired awesome, life-changing faith in Christ.  It wasn’t salvation.  It was headed there, and would result in that, because Paul’s faith was not going to be deterred.  He would obey God’s terms of salvation.  That’s the nature of true faith.  Faith obeys.  Paul himself styled this faith/obedience relationship as the obedience of faith in his Roman epistle (Romans 16:26; 1:5).

4. The Conversion Of The Gentiles (Acts 10)

The Christian Jews weren’t expecting God’s wonderful salvation to go to the Gentiles.  They probably anticipated a sprinkling of proselytes here and there, as was the case in their previous Jewish history, but nothing like what God was about to do.  For that reason, it took some persuasion on Peter’s part involving the vision God gave him prior to sending him to the household of a Gentile named Cornelius.  But once there, Peter recognized the hand of God in the situation and preached to him the Word of the Lord.  Of course, Peter began the era of Christian preaching of the Gospel on the Day of Pentecost with the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, culminating in the Acts 2:38 experience of salvation.  You would expect he would do the same here at the home of a Gentile, and he does. 

The repentance of Cornelius, at some time prior to Peter’s visit, is known by his experience with God as recorded in the opening verses of Acts 10. He is described as devout, a God-fearer, and generous in his giving (verse 2).  To many, it would seem that he was already sufficiently saved.  But he wasn’t.  This is clear in Acts 11:14 where Peter recounts Cornelius’ own words of what the angel had told him regarding his spiritual state.  He was told to send for Peter, who would tell him words whereby he and all his household shall be saved.  As good and as religious as he was, Cornelius was not saved.  And the reason for that was that he had not yet fulfilled the plan of salvation.  But that was about to change.  Consider that the mercy God was showing Cornelius now certainly substantiates the necessity of meeting the tenets of salvation. 

Peter was graciously received by Cornelius and Peter preached to him the Word of the Lord.  God saw the hunger in their hearts and, even before Peter was finished preaching, the Holy Ghost fell on them.  Verse 44 records that, While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word.  It astonished the Jews that had accompanied Peter that God would pour out His Spirit on the Gentiles, too.  But they couldn’t doubt what happened because they heard them speak with other tongues (verses 45,46). 

So the Gentiles had received repentance and the Holy Ghost.  That’s two-thirds of Acts 2:38.  Since God had already filled them with His Spirit, is that an indication that water baptism is not necessary?  No.  The context actually emphasizes the opposite.  Using some of the strongest language in the New Testament, the Bible says Peter commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord (verse 48, underline added).  If receiving God’s Spirit doesn’t relieve the necessity of water baptism, then nothing does!  With their baptism, the Gentiles had, along with all the other people groups in the New Testament, fulfilled the plan of salvation as announced on the Day of Pentecost.

5. The Conversion Of The Ephesians (Acts 19:1-6)

The Bible seems to stress the importance of correct salvation doctrine with every new example of it that it provides.  The case of the Ephesians that we focus on now does so with yet another variety of potency.  These people that Paul met in his missionary travels had been “believers” for more than twenty years.  But notice his initial question to them: Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? (verse 2, underline added).  They believed.  But the inadequacy of their faith experience, by no fault of theirs due to lack of opportunity up until this point, is immediately obvious.  The Scriptural point that must be received here is that mere faith in Christ, as in the case with Paul himself, is not the plan of salvation for the Church age.  Acts 2:38 is.  Notice the wisdom and insistence of Paul in carrying out this point. 

As Paul inquired further of their faith experience, he discovered that they were not baptized in Jesus’ name either, but had received John the Baptist’s baptism, which was practiced on the condition of repentance (Mark 1:4).  So we know they had previously repented of their sins.  But John’s baptism was only preparatory, leading up to the Christian era.  It was valid in its short time but would give way to the baptism prescribed by Jesus in the Great Commission to be administered on the Day of Pentecost involving His name.  Paul explained the temporary nature of John’s ministry and they were re-baptized in Jesus’ name (verse 5).  And in the next verse, they received the Holy Ghost, speaking in tongues.  Thus, Acts 2:38 was fulfilled yet again.

Summary Of The Five Examples Of Christian Conversion

Acts 2:38 was received by every people group.

The examples in the New Testament, where full detail is given regarding the conversion experience of Christians, involved every people-group— Jews, Samaritans, and Gentiles.  That covers every nationality.  That would imply universality in salvation for all those whom God would call, as Peter expressed on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:39) and as Jesus stated in His Great Commission (Luke 24:47), which governed the evangelism of Acts and which continues to govern true evangelism and salvation today.  The book of Acts does not witness of any belief system or salvation example that denies the tenets of salvation revealed on the Day of Pentecost.  As Peter said, it is for every one of you,…even as many as the Lord our God shall call (Acts 2:38-39).  There is nothing in Acts to give anyone a reason to be exempted from the tremendous salvation offered in Acts 2:38 that involves complete remission of sins and the powerful infilling of the Holy Ghost. 

Acts 2:38 is the fulfillment of the promised new birth experience (John 3:5).

Someone might ask, “Why is all this stress laid on Acts 2:38?”.  The answer is simple.  It is the fulfillment of the necessary new birth experience, involving water and the Spirit, which Jesus made absolute and imperative in John 3:5.  The water aspect of the new birth is water baptism for the remission of sins.  It’s easy to see how that is an imperative for salvation.  Hebrews 9:22 says that without shedding of blood is no remission.  That implies that without remission of sins, there is no salvation.  Who can deny that remission of sins is the most important aspect of salvation?  In Acts, where real souls actually got saved, remission of sins was declared to be accomplished by baptism in Jesus’ name (Acts 2:38; 22:16).  The Spirit aspect of Jesus’ statement in John 3:5 referred to receiving the Holy Ghost.  What can be more gracious of God than to fill us with His Own Spirit— His Own living presence?  That’s the source from which overcoming Christians receive power.  This, along with being baptized in His name, comprises the new birth experience.

That means we are born of Christ Himself, Whom the Bible metaphorically describes as the last Adam (1Corinthians 15:45).  It’s helpful to understand the significance of this expression.  Initially, we were born into sin and death because of the first Adam who sinned.  But Christ was the perfect Man Who did not fall when He was tempted, by Whom we now can be born again of water and Spirit.  By this process, the eternal death and condemnation we inherited from our first birth in the first Adam is cancelled.  Being born again of Christ, we are freed from condemnation, due to His death on the cross, and inherit eternal life.  Receiving this new birth of the last Adam is the reason Acts 2:38 is so important.  We all connect with either one or the other “Adam”.  Only if you have fulfilled the plan of salvation can you claim what Paul said in Romans 8:1-2.  There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.

Because of this vital truth, our insistence on Acts 2:38 today must be the same as that of the Apostles in the book of Acts. 

Remission of sins is a separate experience from believing in Christ.

As we have pointed out, the most important aspect of salvation involves the remission of sins.  This is a most appealing feature of the Gospel.  Remission means that sins are not just forgiven (that would be great enough if that was all that it meant), they are obliterated.  They discontinue existing.  They’re gone!  John the Baptist made this clear when he announced Jesus’ coming.  He declared, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world (John 1:29 underline added). 

The Bible is emphatic in making this tremendous point.  It was declared on day one of the Church: …be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins… (Acts 2:38 underline added).  It was punctuated in the account of the conversion of Paul, who, three days after he surrendered to Christ, still needed his sins to be washed away by baptism in Jesus’ name!  That’s revelatory.  It might be impossible to highlight the point that baptism is for the remission of sins any better, especially since it involved what was arguably the most famous conversion ever. 

Another great aspect about the fact of baptism being for the remission of sins is that we can derive wonderful assurance from it when we ourselves obey the command.  With absolute biblical assurance, we can say, “My sins are gone!!!”  It’s gracious on God’s part to provide such a well-defined (and easy) means to claim a most important benefit of Calvary.  There’s nothing vague or presumptuous in the claim, as there would be by claiming remission of sins in a way that is not specifically prescribed in Scripture.   

All the Christian baptisms were performed in Jesus’ name.

Peter told the Jewish Sanhedrin that salvation is only in Jesus’ name.  Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved (Acts 4:12).  Baptism was carried out by the Apostles and early ministers of Christ exclusively in the name of Jesus.  It is evident in the five examples covered in this lesson.  That is because Jesus commissioned His Apostles to do so (Luke 24:47).   

Receiving the Holy Ghost is a separate experience from believing in Christ.

All of the examples we cited in this lesson clearly show that receiving the Holy Ghost is a separate experience from believing in God or Christ. 

1. The Jews on the Day of Pentecost accepted Peter’s words about Christ.  They asked in faith what they must do to be saved.  They were told after that point how they could receive His Spirit.

2. The example of the Samaritans in Acts 8, likewise, shows that the Spirit is not given at the moment of belief in Christ.  Here, they hadn’t received it, even though they were already baptized, until Peter and John came down from Jerusalem.

3. We pointed out that the Apostle Paul himself was not filled with the Holy Ghost upon his initial faith in Christ.  It wasn’t until three days later when he met Ananias that he was filled (Acts 9:17).

4. Cornelius had a fervent relationship with God, one that built for him a memorial in heaven (Acts 10:4).  But he didn’t have the necessary remission of sins or the baptism of the Holy Ghost until Peter came with the Gospel.  By obeying Acts 2:38, Cornelius suddenly had more than a relationship with God.  He entered a covenant relationship with Him.

5. The Ephesians in Acts 19 were believers for twenty-plus years without possessing the Holy Ghost.  When they learned of further revelation concerning Christ, they accepted it and were re-baptized.  The Holy Ghost was given to them subsequent to all of this.

The Holy Ghost was known to have been received because the recipients spoke in other tongues.  The absolute necessity of receiving the Holy Ghost for salvation (John 3:5; Romans 8:9; 1Corinthians 12:13) would necessitate a means whereby a person could know certainly when it occurs.  Speaking in tongues was the universal evidence in the book of Acts that a person had received the Spirit.   

All the ministers of the New Testament preached the same message.

In the five examples of conversion we’ve presented, all the ministers involved gave witness to the same salvation message— that which had been enjoined on the Day of Pentecost.  This is in accordance with the Great Commission of Christ (Luke 24:47-48; Acts 1:8).  There was to be only one true faith.  The plan of salvation was not to be edited or altered in any way.  Paul stressed that point in his letter to the Galatians.  Any alteration of the Gospel would render it ineffective (Galatians 1:6-10; 5:1-4,9).  Jude concurred (Jude 3).

The ministers cited in these five examples include Peter, John, Philip, Ananias, and Paul— and, by association, all of the twelve Apostles who were present on the Day of Pentecost.  There was unanimity among the Apostles concerning the Gospel message because Acts 2:38 was referred to as the Apostles’ doctrine (Acts 2:42).  The uniformity of all these ministers demonstrates what Paul wrote in his letter to the Ephesians.  There is but One Lord, one faith, one baptism (Ephesians 4:5).

Acts solves all salvation issues.

As previously noted, Acts is the only New Testament book that contains examples of Christian salvation.  These are all that are relevant to us today.  These examples show more clearly than any other New Testament reading what comprises salvation in the Christian era.  Many controversies regarding salvation have arisen throughout Church history and many plague us today.  Acts is able, more than any other book of the New Testament, to solve controversial issues because of the vivid pictures of salvation that are provided.  In Acts, the salvation experience can, in effect, be dissected.  The separate aspects of it are chronologically apparent and practically force themselves upon our gaze.  Clarity, therefore, abounds.  This makes Acts the most important book in the Bible regarding salvation.  No serious look at Christian salvation can ignore the book that contains the greatest evidence of it.  To know Acts is to know of Christian salvation.

Application Of The Blood Of Jesus

When And How Our Sins Are Washed Away In The Conversion Experience    

© 2017 by James V. Maurer, Sr. 

For more info, write [email protected]

Revised 7.26.24

Download here

Remission of sins is the most important aspect of salvation.  

When the writer of Hebrews says, “…without the shedding of blood, there is no remission” (Hebrews 9:22), he not only makes a statement of fact about the necessity of blood to provide remission of sins, but he also presumes what all his readers knew— that remission of sins is vital for salvation. His chain of reasoning is that sacrifice is necessary for remission to occur and remission is understood by all to be necessary for salvation.  More simply put, there is no salvation without remission of sins.  

There is no human need so great as the need for remission of sins.  Sin is the quintessential problem with the human race and, indeed, has been since the initial one was committed.  Sin is what separates us from God.  Sin sends souls to hell.  Remission of sins, therefore, is fundamental to Christian salvation.  Nothing should appeal to a human being more than the prospect of having his sins washed away.  It is a profound and special freedom beyond words. 

Since Old Testament times, a blood sacrifice has been necessary to atone for sin.  It is well known that Christ’s blood was shed so that we could be saved from our sins.  It was foretold in the prophetic proleptic account of Jesus’ crucifixion in Isaiah 53.  Verse 11 of that famous chapter reveals that justification comes to us because Jesus came and died on the cross to take away our sins.  Therefore, by His blood, we can have complete remission.  

When does remission occur? 

But at what point in the conversion experience can we correctly claim to have remission of sins?  This is an important question because there is division in the Christian community as to when remission takes place.  And, who would want to miss it?!  To miss remission of sins would equate to missing salvation.  It would equate to personally missing the benefit of Christ’s death on the cross.  Therefore, it would equate to missing Christ, however religious a person may be. 

Many people teach that remission of sins takes place at the point of belief in Christ.  If that is the case, then no believer has anything to worry about.  All who believe in Jesus are covered.  But is that the case?  An important caveat exists here.  Like any other doctrine of Scripture, remission of sins can only be legitimately claimed by exclusive biblical provision, not by any other authority or means.  The Bible is our sole rule of faith, properly interpreted.  So, does the Bible actually show that remission of sins takes place at the point of faith in Christ, or does it show otherwise?  That question cannot be avoided, though a shallow soul may lightly dismiss it.   A sincere person seeking salvation will want to know for sure and has the right to be correctly informed. 

We find in the New Testament that there are three means by which remission of sins is said to occur, namely:   

1/ By Christ’s blood 

Matthew 26:28 

27 And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it;

28 For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.

Revelation 1:5 

5 And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,

2/ Through baptism 

Acts 2:38 

37 Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?

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.

Acts 22:16 

And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.

3/ Through the name of Jesus 

Acts 10:43 

42 And he commanded us to preach unto the people, and to testify that it is he which was ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and dead.

43 To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.

These three aspects of remission combine in baptism. 

These three facts about remission of sins will only reconcile one way— when they are realized concentrically.  The three converge to effect remission of sins because the blood of Christ is applied by baptism when it is administered in the saving name of Jesus.  We will show this in the remainder of this lesson. 

There must be application of the blood of Christ. 

1John 2:2 says, “And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world”.  Christ’s blood was shed for all and is, therefore, efficacious to wash away the sins of every person.  

But, according to Jesus, many will not be saved.  In Matthew 7:13-14, He said, “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.”  

How do these two Scriptural facts agree?  Of course, the answer is that many people do not avail themselves of Christ’s precious blood, either out of disregard to the Savior or negligence to, or ignorance of, the means to receive its benefits.  In this alarming passage from the Sermon on the Mount just quoted, Jesus gave the reason many will be lost.  The answer is that they won’t find the way to be saved.  I can think of one major way many people miss salvation.  They do not realize what the Word of God provides for the application of the shed blood of Christ. 

An Old Testament example of the needed application of Christ’s blood 

An illustration of the need for the application of the blood of Jesus exists in type form in the Old Testament at the time of the Exodus when the death angel would visit every home in Egypt with the death of the firstborn.  The only way for the Israelites to escape death in their home was to obey the command of Moses regarding the application of a blood sacrifice.  A young male lamb without blemish was to be sacrificed for each household (Exodus 12).  But the sacrifice alone, along with its blood collected in a basin, was not sufficient to deliver the firstborn in each house from death.  Indeed, the blood of the lamb was efficacious to save, but not while sitting in its container in or outside the house.  It had to be personally applied by each household to the doorposts and lintel.  That sign of faith and obedience was all that the death angel could respect concerning the sacrifice.  Of course, the blood was necessary.  No deliverance was possible without it.  But application of the blood was equally important.  

The Exodus marked the time when God’s people were thus delivered from Egyptian slavery and freed to travel toward the Promised Land.  It was the foreshadowing of the greatest deliverance of all time, in which we were emancipated from the slavery of sin by the blood of Christ and begin our journey to heaven.  But Christ’s blood must similarly be applied personally.  As Paul said, He is our passover (1Corinthians 5:7).  Water baptism in Jesus’ name is the means for the personal application of the blood of Jesus.  

There has to be personal knowledge of precisely when remission of sins takes place in one’s conversion experience. 

It is important that there be a point in the conversion experience when we can be assured and proclaim with biblical certainty that our sins are gone.  Salvation is too important a matter to lack such assurance.  Baptism in Jesus’ name gives us that certainty.  It is expressly and profoundly stated in the New Testament, beginning on the Day of Pentecost, the first day of the Christian era, to be for the remission of sins (Acts 2:38; 22:16).  This is a doctrinal assertion of the Bible that cannot be explained away or dismissed without spiritual jeopardy.  It must be accepted and reconciled with every other biblical statement about salvation in Christ.  Since God’s Word declares that baptism is for the remission of sins, it, therefore, pinpoints the exact time at which the blood of Christ is applied to us.  From a mere logical standpoint, there simply is no other possibility.  The point of cleansing from sin in the conversion experience is the point of application of Jesus’ precious blood, which is the true cleansing agent of sin. 

Referring to Revelation 1:5 again, the Apostle John reminded us that we’re each personally washed from our sins in His blood.  Obviously, this was a mystical washing since none of us ever had contact with the physical blood of Jesus.  But being washed from sin is, likewise, said to occur in baptism.  This is exactly what Ananias said at the conversion of the Apostle Paul.   “And now why tarriest thou? Arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord” (Acts 22:16).  These two Scriptural assertions concerning washing can only reconcile if they refer to the same event.  Together, then, they must mean that we’re washed in Christ’s blood when we are baptized in His name. 

The Apostle Paul told us how baptism in Jesus’ name remits sins. 

In his Roman epistle, Paul explained how baptism is efficacious to wash away sins.  

Romans 6:3-5 

3 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?

4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

5 For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:

Through baptism, we are buried with Christ into His death.  Therefore, in that mystical burial into Christ’s death, we encounter His blood.  And, at that moment of faith and obedience to God’s redemptive plan, His precious blood is applied.  There is no other occasion in the conversion experience that brings us so near the blood as when we’re buried with Him by baptism into His death.  This is how baptism is said to remit and wash away sins (Acts 2:38; 22:16).  

And, because baptism is efficacious to wash away sins, it is, therefore, necessary for salvation.  Jesus and Peter both made it clear that baptism saves.  

1/ Jesus— Mark 16:15-16 

15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.

16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.

2/ Peter— 1Peter 3:21  

The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ:

Christ’s blood validates baptism. 

To be sure, baptism, apart from Christ’s blood, would have no validity at all to remit sins.  But, according to God’s redemptive plan, baptism functions as the divinely appointed means for those who believe the Gospel to receive remission and be saved.  This is evident in all three occasions when Jesus gave His Great Commission. 

1/ The first commission was on the day of His resurrection in Jerusalem (John 20:21-23).  

21 Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.

22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost:

23 Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.

The reference to the Apostles remitting sins was through baptism.  That had been the understanding of baptism for the previous three and a half years— specifically, since John the Baptist, whose baptism was declared to be for the remission of sins (Luke 3:3).    So, when Jesus spoke here of the Apostles remitting sins, it was clear to them that He was referring to baptism. 

Neither the Apostles, nor anyone else, ever received power to remove a person’s sins but through the means of baptism. 

2/ The second commission was later in Galilee (Mark 16:15-16).  

15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.

16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. 

Here, Jesus mentioned that baptism would save those who believe.  A person might ask, “What saving power does baptism provide?”  The answer is: by the aforementioned remission of sins.    

3/ The third commission was back in Jerusalem on the day of Christ’s ascension into heaven (Luke 24:45-47) 

45 Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures,

46 And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behooved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day:

47 And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.

48 And ye are witnesses of these things.

49 And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.

This final commission of Christ confirms that remission of sins (baptism) is to be administered in the name of Jesus (v.47).  The fulfillment of this would occur in about ten days. 

The fulfillment of the Great Commission serves as its interpretation.  

Proof of this understanding about the Great Commission lies in its fulfillment.  We see in Christ’s commissions to His Apostles that baptism was the means to receive remission of sins.  In the last commission, Jesus said it was to be preached in His Own name, beginning in Jerusalem.  That is exactly the scenario that played out, beginning on the Day of Pentecost just ten days later.  When the Jews, convicted by Peter’s preaching, asked what they should do, here is how he responded (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.

From there, the message of Jesus’ name baptism went into all the world as Christ directed in Luke 24:47.  In the evangelism of Acts, we see that the candidates for salvation were expressly told by God-called ministers to be baptized in Jesus’ name.  We see this happening with the Jews in Acts 2:38, the Samaritans (Acts 8:16), the Gentiles (Acts 10:48).  Jews, Samaritans, and Gentiles involves every people group in the world.   Additionally, when Paul was on one of his missionary journeys, he found believers in Ephesus, who were initially baptized by John the Baptist, but whom he re-baptized in Jesus’ name (Acts 19:5).  It is a powerful example to all who believe in Christ, but are not yet baptized in Jesus’ name for the remission of sins, to do so. 

