[ This article is a religious tract. It was originally written for that purpose. It addresses the same kind of topics that religious tracts might. Namely, it briefly describes how to become saved. (The topic of this tract pretty-much stops at that point.) Although it is not as brief as most other religious tracts, it still provides what I think is a very, very brief line of reasoning for every statement that is made. Having said that, it also does not provide a thorough, or even a complete treatment of the topics discussed. It is, after all, merely a religious tract. ]
One should use the Bible, and only the Bible (especially in today's environment) in order to determine what God has or has not said. For this discussion at least, let us forget what our mother, pastor, business associates, or friends say (or what they will think).
ROMANS 3:4 God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged.
1 THESSALONIANS 5:21 Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.
Therefore, since God authored the Bible, let us discuss only what the Bible has to say about God and man.
After the Resurrection, Jesus told the Eleven:
MARK 16:15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
MARK 16:16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.
And so, baptism is required in order to become saved. (We'll discuss this later in this pamphlet). But in whose name are men to be baptized? After the Resurrection, Jesus said:
MATTHEW 28:18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
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:
But on the Day of Pentecost, Peter taught:
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.
QUESTION: Did Peter do as Jesus commanded, or not?
ANSWER: Yes, Peter did do as Jesus commanded.
Peter understood what Jesus said at Matthew 28:19, for he was personally instructed by Christ, along with the other eleven. Consider what else Christ said after His resurrection, during that same timeframe:
LUKE 24:44 And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me.
LUKE 24:45 Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures,
LUKE 24:46 And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day:
LUKE 24:47 And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.
LUKE 24:48 And ye are witnesses of these things.
LUKE 24:49 ¶ 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 "power from on high" was given on the Day of Pentecost: it was the outpouring of the Holy Ghost, and the events of that day are recorded in Acts 2. On this day, the Apostle Peter was filled with the Holy Ghost (along with the others). Therefore, when Peter said Acts 2:38, he spoke under the direct guidance of the Holy Ghost. Keeping all of this in mind, did Peter follow Christ's commandments? He did absolutely! And what did Peter do? He said:
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.
If the first President of the United States were to issue an executive order, he would sign his name as "George Washington." This is because the name of "the President, and of the Chief Executive, and of the Commander–in–Chief" was "George Washington:" that one person bore all three of those titles.
Peter followed Christ's commandment at Matthew 28:19 by commanding men to be baptized "in the name of Jesus Christ." Why then, in Matthew 28:19, did Jesus say "in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost?" Briefly put, the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost is "Jesus Christ."
According to Jesus Christ Himself, part of the most important commandment includes the understanding that God is One–not three persons. He said:
MARK 12:28 ¶ And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all?
MARK 12:29 And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord:
MARK 12:30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.
Likewise, the Apostle John also understood it the same way. John wrote:
1 JOHN 5:7 For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.
And furthermore, Jesus flatly said it:
JOHN 10:24 Then came the Jews round about him, and said unto him, How long dost thou make us to doubt? If thou be the Christ, tell us plainly.
JOHN 10:25 Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed not: the works that I do in my Father's name, they bear witness of me.
JOHN 10:26 But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you.
JOHN 10:27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
JOHN 10:28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
JOHN 10:29 My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.
JOHN 10:30 I and my Father are one.
JOHN 10:31 Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him.
JOHN 10:32 Jesus answered them, Many good works have I shewed you from my Father; for which of those works do ye stone me?
JOHN 10:33 The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God.
Whose hand are His sheep in? Is it the Son's hand (verse 28), or the Father's (verse 29)? If the Father and the Son were two different persons, then His answer at verse 30 was contradictory. On the other hand, if God were one person (similar to the George Washington example mentioned above), then there is no contradiction.
At John 10:24, Jesus was asked to tell them plainly whether or not He were the Christ. Directly responding to this, Jesus said plainly that He (the Son) and the Father are one, at verse 30. The Jews that He answered understood what He said–they just didn't believe Him. They tried to stone Him for making Himself God (verses 31-33). The Jews saw no such contradiction, and they heard Him face–to–face.
