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The Gospel:
God’s Power To Save Believers
Kenneth E. Thomas

God’s desire is that every soul be saved. He so stated, and has made provisions to this end. “This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savor; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come to a knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim. 2:3-4). Coming to a knowledge of the truth of the gospel is indispensable, for as stated in the above heading the gospel is “the power of God unto salvation...” (Rom. 1:16). In his letter to the brethren at Corinth, Paul reminded them how their souls had been saved by the gospel. He said: “Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which you also have received, and wherein you stand; By which you also are saved, if you keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless you have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you for of all that which I also received, how Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures: And that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures: And that He was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: After that, He was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some have fallen asleep. After that, He was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time” (1 Corinthians 15:1-8).

It is a fact that in God’s system of redemption centered in Christ and in His church by the gospel, coming to Him is always preceded by teaching. Jesus Himself said, “No man can come to Me, except the Father which has sent Me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the prophets, And they shall all be taught of God. Every man therefore that has heard, and has learned of the Father, comes unto Me” (John 6:44-45). It is a fact that you will find no Christians where the word of Christ has not been taken. To those at Rome Paul wrote, “That if you shall confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved. For with the heart man believes unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation...For whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they be sent? As it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!...So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God (Christ ket), (Romans 10:9-17). In the sixth chapter of that same letter one will learn what calling on the name of the Lord involves. It involves compliance to the commands of Jesus’ “Great Commission.” See (Romans 6:1-6; Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16:15-16; Luke 24:45-49). The Bible is always consistent in this matter. If a person is to be saved (converted) it will be as a result of hearing, learning, believing, and obeying the gospel of the Son of God. This we will show abundantly clear as we proceed.

No Better Felt Than Told Conversions!
The doctrinal position that says man is born depraved and therefore needs a direct operation of the Holy Spirit enabling him to believe and respond is unknown to the Scriptures. As the gospel was preached from the birthday of the Lord’s church on, those being taught were exhorted to “...save yourselves from this crooked generation” (Acts 2:40). Even after salvation from past sins by having obeyed the gospel, Christians were told to “...work out your own salvation with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12). It becomes evident from the text as one studies the Acts of the Apostles of Christ, that as they carried the word of Christ to lost humanity, they expected those to whom they preached to understand and to act upon the instructions given them by inspired Apostles and evangelist. Instructions which had been given to them are to be taught to “every creature under heaven” (Mark 16:15; Romans 16:25-26; Colossians 1:23).

Salvation Is By Grace Through Faith
(Ephesians 2:8-10; Acts 20:24)
Sometimes when we emphasize “man’s part” in his own salvation from alien sins, we are accused of denying either “salvation by faith or by grace, or both.” The facts are, Jesus taught the need for obedience if one is to see or enter into the kingdom of God, His church (Matthew 7:13-28; John 3:3-5). It has never negated either grace or faith for one to meet predetermined and predescribed conditions of salvation. God will only acquit and consider one without guilt before Him whose faith is sufficiently strong to move him to obey (Hebrews 5:9; Galatians 5:6; Hebrews 11:7-13). Take time to read Hebrews the eleventh chapter and James 1:18-2:24, and one will see this clearly. Adam, Noah, Abraham and others were all saved “by grace through faith,” yet they each showed their faith by doing as God instructed. So do we! See (Galatians 5:6).

Repentance That Difficult Command!
There will be many no doubt who will never be converted to Christ for the simple fact that they cannot be led by Godly sorrow into repentance. Some may even go through some outward acts which ordinarily would make one a convert to Christ but remain in their sins because they will not have truly repented. Repentance is literally a change of mind leading to a change in one’s direction or actions. As with all other commands of the Lord, repentance springs from deep conviction that Jesus is the Christ who loved us, died for us. When Paul preached on Mar’s Hill in Athens, Greece he told his audience of how in times past “God had overlooked man’s ignorance however now He has commanded all men everywhere to repent, because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance unto all men in that He has raised Him (Christ) from the dead” (Acts 17:30-31). When John the harbinger of Christ preached to his people the Jews preparing them for their Messiah, as they came to be baptized of John on one occasion he said to some of them, “...bring forth fruit meet (suitable) for repentance” (Matthew 3:8). To be baptized prior to the “Great Commission,” or afterwards, is useless unless one has truly repented. My brethren and I could baptize a lot more folks than we do and have many more attend the congregations where we preach if only we would lower the standards and allow folks who are unwilling to repent and give up everything standing between them and a righteous lifestyle. Some wish to come and be baptized and keep a wife or husband to whom they have not biblical right (Matthew 5:32-32; Matthew 19:1-9; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10; Galatians 5:19-21; Colossians 3:7). Repentance demands making the needed changes. Sometimes even restitution must be made. Can you imagine a bank robber learning the truth of the gospel, coming to be baptized for the forgiveness of sins but refusing to return his ill gotten gain? We would tell him that repentance means giving up that money. Just so must one give up a mate to whom they have no right (Matthew 14:1-4; Acts 19:18-20).