Could remission possibly occur as soon as a person believes in Christ, as many claim?   

Some people believe remission of sins occurs at the moment of initial faith in Christ.  But, biblically, that is not so and is easily refuted.  Often they claim that the Apostle Paul taught this in his Epistles.  But that is impossible.  It is faulty interpretation to make such a claim.  Had Paul done so, he would have contradicted his own conversion experience.  We will show this from Paul’s own example of salvation in a moment.  But, before we go further, let’s get a little perspective on the New Testament.  

The answers to all Christian salvation issues are in Acts.  

There is one book in the New Testament that is invaluable in forming and settling matters of salvation doctrine.  It is the book of Acts.  Nothing in the New Testament showcases salvation as does this book.  In it are all the examples of Christian salvation that are in the Bible, involving thousands of people.  There is no word of Scripture to be considered for Christian salvation doctrine that is more significant than the examples of it God gave us in Acts.  They make salvation doctrine foolproof because they involve real people who got saved.  Any attempt to formulate Christian salvation doctrine without serious regard to these actual examples of it is reckless and lacks biblical scholarship.  Acts actually dissects the conversion experience, making each tenet of faith and what is accomplished by it, observable.  With this history of salvation taking place before our eyes, as it were, we can correct many errors that exist in our day and offer souls sound, biblical assurance of salvation.  

What does Acts show regarding the possibility of remission of sins taking place at the point of initial faith in Christ?  

One of the examples of salvation found in Acts is that of the Apostle Paul.  This is profoundly significant because he came to be a prolific writer of the New Testament, authoring more of it than anyone else.  His own salvation experience would provide the basis for his salvation theology in his Epistles.  Also, his conversion experience occurred almost in slow motion, lasting three days, so that we can analyze the tenets of salvation very easily.

Let’s outline how Paul got saved.  His coming to Christ is very well known.  In fact, his is the most famous conversion in the Christian era.  It is recorded in Acts 9.  He also recounted his conversion in his own words twice— once to his fellow Jews, who sought to kill him (Acts 22), and another at a judicial hearing when in Roman custody (Acts 26).  As the accounts say, he was headed to Damascus to arrest Christians and bring them bound to Jerusalem.  But, on the way, Christ confronted him from heaven and he fell to the ground.  In an exchange of conversation following Christ’s revelation of Himself to Paul, he came to believe in Jesus Christ and surrendered to Him saying, “Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?”   

Before going further, let’s ask the question again:  

Could remission of sins occur as soon as a person believes in Christ?  

Paul’s example of conversion shows that it doesn’t.  Paul believed in Jesus wholeheartedly at his point of surrender on the Damascus Road.  This was indeed the turning point for him.  But the inspired narrative is abundantly clear that, at this point, he had not received remission of sins.  We know that because, when Ananias met him three days later, he said to Paul, “And now why tarriest thou? Arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord” (Acts 22:16).  His sins were not remitted until three days after he came to believe in Jesus.  Since Paul did not receive remission of sins when he believed, the necessary theological conclusion is that neither does anyone else.  Paul received remission of sins when he was baptized.  The necessary theological conclusion is that so does everyone else.  Salvation for one is salvation for all.  There is one Gospel for all persons.  Paul made this point concisely in one of his epistles saying, “One Lord, one faith, one baptism” (Ephesians 4:5).  The Apostle Paul would never have taught differently about salvation than what he himself received.  (Incidentally, neither did Paul receive the Holy Spirit upon initial faith in Christ.  That also occurred three days later.  See Acts 9:17.)    

The name of Jesus is necessary for remission of sins. 

Also evident in the fact of Christian baptism is that it must be administered in the name of Jesus, for that is one of the three Scriptural things we looked at regarding remission of sins.  Recall that Peter said in Acts 10:43 that remission of sins comes “through His name”.  And, in that same context, Peter baptized the household of Cornelius in the name of Jesus (Acts 10:48).  

Peter once told the Jewish Sanhedrin, “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).  In these words, “whereby we must be saved”, Peter was asserting that there is a use of the name of Jesus that results in salvation.  The saving efficacy of the name of Jesus is through baptism because it effects the remission of sins.  It is the fulfillment of the prophecy of Joel to call upon the name of the Lord (Joel 2:32).  Listen again to Ananias attending Paul’s conversion and notice how he alluded to Joel’s prophecy.  It would have been very recognizable to Paul.  “And now why tarriest thou? Arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord” (Acts 22:16).  Paul would have understood by Ananias’ reference to Joel that baptism in Jesus’ name fulfills Joel’s promise.  Baptism in Jesus’ name was used as the fulfillment of Joel 2:32 since the Day of Pentecost.  It is the very reason Peter quoted Joel down to this very point (Joel 2:28-32)— so that he would have Old Testament authority for using the name of Jesus in a salvific way, namely, in baptism for the remission of sins (Acts 2:38).  

Expect opposition to baptism in Jesus’ name.  

Anything so effectual and spiritually significant as baptism must come under the attack of hell.  The devil doesn’t want souls to be saved by the precious blood of Christ.  So, how does the he prevent souls from being washed by the blood? —by keeping them from baptism.  Opposition to baptism in Jesus’ name is literally opposition to the blood of Christ.  Nothing reveals the evil activity of the devil in religion more than error in baptism.  As we said earlier, to miss remission of sins is to miss salvation.  It equates to personally missing the benefit of Christ’s death on the cross, which equates to missing Christ.  Therefore, obscuring the truth about baptism has been the greatest priority and deception of the devil.  Sadly, many have been his victims. 

Baptism in Jesus’ name for the remission of sins is one of the very greatest truths of Scripture. 

I think baptism in Jesus’ name ranks in the top three of biblical subject matter.  It must have been highly regarded by the Apostle Paul for him to include it in the stable theological triad, One Lord, one faith, one baptism (Ephesians 4:5). 

Water baptism in Jesus’ name is the amazing grace of God in freely granting remission of sins.  It cost Jesus His blood.  It wasn’t even prescribed by Christ until His post-resurrection teaching, suggesting that it could only be made available by His shed blood, which would validate it.  In fact, Christ’s progressive line of teaching on baptism in the Great Commission, began on the very day of the resurrection (John 20:21-23).  He was indicating by that promptness that the groundwork for salvation had been accomplished and that He was eager to teach the means by which it could be received. 

Thank God for His unspeakable gift!  

The efficacy of Calvary is evident in the fact that there is nothing left for us to do but to exercise our will to have the precious blood applied to us through the simple act of baptism in His name.  Obedience to the command to be buried with Him in baptism is the purest expression of faith in Him and His atoning sacrifice.  And it renders the most wonderful result of complete remission of sins.  It is the greatest single act that a person can do.  Blessed are those who understand it. 

The Only Salvific Use Of The Name Of Jesus Is In Baptism

© 2017 by James V. Maurer, Sr.

For more info, please write: [email protected]

Revised: 7.7.20

Part 1 

Christian salvation involves the name of Jesus. 

Christian salvation is not merely about believing in the Person of Jesus.  The name of Jesus itself has a significant role to play and that vital role is not fulfilled by simply believing in, or praying to, Jesus. 

John said life (salvation) comes through the name of Jesus (John 20:31).

“But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.”

John stated that the purpose of writing his Gospel was so that people would believe Jesus to be the Jewish Messiah, to whom salvation would be afforded through His name.  That indicates some tenet by which the name is to be used and salvation procured.

Peter said the name of Jesus is the only saving name (Acts 4:12).   

“Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”

From Peter, we understand that no other name than Jesus has salvific power— not titles like “Father”, “Son”, “Holy Spirit”, “Christ”, “Lord”, etc.

In the same verse, Peter declared that Christian salvation must involve the name of Jesus.

Peter said we must be saved by the name of Jesus.  The name itself has saving efficacy.  That, too, like the verse we looked at in John, implies there is a proper biblical use or application of that name by which salvation can be appropriated, meaning there is some necessary tenet of salvation involving the name. 

Peter spoke these narrow words to members of the Jewish Sanhedrin.  If one of them were to receive Peter’s words about Christ, there would have had to have been some universally accepted Gospel means to invoke the saving name of Jesus.

This corresponds to Old Testament prophecy (Joel 2:32a).

“…whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered…”.

Joel 2:32, which prophetically refers to salvation in the New Covenant, stated the efficacy of the name of the LORD for salvation.  This proper name in the New Testament would translate to, Jesus.  There is no other saving name.  This Old Testament prophecy is so relevant that Peter quoted it on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:21).  Ananias alluded to it as well when he attended the conversion of Paul (Acts 22:16).  And Paul also quoted it in his epistle to the Romans (Romans 10:13). 

Part 2 

How does the name of Jesus save? 

We learned in Part 1 that the name of Jesus is salvific.  How is that so?  Let’s see what the Bible reveals.

Remission of sins occurs through the name of Jesus (Acts 2:38; 10:43; 22:16).   

Acts 2:38

“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.”

Peter expressly declared on the Day of Pentecost that baptism in Jesus’ name is for the remission of sins.  By that word, he specifically revealed how the name of Jesus is salvific— it remits our sins.  And there can be no salvation without remission of sins.

Acts 10:43

“To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.”  (underline added for emphasis)

Here, once again, Peter gives us certain specificity as to how the name of Jesus is salvific.  He said through the name is remission of sins.  And, the only evident use of the name of Jesus is in the context is baptism, which he commanded (Acts 10:48). 

Acts 22:16

“And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.”

This is when Ananias attended the conversion of the Apostle Paul, as recounted by Paul to his fellow countrymen. Ananias used the Old Testament prophecy of Joel that we referred to earlier and applied it to baptism, which he dramatically indicated would wash away his sins. 

From these examples of salvation involving the name of Jesus and remission of sins, we can see that baptism in Jesus’ name is the prescribed tenet to call upon (invoke) the name of the Lord.  The name of Jesus was universally applied in Christian baptism (Acts 2:38; 8:16; 10:48; 19:5).  There is no other salvific use of the name of Jesus in the New Testament.

Part 3

The Great Commission 

Recall that Peter announced on the Day of Pentecost that baptism in Jesus’ name was for the remission of sins (Acts 2:38).  That was following Jesus’ commission just days earlier before He ascended to heaven.  Luke recorded this final occasion of His Great Commission.   

Luke 24:45-47

45 Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures,

46 And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behooved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day:

47 And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.

Here, you can see the direct association of Christ’s name and remission of sins that Jesus prescribed for the Christian era.  He declared that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name, beginning at Jerusalem.  This is exactly what took place ten days later in Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost.  Peter said to those persons inquiring of salvation, “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”.  And, in the next verse, he declared it to be the plan of salvation for the Church age.  “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” (Acts 2:38-39). 

There is necessarily universality of conversion based on the Great Commission. 

Jesus’ Great Commission governs true preaching of the Gospel.  No one is authorized to differ from it in the slightest way.  When studied in its fulness, it plainly reveals the tenets of salvation that Peter preached on the Day of Pentecost.  This powerful combination of the Great Commission and its biblical fulfillment on the Day of Pentecost proves the salvific use of the name of Jesus in the Christian era and guarantees that there would only be one Lord, one faith, and one baptism (Ephesians 4:5). 

Part 4

What about Matthew 28:19? 

1/ Matthew 28:19, unmistakably, calls for a singular name to be used in the baptismal formula.

2/ For the New Testament to agree, Matthew 28:19, Luke 24:47, and Acts 2:38, along with all the other examples of baptism in Acts, must teach the same thing regarding the baptismal formula.  And, the only way for that to be the case is for Jesus, in Matthew 28:19, in a way revealing His Own Person, to have been calling for the His Own name, as He did in Luke 24:47, and as was fulfilled in all the cases of baptism in the Christian era, as seen throughout Acts, beginning on the Day of Pentecost.   

3/ Matthew 28:19 was the middle segment of a three-part Great Commission by Jesus to His disciples.  It was, therefore, in the middle of a progressive revelation about Christian baptism.  It does not reveal the fullness of the revelation of the saving name to be used in baptism.  That came in the final commission of Luke 24:47 when Christ made it clear that baptism was to be administered in His Own name, which is how the Apostles fulfilled it. 

4/ We have previously stressed in this section the relevant point about the fulfillment of Matthew 28:19 in Acts.  That is where we would look as to the certainty of its meaning.  Since Matthew 28:19 was a part of the commission by Christ to His Apostles, and since the history of their fulfilling it is recorded in Acts, we can easily see what they understood Matthew 28:19 to mean.  They literally fulfilled Matthew 28:19 by using the name of Jesus. 

Part 5

Conclusion

We have seen that Christianity involves use of the saving name of Jesus.  But in Acts, which records all Christian conversions, the only salvific use of the name is in baptism. 

The prophecy of Joel, which foretold salvation in the proper divine name, was cited by Peter on the Day of Pentecost.  It was followed by the imperative for every person to be baptized in Jesus’ name.  Ananias confirmed that baptism is the fulfillment of Joel 2:32 when he made use of Joel’s prophecy in directing Saul of Tarsus to be baptized (Acts 22:16). 

That makes baptism necessary for salvation.  Jesus made this point (Mark 16:15-16) and so did Peter (1Peter 3:21).    

And, specifically, the name of Jesus is to be used in baptism for the following reasons:

1/ Jesus mandated it in His Great Commission (Luke 24:47)

2/ It was commanded by Peter (Acts 2:38; 10:48). 

3/ It was the name used in all the examples of Christian baptism. 

4/ Remission of sins, which baptism accomplishes, requires the authority of the name of Jesus (Acts 4:12; 10:43). 

5/ Baptism in Jesus’ name fulfills Joel’s prophecy of invoking the name of the Lord for salvation (Acts 22:16).

Summary Expressions Of Salvation

©  2020 by James V. Maurer, Sr.

Intro 

Summary expressions are very common in the Bible but they often confuse people who misinterpret their theological use and meaning.  Let’s begin with a definition.  In salvation theology, a summary expression (or statement) is an abbreviation of the Christian belief system.  It gives a general representation of Christianity without delving into the particulars of salvation doctrine.  It views Christianity from a zoomed-out perspective, as it were.

For instance, John 3:16 is a summary expression of salvation.  It is so because it summarily describes Christian salvation without going into the particulars about the Christian plan of salvation.  However, if a person were to zoom in closer to its context, he would find that the tenets of salvation were indeed addressed by Jesus a few moments earlier in verses 3-8, especially verse 5.  But in verse 16, Jesus zoomed out from those particulars to simply and broadly state the crux of His mission.  From this example, we can clearly see, then, that summary expressions include the fulness of the belief system they theologically summarize.  We will look at other examples of summary statements as we go along. 

Summary expressions are an important part of Scripture.  They are pithy and easy to remember.  They’re effective in making a point about salvation, the mercy of God, etc.  They are even doxological (tending to praise God) because they often extol the mercy, grace, and love of God.  Sadly, and with serious detriment, many people get confused about the Bible’s summary expressions of faith.  Their confusion stems from superficial understanding of Scripture and, perhaps, the natural human tendency to claim salvation by the slightest means.

Tenet-specificity 

As noted above, summary expressions of salvation are general in nature.  They do not zoom in, as it were, on the tenets of salvation.  They express salvation more succinctly.   They do so for a simple theological reason— the point being made at the time does not necessitate the mention of specific tenets.  It is not necessary to enumerate the tenets of salvation each time salvation is mentioned.  In fact, to do so would be cumbersome and unnatural to normal human speech.   

When is tenet-specificity required?   

Tenet-specificity is only required when learning of, or sharing, the Gospel.  There are only two places in the New Testament where we see the tenets of salvation presented.  They are in the Great Commission where Jesus prescribed them and in the book of Acts where the Great Commission was fulfilled. 

1/ The Great Commission

You would expect to find tenet-specificity regarding salvation in the Great Commission.  That is where Jesus charged is disciples to preach the Gospel.  And, in that charge, He specified what they were to preach.  These specifics comprise the plan of salvation.  They include repentance, water baptism in Jesus’ name, and the infilling of the Holy Ghost.  (This is seen from a full-orbed study of the Great Commission.)

2/ The book of Acts

Consequent to the Great Commission is the Christian evangelism that takes place in the book of Acts.  Naturally, you would expect to see evidence of the Commission’s tenets there.  And, indeed, this is the case, beginning on the Day of Pentecost when the plan of salvation was revealed for the Church age (Acts 2:38-39).

Two sides of the same coin of salvation

★ The Great Commission and the Day of Pentecost are the two most important events theologically regarding the identity of the true plan of salvation.  That is so because, in these two places, the plan of salvation must be revealed because they involve Christian evangelism.  In addition to John 3:16, which we have already considered, common summary expressions of the New Testament include Acts 16:31, Ephesians 2:8-9, Romans 10:9-10, and 1John 3:14.  But none of these were prescribed in the Great Commission.  And, none were stated on the Day of Pentecost when inquiry was made for the plan of salvation.  Tenet-specificity was required then because convicted souls asked, “What shall we do?” (Acts 2:37).  Verse 38 was Peter’s response.  It was very tenet-specific because it had to be.  He was telling people how to be saved.  And he stated the terms imperatively.  In other words, what he would say was the only means by which his hearers could be saved.  He said, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost”.   And Peter stated this as the one plan of salvation for everyone (verse 39).  Therefore, if you ask the same question about how to be saved, you will receive the same answer— that is, if the person you’re asking is a true representative of the Gospel.

So we see that, in broad theological use, summary expressions of salvation are non tenet-specific.  On the other hand, describing salvation, as Jesus did to Nicodemus (John 3:3-5), or proclaiming the plan of salvation, as Peter did on the Day of Pentecost, must be tenet-specific (Acts 2:37-39).  This is so that people can know and receive the salvation experience.  A great example of this truth is the case of Paul introducing the Philippian jailer to the Gospel (Acts 16:30-33).  He initially presented Christianity to the pagan man non tenet-specifically.  This was, of course, wise missionary practice.  The specificity he used was, rather, Person-specific.  He first pointed the jailer to faith in the Person of Christ (verse 31), upon which everything to follow would be predicated.  And then, when the jailer had put his faith in Christ as Savior, he was directed by Paul to tenet-specificity relating to the plan of salvation, according to the Word of the Lord (verse 32).  This is very much in accordance with the necessary progression of faith Jesus described in John 8:31-32.  Here’s the quote:

“Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

The “truth”, here, which makes a person free, is more than mere faith in the Person of Christ.  That is the most evident thing in the passage.  It can only refer to the saving tenets of the Gospel, for that is all that is efficacious for salvation in the Christian era (2Corinthians 4:3-4; 1Timothy 4:16). 

Summary expressions related to salvation are both prospective (forward-looking) and retrospective (backward-looking).

1/ Prospective summary expressions

Summary expressions can anticipate salvation, as we’ve pointed out in John 3:16 and Acts 16:31.  They usually have a “shall be” aspect about them (e.g., shall be saved”).  While the expressions are non tenet-specific, they imply that the person or persons addressed would follow through on the inherent and necessary tenets of salvation.  The common specificity the expressions contain regards the result (e.g., “shall be saved”).

2/ Retrospective summary expressions

Summary expressions can also look backward on salvation, as in Paul’s Epistle to the Ephesians (2:8-9).  All the Christian evangelism recorded in the New Testament is in the book of Acts.  That’s why we see the tenets of salvation employed there.  On the contrary, all the Epistles were written to people who had already received the Acts 2:38 salvation experience.  Therefore, since the Epistles do not evangelize, there is no presentation in them of Gospel terms.  Hence, references to salvation could be summarily abbreviated and everyone would understand what was being said.  It was another way in which salvation could be referred to from a perspective that was “zoomed-out” from the actual conversion experience. 

When Paul was writing to the Ephesians, for instance, he summarily referred to their experience as salvation by grace through faith.  That was a perfect way to describe the beautiful Acts 2:38 experience, which he personally brought to them on his third missionary journey (Acts 19:1-6).  To try to interpret his words in Ephesians 2:8-9 as being theologically different from what we see him actually practice in Ephesus is egregiously corrupt hermeneutics.  Ephesians 2:8-9 must be interpreted in the light of Acts 19:1-6, to which it definitely refers.  This is how the charter members of the Ephesian Church were saved and salvation for one is salvation for all (Ephesians 4:5). 

Retrospective summary expressions, especially in the Epistles, often express Christian salvation in the most basic way, namely grace on the part of God and faith on the part of man as seen in Ephesians 2:8-9.  The Ephesian expression represents a sublime truth about salvation reduced to its simplest form.  Paul’s purpose was not to elaborate on the tenets of salvation but on the efficacious union of grace and faith.  Other familiar summary expressions of Paul include being justified by grace (Romans 3:24; Titus 3:7) and justified by faith (Romans 3:28; 5:1), each of which individually expresses half of what Paul said in Ephesians 2:8-9.  While the theological expressions propound the elements of grace and faith in salvation, none of them denies Acts 2:38 as the plan of salvation.  In fact, they encompass it.  Grace and faith are the great principles underlying Acts 2:38. 