Consider another example:
JOHN 12:44 ¶ Jesus cried and said, He that believeth on me, believeth not on me, but on him that sent me.
JOHN 12:45 And he that seeth me seeth him that sent me.
JOHN 12:49 For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak.
According to verse 49, the Son was sent by the Father. However, according to verse 45, the Son was sent by the Son (as Jesus said, he that seeth me seeth him that sent me). If a man were to look at Jesus, who exactly did they see, the Father, or the Son? If God were "in three persons," then Jesus' statements were quite contradictory. On the other hand, if God were one person (similar to the George Washington example mentioned above), then there is no contradiction whatsoever.
Consider yet another example:
MATTHEW 1:18 ¶ Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.
Who is Jesus Christ's father? Is it the Father, or the Holy Ghost? If God were "in three persons," then the conception of Jesus Christ is also contradictory. On the other hand, if God were one person (similar to the George Washington example), then there is no contradiction.
This too was prophesied from the Old Testament:
ISAIAH 9:6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
This "child" spoken of is "The everlasting Father." According to Isaiah, the Son and the Father are the same "person."
The reason why the Apostle Peter baptized "in the name of Jesus Christ" (Acts 2:38) was because he understood Christ's commandment at Matthew 28:19. "Jesus Christ" is the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Read the entire book of Acts, and pay particular attention to each instance in which someone was baptized. Never–not even once–was anyone baptized saying "in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost." Each time a person was baptized–without exception–he was baptized saying "in the name of Jesus Christ," or, "in the name of the Lord Jesus," or in some variation of the name "Jesus Christ."
This should come as no surprise to us, for Zechariah likewise prophesied beforehand of the preaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Zechariah wrote:
ZECHARIAH 14:8 And it shall be in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the former sea, and half of them toward the hinder sea: in summer and in winter shall it be.
ZECHARIAH 14:9 And the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one.
These "living waters" that Zechariah wrote of, are they not the Holy Ghost? Jesus said:
JOHN 7:37 In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.
JOHN 7:38 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.
JOHN 7:39 (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)
Therefore, Zechariah 14:8-9 spoke of the day when the Holy Ghost was to be given to faithful men. This happened first on the day of Pentecost, at Jerusalem! (See Luke 24:49 above, and Acts 1:12 for the location of the events of the day of Pentecost.) Zechariah specifically made the point that at that day, when the Holy Ghost was given to believers, that "there shall be one LORD, and his name one." That one name of this one Lord, is "Jesus Christ." Consider what else Peter said:
ACTS 4:10 Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole.
ACTS 4:11 This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner.
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.
It is for this reason explicitly stated in Zechariah 14:8-9 and Acts 4:10-12, that when a man is baptized, he must be baptized, saying "In the name of Jesus Christ." The Apostle Paul confirmed this:
COLOSSIANS 3:17 And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.
...this includes baptism. After all, the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost is Jesus Christ.
God said to Moses:
EXODUS 4:22 And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD, Israel is my son, even my firstborn:
If Israel is God's "son," then two men speaking–one Jew to another–would call God "our Father," "our Heavenly Father," or simply, "the Father." This terminology from the New Testament is quite reasonable.
Consider the prophecy of Joel, which was quoted at Acts 2:14-21 on the day of Pentecost:
JOEL 2:27 And ye shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the LORD your God, and none else: and my people shall never be ashamed.
JOEL 2:28 ¶ And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:
JOEL 2:29 And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.
The Father and the Holy Ghost are not two different persons. The Holy Ghost is a portion of God's spirit manifest here on earth, and offered to men. About the nature of God, Jesus Christ Himself taught:
JOHN 4:24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
If God is Holy, and if God is a Spirit, then God would also be called the "Holy Spirit" (or the "Holy Ghost" using the older form of English in the King James Bible).
