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What Must I Do To Be Saved?

  

"Creeds Of Men versus The Word of God"

Jarrod Jacobs

Jesus declared in Matthew 15, "This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me .... in vain they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men" (Matthew 15:8-9). Even though Jesus said this about the Pharisees, we need to understand that people continue to draw nigh (close) to Christ, though in their heart, they are far from Him. How does this happen? One way this occurs is when men make up creed books and disciplines and follow them rather than simply following the Bible.

In this article, we want to discuss some of the more popular creeds of men and show their folly in relation to the Bible. If you are following any of these creeds, we hope that this will help you to do some serious soul-searching and that you will decide to make your life right with God before it is too late.

The first creed we want to notice is the Baptist creed...

Baptist Creed: "Baptism is not essential to salvation, for our churches utterly repudiate the dogma of 'baptismal regeneration'..." (Hiscox, The Standard Manual for Baptist Churches, p. 21, note 8).

The Word Of God: "...baptism doth also now save us..." (1 Pet 3:21).

Many of our Baptist friends and others do not believe baptism is necessary for salvation. What does the Scripture say (Romans 4:3)?

In the "great commission," Jesus said, "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved" (Mark 16:16). (Read also Matthew 28:19). In Acts 2:38, baptism was commanded, "for the remission of sins." In I Peter 3:21, Peter said, "baptism doth also now save us..." Notice please that if we can understand the difference between the phrase, "baptism doth also NOW save us," and "baptism doth also NOT save us," we will know the difference between the Bible truth and Baptist dogma.

In thinking about baptism and its place in our salvation, let us remember that Christ's blood was shed "for the remission of sins" (Matthew 26:28). This is something upon which we can all agree. To continue our thought, remember that when Peter spoke to the Jews in Acts 2, he told them that repentance and baptism were, "for the remission of sins" (Acts 2:38). Therefore, baptism is necessary for salvation in the same sense that Christ's blood is necessary for salvation. If not, why not?

Philip the evangelist taught the people of Samaria and, "men and women" were baptized (Acts 8:5, 12). When Paul was told what to do to be saved, Ananias said, "And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord" (Acts 22:16). Many of our denominational friends will say that in order to be saved a man must, "call upon the name of the Lord and wash his sins away, then he may be baptized (if he wishes) at a later time." As you can see, this teaching is Acts 22:16 in reverse!! Are YOU following this error?

The next creed we will consider is the Methodist creed...

Methodist Creed:"...that we are justified by faith only, is a most wholesome doctrine and very full of comfort" (Methodist Discipline, Art. 9).

The Word Of God:"You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only" (James 2:24).

The Methodist creed of faith-only is very popular in our culture. This creed is not exclusive to the Methodists, but nevertheless, it is in their creed books as well as in others. What are the consequences of this teaching that men are justified by faith-alone?

One consequence is that this creed makes Jesus a liar. He said, "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned" (Mark 16:16).

This creed of salvation by faith only makes the apostles liars. They taught people that salvation is more than faith-only (Acts 2, 8-11, 16, 18, 19). James spoke in terms all can understand when he said, "Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only" (James 2:24).

Is faith necessary to be saved? Absolutely! "Without faith it is impossible to please Him..." (Hebrews 11:6). However, to say that we are saved by faith alone is to contradict the Bible, the Word of God. "For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also" (James 2:26).

This false doctrine of faith-only is denied in the Bible. Will we listen to the Word of God, or the creeds of men? Why not simply take the Bible at its word (II Timothy 3:16-17; I Peter 4:11)?

Let us look at one more creed (belief). This is one that is accepted by most "religious" people...

General Creed (belief) of Most People:All the different churches may work together, accept one another and enjoy each other's fellowship even though they teach and believe different and conflicting doctrines.

The Word Of God:"Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment" (I Corinthians 1:10).

Many today try to look beyond their religious differences in order to be "joined together." Some try to look for "core" issues on which to agree and then allow themselves disagree on other issues. This is not God's plan for unity. Besides this, unity hardly ever comes in this way, for who can decide what the "core" issues will be??

God's plan for unity is found in the Bible, not in man's creeds. In I Corinthians 1:10, we learn that God demands that we be, "joined together" and that we, "speak the same thing." How can this happen? This will happen when we agree to take the Bible as our sole standard of authority (I Peter 4:11; II Timothy 3:16-17)! Disunity and division come when we try to "add" things to the Bible, whether it be creed books like we have discussed, or simply our own opinions and "think-so's." When we give more credence to these things than to the Bible, we are headed for disaster!

The general creed of people wants to accept others in spite of certain Biblical differences. True Bible unity comes by obeying the pattern set forth in the Bible (I Corinthians 1:10; Philippians 1:27, 3:16; II John 9-11). Don't you want unity like that? I do! True Bible unity is only going to come when we obey the Bible, and stop relying on our personal judgment. Let us be united by standing together for the truth in God's word (Phil. 3:16). The Bible ground is the unity ground!!

Before we close, let me encourage you to not believe any creed or doctrine of man. Believe the word of God! Follow its precepts (Psalm 119:104), live the way the Bible says (I Timothy 4:16), follow the Bible's plan for salvation (Mark 16:16), and then live faithfully to God while here upon this earth (I Corinthians 15:58). Why not let us at the Southside church of Christ help you? Do you have any questions or concerns about what has been said? Let us help you find the answers to your Bible questions. We are more than willing to answer and defend the Bible and its teachings in any public or private setting. Is the church of which you are a member willing to say the same thing?

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