Summary expressions were never intended to replace the plan of salvation.

Summary expressions are meaningful statements of faith but they are not the plan of salvation.  They summarily describe what is true if a person will believe in Christ according to the terms of the New Covenant.  Sadly, people often miss the understanding behind their simplicity.  Many people, including preachers, substitute these expressions for the plan of salvation that was announced for everyone on the Day of Pentecost.  Because of this serious error, simple summary expressions are the full extent of some people’s faith.  They may believe in Jesus, and even be zealous, but not according to true knowledge of salvation (Romans 10:2).  They may be ever learning but never coming to the knowledge of the truth (2Timothy 3:7).  Many do not have a definitive Christian salvation experience as witnessed in the book of Acts (Acts 2,8,9,10,19).  If a person would ask them how they were saved or what they believe about salvation doctrine, their answer would bear no resemblance to Acts 2:38.  It is sad, especially in light of the fact that salvation tenets of the Gospel are set forth so prominently in the New Testament that they are said by Paul to shine and, therefore, be virtually impossible to miss (2Corinthians 4:3-4).

Notice Jesus’ advance guard against the error of wrongly using the summary expressions of the New Testament:

1/ John 3:5  Christ’s pre-emptive word about the essential tenets of salvation, involving water and Spirit, strikes out any other means of salvation for the Christian Church. 

2/ John 8:31-32  Believing in Jesus means continuing in His Word until claiming salvation by a portion of truth designed for this purpose.  The truth Jesus referred to that makes a person free is the Gospel plan of salvation which was revealed on the Day of Pentecost.  It is exclusively what saves.  It involves turning to God, remission of sins, and being filled with God’s Spirit (Acts 2:38).  No part of that can be left out if a person truly wants to be saved.

3/ The Great Commission 

The full-orbed Great Commission, taking place over the course of forty days, contains all the tenets of salvation contained in Acts 2:38.  Portions of the Great Commission are recorded in all four Gospels (John 20:21-23; Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16:15-16; Luke 24:45-49).

4/ The warnings of Matthew 7:13-23 and Luke 13:24-27

In these almost terrifying warnings, Jesus makes it clear that many people of faith will be lost.  These passages stress a point of entrance into true faith (“gate”) that cannot be overlooked.  All the religion and faith in the world are inadequate if a person has not experienced the plan of salvation.  A good example of that is Cornelius in Acts chapter ten.

Warnings of self-examination are in the Epistles as well. 

2Corinthians 13:5 and Philippians 2:12 are a couple of them. 

Importance of the book of Acts

We must be thankful to God for the book of Acts.  It is rightly called the book of salvation.  It reveals more about Christian salvation doctrine than any other New Testament book.  It does this especially by giving us a true history of how the first generation of Christians were saved.  It “zooms in”, as it were, on their salvation experience.  Every person who wants to share their hope of heaven should also share their experience of salvation (Jude 3).  How else could we possibly obtain the same hope? 

What About All The Denominations?

© 2020 by James V. Maurer, Sr.

For more info, please write: [email protected]

I think there are two serious questions that arise when considering the many denominations within the realm of apparent Christianity.  They are as follows:

I. Are all Christian denominations equally valid in the eyes of God?

II. Are the denominations that deny Acts 2:38 as the singular plan of salvation helpful or harmful to the Christian cause?

Let’s consider the first question.

I. Are all Christian denominations equally valid in the eyes of God?

In other words, can a person be saved in any denomination?

First, we all can attest to the fact that there are certainly good people in all denominations.  We all know some of them.  Most of us even know good people that are not religious, or that are of a different religious faith altogether.  Rating our fellow man by a human standard of goodness, based on decency and morality, qualifies many people to be categorized by us as good, no matter what their religious affiliation, if any.  We recognize human goodness in many places.  And that’s fine.  It’s even good to do so.  People deserve all the dignity and respect due them. 

But, on a deeper level— one predicated on the Scriptures— I would have to deny that all denominations are equally valid.  I come to that conclusion primarily based on what they teach regarding the plan of salvation because I believe salvation to be the most important thing in the world.  I can’t imagine a single worthy comparison to it.  And, if a church or denomination doesn’t teach the Christ-prescribed and book-of-Acts-honored plan of salvation (Acts 2:38), nothing else I can think of matters at all in the end.  That conclusion may be simplistic but I can find no way around it.  A person’s spiritual state when he leaves this world is still the most important aspect of his life.  I imagine that one second after death, nothing will matter more to the deceased than that he gave due attention to the Bible’s tenets of salvation and his consequent walk with God. 

If a belief system denies Acts 2:38 as the plan of salvation, it denies people the biblical application of the precious blood of Jesus for the remission of sins and the incomparable, necessary infilling of the Holy Ghost.  To deny them this is to deny them eternal life with Christ, notwithstanding their faith in Him.  And the Bible certainly acknowledges that people of faith can be lost (Matthew 7:21-23; James 2:19).  Therefore, I don’t believe all denominations are equally valid in the eyes of God because validity is ultimately based on a proper understanding of God’s Word, especially as it relates to salvation doctrine. 

Regarding the second question:

II. Are the denominations that deny Acts 2:38 as the plan of salvation helpful or harmful to the Christian cause?

I personally have thought much on this subject.  I think this question is best answered by breaking it down into two individual questions:

A/ How are denominations that deny Acts 2:38 as the plan of salvation helpful to the Christian cause? 

B/ How are they harmful?

Let’s look at the first.

A/ How are denominations that deny Acts 2:38 as the plan of salvation helpful to the Christian cause? 

My previous Catholicism

I will begin with my own pre-conversion religious experience.  I was raised Catholic.  How do I, as an Apostolic, look back on it?  My answer has two parts to it.

1/ I am bound to say that I learned some valuable things as a Catholic.   

  • I learned the healthy fear of God. 

  • I learned the good habit of regular Church attendance.

  • I learned respect for the house of God and for the ministry. 

  • I learned to praise and worship God, however inferior it may have been.   

  • Very importantly, I learned to pray.  (My parents’ examples before me in this area were most helpful, too.) 

  • I learned to regard the Bible as the Word of God.

  • I learned about Jesus dying on the cross for me.

  • I learned other valuable Bible knowledge.

All of these points were helpful but perhaps the last one about obtaining Bible knowledge was especially so.  I recall when a faithful Apostolic witness, whom I had never met before (Don Crilley), told me about receiving the Holy Ghost with the evidence of speaking in tongues.  I was aware of the experience happening on the Day of Pentecost because I learned of it in Catechism class.  I assumed as a school boy that that was the end of it.  But Don floored me when he said it still takes place today.  That is what piqued my curiosity and interest.  Thankfully, I had a basis for understanding his witness due to previous religious education, limited as it was.  If not for that, I may have been totally unable to relate to what he was saying or I may have been spooked by the whole thing and dismissed it out of hand. 

2/ I was also angry at the Catholic church when I found the truth.  That’s because I realized that I had trusted their belief system for my soul and that trust was not warranted from a biblical standpoint.  They had misled me about salvation and that’s no small matter.  To fail to tell someone the truth about his soul is as serious as it gets.  After our conversion, the woman, who is now my wife, and I confronted our priest as to this important discrepancy.  He could give us no answer. 

The positives and negatives that could be said about my Catholic experience, I think can be said generally about the denominations.  In the following remarks, I will be referring to the denominations as those Christian faith systems that do not accept Acts 2:38 as the singular plan of salvation for the Church age.  They comprise mainline Christianity. 

The denominations are right on many things and, therefore, are helpful to the Christian cause.

1/ Denominations help promote the name and knowledge of Christ. 

Paul gloried that Christ was preached at all (Philippians 1:18).  Accordingly, I think we have reason to rejoice anytime Jesus is being taught in any measure.  No one knows everything about Christ.  We’re all learners.  Anything we can know about Him is better than nothing and anything we can learn more about Him is an improvement over what we formerly knew.  To those who are just learning of Him, His attractive beauty may inspire lifelong interest and lead to a person finding the truth. 

2/ Denominations tend to promote the Bible as the Word of God. 

Virtually every denomination exposes its members to the Bible.  That is right and good.  Some people who join denominations never had a Bible before, or never read it.  Coming to embrace it as the Word of God is a tremendous step that has great potential.  The Bible is very useful in this life.  There are many life lessons that tend to good and healthful living.  And people exposed to the Word of God are thereby exposed to the truth it contains about salvation and can, therefore, find Acts 2:38. Or, their desire for God and His truth may lead them to be open to additional truth by an Apostolic witness.

The doctrines of the Bible are numerous and it is always helpful to learn any of them.  Any practice of the Bible’s teaching is beneficial to that person and to the world.  God honors and blesses all regard for His Word.  Obedience to any portion of it brings good in that measure.  Therefore, we’re thankful for every person, church, or organization promoting knowledge of the Word of God. 

3/ The denominations can be expert in many areas of biblical knowledge. 

They are great, for instance, in apologetics.  They are scholars in the biblical languages of Hebrew and Greek.  Their timelines of biblical history and harmony of the Gospel, in addition to many other things, are all very helpful.  They are eminent in every area of biblical knowledge— except the plan of salvation (2Corinthians 2:14). 

4/ Denominations can lead a person in Christ as far as they correctly teach and preach God’s Word.

Many people come to believe in Jesus in their church services.  People can have a truly repentant experience with Christ in a denominational church, no less than Paul did on the Damascus Road before Ananias was sent to him (Acts 9).  God can and does work in denominational churches to the extent that they preach the truth.     

5/ Denominations can enhance social and domestic relations. 

Teaching biblical principles relating to family and society brings stability to homes, communities, and the country and serves this world well in this present time. 

6/ Denominations also provide many humanitarian services.

Feeding the poor and providing relief in disaster are just a couple of examples. 

B/ How are denominations that deny Acts 2:38 as the plan of salvation harmful?

1/ They give a false sense of spiritual security.

They teach people a wrong basis for claiming salvation, which amounts to a horrible deception, for to believe one is saved when he isn’t is the worst kind of deception there is.  Denominations that deny Acts 2:38 as the plan of salvation do just that, similar to my previous Catholic experience that I mentioned.

2/ They fail to teach the whole counsel of God (Acts 20:27). 

The denominations do not believe some of the most important doctrines of the Bible, specifically, baptism in Jesus’ name and the necessity of receiving the Holy Ghost with the evidence of speaking in tongues.  They, therefore, deny people remission of sins and regeneration, which is precisely why Jesus went to the cross.  This is a fundamental loss to biblical Christianity.  It’s like a house without a foundation.  And, as in such a case, many people are not prone to notice it for the abundance of other things that fill their view.  In many ways, churches that don’t preach salvation doctrine correctly still resemble those that do.  That resemblance can be confusing to untrained eyes.  It’s like looking at two houses, one having a foundation and the other not.  The difference is undetectable without closer inspection.

3/ They actively resist Acts 2:38 as the plan of salvation and stand in the way of people coming to it. 

This is the most serious fault of the denominations.  It’s the charge Jesus made against the religious leaders of His day (Matthew 23:13).   Preachers are largely accountable for what people believe.  That’s what makes their profession so frighteningly responsible (James 3:1-2).  They are often the biggest detriment to people receiving Acts 2:38.  For example, no true candidate for baptism would oppose being baptized in Jesus’ name.  The sheer sentimentality toward the perfect and loving Savior Who died for us would incline people to accept His name in baptism.  But if the person baptizing them uses the titles of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and then indoctrinates them accordingly, it will be almost impossible to convince them otherwise.  Doctrine is strong, even false doctrine, when embraced as if it were true. 

Epilogue

No one should remain in a church that does not teach the full truth about salvation (Acts 2:38). 

Until we all come to the unity of the faith, no one should remain in a church that does not teach the full truth about salvation.  If you have the beautiful revelation that Acts 2:38 is the plan of salvation, you should be thankful for it and worship God among those of like precious faith.  Some people deceive themselves into thinking that their attendance in a church that wrongly teaches salvation doctrine will provide a “light” that will bring the others to the truth.  I’ve never witnessed that occur.  Instead, I’ve seen real spiritual detriment come to those who do not come out of such darkness and walk in light.  Jesus said while you have the light, walk in the light (John 12:35-36).  You will never be more poised to serve and bring glory to God than being in the Church of His redeemed. 

End time revival can be sweeping.

We have shown many fine things about the denominations and we have pointed out their serious deficiencies.  The good things they have going for them could prepare them for great effectiveness in these last days if they have a desire for truth and will be open to the light of Scripture regarding salvation.  Salvation doctrine is paramount among the great doctrines of the Bible.  Like nothing else, it glorifies the worthy name of Jesus and honors the work He did on Calvary.  And when God opens the eyes of the denominational preachers to this precious truth of Acts 2:38, it will only take a little adjustment for them to be on board with the fullness of the Gospel message and minister effectively in it.  End time revival could sweep across our nation and world like never before in the history of the Church.  Their white-hot zeal for new-found biblical revelation could even make them more effective than us, who have loved it for years.  Whole congregations and denominations could be easily swept into the saving truth of the name of Jesus.  This has to be the devil’s biggest fear.  Let’s pray for it to happen. 

The Significance Of Paul’s Ministry Practice In Acts 19:1-6

(Originally called The Significance Of Acts 19:1-7) 

© 2020 by James V. Maurer, Sr.

The book of Acts is strategically brilliant.  It exists to solve all salvation doctrine issues.  The passage of Acts 19:1-7 is one of the most profound passages in the New Testament.  It provides powerful doctrinal content relative to the Christian plan of salvation.  It is one of those five important places in the book of Acts* that especially reveal the tenets of Christian salvation because they showcase actual conversions taking place.  This particular event occurred on Paul’s third missionary journey at Ephesus in Asia Minor.  The Church at Ephesus was founded on this evangelistic outreach.  This incident provides valuable doctrinal content for those interested in identifying the plan of salvation. 

These folks at Ephesus were believers in Christ. 

When Paul met the dozen people covered in this passage, he found that they were already believers in Christ.  In the context, they are called “disciples”.  Notice that Paul did not tell them about Jesus being the Lord and Savior.  They already believed that.  But he did ask them two questions that would provide a marker for their knowledge and experience relative to Christ.  These two questions had to do with the tenets of salvation enjoined on the Day of Pentecost, namely, baptism and receiving the Holy Ghost (Acts 2:38-39).   

And, these people had been believers in Christ for a long time!  Bible commentators say they had been disciples for at least twenty years.  But, actually, the time factor had nothing to do with the need Paul felt to ask these two questions.  The questions apply regardless of the amount of time a person has believed in Christ.  This passage reveals that every believer in Christ is subject to the same two questions.  That’s because the subject matter of water and Spirit baptism is a requirement for everyone, which is exactly how Peter expressed it on the Day of Pentecost. 

This is Paul! 

It must be shocking to some people that we find the Apostle Paul, a man who was precise and rigid in doctrinal matters, confronting these believers in Christ about certain Christian tenets associated with salvation.  And this occurred immediately upon meeting them.  We see Peter doing that on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:38) and at the household of Cornelius (Acts 10:43-48).  But, Paul, too?!  What doctrinal message does this send about salvation doctrine from a Pauline perspective?

Some people think, with no biblical basis, that Paul preached a different salvation message than Peter did in Acts 2:38.  They think his message involved some mere faith in Jesus that didn’t require any salvific tenets.  At these times, they usually refer to his justification by faith theology expressed in his epistles.  What they often do not understand is that Paul did not differ from Peter one iota.  Paul himself said his message was in perfect agreement with Peter’s (Galatians 2:1-9).  And we know his own conversion experience was identical to what Peter preached on the Day of Pentecost.  He repented on the Damascus Road, was later baptized in Jesus’ name (Acts 9:18; 22:16), and received the Holy Ghost (Acts 9:17).  Incidentally, it could not have been any other way.  The New Testament only teaches one Christian plan of salvation, which Peter and Paul both asserted (Acts 2:38-39; Ephesians 4:5).  And, by the way, had Peter theologized the Acts 2:38 salvation experience in his epistles, he would have expressed it the same way as did Paul, as justification by faith.  He did so essentially in Acts 10:43, which, in his message to Cornelius, was leading up to baptism in Jesus’ name.

What we see of Paul’s ministry practice here in Acts 19 collides with the false view many have of his justification by faith theology, which they mistakenly think means that salvation occurs by simple faith in Christ without any necessary tenets of salvation, such as baptism.  If that were the case, Paul would not have confronted the disciples at Ephesus as he did.  Instead, he would have immediately recognized the sufficiency of their current faith and would have rejoiced with them in their common salvation.  But the context of Acts 19 reveals something different.  It shows us what justification by faith meant to Paul practically, namely, that salvation comes through faith in Christ, as opposed to any other means, but, according to the redemption He alone has provided (Romans 3:24).  And, the redemption Christ provided is appropriated by the means He prescribed in His Great Commission, which involve repentance, baptism in Jesus’ name, and receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost**.   

Re-baptism!

It’s amazing that we find persons in the New Testament baptized more than once— especially at the hands of Paul, who, as we said earlier, was no trifler in doctrine and only insisted on what is indeed a matter of true faith.  For Paul to re-baptize these disciples has profound doctrinal significance, then.  Hardly anything affirms the necessity of Christian baptism more.  It is seen to supersede the baptism that came by the authority of John the Baptist, which was necessary in its time (Luke 7:28-30).  Therefore, the baptism that replaced John’s cannot be less vital.  And this is understandable when we consider that baptism is revealed to be for the remission of sins (Acts 2:38).  That was the matter of Paul’s own introduction to baptism when he received the Gospel from Ananias (Acts 22:16).  Accordingly, Jesus and Peter expressly stated that baptism saves (Mark 16:16; 1Peter 3:21).  These facts of baptism, then, were Apostolic doctrine from the beginning of the Christian era.  Hence, we have Paul’s understanding of salvation doctrine springing into action here in Acts 19.   

Had Paul instead believed that faith in Jesus without salvific tenets was sufficient for salvation, he would never have asked the believers in Ephesus the two questions that he did.  Rather, he would have immediately embraced their Christian fellowship.  But, of course, that’s not how the scenario played out.  Unquestionably, the simple narrative of Acts 19 exists to show the necessity of Christian salvation tenets, even among people of faith in Christ.  That need would continue to exist throughout the Church age, making Acts 19 relevant even to the present.  And, given all the misinterpretation in our day of Paul’s salvation theology, we should feel its message punctuated by the fact that it involved Paul. 

Because of the precedent of Acts 19, Paul’s two questions still apply today to anyone who believes in Jesus.  And the precise outcome of Acts 19, involving Christian baptism and receiving the Holy Ghost, are set forth as what is to be experienced by all.  Christian faith for one is Christian faith for all.  If these believers in Ephesus needed the further experience introduced to them by Paul, then so does everyone else who lacks them.  This biblical example does not exist in vain but for the purpose of leading all believers to the same end.  Paul declared elsewhere that God would have all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth (1Timothy 2:4).    

Someone may try to suggest that Paul’s double inquiry was not a denial of the Ephesian believers’ previous faith experience being adequate for salvation in the Christian era but was simply a promotion of additional, howbeit, unnecessary, experience in Christ.  That position is untenable since both tenets introduced by Paul are necessary for salvation— remission of sins, which comes through baptism, and receiving the Holy Ghost (Romans 8:9).  And both were faithfully preached since the Day of Pentecost.  But, even without insisting on that point, the passage of Acts 19 by itself still maintains that all believers are to receive Christian baptism and the Holy Ghost since that is why the Ephesians were confronted.  Every preacher, then, should follow Paul’s example of evangelism and insist on these tenets being experienced by his hearers.  And every believer hearing of them should receive the Acts 2:38 experience as these did at Ephesus.  The import of this passage involving evangelism by Paul cannot be dismissed.  It demonstrates his salvation theology.  He believed firmly in what was preached since the Day of Pentecost. 

Like a drama, Acts 19:1-7 has a confrontational component about it when the believers at Ephesus were met with new revelation.  But it is resolved in verses 4 to 6 by them heeding the Apostolic messenger.  Verse 7 concludes the passage by giving the number of persons affected, bringing the conflict to rest.  To describe the passage in this way is not out of line.  Many people have experienced this same drama play out in their own faith journey.  I certainly have.  I always believed in Christ but was confronted with the truth about salvation by a faithful Apostolic witness, for which I am forever grateful.  And, by the grace of God, I resolved the issue in the same way the Ephesian believers did.  This is why Acts 19 exists— to help people of faith.  And, the result achieved by Paul at Ephesus should always be the outcome, especially when both tenets of faith are so important and are readily available.  It’s not hard to be re-baptized and the Holy Ghost is a gift.  It’s never hard to receive a gift.

Paul’s insistence on re-baptism leads us to the obvious question: What is the difference in the two baptisms?

Pre-eminence and necessity of the name of Jesus stands out. 