In fact, God has been manifest here on the earth in many different forms in the Old Testament. These manifestations of God have included: as the burning bush (Exodus 3:1-6), as a pillar of a cloud by day (Exodus 13:21-22), as a pillar of fire by night (Exodus 13:21-22), as a whirlwind (Job 38:1), as thunders and lightnings, and a "thick cloud" with the exceedingly loud voice of the trumpet on top of Mt. Sainai (Exouds 19:10-11,16-20), and in several different forms. All of these are not different persons, but God is one, and has manifest Himself here on earth in many different forms, or manifestations.
In the Old Testament, God has even appeared in the form of a man. Consider Melchizedek:
GENESIS 14:18 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God.
GENESIS 14:19 And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth:
GENESIS 14:20 And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all.
Now, consider Paul's comments on this man Melchizedek:
HEBREWS 5:5 So also Christ glorified not himself to be made an high priest; but he that said unto him, Thou art my Son, to day have I begotten thee.
HEBREWS 5:6 As he saith also in another place, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec. [...quoting Psalm 110:4]
HEBREWS 7:1 For this Melchisedec, king of Salem, priest of the most high God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed him;
HEBREWS 7:2 To whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all; first being by interpretation King of righteousness, and after that also King of Salem, which is, King of peace;
HEBREWS 7:3 Without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God; abideth a priest continually.
HEBREWS 7:4 Now consider how great this man was, unto whom even the patriarch Abraham gave the tenth of the spoils.
Only God Himself can be described as the "King of righteousness," or as "...having neither beginning of days, nor end of life..." This man Melchizedek was nothing short of God Himself, manifest here upon the earth in the form of a man.
Later, God came again in the form of a man (as Jesus Christ). This is not anything that He hasn't done before. Why then was the man Jesus Christ called the only begotten son of God? After all, the man Melchizedek was "without father, without mother."
Unlike the man Melchizedek (Genesis 14:18-20), or that man which wrestled with Jacob until the breaking of the day (Genesis 32:24-30), the man Jesus Christ was born of a virgin. In the scriptures, He is called the only begotten Son of God (John 3:16). Why? Consider the conception of Jesus Christ, when the virgin Mary was talking to the angel:
LUKE 1:30 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.
LUKE 1:31 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.
LUKE 1:32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:
LUKE 1:33 And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.
LUKE 1:34 Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?
LUKE 1:35 And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.
The man Melchizedek–God manifest as a man–was never called the Son of God. The man Jesus Christ–God again manifest as a man–is called the only begotten Son of God, or simply, "the Son."
1 TIMOTHY 3:16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.
In the Old Testament, God has been manifest on earth at many different times, and in many different forms, or "manifestations," yet God has always been one "person." In the New Testament, God has been manifest in three different forms: as the Father, the Son, and as the Holy Ghost. His name, as given among us men, is "Jesus Christ!"
Nowhere in the Bible was anyone baptized in the titles of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Anywhere in the Bible that a specific name for baptism is mentioned, that name is Jesus Christ. (Acts 2:38, Acts 8:12-13, Acts 8:35-38, Acts 9:17-18/Acts 22:16, Acts 10:36,47-48, Acts 19:1-5, for example).
Jesus Christ said to the apostle Peter:
MATTHEW 16:19 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.
After the Resurrection, the first time any people became saved was on the day of Pentecost. On that day Peter, filled with the Holy Ghost, bound baptism in the name of Jesus Christ as necessary for the remission (forgiveness) of sins. He said:
ACTS 2:37 ¶ 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?
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.
Whatsoever Peter has bound on earth is also bound in heaven (Matthew 16:19). No man can be saved if his sins are not forgiven, and baptism (immersion in water) is for the forgiveness of sins!
Likewise, consider the salvation of the apostle Paul. (Paul is also called Saul, per Acts 13:9)
ACTS 9:17 And Ananias went his way, and entered into the house; and putting his hands on him said, Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest, hath sent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost.
