By Mike Riley

It is not uncommon to hear sincere religious folks speak of being saved by “faith only”. They say, “All you have to do is believe in the Lord Jesus Christ”. Their statement is designed to convey the concept that one is saved at the exact point in time when one believes in Jesus. Those who are proponents of “faith only” salvation need to understand that there is a world of difference between salvation “by faith” and salvation “at the point of believing.” The Bible teaches salvation by faith (John 3:16; Romans 5:1; Acts 16:31-34; Mark 16:16; Romans 4) but it does not teach salvation by faith only. If you doubt that statement, then let’s deal honestly with the following observations:

By Mike Riley

All religious groups recognize the importance of faith in relation to salvation. Yet, few understand what true biblical faith really is. The popular idea today is that one can simply “believe in his heart” and immediately he is saved. What does the Bible say about saving faith?

By Mike Riley

Is baptism essential for salvation? That baptism is essential to one’s salvation becomes very apparent as you begin to study with an open mind the various passages in the New Testament on baptism. By baptism: (1) we are saved (Mk. 16:16; Tit. 3:5; 1 Pet. 3:21), (2) we are born again and enter the kingdom (Jn. 3:5), (3) we are forgiven of sins (Acts 2:38), (4) we have our sins washed away (Acts 22:16), (5) we contact the blood of Christ and are placed into Christ (Rom. 6:3-4), (6) we are added to the one body (1 Cor. 12:13), and (7) we put on Christ (Gal. 3:27).

By Mike Riley

6) Baptism Is Like Giving Life To The Dead

The sinner is dead in his trespasses and sins (Ephesians 2:1). He is separated from God by them (Isaiah 59:1-2). God only can give new life to those dead in sin. It is “not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost” (Tit. 3:5-6). In this passage, to “regenerate” is to make alive again. Renewal has the same basic meaning. When does God do this for sinners? When their sins are “washed away” in the waters of baptism (Acts 22:16). When we are baptized in water, He gives the “gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38). So we are “made alive” or “born again” from our death in sin by God when we are baptized (Romans 6:9-11).