The act of baptism was the same in both John’s baptism and Paul’s.  But the qualifying difference between John’s and Christian baptism was patently in the use of the saving name of Jesus, which was enjoined on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:38).  Since that time, all New Testament baptisms were administered in Jesus’ name.   Therefore, John’s baptism would be insufficient in the Christian era due to the exclusive New Covenant terms. 

Paul’s re-baptism of the disciples at Ephesus should convince any reasonable person that baptism must be performed in the name of Jesus.  Here is Apostolic authority for re-baptizing anyone who is not baptized in Jesus’ name.  We are told in Scripture that there is no other saving name under heaven (Acts 4:12) and that all things are to be done in the name of Jesus (Colossians 3:17).

Baptism, as the necessary means to employ the saving name of Jesus 

Baptism is the means whereby the name of Jesus is applied salvifically.  It fulfills the prophetic calling on the name of the Lord for salvation, as prophesied by Joel (2:32).  Paul’s own conversion experience clearly points that out (Acts 22:16).  It comports with the necessary use of the name of Jesus for salvation as stated by Peter (Acts 4:12).  Baptism in Jesus’ name is the only salvific use of the name of Jesus in the Christian era.  And, again, it is easy to understand how it is associated with salvation.  It effects the remission of sins, a condition, without which, no one can be saved. 

The necessity of receiving the Holy Ghost 

There were so many times in Jesus’ ministry when He stressed the importance of receiving the Holy Ghost.  He did so early on, all the way to His post-resurrection visits with the Apostles***.  John the Baptist referred to Christ as the Spirit Baptizer (Matthew 3:11).  That implied that everyone truly affected by Christ’s ministry would receive His Spirit.  Jesus said so much Himself (John 3:5; 4:10; 7:37-39).  Paul referred to the Christian era as the dispensation of the Spirit (2Corinthians 3:8), indicating that Christianity is about life in the Spirit.  He even went so far as to say that a person without the Spirit is not a Christian (Romans 8:9).  This is why Paul so promptly pressed the issue with the Ephesian believers. 

Most people today do not deny the necessity of receiving the Holy Ghost.  The contemporary point of contention, however, is how and when a person receives it.  The context of Acts 19, as with the other instances in Acts where the Holy Ghost was poured out, provide certainty as to how a person can know he has been filled with the Spirit.

First of all, it must be pointed out that the Holy Ghost is immaterial so there is no way to see it or feel it coming in.  So the Bible must give us some other means.  Secondly, the Spirit does not just automatically come into a person the moment he believes or is baptized.  That is certain from this passage and every other one in Acts where the Spirit was received.  Therefore, since the reception of the Holy Ghost cannot be detected by natural means nor be assumed upon by faith or baptism, how does a person know when he receives it?  That question is clearly answered by the evidence provided in the book of Acts in the numerous instances when people received it— they spoke in other tongues.  This is how the Apostles settled upon the fact that someone had been so filled.  It is evident here in Acts 19 and also highly conspicuous in Acts 10:46.  It is the explanation from prophecy that Peter gave on the Day of Pentecost to those who were perplexed by the Apostles and others speaking in tongues (Acts 2:11-18).  The biblical examples of people receiving the Holy Ghost provide no other evidence by which to claim the Spirit.    

Conclusion 

Acts 19:1-7 is one of many places in Scripture that showcases Christian salvation.  The tenets enacted on the Day of Pentecost regarding baptism in Jesus’ name and the reception of the Holy Ghost are highly apparent in it.  It is a peculiarly pertinent passage because it confronts each believer with the two most important questions that could be asked him.  It effectively brings people of faith face to face with Acts 2:38.  It, thereby, bombards faith in Christ with the inalienable covenant terms of faith.  It taps on the consciousness of believers to take notice of the blood-bought tenets of salvation— baptism, which brings remission of sins, and receiving Christ’s Spirit (John 16:7).  It is the Mount Carmel of the New Testament, emphasizing in a dramatic way the Christian plan of salvation over that which is insufficient in the Christian era.  That is necessary because partial truth presented as the full truth presents a very precarious and subtle danger to salvation.      

* Acts 2:38-39; 8:12-18; 9:17-18 w/ 22:16; 10:44-48; 19:1-7

** See the full-orbed Great Commission by combining the four Gospel accounts in John 20:21-23; Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16:15-16; Luke 24:45-49.

*** John 3:5; 4:10; 7:37-39; 14:16-18; 16:7,13; 20:22; Acts 1:8

How Can I Be Held Responsible If I Didn’t Ask To Be Born?

© 2020 by James V. Maurer, Sr.

For more information, please write [email protected]

Why did God create me and subject me to the possibility of going to hell for not pleasing Him when I never consented to being born?  How can He hold me responsible for something in which I did not choose to be involved?

While most people may not have ever thought to ask this question, some have, especially when confronted with the concept of divine judgment and the possibility of going to hell.  Notice that the question has in it a tone of hostility towards God.  It does not express a regret for having received the amazing gift of life but it resists the inherent accountability to live one’s life as the Creator determines is best.  The questioner seems to ask why he cannot do as he pleases with impunity.  It’s as though he actually asks, “Why doesn’t God just leave me alone and let me live my life the way I want to?”

The question is based on ignorance and selfishness.

Selfishness is easy to understand. Every person would prefer to have everything his own way all of the time without repercussions.  Selfishness is the synonym for sin for it will ultimately result in sin if left unrestrained.  Selfishness is not easily remedied because to do so is to limit the self, which smarts. 

Ignorance is easily cured with education, if a person is open to it.  Volition always dominates the human soul and is also linked to selfish motives, which can jeopardize true education.  In this post, we will attempt to educate the soul who asks the question that is our present subject. 

Human understanding about life is limited.

The question we presented at the outset betrays a very shallow understanding of human life on earth.  It represents life as being totally egocentric, as though all that matters is the personal human perspective.  That would be fine if the individual was his own Maker or if his origin was otherwise independent of God.  But, since human life is granted by a divine Creator, it involves purpose that only God fully understands (Proverbs 20:24; Jeremiah 10:23).  Therefore, God’s will for the human race and for the individual must be wisely sought and considered by each person (Acts 17:27-28a). 

It should be natural for us as intelligent creatures to want to understand our origin and purpose.  The twin philosophical questions, “How did I get here?” and “Why am I here?”, confront every thinking person.  You could say that, from an anthropological standpoint, they are the mother of religion.  The philosophical questions, however, do not tend to surface in the hot pursuit of carnal pleasure.  A lower drive prevails in those moments, which doesn’t care for religious or philosophical interference.   

Fortunately, the Bible reveals the purpose of God in creating human beings and also tells us how to live.  It is, as it were, a blueprint by the Architect of life for fulfillment and joy of living (John 15:11; 10:10; 13:17).  The commandments of God contain promises related to life’s duration and experiences (e.g., Ephesians 6:2; Deuteronomy 28; Psalms 19:7-11; Acts 2:38-39). The Bible’s greatest promise relates to eternal life (1John 2:25).  That requires the understanding of human probation.  Life on earth is actually a test which tries our worthiness to live eternally with God.  It is this concept of probation that the questioner chides.  But he is so blinded by his sin that he cannot see the massive and gracious opportunity he has to know and live with God blissfully forever.   

Ignorance of the destructive nature of sin 

Sin can be defined as living amiss from the Creator’s design for human life.  It is a kind of insanity because it is a temporary defiance of God Himself and will be met with complete and final eradication by God (1John 3:8).  There is no future in sin.  Therefore, there is no future for the sinner, at least not a promising one.  If he does not bow in repentance and submission to God, he will be destroyed in hell.  God uses one of two means to put away every person’s sin— either the sacrifice of Himself on the cross or eternal punishment in hell. 

Even from an earthly perspective, sin is destructive for the individual and others whom he affects.  God’s revealed purpose for mankind is for our individual and societal good.  He withholds no good thing from any person (Psalms 84:11).  The only thing He prohibits is that which is harmful to us.  Since sin is amiss from God, it is, consequently, harmful— both to the individual and to society as a whole (Proverbs 14:34).  For example, family breakdown weakens society.  But even one sinner does enormous damage (Ecclesiastes 9:18b).  Not only is sin self-destructive but, since no one lives his life separately from others, it negatively affects others as well.  This truth is graphically illustrated in the story of Jonah where all the problems at sea to the mariners was due to Jonah.  Sin always affects those in close relation to us.  How many persons have been heartbroken due to a family member’s sin?  The questioner of our topic apparently doesn’t understand the significance of his behavior, both as relates to himself and to others. 

The reason God granted us life. 

The questioner fails to grasp the superlative act of human creation.  God wanted to share the greatest thing imaginable— personhood, something He alone possessed.  He made us eternal, relational beings much like Himself— in fact, in His very image (Genesis 1:26-27).  This act of granting personhood is so good and gracious that it is unfathomable.  It, perhaps more than anything, shows how generous and unselfish God is.  He even went to Calvary to sustain it.  Each human life, therefore, is a dramatic expression of the will of God to grant personhood.  It involves individual freedom and self-actualization.  Since God made us in His image, He possessed us with abilities and capacities for creativity and every kind of construction.  And, being in relation to Him offers meaning and satisfaction to life beyond mere utility (Psalms 16:11). 

But, because our lives are derivative, they can only be fully realized in connection to God Himself (John 15:4-7; Acts 17:28).  As C.S. Lewis said, God is the only food in the universe.  We are sustained by Him and we thrive in Him. His Word, by which we are bound to Him, is described by James as the perfect law of liberty.  Not only does it liberate those who obey it, but pours blessing upon them (James 1:25). 

Our lives are so integrated with God that hell itself is a kind of compliment.  It shows that God did not create us for any reason but for Himself (Colossians 1:16).  He said He loves us jealously (Deuteronomy 4:23-24; 6:14-15) and hell confirms it. 

The law of the eternal fitness of things.

But, what about the reference in our topic question to our not being involved in God’s decision to make us?

Granted, creation of a human being is a very serious thing.  It produces a personality and soul that will live forever somewhere.  If every person eventually or automatically went to heaven, there would be no controversy about God creating us apart from our consent, for no one would eternally suffer.  But, in the present state of affairs, one of the places of eternal abode is hell, in which case, as acknowledged by Jesus, it would have been better for the persons going there to have not been born (Matthew 26:24).  That fact prompts the question, “Was God justified in creating us without our permission when such an awful possibility exists?”.

I believe the answer to that question takes the following form:

The Bible reveals a truth with which surely no one would squabble.  There is no law against doing good (Galatians 5:23b).  God could, therefore, not be impugned for sharing life and personhood.  It is personal, specific and all encompassing.  Nothing more exciting or dramatic exists!  It is also coupled with living in His presence, which is surpassingly wonderful and is that for which we long (1Peter 1:7-9).  It is the greatest of all imaginable gifts.  And, it was unattainable apart from creation.  Therefore, God was justified in creating human life because what He gave us is supremely good and gracious.  And, it is never wrong to be good and gracious.  It was eternally fit for God to do so and many will forever praise Him for it.  May we all strive to be in that number. 

But, inherent in creating intelligent life with free will is the possibility of rebellion against God, which results in eternal condemnation in hell. 

From this chain of reasoning involving free will, someone may charge that God exposed the people He created to the possibility of hell.  We cannot deny that.  But, if the consequence of hell is the result of free will, that proves it is a choice, and not coercion.  No one has to choose it.  And though sin is inevitable to fallen creatures, they are still not without hope in escaping hell.  Jesus came to earth to cancel the condemnation of hell to those who will believe the Gospel and obey the plan of salvation.  By going to the cross, Jesus literally took our hell.  After Calvary, no one can blame anyone but himself for going to hell for he effectually chooses it for himself if he rejects or neglects the great salvation Jesus purchased for him (Hebrews 2:3).  Those who go to hell do so in spite of Calvary.  Choosing our eternal destination is what makes free will the most serious endowment we possess. 

Should God, in view of faulty human choice, have decided against creating human beings?

God graciously chose to create human beings, for which many will be eternally grateful.  But some would argue that, because so many people would be lost (Matthew 7:13-14), God should have aborted His mission to create our race.  That choice, by the way, would have eliminated the possibility of all the righteous people from the foundation of the world being able to enjoy their God.  The wicked, who refuse to live God’s way, would have prevailed against all those who want God and love God.  It would have been an incalculable injustice to allow the wicked to deprive the righteous of their eternal good.  God, in His wisdom, apparently judged that the eternal suffering of the damned should not preclude the eternal joy of the redeemed that He had planned for them (1Corinthians 2:9; Ephesians 2:7).  Had God, on the basis of keeping the ungodly from a possible hell, refrained from the creation of mankind, the plan of God regarding His image-bearing creature would have been thwarted.  Sin would have, effectually, conquered God.  It would not have been appropriate that the wicked should so overrule the grace and sovereignty of God. 

The precedent for such a decision by God was in the creation of the angels.  God foreknew that about a third of them, if we interpret the Scriptures correctly (Revelation 12:3-4), would be eternally lost and suffer the torment of eternal punishment (Matthew 8:29; Jude 6).  Even though this reality loomed, God chose to proceed with the creation of angels for His glory and for the good of those who would choose well and enjoy the life God gave them. 

No human being has to be lost. 

While the lost state of man is inherited from Adam and Eve, it doesn’t have to be our end.  God has arranged for every person to be converted.  Each covenant and dispensation of God throughout redemptive history was graciously designed for the salvation of our race.  Creating mankind with free will did expose every person to the possibility of hell.  But God covered that possibility to the extent that no person needed to be lost.  He brought redemption (Genesis 3:15).  In doing so, Jesus assumed, not the guilt, but the punishment of every person’s sins.  In the face of redemption, no one should be lost.  In fact, every person who will be lost will be so by a deliberate choice of sin over salvation.

The profound human role in the creation of fellow humans.

I think the topic question, “How can I be held responsible if I didn’t ask to be born?”, is to be more directly raised to our parents, who knew full well of the process of procreation and were more directly responsible for bringing us into the world than even God.  Indeed, God created the potential for the mass of humanity but the actual proliferation of mankind has been through procreation, which is the free choice of human beings (Genesis 1:26).  We choose to bring other human beings into the world.  Humans, therefore, are responsible for creating humans.  The hostile questioner of our topic should more appropriately ask his parents why they brought him into the world.  But I think few parents have ever been asked this question. 

And not only did our parents bring us into the world but they, in most cases, held us accountable to their teaching, scolding and disciplining us when necessary.  And, all of this was for our good, whether we liked it or not at the time.  But, as we mature, we tend to look back and give them honor for it (Hebrews 12:9).  If our parents held us to a family and societal code of manners and ethics, how much more should God have the right to tell us how to live when the plan for the human race was His Own.

Most people are in agreement with God’s decision to create human life. 

The fact that most people by far choose to live out their lives and die naturally, most of whom also bring children into the world, testifies to the goodness and righteousness of God in creating our original parents with the potential of populating the world.  It glorifies God in granting life to our race.  Even after the Fall, Adam and Eve choose to bring human life into the world.  And, though we all know life in a fallen world is hard and presents many challenges (John 16:33), yet the world continues to increase in population, bearing witness to the fact that most human beings consider life, as conceived by God, as good.  And who doesn’t get excited when another child is born? 

Life is all about choices.

We stated at the outset that the hostile questioner was really asking, “Why doesn’t God just leave me alone and let me live my life the way I want to?”  How many teenagers have thought the same thing of their parents?  But it’s not likely to happen because the parents love them too much.  And, what’s really interesting is that those same teenagers, often within a period of only a few years, themselves bring children into the world and begin to assume the same caring roles as their parents!  If loving parents are not inclined to overlook proper instruction and discipline of a child, how can it be expected that God will? 

But, on a deeper level, that question about being left alone by God involves a choice— a choice to be rid of God.  And that is more or less what hell is— a place where God is not.  When a person rejects God, he rejects all the mercy and grace of God, though he may never think the process through.  He may think he can reject God and still have all the provisions of God, dispensing only with His frown and justice.  The person therein reveals his ignorance.  Hell is a place devoid of the gracious provisions of God.  His perfect justice is all that is present there.  Hence, the choice to be rid of God is a choice for hell itself.   

The greatest privilege of man is to know his God. 

Why would a person not want to know his Creator?  Why would he not want to know his parents?  In both cases, he can expect to experience love and kindness, especially in the case of knowing God (Psalms 40:5; 27:10).

11.3.18

Baptism is necessary for salvation.

1Peter 3:21

Mark 16:15-16

Baptism remits (washes away) sins.

Acts 2:38

Acts 22:16

Baptism is a mystical and efficacious burial with Christ into His death.

Romans 6:3-5

We come in contact with His blood at this time.  That is how baptism remits (washes away) our sins.

Baptism is commanded.

Acts 2:38

Acts 10:48

Baptism was always administered in the name of Jesus.

Acts 2:38

Acts 8:16

Acts 10:48

Acts 19:6

Acts 22:16

See 1Corinthians 1:13

Here, Paul was indicating that the Corinthians were baptized in the name of the One Who was crucified for them.

No one in the Bible was ever baptized by saying “in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost”.  

Here, Jesus was clearly calling for His Apostles to use the saving name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, not a repetition of the words.  They understood that saving name to be Jesus because that is how they fulfilled this command.

Matthew 28:19 was fulfilled by the Apostles on the Day of Pentecost by saying “in the name of Jesus Christ”.  That is what Jesus was asking them to do.  We can see this in the command He gave them in Luke 24:47, which came after His teaching in Matthew 28:19.  Luke 24:47 made it clear that He was referring to His name and that is how they carried it out.   

★ Everyone in the Bible in the Christian era was baptized in the name of Jesus. Therefore, we must go by the examples given us in God’s Word.  That is the surest way to know what to do.  The examples of baptism are in the Bible for us to follow.  They show us the correct way to be baptized.  We fulfill Matthew 28:19 today in the same way they did— by baptizing in Jesus’ name.

The name of Jesus is above every name.

Acts 4:12

Ephesians 3:15

Philippians 2:9-11  

We are to do everything in the name of Jesus.

Colossians 3:17

That would especially include baptism since it is one of the most important things we do regarding salvation

Matthew 28:19  Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

Matthew 28:19 was one of the occasions in the Gospels when Jesus instructed His Apostles on how to baptize converts in the Christian era.  Here, His instruction called for a singular name— “…in the name of…”.  Not surprisingly, Matthew 28:19 has a biblical fulfillment.  A verse this important must have. 

Q. How did the Apostles fulfill this command, for certainly they did, or otherwise they would have been disobedient to it?

Answer: They fulfilled it by baptizing “in the name of Jesus”.  That is the only way they ever baptized.  See the book of Acts.

Q. Is there anywhere in Acts, which is the only inspired history of the Apostles carrying out their commission, where we see that the Apostles baptized converts by saying, “…in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost”?

Answer: No

Q. Was anyone in the Bible ever baptized by these words being spoken over them, “…in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost”?

Answer: No

Q. Then how were these words of Jesus in Matthew 28:19 fulfilled by the Apostles?

Answer: By using the actual saving name of Jesus.  

★ The Scriptures inform us that “Jesus” is the only name by which people can be saved.  

• Acts 4:12  Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

In fact, the name of Jesus is the only proper divine name in the New Testament.  It is the New Covenant name, as Jehovah was the Old Covenant name.  The name of Jesus is used nearly a thousand times in the New Testament with no rival.

Q. Did Jesus address the name to be used in baptism on any occasion other than that recorded in Matthew 28:19? 

Answer: Yes.  He further instructed the Apostles on baptism at a later date than Matthew 28:19.  It occurred just prior to His Ascension and is recorded by Luke.  It is also the occasion when He “opened their understanding” (See Luke 24:45-47).  This is the last instruction He gave them regarding baptism before they would put His teaching into practice on the Day of Pentecost.  This occasion in Luke actually concludes the teaching and charge He gave His Apostles, which we call the Great Commission.  There He instructed them that baptism (remission of sins) was to be preached in His Own name.  You will see His Apostles fulfilling this command about ten days later in Acts 2 on the Day of Pentecost.  They had combined the instruction given them in Matthew 28:19 with that given later in Luke when they were further enlightened (Luke 24:45) and baptized about three thousand souls in Jesus’ name.

★ It must be understood that the Apostles were in no doubt as to what to preach regarding baptism.  People may confuse the matter today by misunderstanding the Scriptures, but the Apostles were not confused.  They were taught well by their Master.  Before Christ left this earth, the Apostles knew exactly His prescription for the baptismal formula.  When considering the proper formula today, we must understand that no one can know clearer than the Apostles what Jesus intended when He spoke the words of Matthew 28:19.  They were the ones to whom He was speaking.  And they were the ones who fulfilled it and would provide the example for us to follow.  What they came to understand as to its meaning is evident by how they carried it out.  No one since them has the right to carry it out differently than they did.  Jesus certified in His High Priestly prayer that His Apostles were correct in their doctrine (John 17:6-20).  And, what’s more, the Bible cannot contradict itself.  If Matthew 28:19 was not fulfilled by the Apostles baptizing in Jesus’ name, then we must conclude that the command Jesus gave them to baptize in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost was never carried out.  That conclusion is impossible. 

