THE STRASBURG CHURCH OF CHRIST
Strasburg, VA
Let us restore New Testament Christianity!
THE STRASBURG CHURCH OF CHRIST
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THE FIVE STEPS IN GOD'S PLAN OF SALVATION
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Do you have a BIBLE QUESTION? Send it to us here. We will do our best to give you an answer from God's word. The ABC's of Bible Study Why Was The Thief On The Cross Saved Without Baptism?May 27, 2012 Last week: Can Homosexuals Change? Sometimes in a effort to negate the necessity for baptism for salvation, critics will point out that the thief on the cross was saved without baptism. Indeed Jesus did tell this thief, "Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise " (Luke 23:43). Obviously, if he went to paradise with Jesus, he was saved. Was he ever baptized? We have no record that he ever was. Since most of his day had not been, and considering his lifestyle, he probably had not been baptized. If not, does this mean that baptism is not necessary today? What does the Bible say? First, we must consider the context of Jesus' promise to the thief. Jesus lived, and died, under the Mosaic dispensatiion. At that time the law given by Moses at Mt. Sinai was still in effect. Though Jesus was to bring in a New Covenant, He had not yet done so at this time. John had baptized many (See Matthew 3), but he was dead at the time of Jesus' crucifixion (Matthew 6:14-29), and his baptism was not a requirement for all people. Jesus did not give the Great Commission until after His resurrection, and just before His ascension into Heaven. It was in the Great Commission that He first told the apostles to"teach all nations, baptizing them," and "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved" (See Matthew 28:19 and Mark 16:16). Ten days later, on the Jewish Day Of Pentecost, Peter told the believing and penetent Jews, "Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins" (Acts 2:38). So, when they were on the cross, Jesus could tell the penetent thief, "To day shalt thou be with me in paradise," (Luke 23:43) without violating any law or requirement. Second, Jesus was the Son Of God. In fact, John tells us that he is God. John writes, in John 1:1-3, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made." Notice that the "Word" was "was God." Later, in verse 14, John writes, "And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth). " So Jesus had the authority to tell the thief he would be going to paradise after his death, although he had not been baptized. Third, though many who reference the salvation of the thief on the cross are sincere, many others are critics looking for either a contradiction in the Bible or a way to disprove the doctrine that one must be baptized to be saved. In either case, it is important to study the passages related to baptism and see what they, in fact teach. Do they teach that baptism is necessary for salvation? As we saw, Jesus gave the Great Commission after He arose from the dead, and just before his ascension back into Heaven. In Matthew 28:18-20, Jesus said: All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen. Here Jesus commands the 11 to baptize those whom they would teach (make disciples of). In Mark 16:15-16, Jesus says, "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned ." Here Mark includes more details of the Great Commission. In Matthew's account, Jesus commanded the 11 to baptize those whom they taught. Here Mark includes the words, "he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved." So, Jesus says that, in order to be saved, one must believe what is taught (the Gospel, verse 15) and be baptized. So, Jesus says that one must be baptized to be saved! Peter, in his sermon on Pentecost (Acts 2) Obeyed Jesus' command in the Great Commission and told his audience, "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." Yes, the penetent thief on the cross was saved without baptism. But those who wish to be saved after Jesus' death, resurrection and ascension must be baptized to be saved. So the thief's salvation witout baptism is not a relevant argument against the teaching that one must be baptized to be saved. We welcome the opportunity to examine the scriptures with you. Our desire is to give everyone the chance to learn God's will for him. Why not enrol in one of free study curses doday? Just fill in and send us the form at the top right of this page. We also would love for you to visit at our services. We hope to see you soon. L. John Bost Follow @ljbost John Bost | Create Your Badge 
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