ACTS 9:18 And immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales: and he received sight forthwith, and arose, and was baptized.
It should be noted that the only name associated with Paul's baptism is "the Lord, even Jesus." The phrase "Father, Son, and Holy Ghost" is nowhere in the book of Acts. Paul received his sight, then he was baptized. Why? Years later, when Paul had returned to Jerusalem and was speaking to the people about Christ, he made mention of his own baptism which was mentioned in Acts 9. Paul recalled:
ACTS 22:12 And one Ananias, a devout man according to the law, having a good report of all the Jews which dwelt there,
ACTS 22:13 Came unto me, and stood, and said unto me, Brother Saul, receive thy sight. And the same hour I looked up upon him.
ACTS 22:14 And he said, The God of our fathers hath chosen thee, that thou shouldest know his will, and see that Just One, and shouldest hear the voice of his mouth.
ACTS 22:15 For thou shalt be his witness unto all men of what thou hast seen and heard.
ACTS 22:16 And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.
Why was Paul baptized? According to Acts 22:16, Paul himself was baptized to "wash away [his] sins," according with Peter's instruction at Acts 2:38! It should be pointed out again, that at Acts 22:16, Paul was baptized "calling on the name of the Lord." According to Acts 9:17, that name was "Jesus." The phrase "Father, Son, and Holy Ghost" is never used in the book of Acts.
If people are to be baptized so that their sins will be forgiven, then WHAT ABOUT FAITH? The same apostle Paul wrote:
HEBREWS 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
Without faith, baptism is meaningless. As our Lord Jesus Christ said:
MARK 16:16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.
And likewise, as the apostle Peter taught:
1 PETER 3:20 Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.
1 PETER 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:
Peter is obviously speaking here about baptism in water. He said here that baptism saves us (Peter's words, not mine!) Baptism–all by itself–is meaningless ("...baptism doth also now save us: not the putting away of the filth of the flesh..."). Baptism must be the result of faith ("the answer of a good conscience toward God"). Faith in the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Without exception, each of the epistles of the New Testament–the books from Romans to the Revelation–were written to the saints, to the Church, to saved people. In none of the epistles was any saved person told how to become saved. That makes no sense. Instead, the epistles–all of them–were instructions to the various congregations of the church on how to live, and how to remain saved.
For example: Why would anyone tell his child how to be born? He's already been born. It would, however, be good for that child to know how to put his clothes on, how to tie his shoes, how to brush his teeth, that he should eat his vegetables, and so–on.
However, the epistles still make reference back to the time in which the people of the church became saved. For instance, consider Galatians:
GALATIANS 3:26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.
GALATIANS 3:27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
Wasn't Galatians written to the saved people of Galatia (Galatians 1:2)? Baptism was referred in the past–tense (and as something of a condition for being considered a "child of God").
Likewise, the book of Romans was written to the saved people of Rome (Romans 1:7). In this book, Paul speaks about sin from Romans 5:9 to at least Romans 8:8. In the midst of his discussion about sin, Paul wrote the following:
ROMANS 6:1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?
ROMANS 6:2 God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?
ROMANS 6:3 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?
ROMANS 6:4 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.
ROMANS 6:5 For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:
ROMANS 6:6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.
While writing about the topic of sin, Paul mentioned baptism. He spoke of being "baptized into [Jesus Christ's] death...that the body of sin might be destroyed." Paul, like Peter, taught that baptism was for the remission (forgivess) of sins.
* * * * * * *
To become saved, one must believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and be baptized in water (immersed in water) in His name, according to the scriptures. This is because the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost is Jesus Christ.
To remain saved, one must live by faith:
ROMANS 1:17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.
and
ROMANS 10:6 But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above:)
ROMANS 10:7 Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.)
ROMANS 10:8 But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;
ROMANS 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
ROMANS 10:10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
ROMANS 10:11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.