Q. How were ALL the converts to Christianity in the Bible baptized?

Answer: In Jesus’ name

• Acts 2:38,41
• Acts 8:16
• Acts 10:48
• Acts 19:5
• Acts 22:16

★ Since all the converts to Christianity in the Bible were baptized in Jesus’ name, would you feel confident doing it any other way?  Wouldn’t being baptized other than the way we see it being done in Acts by the Apostles be disobedient and arrogant?  The Bible says, “There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism” (Ephesians 4:5).  That would require there is only one right way to baptize.  Is it even imaginable that they didn’t have it?  Certainly not!  Truthfully, as regards us, there is no greater evidence for the baptismal formula to be used in baptism than that which was actually practiced by the Apostles.  That is why these examples were given to us by God.  They were intended to be followed as the model for Christian salvation practice.  To be baptized other than by the biblical examples is to reject the one baptism of the Bible.  From a biblical perspective, the baptism carried out in those inspired examples is the baptism to be carried out and received by all.

Q. Is the act of baptism necessary for salvation?

Answer: Yes.

• According to Jesus in Mark 16:15,16 
• According to Peter in 1Peter 3:21
• It is also necessary for salvation because it is the means whereby we receive remission of sins, which is the next point of this lesson.

Q. Is baptism functional or merely symbolic?

Answer: 

• Through baptism, we are mystically, but actually, buried with Christ into His death (Romans 6:3-5; Colossians 2:12)— a necessity if we’re going to be raised in the likeness of His resurrection.
• Baptism remits, or, washes away, our sins (Acts 2:38; 22:16).  This makes it the most important aspect of salvation.
• It is the means whereby we are “in Christ” (Romans 6:3; Galatians 3:27)

Q. Is baptism a command of Scripture? 

Answer: Yes.

• Acts 2:38 is an imperative to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. 
• The Apostle Peter, likewise, commanded baptism in Acts 10:48.
• Jesus required baptism in the sense that He is the One Who taught those, such as Peter, what to teach in the Christian era and made their word authoritative to us (John 17:20). 

★ Baptism is a seminal command.  The promise of God’s Spirit is linked to obedience of it.  

• Acts 2:38-39

      Water Baptism and the Great Commission     

© 2016 by James V. Maurer, Sr.

Revised 10.24.20

Note: Scripture quotations are from the King James Version of the Bible unless otherwise stated.  They are emboldened in italics rather than being placed within quotation marks.

Water baptism in Jesus’ name is the faith-response to the Gospel and, therefore, is the essence of the Great Commission.  The aim of this lesson is to show the absolute necessity of water baptism in Jesus’ name.

Part One

Jesus’ Great Commission

The Great Commission is the charge that Jesus gave to His disciples on His post-resurrection visits with them to go into all the world and preach the Gospel.  He so charged them because He had just died for the sins of all mankind on the cross and, thus, had purchased salvation for every soul who would believe and obey the Gospel.  As Hebrews 5:9 states, He became the Author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey Him.  His Apostles were to carry this Good News into all the world.  This commissioning of the disciples by Christ is recorded in all four Gospels.  These four records cover three specific occasions, given over a forty day period, when the Commission was given.  The first was in Jerusalem on the day of the resurrection, recorded by John.  The second was later in Galilee, recorded by Mark and Matthew.  And the third, recorded by Luke, was later still, back in Jerusalem, just prior to Jesus’ Ascension.  What’s extremely significant regarding the Great Commission is that Jesus included what the hearers’ response to the Gospel would entail.  In each occurrence of this revelation process, it will be seen to involve water baptism.  In short, the Great Commission is a charge to preach the Good News of salvation in Christ and a command to baptize those who believe. 

I use the term Great Commission in this study to mean the combined charge and understanding given to the disciples on these several occasions when Jesus specified their mission to spread the Gospel to the whole world.  In this sense, the Great Commission is not confined to one particular occasion of its being given but is the result of the three occasions, of which each is but a segment.  In other words, for instance, Matthew 28:18-20 is not, singularly, the Great Commission, as it is generally considered to be, but is a contributing segment of the whole Commission along with the two other occurrences.  Matthew 28:18-20 is actually the middle segment.  If any one occurrence could be considered the whole of the Great Commission, it would not be Matthew’s account, but Luke’s, since it was Jesus’ last word on the Commission and provides the fullest revelation of the formula, or, name, to be used in water baptism. 

 Combined, they provide a complete picture of what the Great Commission really is.  

Our Greatest Advantage In Understanding The Great Commission

Examining the individual installments of the Great Commission allows us to see the contribution of each in producing the whole.  Taken together, they provide a fuller picture of what the Great Commission entails.  Actually, to do less would be unscholarly and reckless.  But there’s another advantage to understanding the Commission that goes beyond even the study of its collective parts.  The Great Commission has a fulfillment!  In the book of Acts, we can see the Apostles following through on their divine charge and souls were saved as a result.  Nothing affords greater understanding of the Great Commission than viewing its actual fulfillment by the very Apostles to whom it was given.  Therefore, combining the Commission’s fulfillment with its previously mentioned component parts is the fullest picture possible of the Great Commission.  In this study, we will take advantage of that full picture.  As we approach each segment of the Great Commission in the Gospels, we will take notice of the direct fulfillment of it in Acts to see its clear and specific teaching.  This procedure ensures us to have the clearest and most complete understanding of what Jesus really said in His important Great Commission.

The Great Commission Of Christ Is The Only Christian Commission In The New Testament

A profound significance regarding the Great Commission of Christ is that it is the only Christian commission in the New Testament.  Therefore, all of us in this Christian era are sent by this Commission, and this one only, and are sent according to its terms.  It’s incumbent upon us, then, to correctly understand the Great Commission since it now applies to us.  The Apostles’ commission of the Gospel is now our commission of the Gospel.  There has been no change except in personnel.  And since there is but one commission, there can be no change in its content.  What was told the hearers of the Gospel back then to be saved is exactly what is still required today.  It would be impossible to overemphasize this simple, but very important, point.

It is most vital, then, that we properly understand the Great Commission.  For if a person cannot properly grasp it, or if he misunderstands it, and goes forth to teach or preach, he does so, not by the commission of Christ, but of himself, or of someone else, and with disastrously different and defective results.  That risk is unfathomably serious.  It gives meaning to James’ fearful admonition: My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation (James 3:1).  The bottom line is that we all are to carry out the Great Commission as it was given by Jesus, and fulfilled by His Apostles.  That is all we have biblically to go on.  The only authority we have from God is according to that sole commission.  Regard to it is imperative and should grip us to faithfulness.  As the Apostle Paul said, this sacred, soul-saving Gospel has been committed by God to our trust (1Thessalonians 2:4; 1Timothy 1:11).  We are entrusted, then, with the only means to save souls.  As true servants of God, we can only carry out this trust according to the biblical commission we have received from Him. 

The Great Commission came during the forty day time period between Christ’s resurrection and His ascension.  He waited to give this evangelistic instruction until after He had won salvation for us on His cross.  But once salvation was procured, beginning on the very day of the resurrection, Jesus clearly enunciated what was to be preached and how believers of the Gospel message could respond in faith to obtain the grace of God dispensed in what we call the Grace Dispensation, or, the Church Age.  

The First Commission in Jerusalem

The first occasion involving the Great Commission was on the day of Christ’s resurrection in Jerusalem, recorded in John 20.  It is evident in Jesus’ words in verse 21, as my Father hath sent Me, even so send I you.  Here, Jesus clearly spoke of sending His disciples out.  It is significant, and to be expected, that just after accomplishing what He came to do— give His life as a ransom for all— Jesus would immediately speak of the appropriation of His death’s benefits to mankind, freeing us from our sins.  Verse 23 records the role that the Apostles would have in the conversion experience of those who would believe their message:  Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.  

We learn here that the hearers’ response in faith would result in the Apostles remitting their sins.  That may sound perplexing at first.  One may wonder what Jesus could possibly have meant by it.  

But the confusion readily goes away when you remember that the Great Commission had a fulfillment and that each segment of the commission can be examined and understood in view of that fulfillment.  The fulfillment began on the Day of Pentecost.  That is when the Gospel was proclaimed for the first time by the Apostle Peter.  And what do we hear when the prospective converts, who were convicted by Peter’s Gospel message, asked what they should do?  Peter answered, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins… (Acts 2:38).  

With the advantage of looking ahead a little bit, we can see that the remission of sins that Jesus told His Apostles they would effect would occur by baptizing converts in the name of Jesus Christ.  This is the only way the sins of one person were remitted by another in the Christian era.  

Incidentally, the fact of baptism remitting sins is also attested to by the Apostle Paul’s conversion experience when Ananias said to him, And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord (Acts 22:16).

The two subsequent occasions of the Commission are consistent with this initial one, each one adding more fullness of meaning and direction to the Commission so that, by the time of its fulfillment, the Apostles would have no doubt as to what to preach.

The Second Commission in Galilee

Mark 16:15-16

The second time Jesus commissioned His Apostles was in Galilee.  This occasion is recorded by both Matthew and Mark.  Mark’s account says, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved… (Mark 16:15-16).  What’s particularly noticeable here is that baptism is singled out as the response of the believer in order to be saved.  In the first commission in Jerusalem, Jesus indicated that the Apostles would be involved in their converts’ remission of sins.  Here in Galilee, He names baptism as the required follow-up to believing the Gospel.  The connection of remission of sins and baptism in these two incidences is, as previously noted, helped by our having the advantage of seeing their fulfillment in Acts. There, baptism is seen to effect the remission of sins (Acts 2:38).  With that advantage, we can spot a pattern developing in both the first commission and this one, namely, that sending out the disciples to convert souls would result in the remission of their sins through baptism.  

In this giving of the commission in Galilee, baptism is stated to be what is required of one believing the Gospel and that it (baptism) saves!  How it saves is clear from its fulfillment.  It involves remission of sins.  Remission of sins is a requirement for salvation and certainly is something in which every sincere candidate for salvation is highly interested.  Remission of sins is not to be overlooked or neglected.  And it occurs when one is baptized in Jesus’ name.

The Apostle Paul may provide us with an illustration here.  He wrote, Christ our passover is sacrificed for us (1Corinthians 5:7).   But just as the passover lamb’s blood was not effective at the time of the Exodus without being applied, so Christ’s blood must be applied.  This is effected when we are buried with Him by baptism into His death (Romans 6:3-5).  For this reason the Great Commission emphasizes baptism.  Again, hear Jesus: He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved….  Peter, Christ’s Apostle and chief spokesman to introduce the Gospel (Matthew 16:19), said the same thing in 1Peter 3:21, …even baptism doth also now save us.

Taking in this enlarged perspective, here is essentially what we have in Christ’s commission thus far:  In Jerusalem, Jesus essentially said, “Go, and effect the remission of sins” (John 20), which is seen in its fulfillment to be baptism in Jesus’ name (Acts 2:38).  And in Galilee, He essentially said, “Go, and preach the Gospel throughout the world, baptizing those who believe it” (Mark 16).  In just these two instances of the Great Commission, and also as seen from the vantage point of the inspired history of Acts, it is evident that baptism is the believer’s response to the Gospel, making it the essence of the Great Commission.  If you remove baptism from the Commission, you have destroyed it.  John 20:21 does not just say, “I’m sending you out; tell them what I have done”, but speaks of a consequence, namely, remission of sins.  Mark 16:15-16 does not just say, “Go preach the Gospel to every creature”, but includes the efficacy of baptism in salvation.  Removing baptism from the Great Commission would remove faith’s response upon hearing the Gospel and the all-important remission of sins that takes place at that response. 

Baptism is according to faith and not “works”. 

Those who say baptism is a condemned, or, useless, “work” are completely mistaken.  There is no such disparaging of baptism in the Bible.  The Bible says, One Lord, one faith, one baptism (Ephesians 4:5).  Baptism could never be placed in that context with, Lord, and, faith, if it is not vital for salvation.  Baptism, in reality, is an act of faith.   Baptism is the act of faith that you take when you believe what Jesus did on your behalf, that is, that He died, was buried, and rose again.  The perfect example of the preaching of the Gospel and its faith response was on the first day in which it occurred, the Day of Pentecost.  Peter preached the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus (Acts 2).  When those who heard it were convicted, they asked, believing, and thus in faith, Men and brethren, what shall we do?  Peter did not answer, “Oh, nothing; there’s nothing for you to do now that you believe.  You just did it by believing.”  Instead, having been taught by Jesus, he answered, 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 (Acts 2:37-38).  And it wasn’t a suggestion or an add-on.  It was an imperative!  And in the next verse (39), he said this is for all those whom God would call!

Faith is involved in the act of baptism because one believes the message of the substitutionary death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ and trusts the efficacy of the Christ-appointed means to take away his sins, namely, baptism.  One would not be baptized without faith— faith in Christ and in His Word.  Jesus said that he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved (Mark 16:16).  There is no physical proof that baptism can save.  But faith accepts the divinely appointed terms of the Gospel.  According to James 2:14-26, all faith is followed by corresponding action.  Baptism is the divinely appointed faith-response to the Gospel.  To quote 1Peter 3:21 again, Peter said that baptism saves, and is the answer of a good conscience toward God.  It corresponds to our faith in Christ.

What’s more, because baptism is of faith, it promotes further experience in God.  Notice again how the fulfillment of the Great Commission, beginning in Acts 2 on the birthday of the Church, places due significance on baptism.  Peter stated it as an act followed with a promise.  That could not be said of a dead or faithless work.  In Verse 37, those convicted asked, what shall we do?  Peter replied, 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.  Notice that the promise of receiving the Holy Ghost is to those who are baptized.  Baptism promotes further experience in God because it is of faith.

Matthew 28:18-20

Let’s proceed with Matthew’s account of the Great Commission at Galilee.  Verse 19 says, Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.  Once again, baptism is most apparent.  In fact, it is treated as the culmination point of teaching.  The importance of baptism is also highly evident here because it is treated as universally as the teaching of the Gospel itself.  All nations were to be taught; all nations were to be baptized.  It doesn’t appear optional at all, but as necessary to faith.  This point of the universality of baptism is also observable in the other references to the Great Commission.  It never appears optional.  It sounds like Jesus really meant it.  Recall that this in Matthew is the same occasion of the commission that Mark records.  We already observed the same universality of baptism there.  He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved (Mark 16:16).

On this second occasion of the commission as recorded by Matthew, Jesus indicated that administering baptism would involve the divine name— the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.  The coupling of a name to baptism here is an important addition to the Great Commission.  (This is especially so when you recall that, according to Joel’s prophecy, salvation was to involve the name of the Lord— Joel 2:32.)  Some people, who do not consider the Great Commission beyond Matthew 28:19, prematurely think that Jesus was calling for a repetition of the titles, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, none of which involves a proper divine name.  But, if we take advantage of the opportunity to look ahead to the third commission, as we will in a moment, and to the fulfillment of the Great Commission in Acts, it becomes clear that the divine name Jesus called for was His Own (Luke 24:47; Acts 2:38).  Beginning on the Day of Pentecost, water baptism was always administered in the name of Jesus.  Therefore, it is certain that the Apostles considered the “name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost” to properly be the name of Jesus, the sole name under heaven that can save (Acts 4:12). 

Summarizing what we have studied so far, we see that, in just two instances of the giving of the Great Commission, a great deal is already evident.  The Apostles’ role in conversion will involve baptism, remission of sins, and use of the divine name.  What will the third and final commission entail?  It would seem that it would congeal into even more clarity.

The Third Commission Back In Jerusalem

Finally, the third recorded occasion of Christ commissioning His disciples occurred back in Jerusalem just before His ascension.  It is recorded by Luke in chapter 24:45-49.  The commission to preach here is evident in His explaining what to preach when they began and also in His instruction to wait until a certain time to preach, that time being after they were filled with the promised Spirit.  Invariably, baptism is once again apparent.  In verse 47, Jesus taught them that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.  The direct fulfillment of this on the Day of Pentecost could not be clearer.  Peter’s words in Acts 2:38-39 state this practically verbatim, and it occurred in Jerusalem, the named beginning point.  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.  Even the expression, among all nations, in Luke 24 is alluded to in Peter’s address.  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.

A number of additional important points can be made here regarding the third commission.

Point 1. Especially noteworthy here on this last occasion is the fact that Christ is said to have opened the understanding of the Apostles (Luke 24:45).  It reads as such: Then opened He their understanding, that they might understand the Scriptures.  If there had been any ambiguity regarding their commission prior to this, it had just been removed.  From this point for sure, their understanding was clear and they were ready to preach the Gospel on the Day of Pentecost.  The illumination of their understanding no doubt included the Old Testament prophecies of His death and resurrection being fulfilled, but surely also included an enlargement of their understanding in what would follow as a result, namely, preaching the procurement of Calvary’s benefit, for that is tied inextricably to the fact of the illumination given by Jesus.  The assigned preaching to take place, according to prophecy, was to be repentance and remission of sins in His name.  This last commission of Christ shows that the preaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ includes these vital tenets of faith.  And the fulfillment of this commission on the Day of Pentecost shows us exactly what Jesus meant.  Peter, correspondingly, preached repentance and baptism in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins.

Point 2. The preaching of repentance and remission of sins in His name that was to begin in Jerusalem was to follow upon their receiving the promised Spirit (Luke 24:49).  This, again, is just too plain to miss.  That’s exactly what occurred in Acts 2 on the Day of Pentecost.  The Apostles and others were filled with the Holy Ghost (verses 1-4).  This aroused the curiosity of the spectators, who questioned what was taking place.  That led to Peter’s preaching of the resurrected Christ, which brought conviction to the hearers, who asked, Men and brethren, what shall we do? (verse 37).  And Peter responded, 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 (verse 38).

Point 3. As Jesus commanded here in Luke (verse 47), all of this began at Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost.  And from there this same message was preached among all nations.  Examples of this evangelism are in Acts 8 to the Samaritans, in Acts 10 to the Gentiles in Caesarea, and in Acts 19 to those in Ephesus in Asia Minor.  These all received the same salvation that began on the Day of Pentecost.  

Point 4. Because this commission in Jerusalem recorded by Luke was the last of the commissions given, and was attended by the afore-mentioned enlightenment, it is the fullest revelation of the commissions.  What was vaguely stated on the very day of the Resurrection about six weeks earlier in John 20,  Whose soever sins ye remit, was now at the time of Luke 24 understood to be accomplished by baptism.  The name that was not fully expressed on the second occasion in Galilee (Matthew 28:19), but was said to be the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, is now on the third occasion back in Jerusalem, and very soon to be fulfilled, revealed to be in Christ’s Own name (Luke 24:46-47).  This, the Apostles obeyed throughout the book of Acts.  And what other name could be used?  There is but one saving name in the New Testament and that is Jesus.  Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved (Acts 4:12).

Summary

In summary, according to Jesus, the Great Commission is as important as heaven and hell (Mark 16:15-16).  It was His last instruction to His Apostles just prior to the Church Age.  It was given for the purpose of reaching and winning souls with the Gospel.  We have a great learning advantage in consolidating this material involving the Great Commission and viewing its fulfillment in the inspired history provided by the book of Acts.  Generally, we can view past events with clarity, especially when there’s a simple chronology involved.  And this is the case with the Great Commission.  It is well documented.  It was given on three separate occasions, each growing in specificity, which is usually the case in divine revelation, and was fulfilled very prominently within about ten days after the last commissioning.  By the wisdom of God, the simplicity of the chronology is a safeguard to every sincere soul who wants to be saved and help in the salvation of others.

The only way for these three occasions of Christ commissioning His disciples to biblically align and teach One Lord, one faith, one baptism, as the Bible affirms (Ephesians 4:5), is just the way they were, in fact, fulfilled on the Day of Pentecost, as seen in Acts 2:38.  In fact, there is nothing else to point to in Acts or elsewhere in the New Testament as the direct, initial fulfillment of these commissions.  Let me illustrate: That which was spoken by Christ in Jerusalem in John 20 involving remission of sins was fulfilled by the Apostles in Acts 2:38, which stated baptism to be for the remission of sins.  That which was spoken by Christ later in Galilee, recorded in Mark 16 and in Matthew 28, as the saving efficacy of baptism involving the name of the Father, and of Son, and of the Holy Ghost, was fulfilled in Acts 2:38 by baptism in the name of Jesus Christ.  (To say that Jesus taught otherwise in Matthew 28:19 regarding the name to be used in baptism would be to say that He contradicted Himself in Luke 24 and that the Apostles didn’t obey Him.  And it would leave no fulfillment of Matthew 28:19 in the Scripture.  All three of these prospective consequences are impossibilities.)  And that which was spoken by Christ back in Jerusalem just prior to His ascension in Luke 24, that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name, beginning at Jerusalem, was fulfilled in Acts 2:38.  

In this study we have seen, based on the Great Commission and its fulfillment, that Acts 2:38 is the plan of salvation for the Church Age.  It includes the mandate to be baptized in Christ’s Own name for the remission of sins.  It is the New Testament grace of God.  It is the most gracious verse in the Bible.  It offers every soul the most tremendous salvation God has ever given, or that is even possible to give.  It offers a person the chance to turn to God, obtain full remission of sins, and be filled with God’s Own Holy Spirit.  That’s the new birth experience involving water and Spirit that Jesus referred to in John 3:5, which is the antidote to the sinful nature that we receive by natural birth.  It is man’s highest obligation and privilege to obey Acts 2:38 and receive all the benefits of Jesus’ death on Calvary.  This is the great salvation Jesus died to give all who believe the Gospel.  This is what the Great Commission of Jesus Christ is all about. 