One’s Allegiance To Christ Changed by Confessing Him
Philip the evangelist once taught the treasurer of the queen of Ethiopia on the Gaza strip. He began his teaching efforts at the same passage from which the Eunuch was reading but did not understand. The record says he “preached unto him, Jesus” (Acts 8:35). Soon they came to some water and the treasurer said to the evangelist “here’s water, what hinders me from being baptized?” Philip told him if he believed with all his heart he may. Then he confessed “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God” (V-37). The chariot in which they were riding was halted, both Philip and the Eunuch went down into the water and he baptized him and they came up out of the water...and he went on his way rejoicing.” Read it all from (Acts 8:26-39). Philip had to know he was a believer in Jesus. The only way to find out was ask him and hear his response. Baptism of an infant or any other unaccountable person who can’t believe, repent, nor confess said faith, is invalid, period! End of story, for such cannot meet the prerequisites set by Christ in His “Worldwide Commission” which we have cited a couple of times already in this study.

Baptism-The Final Act of The “New Birth”
(John 3:3-5; Titus 3:5)
1). Hearing changes one’s opportunity to respond. No longer in ignorance (Jno. 6:44-45; Romans 10:16; Mark 16:15).
2). Faith in God the Father, God the Son, and the gospel changes one’s mind (John 3:36) “if you believe you may” (Acts 8:37a).
3). Repentance toward Christ changes one’s will or direction (Acts 17:30; Lk. 13:3).
4). Confession of faith in Christ, changes one’s allegiance (Romans 10:10).
5). Baptism “into Christ” changes one’s relationship (Rom. 6:3-4; Gal. 3:26-27; Acts 2:38,40-41,47).

Writing by divine inspiration, Paul said, “all spiritual blessings...are in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 1:3). This being true, and since one is “baptized into Christ” where these blessings are available, prior to Scriptural baptism one has no access to any spiritual blessing. If that is not true then tell me why not? These blessings are found no where else, and access is denied those who have not been Scripturally baptized (See Romans 6:3-6; 16-18; Acts 2:22-38, 40-41, 47). If this isn’t plain and simple enough, read what Peter said in his first epistle as he compared Noah’s salvation by grace through faith with ours, tying his obedience in building the ark to our obedience in water baptism. “When once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water. There is also now an anti-type which now saves, namely baptism (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 3:20-21).

“Oh, But Baptism Is A Work And Works Don’t Save!”
I wish I had a dime for every time someone has countered my teaching efforts with something akin to the above. Works or human merit, nor works of man’s devising, nor works of he Law of Moses, can save one soul. Salvation is a gift of God’s grace and can never be earned. There is no way to put God in man’s debt. Salvation is FREE! Still, it cost heaven its greatest Jewel, Jesus Christ Himself (2 Corinthians 5:17-21; Hebrews 2:9; Ephesians 2:8-9; Hebrews 9:22; Romans 5:9). This is God’s part! The grace of God that brings salvation has appeared unto all men...”Titus 2:11-12). Still, Jesus said only a “few” will enter the strait gate and walk the narrow way to life eternal. Guess who they are? He said it was those who “do My Father’s will” (Matthew 7:13-14,21).

God Gave Jericho To Joshua
(Joshua 6:1-20)
On what conditions did they get the “gift?” They marched around the city once a day for six days and seven times on the seventh, in the proper arrangement, shouted and blew the ram’s horn and the wall fell down flat before them. But God said, “I have given into thine hand Jericho, and the king thereof, and the mighty men of valor” (Joshua 6:2). Those who would be saved from sin today must show this same kind of faith and accept God’s precious gift of salvation on the terms of the gospel, God’s saving power (Romans 1:16). Those who “obey not the gospel will be punished with everlasting punishment from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power” (See 2 Thess. 1:6-9). Obeying the truth of the gospel purifies one’s soul (1 Peter 1:22-25). What about you? Have you complied by faith to “The Big Five?”

HEAR-BELIEVE-REPENT-CONFESS-BAPTISM
Doing so will make you simply and only a Christian, a member of Christ’s church. (Acts 11:26; Acts 26:28; 1 Peter 4:16; 1 Corinthians 1:10-12).