International Gospel Hour

Guest (Male): When one speaks of the salvation of God, we must make certain that salvation is according to the word of God as he has spoken. Let's look at some modern-day myths of salvation, coming up from the International Gospel Hour, we'll be right back.

Jay Webb: Hi, this is Jay Webb for International Gospel Hour. Welcome to our broadcast today. For over 90 years, Churches of Christ have proclaimed God's word through our broadcasts. Just ahead is another Bible-based lesson with Jeff Archey of International Gospel Hour. Let's begin.

Jeff Archey: Well, thank you to our Jay Webb and greetings and hello everyone. It's great having you with us today for our studies from the International Gospel Hour. When we say salvation, we mean the salvation of God (Acts 28:28). That is the redemption or the forgiveness of sins which he makes available to humanity through his son.

The Christ warned his disciples to beware of false messengers (Matthew 7:15). In some cases, the false messages which they propagate are myths about salvation. Whenever you hear or read a message about salvation, be sure and compare it with what the Bible says. Sadly, because of an individual's lack of being familiar with God's truth, they are deceived by false teachers about salvation.

Let us point out some of the common fantasies that one might encounter today. Some say there is no such thing as salvation, but what does the Bible say? Well, it tells us that God's son was named Jesus because he would save his people from their sins (Matthew 1:21). The scriptures further reveal that the son offers eternal salvation (Hebrews 5:9), and some people believed to the saving of the soul (Hebrews 10:39). Friend, the salvation which the Lord God offers is real.

And some say because God loves everybody, then every single person will be saved; no one will be lost. The idea of universal salvation sometimes is called universalism. But what does the Bible say? It is true that God loves the world, meaning he loves every human inhabitant of the planet (John 3:16). However, God's book also declares that many are heading down the path that leads to destruction (Matthew 7:13). Those who refuse to forsake the works of the flesh will not inherit the kingdom of God (Galatians 5:21). No friends, not everyone will be saved eternally in heaven.

Others affirm that yes, it is possible to be saved by Jesus, but that is not the only way of salvation. But hear what Jesus himself said: "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6). When the Christ lived on the earth, he spoke what the Father commanded him to speak (John 12:49). So the idea of going to the Father only through his son came from the Father, who does not lie (Titus 1:2). Biblically speaking, salvation is available only through Jesus (Acts 4:10, 12).

Still others claim you can be saved just by being a good person. But you know, friends, such a thought is not found in the Bible. Yes, our Lord said that those who have done good will enjoy the resurrection of life, but in this case, those who have done good are the same as the righteous who will enter eternal life (Matthew 25:46). The righteous are those who do what is right in God's sight. The righteous, or the good, the saved, are those who have their sins redeemed by the blood of his son (Ephesians 1:7).

Doing 10,000 good deeds could never wash away a single sin. Being kind to others is mandatory if we want to please the Lord, but doing nice things does not save anyone from sin. Only Jesus's blood can do that, and he cleanses those who are in him. And some are convinced if you have done really bad things, it is impossible for you to be saved. In his past, Paul was a hateful person and persecuted innocent disciples of Jesus (Acts 8:3). Yet God saved him from his sins according to his mercy (Titus 3:3, 5).

Those who crucified the sinless son of God were told that they could receive forgiveness if they would repent and be baptized (Acts 2:38). If those who committed such a heinous deed could be forgiven, so can anyone living today. Many are persuaded that you can be saved just by calling Jesus Lord. And it is a fact that Jesus is Lord (Acts 2:36), and it is God's will that every human confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:11).

While it is true that confessing Jesus as Lord is essential, it is not enough to secure forgiveness of sins. Hear what Jesus said: "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father in heaven" (Matthew 7:21). According to Jesus, calling him Lord is not sufficient. In addition to acknowledging his lordship, doing or obeying the Father's will is required for entrance into the kingdom.

A prominent teaching today is a person can be saved by praying to Jesus and asking him for forgiveness. This often is called the sinner's prayer. If one reads the entire Bible 10,000 times, he will never find the sinner's prayer in the Bible. Why? Well, friends, because it is not in the scriptures. It is not in John 3:16 or any other Bible verse. When you examine the book of Acts and read about lost people in the first century asking what they must do in order to be saved, they were never told just pray and confess your sins.