Epilogue 

This document material thus far could be encapsulated in the following way: In a series of commissions, Jesus gave His Apostles a command to baptize souls who would believe the Gospel.  That baptism would effect the remission of their sins.  The commission series culminated in Christ specifying that the name to be used in baptism was His Own.  This command, accordingly, was carried out by the Apostles in the book of Acts by baptizing converts in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins.  That leads us to part two of this study.

Part Two

The Fulfillment Of The Great Commission

As we pointed out in Part One, the Great Commission is the post-resurrection, pre-evangelism teaching of Jesus to the Apostles.  Christ is the sole Author and Finisher of our faith and, as the Head of the Church, He directed the evangelism that would produce it.  All of the evangelism of Acts was based on the Great Commission.  In fact, in a very profound way, the Great Commission drives the rest of the New Testament.  Everything in Acts and the Epistles is the result of it.  The Great Commission and the rest of the New Testament that follow it are, therefore, inseparable.  It is all very organic.  The one is the fulfillment of the other.  The book of Acts carries out the mandated evangelism and reveals the salvation that Jesus taught and commissioned.  The Epistles expound theologically on the salvation that resulted from the Great Commission.  Therefore, the justification by faith, theologized by Paul in the Epistles, is directly based on the salvation that began on the Day of Pentecost, which, in turn, was based on the Great Commission.  That is a very simple, but profoundly helpful, fact that offers tremendous perspective to the subject of Christian salvation.

In the Great Commission, Christ taught water baptism as the faith-response to hearing the Gospel.  In Part Two of this study, we will focus on the fulfillment of the Great Commission and see how baptism was faithfully carried out under the ministry of the Apostles.  The book of Acts records the actual, consequent evangelism of the Apostles.  As previously stated, there is no greater assurance of knowing what Jesus intended in His Great Commission than seeing the actual fulfillment of it by His Apostles!  Interpretation of Christ’s words was handled flawlessly by those divinely-guided men who carried it out.  That leaves nothing wanting to us in the way of understanding what to teach relative to salvation.  The Bible couldn’t be easier or clearer in this regard.  It is the mercy of God, Who provided us so great salvation, to make the way to procure it plain and abundantly evident in His Word.  He gave us an inspired thirty-year history of His Church in the book of Acts.  In it, He recorded numerous examples of souls being saved under various ministers.  There was total uniformity among the ministers regarding the accepted plan of salvation.  All the converts to Christianity were saved the same way.  They were always baptized in Jesus’ name.  As Jesus said in Luke 24:47, the message of repentance and remission of sins in His name began in Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost and, from there, spread to all nations.  Let’s observe this important history in the book of Acts.

The Day of Pentecost

As we have noted previously, the Day of Pentecost was the first day of the Christian Church era (Acts 2).  It was the first occasion of the fulfillment of the Great Commission.  That is profoundly important.  The first converts to Christianity were made on that very day.  Logically, then, whatever the Great Commission truly involves must be evident then and there.  

On this occasion, Peter preached to those Jews who had witnessed, and were perplexed by, the startling circumstances involving the Spirit that was poured out on the Apostles and others, about 120 in all, gathered in the Upper Room in Jerusalem.  When he convinced the inquiring Jews that they had crucified their Lord and Messiah, they were convicted in their hearts and asked, Men and brethren, what shall we do?  Peter responded with the first use of the instruction given by Jesus in the Great Commission.  In fact, he revealed at this time the plan of salvation to the world.  He said, 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.  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 (Acts 2:37-39).  Three thousand were added to the Church by this means on that first day.

Several things are very apparent, to which we should take notice.

1. Peter commanded them to be baptized for the remission of sins.  That is in direct alignment with the Great Commission.  All four of the Gospel accounts of the Great Commission address the issue of baptism/remission of sins.  It is the faith-response to the Gospel.  Jesus said it was what those who believed were to do to be saved (Mark 16:16). 

2. Baptism was commanded by Peter to be in the name of Jesus Christ.  This, again, is in direct fulfillment of Jesus’ Great Commission.  At the second commission in Galilee, Jesus said baptism would involve the divine name— the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.  At the third and final commission back in Jerusalem just days prior to the Day of Pentecost, He further expressed that that divine name would be His Own (Luke 24:47).  And this is exactly what Peter enjoined on the Day of Pentecost.  The name of Jesus is all that was used in baptism by the Apostles and other ministers of the Lord in the New Testament.  In fact, Peter declared that there is no other saving name.  Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved (Acts 4:12).

It’s extremely important to understand here that baptism in Jesus’ name is what Jesus taught His Apostles.  Acts 2:38 was in perfect obedience to the Great Commission.  Peter did not take it upon himself to use the name of Jesus in baptism.  He simply obeyed His Lord.  Christ Himself called for the name of Jesus to be used on the Day of Pentecost.  To repeat again, He said in His last commission that repentance and remission of sins were to be preached in His name beginning at Jerusalem (Luke 24:47).  What Peter preached in Acts 2 is that very beginning point!  And Christ’s words, beginning at Jerusalem, imply that the Apostles would continue to use His name in baptism, and they did!

Sometimes misinformed souls reason in the following, erroneous way: “I’d rather do what Jesus said in Matthew 28:19 than what Peter said in Acts 2:38”.  A worse example of hermeneutics may not even be possible.  We’re talking about interpreting the Bible, which is in perfect agreement with Itself.  It is impossible that Jesus and Peter were at odds.  That would make the Bible totally unreliable.  If fact, it would destroy it.  The High Priestly prayer of Jesus in John 17 totally discredits the idea of contradiction between Him and His Apostles.  (Please read that chapter.)  In verses 6 through 20, Jesus confirmed the Apostles’ eligibility to take the Gospel into the world.  And in verse 20, He said that the word of the Apostles would be the means for their hearers to believe in Him.  That anticipated time and means began on the Day of Pentecost with Peter’s words.  Peter, along with the rest of the Apostles, followed through on Christ’s commission to them by baptizing in Jesus’ name.  It was the fulfillment of Matthew 28:19, which was more specifically expressed in Luke 24:47 after He had opened their understanding (verse 45).

What’s remarkably superficial in the unfounded rationale of some to take Jesus’ words in Matthew 28:19 over Peter’s in Acts 2:38 is the fact that Jesus’ words in Luke 24:47, which came after those in Matthew, are totally disregarded by them.  That doesn’t square with a sincere desire to fulfill Jesus’ words!  There, in Luke, we have Jesus’ words!  And they were His last words on the subject!  Why are they not considered by all those who claim to put Jesus’ words first?  They certainly were considered by Peter and the rest of the Apostles, who did indeed put Jesus’ words first, and fulfilled them.

 3. Peter stated this requirement involving baptism as the plan of salvation for the entire Church age.  He said it is for every one of you, even as many as the Lord our God shall call (Acts 2:38-39).  It became the Apostles’ doctrine (Acts 2:42).  It was never veered from in the New Testament but was maintained by all Apostolic ministers.  That word is still in force today.  God is still calling souls by the original message of salvation, which was preached on the first day of the Church and continued throughout the history of Acts.  Millions of people in our own day have obeyed it. 

The Conversion Of The Samaritans

Acts 8 records the Gospel spreading to the country of Samaria.  The significance here is that the Samaritans represent a new class of people responding to the Gospel.  Previously, the Gospel was confined to the Jews.  Samaritans were different from the Jews in that they were neither Jew nor Gentile (non-Jew), but were a mixture of the two.  Of course, ethnicity mattered nothing to God.  Christ died for all and the Gospel is for every creature (Mark 16:15).  Acts 2:38 is for every one of you… even as many as the Lord our God shall call (verse 39).  So Philip went down to Samaria with the Gospel message.  Revival ensued.  The Samaritans believed his preaching of the Gospel and were baptized in Jesus’ name (Acts 8:12,16).  

With this example of numerous people responding to the Gospel and being baptized in Jesus’ name, we have so far in the history of the Church in Acts two countries and two occasions involving thousands of people being baptized in Jesus’ name with nothing contrary remotely apparent.  Bible authority regarding baptism is profoundly established and still there is more.

The Conversion of Saul (Paul)

The conversion of Saul of Tarsus, who became the great Apostle Paul, was one of the most significant things to happen in Christian Church history.  This remarkable event is recorded for us in Acts 9 and is recounted by Paul himself in Acts 22 and 26.  The significance of his conversion lies in the fact that he was previously determined to wipe out Christianity but, upon his unexpected conversion, he became one of the greatest proponents of Christ’s Church, enlarging it by his own missionary endeavors and writing about half of the New Testament Scriptures.  His was a conversion of great consequence.  But how was he saved?  Did his conversion involve baptism?  Indeed, it did.  And it is recorded in a very powerfully instructive way.  

Paul’s encounter with Christ on the Damascus road changed his life.  He became a believer immediately.  Many would say he was saved there.  But salvation involves remission of sins and the narrator of Paul’s conversion took great care to point out that remission of sins for him did not occur until three days after his encounter with, and belief in, Christ.  Remission of sins took place at his baptism, as is consistent with the Great Commission.  And his baptism was in the name of Jesus.  As he recounted the experience himself when he was witnessing to his fellow Jews, he quoted Ananias, the Christ-sent man who attended his conversion, as saying to him,  And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord (Acts 22:16).  His baptism effected the remission of his sins three days after his belief in Christ on the Damascus road. The significance of this chronology screams to be noticed.  Its doctrinal implication is profound.  It proves that baptism does indeed save because it is the means by which we receive remission of sins and that justification does not occur when a person believes in Christ apart from baptism.  It powerfully illustrates what Jesus taught in the Great Commission regarding baptism.  Exactly in accordance with Scripture, Christ’s Commission was fulfilled in the Apostle Paul when he was baptized in Jesus’ name.  We shall see later that he, likewise, regarded the same conditions of the Great Commission when he embarked on soul winning.

The Conversion Of The Gentiles (non-Jews)

In the case of the conversion of the Gentiles, recorded in Acts 10, we add a new and final people group to the list of converts receiving the Acts 2:38 message and being baptized in Jesus’ name.  Gentiles are non-Jews.  So, therefore, the Gospel was opened up here to the rest of the world.  This occasion adds to the significance of the examples of conversion we have seen so far in Acts because now we have included all classes of humanity— Jews, Samaritans, and Gentiles— and all of them received the same Gospel message.  The Great Commission to reach all nations with the Gospel was being fulfilled.  And Acts 2:38-39 was being fulfilled.  It was being proved that this one, universal Gospel message was for every one of you, …even as many as the Lord our God shall call.  Let’s go to Acts 10 to see it unfold.

We find in this chapter that Peter was divinely persuaded to follow three men to the household of a Gentile named Cornelius in Caesarea.  They had told him of an angelic visitation that Cornelius, their master, had received along with an order to send for Peter, who would tell him what he needed to do (Acts 10:3-6).  We can see from this that heaven was still backing Peter’s message 10 years after the Day of Pentecost.  Peter began to preach to him of the resurrected Christ.  Even while Peter was preaching, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word (verse 44).  They knew this because they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God (verse 46).  Then in verse 48, Peter commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord (Jesus).  So what Peter had introduced on the Day of Pentecost for the Church age and for all people is evident now among the Gentiles.  What’s also very significant here regarding baptism is the fact that it is commanded (verse 48), even after they had received the Spirit of God, making it plain that no spiritual experience precludes the necessity to be water baptized in Jesus’ name.

This is a powerful example highlighting the need for Acts 2:38 since we read such an illustrious account of Cornelius’ devotion prior to conversion.  He is said to have been a devout man, and one that feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God alway (Acts 10:2).  The angel that visited him said, Thy prayers and thine alms are come up for a memorial before God (verse 4).  Those two verses provide a powerful testimony as to his belief in, and relationship with, God.  He was no trifler in religion.  It shows that people can have a vibrant relationship with God prior to fulfilling the New Testament plan of salvation.  Yet he needed to fulfill the requirements of Christian salvation spelled out in Acts 2:38.  As fine as his life and faith were prior to Peter’s coming, he was not saved without Acts 2:38.  This is evident from the angel’s words as recounted by Peter (Acts 11:14).  Here the angel is quoted as telling Cornelius that he must send for Peter, who would tell him words by which he and all his household could be saved.  And, from the perspective of our study of the Great Commission and its fulfillment, it’s easy to see why Cornelius wasn’t previously saved and needed to hear Peter’s words.  Salvation must include the remission of sins.  And that occurs by baptism.  Peter, accordingly, said plainly and unequivocally in his first epistle that baptism saves (1Peter 3:21).  Cornelius, as good as he was, needed to be baptized because baptism saves!  How would it be possible to state the necessity of baptism, and its efficacy, more plainly?  Remember Peter was taught by Christ, Who Himself said, He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved (Mark 16:16). 

The Re-baptism Of The Disciples At Ephesus

The present occasion under consideration is recorded in Acts 19:1-7 and involves the Apostle Paul on his third missionary venture.  He arrived in Ephesus, a major seaport city in Asia Minor.  Upon arrival, he found certain disciples.  Commentators agree that they had been believers in Christ for more than twenty years.  This case is especially significant because it involves re-baptism in order to fulfill the requirement that Christian baptism be in the name of Jesus.  As previously stated, the name of Jesus is declared to be the only saving name in the New Testament (Acts 4:12).  That fact is displayed here.  The disciples whom Paul met were previously baptized unto John the Baptist’s baptism, which did not involve Jesus’ name.  Paul explained to them that John’s baptism was preparatory to the coming of Christ.  That indicated that there was further revelation to come once the Messiah’s Kingdom was put in place.  They accepted his exhortation and were re-baptized in the name of Jesus.  Upon their obedience to baptism in Jesus’ name, they were filled with the Holy Ghost and spoke with tongues.

Once again, this is a most emphatic expression of the need to be baptized in Jesus’ name.  John 1:6 records of John the Baptist that he was a man sent from God.  The same was sent to baptize (verse 33).  Jesus said of him that there was not a greater born of women (Matthew 11:11) and that those who rejected his baptism rejected the counsel of God against themselves (Luke 7:30).  But as great as he was and as great as his baptism was in its time, it was superseded on the Day of Pentecost by the new and fuller revelation of baptism in Jesus’ name, as given by Jesus in the Great Commission.  And if language and logic mean anything, then the baptism that replaced John’s, which itself could not be rejected without rejecting God Himself, cannot be rejected without similar peril.  What took place in the ministry of the Apostle Paul in Acts 19 with these believers in Christ stresses the need to be baptized in Jesus’ name.  It gives Bible authority to re-baptize anyone who is not so baptized.  Paul, obviously, was fully in agreement with Peter regarding the need and efficacy of baptism in Jesus’ name.  And in this example of these Ephesians, we have yet another example of previous, vibrant faith— even in Christ Himself— and of long duration, not being sufficient reason to dismiss the need for baptism in Jesus’ name.

Brief Summarization Thus Far

The historical picture God gave us here in Acts is often overlooked but it must not be.  It clamors for our notice for it bears upon us most forcefully.  It shows the fulfillment of the Great Commission.  Baptism was made by Jesus to be the essence of the Great Commission.  Take away baptism, and you destroy the Great Commission.  You remove the Christ-appointed faith-response to the Gospel and alter Christianity.  Take away baptism and you take away remission of sins and, thus, deny biblical justification.  Acts fulfills what Jesus said in the Great Commission, that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem (Luke 24:47).  The history of the Church that God, in His wisdom, chose to record in Acts shows the Gospel proclaimed for the first time to the Jews on the Day of Pentecost.  From there it spread to the Samaritans, then to the Gentiles, showing that the same Gospel was for all the peoples of the world.  In fact, Peter himself was on hand and involved in all three of these occasions.

What’s more, the Apostle Paul was converted in the identical way and, as a minister, insisted on the very same message of salvation, as we saw in Ephesus (Acts 19:1-7).  This Ephesian example may be the most powerful and demonstrative of all.  It showed those who previously believed in Jesus Christ were baptized in Jesus’ name upon learning of it from the Apostle.  It was certainly the goodness of God that included this example because very many people since have been in the same situation.  I believe the wisdom of God provided it for the millions of souls today who believe in Him, many of them earnestly and for a long time, but have never been baptized in His name to have their sins remitted according to His prescription in the Great Commission.  When it comes to the subject of salvation, there is no more serious matter to consider than remission of sins.  And that is accomplished by baptism in Jesus’ name.

Further Examples Of Baptism In Acts

The five examples provided above are the most detailed and important references to baptism in the book of Acts.  But there are also other examples following upon Paul’s missionary ventures that show baptism was the believers’ regular response to the Gospel (See Acts 16:14,15,31-33; 18:8.).  Virtually everywhere Paul evangelized, though no other detail of his converts’ salvation be mentioned, still the Scriptures recorded that they were baptized.  Can a single example of Christian salvation be seen in Acts to have occurred without baptism?  No!  Or, can a single example of baptism be seen where any other name than Jesus was used?  No!  Acts does not witness of any belief system or salvation example that denies baptism in Jesus’ name.  

While we have shown by examples in Acts that baptism is essential for salvation, there is nothing there to show that salvation occurs without it.  It also plainly states that baptism is for the remission of sins (Acts 2:38; 22:16).  That’s what makes baptism so essential because without remission of sins there can be no Christian salvation (Mark 16:16; 1Peter 3:21).  Hebrews 9:22 states that without shedding of blood is no remission.  It implies that without remission, there is no salvation.  Baptism in Jesus’ name is for the remission of sins. 

Baptism Describes One’s Spiritual State Of Being

Following are several examples where it is evident that one’s spiritual state of being is affected by baptism.

The Pharisees Who Rejected John’s Baptism

There is an interesting passage in Luke that points out how baptism affects one’s position with God.  It is Luke 7:28-30.

28 For I say unto you, Among those that are born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist: but he that is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.

29 And all the people that heard him, and the publicans, justified God, being baptized with the baptism of John.

30 But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the counsel of God against themselves, being not baptized of him.

John the Baptist’s baptism was vital in its time.  Jesus said that those who received his baptism justified God, that is, they acknowledged that God’s way was right (NIV).  But those who rejected his baptism rejected the counsel of God against themselves.  Their position in God was according to their position regarding John’s baptism. 

As we pointed out a little earlier in the example of the Ephesian disciples in Acts 19, John’s baptism was superseded by Christian baptism.  Replacing John’s baptism lays vast emphasis on the importance of baptism in Jesus’ name.

The Apostle Paul (Saul of Tarsus)

Paul’s sins were not remitted until he was baptized in Jesus’ name.  Therefore, he was not yet saved, though he was a believer in Jesus Christ and had submitted to Him in repentance.  Comments in the following example may help explain this.

Cornelius

It was plain to see in the experience of Cornelius in Acts 10 that his religious character and relationship with God, which seem extraordinary and remarkable (verses 1-4), were not sufficient for salvation (Acts 11:14).  This example shows that faith in God does not necessarily translate into salvation, nor does mere relationship with God.  But biblical faith and covenant relationship do.  The Bible consists of two covenants, the old and the new.  The terms of each covenant are what is important because a covenant’s specific terms cannot be disregarded or be arbitrarily changed.  The terms of the New Testament, or, New Covenant, were inaugurated on the Day of Pentecost and were based on Christ’s Great Commission.  The new covenant, being so established, cannot change.  For that to be possible, Christ would have to change His Word.  But He affirmed that heaven and earth would pass away first (Matthew 24:35).  That’s why Peter commanded Cornelius and his household to be baptized.  That is very strong language.  But it was according to a strong and lasting covenant that God had graciously made with mankind.  It was salvation that began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard Him (Hebrews 2:3).  Even though Cornelius and his household were people of strong faith and had just been filled with the Holy Ghost, the condition for salvation was not complete.  They must be baptized, and so Peter commanded them (Acts 10:48).  Upon this, Cornelius and his household, who were previously called unsaved, were added to the Church, just as those on the Day of Pentecost were said to have been, who had heard the very same message from Peter (Acts 2:41).  Chapter 10 closes on their baptism. 

The Ephesian Disciples

Looking briefly at this case in Acts 19 one more time, we can see that the Apostle Paul actually assessed the spiritual state of the long time believers in Ephesus by their baptism.  Upon meeting them, he quickly asked regarding their baptismal experience, both Spirit baptism and water baptism.  He, being the wise missionary that he was and great soul-winner and Kingdom-builder, would not have done so if baptism wasn’t a telling means, a true indicator, of spiritual state.  He wouldn’t have inquired about a matter that had no spiritual significance.  The only conclusions one can draw from this whole context is that baptism is vital and that it has to be the correct baptism for this Christian era.  He is seen to be practicing at Ephesus what he preached in his Ephesian letter, One Lord, one faith, one baptism (Ephesians 4:5).  

