Subject: Saved by belief or belief and baptism? |
Bible Note: You are right in saying that the Bible doesn't contradict itself. However, I do believe you are wrong. We have to look and see what is really going on here. The people in the old testemant and even in the time of Christ lived under the old law (the law of Moses). Yes, Christ lived under that law. Christ did however establish a new law. But, "In the case of a will, it is necessary to prove the death of the one who made it, because a will is in force only when somebody has died; it never takes effect while the one who made it is livin." Hebrews 9:16-17 Because of this, the new law Christ established did not go into effect until Christ died. It is before Christ's death that it was taught that one could be saved by faith alone. In the old testament people had to offer sacrifices for their sins. Were they saved by the blood of bulls and goats? Definitly, but not as you might expect. Since God does not exist in time, during the old testament period, Christ had already died in God's mind. The blood of the people's sacrifices were just checks written on the bank account of the blood of Christ. Because of this, they did not need baptism for salvation. After the death of Chist, however, we find that baptism is now a crucial step for salvation. Christ commands his Apostles to go out into all of the world making disciples of every nation and baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit for the remission of their sins. Matthew 28:18-end Another reason why baptism is important is because it is a resembleance of Christ's death. We are our old selves, buried with Christ, then raised to a new life just as Christ was buried and raised on the third day. Also, every example we find of someone being saved after Christ's death involves baptism. Not all instances include the same other steps, but that is because the steps given to the people are the ones they particularly needed. For instance in Acts 2, Peter tells the crowd at Pentecost that they need to repent and be baptized. He doesn't say they need to confess, which is a step mentioned in other places because the people have already confessed. He just gives them what they need. You are right in saying the Bible doesn't contradict itself, but you also have to realize which law the people are living under at the time and which law we live under today. We should be living under Christ's law. |