15 9. What Man Must Do to Become Such As Should Be Saved (Pt 1)
9. What Man Must Do to Become Such As Should Be Saved (Pt 1)
What Man Must Do to Become Such As Should Be Saved
INTRODUCTION In the preceding lesson, the subject, "How to Become Members of the Church," was considered. We viewed the subject in a general way. We learned that the Lord adds to the church daily "such as should be saved," and that being added is conditional. One must do something to become "such as should be saved." Do not forget the strength of Jehovah’s proof: that if we will take all he says on any question, no man can strengthen his proof, or make it more easily understood. Let us test this statement in this lesson. And remember what was said about "the anticipation of the Scriptures"—that is, the Author of the Bible foreknew the errors that would be taught and intentionally put something in his teaching on that subject to shield us from the error.
MAN MUST BELIEVE The absolute necessity of faith. The student will carefully check the following Scriptures:
Faithpurifiesthe heart (Acts 15:9), and the pure in heart are the ones that shall see God (Matthew 5:8).
Those who believe shall through Christ’s name receive remission of sins. (Acts 10:43.) The forty-eighth verse of the same chapter says that we are baptized into the name of Christ. (See also Acts 2:38.)
We aresanctifiedby faith. (Acts 26:18.) And without sanctification "no man shall see the Lord." (Hebrews 12:14.) We are justified by faith. (Romans 5:1.) Whatsoever is not of faith is sin." (Romans 14:23.)
Wewalkby faith. (2 Corinthians 5:7.) "Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him." (Genesis 5:24.) "By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death." (Hebrews 11:5.) There is no such thing as right walking unless it is done by faith.
Right living isby faith. "And that life which I now live in the flesh I live in faith, the faith which is in the Son of God." (Galatians 2:20.) No victory without faith. "And this is the victory that hath overcome the world, even our faith." (1 John 5:4.)
"And without faith it is impossible to be well- pleasing unto him." (Hebrews 11:6.) How can we be saved without pleasing God? And this is not possible without faith. Can you strengthen this proof? The church of Christ—that church he established and that I am happy to represent—teaches that there can be no such thing as a pure heart, justification, sanctification, right living, right walking, overcoming the world, and pleasing God, without faith. The Bible doctrine is, believe or perish! Read all of Hebrews 11 and name the question that is emphasized more than faith is here emphasized.
How does this faith come?
God would not leave us in the dark on a question of so much importance as faith. He would not leave even a doubt about how we get this faith the justifies, sanctifies, and saves.
Collate what God has said on how to get faith. "Belief cometh of hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ." (Romans 10:17.) Study verses 11-17. All faith comes by hearing, but the faith that saves comes by hearing God’s word. Faith in Mormonism comes by hearing the peculiar doctrine of the Mormons. Such faith will not save. Christ says: "Every plant which my heavenly Father planted not, shall be rooted up." (Matthew 15:13.) This was the only way the Gentiles could get saving faith. "God made choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel, and believe." (Acts 15:7.) The devil knows how faith comes. "Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. And those by the wayside are they that have heard; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word from their heart, that they may not believe and be saved." (Luke 8:11-12.) The devil knows the faith that comes by hearing God’s word will save. He does not want the word to get into the heart; and when it does, he attempts to get it out. The doctrine that you can get faith without God’s word is the devil’s most effective way of keeping it out of the heart. Such a doctrine is taught by many. Of such Paul speaks in Ephesians 4:14 in warning us not to be tossed about with every "wind of doctrine." Some of these "winds of doctrine" are that the word of God is a dead letter, and that the sinner’s heart is totally depraved and beyond the reach of the word. But God knew that such error would be taught, and anticipated it in these words: "For the word of God is living, and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword." ("Quick and powerful" is the rendering in the King James Version.) (Hebrews 4:12.) It is a "two-edged sword"—the sharpest of all—and it cuts to death with one of its edges all error, and with the other edge the saving faith is established in your heart.
If God gives faith in some mysterious, miraculous way, independent of his word, why do we send Bibles and missionaries to heathen lands? Why does God not give them faith without these agencies? THE KIND OF FAITH THAT SAVES The Bible speaks of at least two kinds of faith— the living faith, or perfect faith; (2) dead faith, or imperfect faith. (James 2:14-26.) It is living faith, and not dead faith, that saves. Faith only—faith by itself—is declared to be a dead faith. How could God make it plainer than he has here? When the Bible says we are purified by faith, sanctified by faith, justified by faith, what kind is meant? Who would say a dead faith can purify and justify?
Examples of the two kinds of faith: (1) Dead faith.John 12:42-43 : The chief rulers "believed on him." Were they saved? John 3:36 : "He that believeth on the Son hath eternal life." Do these chief rulers have eternal life? They believed on the Son, but it was faith only, and that kind of faith is dead. Note that it says: "But because of the Pharisees they did not confess it, lest they should be put out of the synagogue: for they loved the glory that is of men more than the glory that is of God." Here is your dead faith. It does not save. Who would say these chief rulers were saved? (2) Living faith.Acts 6:7 : "And a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith." What is the difference in the faith of these priests and the chief rulers? one has the obedience of faith and the other has faith only. The former will save and the latter will not. John 3:36 : "He that believeth on the Son hath eternal life; but he that obeyeth not the Son shall not see life." When the Bible says faith does anything for us, it always, without an exception, means the obedience of faith. The faith mentioned in the commission Christ gave to his apostles was the obedience of faith. "Through whom we received grace and apostleship, unto obedience of faith among all the nations." (Rom. I:5.) And in Romans 16:25-26, Paul says: "According to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the commandment of the eternal God, is made known unto all the nations unto obedience of faith."
Read also Romans 6:17-18 from the King James Version.
It is plain, then, that faith purifies, sanctifies, justifies, and saves; but it does this for us when we step out in whole-hearted surrender and obedience to what God’s word says for us to do. In Mark 16:16 Christ says: "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that disbelieveth shall be condemned." He that believeth not" is put over against the one who believes and is baptized; hence, one that merely believes, as did the chief rulers, and refuses to be baptized, is not to be considered the believer who becomes "such as should be saved." As a final argument, turn to Acts 2:37-41; Acts 2:47 and find that the ones that were added to the church were those who became "such as should be saved," and that these were those who "gladly received the word" and were baptized. The obedient faith saves. "For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision; but faith working through love." (Galatians 5:6.)