Apollos

Apollos was an eloquent preacher.  Acts 18 says that about him.  The Bible has a lot of praise for this minister.  It furthermore says he was mighty in the Scriptures (verse 24).  Verse 25 starts out by saying of him, This man was instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in the spirit, he spake and taught diligently the things of the Lord.  Verse 26 says he spoke boldly in the synagogue.  He was a real good preacher, as we might say.  It sounds as though he was quite anointed, too.  That generally tends to convince us that a preacher is all right.  He was taught, and believed, that Christ was the Messiah and he preached this fact powerfully from the Old Testament Scriptures.  So far, so good.  But then we get a strong indication of doctrinal deficiency.  The Bible, not man, describes Apollos’ state by his knowledge of baptism!  It describes him as knowing only the baptism of John.  His experience and preaching were lacking and it was so observed by his knowledge of baptism.  He was not preaching the full truth.  And some of what he was preaching no longer applied to his hearers.  Sometimes that can be an honest mistake but it still needs correcting.  Sincerity doesn’t equate to truth.  His effectiveness in his task was impaired by his ignorance of current, covenant truth.  Error never yields positive results.  And he wasn’t accomplishing what he thought he was.  Souls were not really being saved because they weren’t receiving the true plan of salvation.  He wasn’t preaching to them Acts 2:38.  This is the same deficiency in Acts 19 with the Ephesian believers.  

Believers and preachers today can still be categorized in this way.  Nothing has changed.  Correct knowledge of baptism is still vital.  Deficiency in the knowledge of baptism is common and is extremely dangerous.  And we have two powerful biblical examples (Apollos and the Ephesian disciples) that show it must be corrected.  In the case with Apollos, Aquila and Priscilla, ministers who were acquainted with Paul, took him aside and expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly.  That, “more perfect way of God”, of course, referred to the knowledge of baptism, which was the area of his deficiency.  They taught him the newer revelation of baptism in Jesus’ name just as Paul did in the case of the Ephesian believers.  And in the next verse, indicating his compliance with this admonition, the brothers in the faith wrote their fellow disciples, exhorting them to receive him.  This all makes baptism look very important!

Had Apollos not conformed to the Apostolic teaching on baptism, what effectiveness might his ministry have had?  It’s true that he could still lead people to know that Jesus is the Christ.  And that’s a great step in the right direction.  And that’s exactly why God had been using him.  From that initial step of faith, any one of his hearers who placed his trust in Christ could potentially learn of the increased light of truth from another source and be saved, just as those in Acts 19 were.  But if they did not, they would miss the vital remission of sins that comes by being baptized in Jesus’ name.  And Apollos’ ministry to them would not have had the effect he might have believed it did.  

But conforming to Apostolic doctrine, based on the Great Commission, Apollos became a true witness of Christ and could effectively lead souls to remission of sins. 

Conclusion

Jesus said to His Apostles in the Galilee occurrence of His Great Commission, He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved (Mark 16:16).  In His last commission to them in Luke 24, He opened their understanding and declared baptism to be in His Own name.  Peter, in accordance with Christ’s declaration, announced on the Day of Pentecost the plan of salvation for the Church age.  On the very first occasion of the Great Commission being applied, he said, 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. 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. (Acts 2:38-39).  Peter attended the conversions of the Jews, Samaritans, and Gentiles.  They all received the identical salvation experience, involving Spirit baptism and water baptism in Jesus’ name.  The Apostle Paul was converted by, and preached, the same Gospel message that Peter preached on the Day of Pentecost.  He re-baptized believers who had previously been baptized according to John the Baptist’s baptism.  Acts shows that assessment was made concerning the spiritual state of believers by their baptismal experience.  There was an insistence on using the saving name of Jesus in baptism.  Baptism in Jesus’ name is what Jesus taught in His Great Commission and was the only baptism that was accepted by His ministers in the book of Acts.  God is good to give us means whereby we can know we’re saved, salvation being such a vital issue, and the choosing of it being relegated to our time here, our state being irreversible after this life.  Acts provides us with the greatest assurance of salvation in that it brings to our eyes the examples of conversion that occurred under the ministry of those Christ hand picked and personally taught. 

Part 3

Baptism Puts One Into Christ

Baptism is both a practical and theological necessity.  It is a practical necessity in that it is for the remission of sins.  It is a theological necessity because it is the means, along with receiving the Holy Ghost according to Acts 2:38, whereby one comes to be in the Body of Christ.  These two elements of water baptism and Spirit baptism comprise the new birth experience of John 3:5.

Romans 6:3-5

3 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into His death?

4 Therefore we are buried with Him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

5 For if we have been planted together in the likeness of His death, we shall be also in the likeness of His resurrection:

Notice that verse 3 says that we were baptized into Jesus Christ and into His death.  Verse 4 says that we are buried with Him by baptism into death.  Baptism is the means whereby we are in Christ.  Verse 5 says we are thus, planted together in the likeness of His death.  And by that planting we are promised the hope of being in the likeness of His resurrection.  Obviously, a lot hinges on baptism.  It is a seminal experience.  Its efficacy cannot be overstated.  It remits sins, and puts one in Christ, and by it there is hope of new, everlasting life.

Galatians 3:27

For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

Paul again refers to baptism being the means to put one into Christ.  He said you have been baptized into Christ.  And by that baptism, one has put on Christ, as though clothing oneself with Christ.  That is very descriptive language relating to the efficacy of baptism.  

Colossians 2:12

Buried with Him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with Him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised Him from the dead.

Here Paul continues his theme of burial with Christ in baptism.  By this means of baptism he claims one is buried with Him and risen with Him.  That terminology is very theologically charged.

Baptism As A Seminal Experience

Its Relation To Receiving The Holy Ghost 

The importance of baptism as a seminal experience cannot be denied.  In Part 1 of this document, under the heading, The Second Commission In Galilee, we pointed out that the promise of receiving the Holy Ghost followed upon obedience in the area of repentance and baptism.  Peter said, 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.  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 (Acts 2:38-39).  Peter stated that the promise of receiving God’s Spirit followed upon obedience to repentance and baptism.  Therefore, baptism promotes further experience in God, specifically the experience of receiving His Holy Spirit.

Its Relation To Holiness 

What’s more, baptism is associated with the subject of holiness in Romans 6.  In fact, Paul used baptism there as the basis for his instruction on holy living.  We see from this that baptism is not only an important doctrine itself but it begets theology.  Notice that Paul did not sit down just to write the great things he did about baptism in Romans 6.  Baptism was actually incidental to his aim.  His purpose was to use it to address another subject and found that subject on it.  He reasoned that baptism, from a theological standpoint, necessitates holiness.  Baptism makes it clear that God wants us to be free of sin.  He washes away our sins in baptism as if to say, “I don’t want to see your sin.  I am putting it out of My sight forever”.  Baptism, thus, implies that future sin would be just as offensive to God.  What would be the point of remitting sins in the first place if they were just allowed to pile up again?  God doesn’t want to see sin.  Sin is, of course, that which separated us from God in the first place.  And Jesus went to Calvary in order to bring about a remedy to it.  Recall that John the Baptist said of Christ’s mission, that He is the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world (John 1:29).  Therefore, God forbid (Romans 6:2,15) that a Christian should continue in sin.  In Titus 3:5, Paul referred to the disposal of sin by baptism and of the new life that emerges as, the washing of regeneration.  By baptism in Jesus’ name, Christ has washed us from our sins to live a new life of holiness.  That is the desired end for the redeemed.  Paul made this point throughout the rest of the chapter.  But his reason is based on baptism.

Conclusion

Water baptism is not the little subject that some make it out to be.  Rather, it’s massive.  It is one of the very most important subjects in the Bible.  Because it affects remission of sins, it ranks in the top three of biblical subjects of relevance.  The Apostle Paul summarized Christianity by saying, One Lord, one faith, one baptism (Ephesians 4:5).  Baptism fits in that profound context because it ranks so highly.

The Kingdom Of God 

© 2020 by James V. Maurer, Sr.

Revised 11.6.20 

The Bible speaks considerably about a realm known as the Kingdom of God.  Just as certainly, God’s Word assures us that we can be a part of His Kingdom and clearly points out the means of entrance into it.  For many people, however, the requirements for admission are either unknown or clouded over by various man-made ideas and beliefs.  This brief study is a simple approach designed to make you aware of the biblical requirements for entering the Kingdom of God.

Before we begin, ask yourself this question: “How does one enter into the Kingdom of God?”  Write down your answer; you may wish to refer to it later.

To determine what the requirements are, it will be helpful to examine exactly when the Kingdom of God, as it is described in the New Testament, began.  Here again, ask yourself a pertinent question: “When did the Kingdom of God begin?”  Record your answer.

Now to continue, let’s consider the following points:

John the Baptist lived prior to the time of the Kingdom.

Matthew 3:1-2

In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea,

And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

“At hand” indicates the time was near, though it had not yet arrived.  Jesus confirmed the fact that John lived prior to the time of the Kingdom in Matthew 11:11.

Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.

Jesus spoke of the imminence of the Kingdom of God.

Jesus’ message concerning the Kingdom was similar to John’s.  He emphasized that it was soon to take place. 

Mark 1:14-15

Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God,

 And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.

We draw from this passage of Scripture the fact that, in Jesus’ time, the Kingdom of God was not yet present, though certainly about to happen.  It was, as Jesus described it, “at hand”.

Peter was given the keys to the Kingdom!

The Apostle Peter played a unique role in the Kingdom of God, one that is often overlooked.  Jesus, in anticipation of the close of his earthly ministry, gave Peter the “keys to the Kingdom of heaven”.  This is an extremely important fact.  These “keys” signify a means of access into a realm that would otherwise be impossible to enter. 

Matthew 16:15–19

15 He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?

16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.

17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.

18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

19 And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

Notice the authority handed to Peter in verse 19.  He was given power to make things binding on earth and in heaven. 

Next we want to see how this exclusive authority given to Peter was carried out.

The Kingdom of God began the same day the Church was born.

Fifty days after the resurrection of Jesus and ten days after His ascension, about one hundred and twenty close followers of Christ, including the Apostles and Mary, were gathered in an upper room in Jerusalem following instructions of Christ to wait for the promise of the Holy Ghost.  While prayer was being made, unprecedented circumstances took place which marked the birth of the Christian Church. 

Acts 2:1–4

And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.

2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.

3 And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.

4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

Word of this event was circulated among the Jews who were gathered in Jerusalem from all parts of the world to keep the Jewish feast of Pentecost.  While multitudes assembled to witness this curious event, Peter addressed their wonder and amazement by stating that what they were witnessing was the fulfillment of Joel’s prophecy concerning the outpouring of God’s Spirit upon all flesh. He concluded his message by declaring that Jesus, whom they had crucified, was now both Lord and Christ, fulfilling the Messianic Psalm (Psalms 110) and denoting the beginning of Christ’s Kingdom.  While conviction and condemnation gripped their hearts, the anxious crowd asked, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” ( V. 37).  The significance of Peter’s reply cannot be overemphasized for several reasons.

1. He was the man who possessed the “keys to the Kingdom of heaven”.

2. He had authority from Jesus to bind and loose.

3. The occasion added to the significance.  This was the day the Church was born—  the commencement of the Kingdom of Christ and the very first day of Christianity. 

In the next verse, Peter used the keys to the Kingdom of heaven and made the means of entrance plain and accessible to everyone.

Acts 2:38

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.

As Peter continued in verse 39, he made it clear that the keys which gave entrance to the Kingdom on the birthday of the Church would continue to give entrance throughout the Church age.

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.

God hasn’t changed the means to acquire Kingdom access.  Neither should any man attempt to change the keys.  And should any person seek to use a different means of entrance, let him not be surprised when his attempts to enter result in failure.

We have just read about the Kingdom of God being opened to men for the first time on the day of Pentecost. Let’s examine these keys in Acts 2:38 again.

• Repentance

• Water baptism in Jesus’ name (not titles Father, Son, and Holy Ghost)

• Reception of the Holy Ghost with the initial evidence of speaking in other tongues, or, languages

Jesus and Peter agreed on the terms of entrance into the Kingdom.

These requirements for entrance into the Kingdom of God stated by Peter in Acts 2:38 match perfectly Jesus’ description of new birth into the Kingdom of God, involving water and Spirit, in John 3:5. 

Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

Acts 2:38 is clearly the New Testament plan of salvation. It was spoken by the Apostle that Jesus authorized with the keys to the Kingdom.  It was spoken on the very day the Kingdom was made accessible to men.  It was said in response to the question,”What shall we do?”  And it was precisely what Jesus said entrance into the Kingdom would involve: water and Spirit.

The plan of salvation was universal in scope.

The same means of salvation was universally applied throughout the period of Church history recorded in the New Testament.  Converts to Christianity were all saved the same way regardless of who they were or where they lived.  Notice in the following examples how every class of people was born into the Kingdom of God by the basic elements of water and Spirit, as prescribed by Jesus and the Apostle Peter.

• Jews.  Acts 2:38   Plan of salvation was initially and formally stated:

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.

• Samaritans.  Acts 8:16-17

16 (For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.)

17 Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost.

• Gentiles.  Acts 10:44-48

44 While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word.

45 And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost.

46 For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God. Then answered Peter,

47 Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we?

48 And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then prayed they him to tarry certain days.

• Disciples, or, “Christians”.  Acts 19:5-6

5 When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.

6 And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied.

This last reference in Acts 19 is important because it deals with men who had already believed in Christ, having been taught by John the Baptist.  Although they had previously received John’s baptism, they had not yet been born into the Kingdom of God.  Their experience with Christ began while the Kingdom was still, “at hand”, and not yet open to men.  They were unaware of what was made binding on the birthday of the Church.  However, upon learning the message from the Apostle Paul, they immediately complied with the terms of new birth.

It is very significant that God has included these four examples of conversion in His Word, because they involve every class of humanity.  Everyone is either a Jew, a Samaritan, or a Gentile.  God couldn’t make it any clearer or emphasize it any stronger that the means of salvation He has provided in His Word is for everyone alike.

And the example of conversion provided in Acts 19 of people who already believed in Christ emphatically points to the necessity of fulfilling the plan of salvation to the letter.  It speaks loudly to the multitudes of people in our world who already believe in Christ and have expressed faith in him but, for some reason or another, have not learned the exclusive means of entrance into the Kingdom of God.  To these people, it provides a powerful example to fulfill New Testament requirements of salvation and not remain outside the Kingdom clinging to something less than the fullness of the Gospel message.  Jesus’s words make the means of entering his Kingdom clear, but also narrow.  “Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God”.

Through repentance, water baptism in Jesus’ name, and the infilling of the Holy Ghost, we are born into the Kingdom of God and become members of His Church. Paul wrote to the Church at Colosse, saying, “giving thanks unto the Father… Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the Kingdom of His dear Son”. (Colossians 1:12-13).  To the Church at Rome, he wrote, “For the Kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost” (Romans 14:17). 

Copies of Peter’s “keys” were handed to all New Testament ministers.

Acts 2:38 was the singular message of salvation taught by all the Apostles and ministers of the New Testament Church.

• Peter— Acts 2:38; 10:44-48

• The rest of the 11 Apostles— Acts 2:42 

What Peter had enjoined in Acts 2.38 became the “Apostles’ doctrine”.

• Philip— Acts 8:12,16-17

• Ananias— Acts 9:17-18

This is the man who told Paul (formerly, Saul) what he “must do” (Acts 9:6).  See also Acts 22:16.

• Paul— Acts 19:1-6

Paul preached to the disciples at Ephesus about 21 years after Peter’s message on the day of Pentecost, yet the conditions he stated for New Testament salvation

were identical to Peter’s keys.

• Apollos— Acts 18:24-27

Prior to meeting Aquila and Priscilla, Apollos apparently believed similarly to those in Ephesus, “knowing only the baptism of John”.  But Aquila and Priscilla 

took him unto them and “expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly”.  No doubt, it involved the same enlightenment that Paul shared with those in Acts 19 regarding Christian baptism and the infilling of the Holy Ghost.  Verse 27 says that the Christian brethren wrote to those disciples to where he was going to “receive him”.  And we also know that he came to be a companion of the Apostle Paul, who corrected the incomplete faith of those in Ephesus.

There is no other Gospel message of salvation. 

As we have pointed out, all the New Testament ministers of the Gospel preached the same message of salvation.  There are no Biblical examples of anyone preaching anything differently in the early Church.  In fact, the Bible condemns anyone preaching another message.  Note the emphasis for true salvation doctrine in the following Scriptures.

Galatians 1:6-9

6 I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:

7 Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.

8 But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.

9 As we said before, so say I now again, if any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.

Verses six and seven define “another gospel” as a perversion, or, alteration, of the true Gospel of Christ, thus, rendering it false, so as to remove one from Christ (v.6).

Romans 16:17-18

17 Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them.

18 For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.

2 Corinthians 11:13-15

13 For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.

14 And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.

15 Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.

1Timothy 1:3

 As I besought thee to abide still at Ephesus, when I went into Macedonia, that thou mightest charge some that they teach no other doctrine

Matthew 7:15

Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.

Ephesians 4:5

One Lord, one faith, one baptism

Only the proper “keys” can assure entrance into the Kingdom of heaven.

As we stated previously, the keys that provided entrance into the Kingdom on the day of Pentecost are the very ones that give us access today.  Peter said, “For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are a far off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call” (Acts 2:39).  Nothing short of repentance, baptism in Jesus’ name, and the baptism of the Holy Ghost will provide residence in the Kingdom of God. 

Sometimes keys can be close, even fit the lock, and yet not be precise enough to turn the knob.  For this reason Jesus solemnly warned of ”many” religious people who live their lives expecting to enter the regions of glory beyond but who will only meet with grave disappointment.

Luke 13:23-24 

23 Then said one unto him, Lord, are there few that be saved? And he said unto them,

24 Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.

Matthew 7:21–23

21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?

23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

The startling expression, “I never knew you”, implies that, though these people obviously had some knowledge of Christ and a religious experience involving his name, they had not met the requirements of new birth to enter into the Kingdom of God, or did not live up to it.  Jesus would never say to those that have been truly his children, “I never knew you”.

The evidence is sobering and staggering that those who embrace false messages of salvation, like obtaining a non-identical key to the Kingdom, have no hope of entering.  What else can be drawn from the scriptural statements that follow?

Matthew 15:9

But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.

Matthew 15:13-14

13 But he answered and said, Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up.

14 Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.

2Corinthians 4:3-4

3 But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:

4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

The devil’s Job

Since Apostolic times, the devil has not ceased to tamper with the Gospel message of salvation.  In his determined effort to keep humanity out of the Kingdom of heaven, he has worked relentlessly to alter the keys required for entrance.  After all, what could more effectively accomplish his goal?

The devil alters the keys by supplanting the words of Peter on the day of Pentecost either with words from another context or words of men (For example, “Accept the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Savior.”).  What makes this sly act of deception so cruel is the fact that those who are deceived in this way walk through life believing they are saved and trust that the keys handed them will provide them entrance into heaven.  But the sad fact remains that they have received altered keys and not those originated by Peter on the birthday of the Church.  And, since they have not fulfilled the exclusive New Testament requirements for salvation, they will be sadly disappointed at the last day.  Jesus never promised eternal life with Him outside of the means He has provided in His Word to obtain it.  That is why He solemnly warned us to “beware”.  Read the preceding passages of Scripture again and notice the emphasis that is laid upon following Christ according to the correct precepts.

What human nature often fails to realize, and what the devil would love to keep us oblivious to, is the fact that we have a spiritual enemy whose chief concern is to block entrance of souls into the realm of God’s Kingdom and truth.  The devil’s job in this earth is to do exactly what he is doing— prevent souls by whatever means possible from attaining heaven.  And nowhere is his energy more concentrated, or more effective, than in the subtle area of deception where he offers a substitute means of salvation, or, to continue the use of this practical metaphor, non-identical keys to the Kingdom.

The devil’s combination of truth and error is his most successful and deadly tool.  Most people who accept the enemy’s substitutes for the original keys are deceived by the religious nature of the substitutes.  They often sound too “Christian” to arouse suspicion of being incorrect.  They may even be Scriptures themselves, such as John 3:16; Acts 16:31; Romans 10:9; Ephesians 2:8,9; etc..  As great as these individual Scriptures are in the truth they teach, they do not contain all that is required for new birth.  A sincere person can eliminate all doubt as to which is the correct formula for salvation by simply matching various keys with the keys Peter presented on the day of Pentecost.  We know Peter’s keys were correct because he received them from Christ.

The parable of the wheat and the tares

Jesus wanted us to be aware of the devil’s involvement in this business, so He left us a graphic illustration in His parable of the wheat and the tare.  Please read Matthew 13:24–30, 36–43.  In this parable, Jesus described the condition that would exist through the Church age in which His true Gospel message of salvation— wheat seeds— and false messages of deception— tare seeds— would coexist.  The Lord’s interpretation of this parable reveals the devil as being the true source of error and brilliantly unveils his purpose and activity in the earth.

First of all, we learned that, while executing his evil schemes, the devil endeavors to remain undetected by men (“while men slept”).  He would like us to forget he even exists.  An awareness of his presence would naturally alarm his would-be victims to guard against anything amiss and, therefore, frustrate his efforts to plant erroneous teachings.