They were told to believe that Jesus is the Christ, repent of their sins, and be immersed for the remission of sins (Acts 2:36-38; Acts 16:30-34; Acts 22:16). But what about 1 John 1:9, the verse that says if we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us? Well, that promise of forgiveness for those who confess their sins was addressed to people who already were Christians. We see that from 1 John 5:13 and 1 John 2:12. Praying and asking for God's forgiveness is a privilege that is granted only to those who are in the Christ, as we see the example of Simon in Acts 8:21-23.

Now another popular doctrine is stated something like this: you can be saved by faith only, or all a person has to do is believe. In Romans 10:10, it is written: "For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." How many conditions of salvation are specified in that verse? Two, correct? Those two conditions are number one, believe, and number two, confess. If at least two requirements of salvation are set forth by an inspired writer, then doing just one of them like faith only is not enough.

Yes, believing is mandatory, but so is confessing. And in the context of Romans 10, the confession made is not confession of sin, but confessing Jesus as Lord (Romans 10:9). The Bible affirms that people are justified by faith (Romans 5:1), but it just as clearly declares a man is justified by works and not by faith only (James 2:24). Salvation by faith is a Bible doctrine. Salvation by faith only is a man-made teaching, a false message that helps no one.

And then some propose you can be saved without making any changes in your life, or you do not have to repent. The truth is, one who is not born again cannot enter God's kingdom (John 3:3-5). Jesus said so. Being born again means to become a new person, a new creation in the Christ who has newness of life (2 Corinthians 5:17; Romans 6:3-4). God's messenger told lost people: "Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out" (Acts 3:19).

In fact, God commands all men everywhere to repent (Acts 17:30). Those who desire to be saved by Jesus must deny themselves (Luke 9:23) and cease walking in darkness. Repentance, the changing of one's thinking about sin which results in a change of conduct that forsakes sin, friends, it's not optional. According to the Bible, it is a necessity.

And finally, we have encountered a great number of religious people who say this about water baptism: getting baptized is a good thing to do, but baptism has nothing to do with salvation. A person can be saved without being baptized. Friends, for simplicity's sake in response to this idea, we will ask one question. According to the New Testament, what is the purpose of water baptism? Many who deny the essentiality of baptism are unable to answer this question.

Those who do answer usually do not give a Bible verse to support their assertion that baptism is not a condition of salvation. Well, according to the New Testament, what is the purpose of water baptism? According to Jesus, one is baptized in order to be saved (Mark 16:16). According to Acts 2:38, one is baptized to receive the remission or forgiveness of sins. According to Acts 22:16, the purpose of baptism is to wash away sins. No religious teacher, pastor, father, or so-called Bible scholar can negate the Bible truth that baptism is a condition of salvation.

By his grace, friends, the God of salvation has revealed in the Bible what lost humans must do in order to receive the forgiveness of sins. We thank God for his revealed clear truth. And may we always be ready not only to point out the reality of modern-day myths about salvation, but to open the Bible and help people see what the Bible really says about salvation.

And friends, here at the International Gospel Hour, we want to help you in your study of the Bible. And I know we've talked about some things today that may seem totally strange to you, but friends, they are indeed modern-day myths that need to be addressed. Can we be of help to you in further study of these matters? Our toll-free number is 855-444-6988. If you'd like to call us and would like a copy of this lesson today, we'll be glad to send it to you for your study.

Or if you would like to have a Bible correspondence course by mail to engage in further study, we will help you there. For either one, call us at 855-444-6988. That's 855-444-6988 and just simply say "salvation," and we'll know what you mean. Thank you for joining me today on the International Gospel Hour. I look forward to studying with you another time. I'm Jeff Archey and friends, keep listening.

Jay Webb: Thank you for listening to our broadcast today, and we hope you continue onward with your search and study of God's word. Please join us next time and visit our website at internationalgospelhour.com. God be with you till we meet again.