July 2006
"Faith only," or "all one has to do to be saved is believe," is a widely taught and
believed doctrine of denominationalism which is not found in the Bible. False security about
our eternal welfare is dangerous! We may "feel" we are right with God, but feelings may be
deceptive, and are deceptive when we are unable to find such teaching in the Bible. The
only saved believers found in the Bible are those who obeyed the Gospel by hearing, believing,
repenting, confessing, and being baptized (Gal. 5:6; 2 Thess. 1:7-9). Please read the
words of Christ for yourself (Mark 16:15-16). Notice some examples below.
Saved Believers
- Citizens of Samaria became saved believers by being obedient to the command of Christ.
They heard and believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the
name of Jesus Christ, and were baptized, both men and women (Acts 8:5, 12).
- Simon is another example from the New Testament, of one who as a believer, became
a saved believer when he obeyed the Lord's command to be baptized. The Bible says, "Then
Simon himself believed also: and when he was baptized, he continued with Philip..." (Acts
8:13).
- The Queen's Treasurer, the Ethiopian eunuch, had traveled a great distance to
Jerusalem, in his chariot, as a religious man, for worship, but after hearing the Gospel of
Christ from Philip and realizing his lost condition, he asked to be baptized to become a
saved believer. After confessing his faith in Christ, he was baptized for the remission of
sins (Acts 8:35-39, Acts 2:38).
- John records, by inspiration, that believers have the power to become saved
believers. "But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God,
even to them that believe on His name (John 1:12)."
Jesus did not say that one becomes a child of God, a saved believer, by faith alone, but He
did say that one who does believe in Christ has the power to become God's child. Our faith
should make our hearts receptive to Gospel obedience.
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