It is also significant to note that the devil, as portrayed in the parable, did not pull the wheat out of the field.  That would have presented an insurmountable task.  He knew the most feasible means of diminishing the Lord’s harvest was to slyly sow a substitute.  And the most striking and dangerous aspect of this deceptive act is that the substitute he planted resembled wheat.  This is exactly how people become fooled by false doctrine.  It is often the case that ministers and churches which teach them appear true and respectable in men’s eyes.  This is the “sheep’s clothing” referred to by Jesus.  Suspicion of erroneous teaching, then, never occurs.

But how does this parable teach us which “seeds”, or, doctrines, are wheat, and which are tares?  The answer is simple.  You will notice that the wheat was sown first and the tares later.  The Apostles and first ministers of the Church sowed the wheat in the book of Acts, beginning on the Day of Pentecost.  The plan of salvation, involving repentance, water baptism in Jesus’ name, and the infilling of the Holy Ghost was universally taught by all the ministers of the early Church from the beginning.  Jesus confirmed the fact that the Apostles held the words of salvation when He prayed, “Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on Me through their word” (John 17:20).  The facts in this matter are so clear a child need not be confused.  Anything that is not identical to the teaching of the first ministers of the Church, as revealed in Acts, came later and is, therefore, tare.

Conclusion

In light of all the material covered regarding the Kingdom of God, it is evident that certain requirements exist for gaining entrance.  It is also evident that many false concepts exist, none of which can provide entrance.  It, therefore, behooves us to heed the admonition of Paul, who said, “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith”.  The stakes are high.  Eternal life rests upon obedience to the plan of God.  The devil has offered substitutes since the Garden of Eden and not one has been accepted by God.  Heresies, false doctrines, and alternatives to serving God exist that man may exercise his God-given power of choice (1Corinthians 11:19).  It is only through the exercise of choice that one manifests his true character and is thereby approved or disapproved of God.  To choose correctly is to manifest an earnest desire to be right with God. 

Paul’s words to Timothy provide a fitting conclusion.

1Timothy 4:16

Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.

See Blogpost 34 on this subject here. 

The Ten Greatest Theological Facts

© 2020 James V. Maurer, Sr. 

12.18.20 

🔴 1/ Scripture interprets Scripture (Isaiah 28:13).    

This simple rule means that Scripture always resolves itself.  Where ever there is ambiguity, especially in the area salvation doctrine, it will provide its own clarity by thorough comparison with related Scriptures.   A good example is Matthew 28:19.  It qualifies as an obscure Scripture since it has more than one possible interpretation.  But, when it is compared with other Scriptures related to Christian baptism, its meaning is clear.  Jesus was calling for His Own name to be used in the baptismal formula.  He made this fact evident in His later commission recorded in Luke 24:45-47.   And all Christian baptisms were administered in the name of Jesus (Acts 2,8,10,19). 

✦ Proper study will reveal truth (2Timothy 2:15).  

Everyone can come to the knowledge of the truth (John 7:17; 1Timothy 2:4).  

✦ There is no support of false doctrine in the Bible (Proverbs 21:30; 8:6-10).  

🔴 2/ Each Scripture only has one meaning. 

Scriptures may have many applications but every Scripture only has one meaning.  Each Scripture only means what it means to God Who gave it.  Our role is to discover Scripture’s correct meaning through study.  Misinterpreting Scripture is equivalent to changing the meaning of Scripture.  No one likes being misinterpreted or taken out of context.  

An accurate translation of the Bible is important.  Often today, emphasis is merely on ease of reading.  

✦ Context is important to a Scripture’s meaning. 

There are no less than 12 possible contexts which can bear on the meaning of Scripture.  

A few of them are: 

• Local context 

• Chapter or division of the book context 

• Covenantal context 

• Topical context 

• Literary genre context 

• Authorship context 

🔴 3/ Sequence of revelation must be observed to obtain correct interpretation of Scripture. 

If understanding of the Bible’s message is to be obtained, the Bible cannot be approached as a smorgasbord.  That will leave a person all mixed up.  Biblical revelation flowed in a particular sequence out of necessity.  That sequence must be recognized in order to understand the Bible’s message.  This fact is particularly true about salvation doctrine.  Proper interpretive methodology is to follow the sequence of revelation.  For example, many people err in forming salvation doctrine by skipping over the book of Acts.  They find appealing verses in the Gospels or in the Epistles and settle on them as the plan of salvation.  That’s probably the biggest mistake a person can make.  Christian salvation is displayed in Acts.  Nowhere does the Bible offer a greater effulgence of revelation on the subject.  By discounting the content of Acts, people get confused about the message of the Gospels and Epistles.  

The remedy to that error is this: If a person would receive the Bible’s message (or come to recognize it) in its revealed order, he would never be confused about salvation.  The Gospels teach us about Christ and His efficacious death on the cross.  Receive that before proceeding forward.  The book of Acts showcases Christian salvation.  Receive that exactly as it was received from the beginning.  You will rightly be able to claim salvation and it will prevent you from being confused when you get to the Epistles, which, by the way, we written to saved persons.  The Epistles largely expand on God’s tremendous grace in offering salvation through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus (Romans 3:24).  That redemption that is in Christ Jesus is what we see in Acts.  No one who has received the salvation experience of Acts will confuse the message of Romans, Galatians, or any other Epistle.  That’s because he has received the salvation message exactly as it unfolded and was received in the biblical era.  

✦ Former revelation sheds light on newer revelation.  New revelation cannot contradict what previous revelation established.  

🔷 Regarding Christianity: 

🔴 4/ The Great Commission governs Christian preaching.  

Christ alone is the Author of salvation and determines its tenets (Hebrews 5:9).  Christ revealed the tenets of salvation in His Great Commission and charged His Apostles to witness those things (Luke 24:48).  The Great Commission was initially fulfilled on the Day of Pentecost.  No one is authorized to preach anything differently from what was revealed in the Great Commission and fulfilled on the Day of Pentecost.   

🔴 5/ The Gospel is the specific Word of Christ to save a lost world in His absence (2Corinthians 5:18-20). 

When Jesus was on earth, He saved people by the power of His spoken Word*.  His time on earth would be short, so He called Apostles and commissioned them to preach the Good News which included the specific terms that would bring salvation to those who believe.  The Gospel literally saves in the place of the physical Person of Christ.  That’s because Christ has authorized us as His ambassadors to speak His particular saving Word in His stead (Luke 10:16).

*Jesus saved people with His Word as He walked in this world.

Mark 2 The palsied man

Mark 16:9 Mary Magdalene

John 8:11 The woman caught in adultery

Luke 7:36-50 The woman with the alabaster box at Simon’s house

Luke 23 The thief on the cross

✦ The saving benefits of Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection come to us through the tenets of the Gospel.  

The tenets of the Gospel are made available and efficacious to us through Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection.  Calvary underwrites the gracious remission of sins we receive through baptism in Jesus’ name (Matthew 26:28), which qualifies us for the precious gift of the Holy Ghost (John 16:7). 

The fact that salvation only occurs through the terms of the Gospel is evident in Paul’s conversion.  On the Damascus Road, Christ spoke directly and audibly to Paul (Saul) but, rather than pronouncing him saved as He did others while on earth, He directed Paul to someone else who would tell him what to do (Acts 9).  Three days later, a Christian minister, named Ananias, came and led him to be baptized and receive the Holy Ghost.  

Another example of this regards our role as God’s ministers to effect remission of sins (John 20:23).  How can we possibly remit the sins of someone coming to Christ?  Only God can forgive/remit sins (Mark 2:7).  Yet, Jesus said we would.  His reference in John 20:23 was to baptism in Jesus’ name, which came to be fulfilled on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:38).  The only way we can remit sins is through this wonderful tenet involving the saving name of Jesus (Acts 4:12).  Thanks be to God for it.   

 🔴 6/ The Day of Pentecost is the inauguration of Christianity.  

The Christian era literally began on the Day of Pentecost.  It is the first day of the New Covenant, which had just been effected by the death of Jesus (Hebrews 9:16-17).  This makes the Day of Pentecost a dynamic context.  It is dynamic because it is literally when Christian evangelism and salvation were inaugurated.  It is the birthday of the Church.  It is the consequence of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus (John 16:7; Acts 2:33).  It is the fulfillment of the Great Commission.  It is the one-time, historic event that determines the course of Christian history, much like Mt. Sinai did for the Jewish Law dispensation.  That’s why the plan of salvation was revealed on this day for the entire Church age (Acts 2:38-39).  In fact, there is no other place in the New Testament where the plan of salvation was announced.  Peter supported it by the prophecy of Joel and it became binding for the duration of the Christian era (Matthew 16:19).  It was immediately received by thousands on that day and was accepted by the Apostles universally (Acts 2:41-42).  Christianity was thus established on the Day of Pentecost. 

✦ The Day of Pentecost determines salvation doctrine.  

Because the Day of Pentecost is the inauguration of Christianity and for the reasons stated above that describe the Day of Pentecost as a dynamic context, that day necessarily determines the plan of salvation.  It had to be apparent on that day and it was.  When inquiry into salvation took place, the answer was immediately provided and thousands were saved (Acts 2:37-41).  That marked a watershed in redemptive history.  Christianity proceeded from that dramatic point without contention or reservation about the tenets of Acts 2:38.  Salvation revealed became salvation accepted.  The plan of salvation was never edited.  It came to be experienced throughout the world, as recorded in Acts (2,8,9,10,19).  The means by which the first Christians were saved became determinative for all persons to be saved.  In fact, that’s exactly how Peter expressed it on day one (Acts 2:38-39).  

✦ The Day of Pentecost proves the plan of salvation.  

Since the Day of Pentecost is the initial point of Christianity, it proves by precedent what the plan of salvation is.  Peter himself later used the reference point of the Day of Pentecost as the standard for accepting the Gentiles into the faith (Acts 11:15).  Uniquely, the Day of Pentecost profoundly and fairly judges all claims of salvation doctrine.  Anyone who states a means for someone to be saved must be able to identify it as the plan of salvation on the Day of Pentecost.  In other words, it must appear after the question in Acts 2:37.  

✦ No other proof of salvation doctrine is needed, though the Bible provides many.  

There are many biblical proofs of Christian salvation doctrine.  But the Day of Pentecost is unique in that, as a dynamic context, it singularly proves the plan of salvation.  No other proof from the examples of conversion in Acts, which followed accordingly, are necessary to support Acts 2:38, though they are, of course, corroborative.  They exist because of the standard set in Acts 2:38.  Nothing in the Epistles is needed to prove Acts 2:38 is the plan of salvation, though there is much corroborative evidence there as well.   For example, Galatians 1:8-9, Ephesians 4:5, and Jude 3 all confirm Acts 2:38 as the plan of salvation.  Nothing else has existed from the beginning, leaving angels and men powerless to change.  Every Christian salvation reference in the Epistles or anywhere in the New Testament is about Acts 2:38. 

✦ Nothing can oppose Acts 2:38 as the plan of salvation in the Christian era.  

The Day of Pentecost proves the salvation tenets of Acts 2:38 by declaration and demonstration.  And they were stated to endure throughout the Church age (Acts 2:39).  Christianity advanced from that initial point in Jerusalem into all the world, as Jesus charged His Apostles (Luke 24:47).  No other claim of salvation doctrine can be made in the Christian era.  It would be an attempt to subvert what was established on the Day of Pentecost.  It would make the Word of God on the inaugural day of Christianity of none effect, even nonsensical.  It would, literally, replace biblical Christianity.  

✦ What about expressions in the Epistles, such as Romans 10:9-10 and Ephesians 2:8-9? 

None of the Epistles make a presentation of the Gospels or state the plan of salvation.  All of them, when expressing salvation theology, summarily depict the Acts 2:38 salvation experience.  They describe the theological essence of salvation consisting of grace and faith, of which the practical essence is the tenets of Acts 2:38, involving the gracious remission of sins and infilling of God’s Spirit.  

Nothing in any of the Epistles introduces anything different about salvation than what was presented and experienced on the Day of Pentecost.  The practical essence of every theological description of Christian salvation is Acts 2:38.  It is the grace of God which is appropriated by faith.  However a verse or passage of Scripture describes Christian salvation, it describes Acts 2:38.  It is the benchmark of every verse of Scripture about Christian salvation in the entire Bible.  

✦ The Christian era is the dispensation of grace, which comes through faith in Jesus Christ.  Logically, then, the Bible must illustrate that grace and faith on the Day of Pentecost since that is when it was initiated. 

Speaking of grace, Acts 2:38 is the most gracious verse of Scripture in the Bible.  It is the very height of the grace of God to those who believe.  Its simple, but profound, theological essence is grace through faith in Jesus Christ.  It is the very biblical process of justification by faith, which, as a theological concept, was initiated on the Day of Pentecost.  Let me illustrate. 

In Acts 2, the former crucifiers of Christ (v.23) were convicted by Peter’s words and, accordingly, asked what to do (Acts 2:37).  Their very question was a demonstration of newly placed faith in Christ.  Peter answered with the simple tenets of salvation with which Jesus commissioned His Apostles and by which personal justification could be obtained (Acts 2:38).  Justification primarily involves remission of sins, which was offered to them through baptism in Jesus’ name.  The gift of the Holy Ghost was promised upon that cleansing.  That is justification (1Corinthians 6:9-11). 

There were no personal works involved in order to procure salvation beyond the imperatives of faith.  And all those who obeyed them were added to the Church.  What they experienced that day was profoundly the grace of God brought about through faith in Jesus Christ upon hearing Peter’s preaching (Romans 10:17).  They received the theological, justification by faith in Christ, that comes through the tenets of salvation offered in Acts 2:38.  The New Testament does not offer a greater presentation of the Gospel nor a more perfect example of justification by faith than what is evidenced on the Day of Pentecost.

🔴 7/ The fourfold credal declaration of Ephesians 4:4-6. 

✦ There is one God. 

The one God of the Old Testament manifested Himself in flesh to redeem the human race.  

Acts 24:14 

Colossians 1:15; 2:9-10 

1Timothy 3:16; 6:14-16 

2Corinthians 5:19 

Romans 9:5 

Titus 2:10 

✦ There is one faith (Christianity). 

The Bible does not acknowledge any other faith than Christianity as legitimate (Matthew 15:13-14; John 14:6).  

✦ There is one baptism (i.e., means of being in Christ).  There is only one plan of salvation.  

There is one universal means to be a Christian, which Paul styled here as being baptized into Christ since being saved involves water and Spirit baptism.  The plan of salvation was revealed on the Day of Pentecost and is showcased elsewhere in the book of Acts in numerous instances, involving thousands of people over a period of time equivalent to a generation.  The two baptisms— water baptism in Jesus’ name for the remission of sins and Spirit baptism— comprise Christianity.  There is no salvation apart from remission of sins (implied in Hebrews 9:22; Matthew 26:28) and receiving the Holy Ghost (John 3:5; Romans 8:9; 1Corinthians 12:13; 1John 4:13).   

Acts 2:38 is the plan of salvation for the Christian era.  This is according to: 

• The Day of Pentecost— the first incidence of Christian salvation 

• Old Testament Prophecy (Peter based what he preached on Joel’s prophecy of the Spirit and salvation involving the name of the Lord.) 

• The Great Commission 

• Peter— the chosen vessel to reveal salvation doctrine 

There has only ever been a single means of salvation (being in right standing with God) since the beginning of human history (Genesis 2:17).  That means that, in any given dispensation, salvation for one is salvation for all.   

✦ There is one hope.  

We are all in the same race— called to the same great salvation (2Timothy 4:6-8).  We’re all hoping for the Rapture and eternal life in the Holy City.  We are all members of the one family of God (1Corinthians 12:12-13).  

🔴 8/ The blood of Jesus is applied through baptism in Jesus’ name.  

Christ’s blood was shed for the remission of sins (Matthew 26:28).  Remission takes place at baptism (Acts 2:38; 22:16).  Paul provides a good example of this when he came to believe in Christ on the Damascus Road.  He talked with Christ there one on one and submitted to Christ but his sins were not remitted until he was baptized (Acts 9; 22:16). 

Revelation 1:5 says Christ washed us from our sins in His Own blood.  This statement will only jibe with previous revelation if Christ’s blood is applied at baptism.  And Paul explains how it does.  Baptism is a mystical burial with Christ into His death (Romans 6:3-5).  That is when we come into contact with His blood.  

🔴 9/ The Holy Ghost baptism is evidenced by speaking in tongues.  

The Christian era is the dispensation of the Spirit (2Corinthians 3:8; Romans 8:9).  The ministry of Christ is as Spirit Baptizer (Matthew 3:11; e.g., John 3,4,7,14,20)  A person without the Spirit is not a Christian in the strict biblical sense (Romans 8:9).  He may be a God-fearer and have a vibrant relationship with God (e.g., Cornelius, Acts 10).  But, on that level, he is not considered saved (Acts 11:15).  His relationship is non-covenantal.  To be a Christian, the terms of the Covenant are unavoidable (John 3:5; Acts 2:38-39). 

Persons who wish to biblically prove speaking in tongues is the initial evidence of receiving the Holy Ghost have many evidences at their disposal, both hard and circumstantial.  But, the fundamental interpretation surrounding receiving the Holy Ghost and speaking in tongues was done two thousand years ago under divine inspiration.  Peter was divinely led to understand Joel and give an answer on the Day of Pentecost that applies to everyone. That is when the issue was first addressed (Acts 2:12).  Peter declared that speaking in tongues is the fulfillment of Joel’s prophecy regarding God’s promise to pour out His Spirit on all flesh (Acts 2:17-18, 41).  And those in Peter’s audience received it.  Therefore, people today must do the same.  The prophecy indisputably guarantees every person the same gift, to be received in the very same way (Acts 2:38-39).  

What Peter presented on the Day of Pentecost was never challenged in Scripture.  Speaking in tongues was understood to be the universal evidence of the infilling of the Spirit (Acts 10:46; 11:15).  Nothing more was ever added to Peter’s explanation of speaking in tongues as the evidence of Spirit baptism.  The early Church proceeded on Peter’s preaching and proliferated (Acts 2:41-47).  And, today, nothing else is needed.  Acts 2 is the biblical precedent and is the sufficient answer for the Church age.  It was based upon the enlightenment Christ gave His Apostles concerning Old Testament prophecies relating to salvation (Luke 24:47).  Therefore, Peter’s explanation of speaking in tongues as the fulfillment of Joel’s prophecy about the universal outpouring of the Holy Ghost is all the proof that is needed for anyone to conclude that Holy Spirit baptism is accompanied by speaking in tongues.  As it was accepted then, it should be accepted now.  People often freely accept false doctrine and move forward from that point, never to reconsider.  If only they could do the same with true interpretation of Scripture. 

✦ The difficulty for moderns is two-fold. 

1/ Often, they don’t know how to read the simple message of Scripture.  

2/ Some people don’t want to receive the simple message of Scripture.  Therefore, they have trouble accepting biblical revelation.  

✦ From the fact that Holy Ghost baptism is evidenced by speaking in tongues, it is clear that the Holy Ghost baptism is a separate experience from coming to believe in Christ and from water baptism. 

🔴 10/ Holiness of life is the theological consequence of salvation. 

Salvation is the theological basis for holiness.  That is because salvation is the remedy to the Fall.  It, therefore, lifts us out of sin, resulting in holiness (Matthew 1:21).  Without holiness, no man shall see the Lord (Hebrews 12:14; 2Thessalonians 2:13; Matthew 5:8).  

✦ The theology of Jesus (John 3:5)    

Salvation is regeneration, which results in a new person (Ephesians 4:22-24; 2Corinthians 5:17).  That’s why being born again is a requirement.  It is the only way to overcome the sinful nature.  New birth means new life.  The person is being remade. 

✦ Paul’s theology (Romans 6:3-5):

Paul used remission of sins is a theological argument for holiness of living (Romans 6:3-5, 11-23).  If Christ remitted our sins, He never wants to see them again.  It implies that we will not sin after conversion— like the Prodigal abiding at his father’s house rather than returning to the far country.  But each of us must walk in the Spirit (Galatians 5:16).  

The salvation brought to the world by Jesus is so complete that, when a person turns to Christ (repentance) to be saved, he turns from being a sinner to become a saint.  Salvation does not occur without expected consequences in lifestyle (Hebrews 6:9).  

✦ Peter’s Theology (1Peter 1:22-33): Being born again of incorruptible seed will result in incorruption just as birth by corruptible seed produced corruption.  Being born again, we are partakers of the divine nature (2Peter 1:4). 

✦ John’s theology (1John 2:1): The person is so radically changed by Christ that, even though he still retains his corrupt nature until the completion of redemption at the Rapture, his sinning is placed in the category of if, not when.  The sinful nature is still present until the Rapture.  A person, thus, can still sin.  But sin does not dominate his life as it did before receiving his new nature.  

✦ The evidence of personal experience: Anyone who has experienced regeneration in Christ can testify of the chains of sin having been broken in his life.  Salvation by new birth renders him a new creature (2Corinthians 5:17).