Now, if you will do that, the way is simple. “God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). “But without faith it is impossible to please him” (Heb. 11:6). So if you are going to follow the Bible, the first thing you must do is believe. Again Jesus said, “Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish” (Luke 13:3). So the next thing you will do is repent.
I heard a man say this week that the only thing you had to do in order to be saved was just believe, but the Bible says, “Except ye repent ye shall all likewise perish,” and repentance is not believing. Repentance is at least one thing you must do after you believe or else the Bible says you will perish and have no chance to be saved.
And then on the day of Pentecost Peter said, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins” (Acts 2:38). It is not hard to see that. People who refuse to do it simply don’t want to see it or just don’t want to do it after they see it—one or the other! If you want to follow the Bible, the way is plain, isn’t it? If you take something else for your guide, then no telling where you will land.
But someone may say, “What is baptism?” Let the Bible answer. “Buried with him in baptism, wherein ye are also risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead” (Col. 2:12). “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” (Rom. 6:4). Hence, according to the Bible, baptism is a burial and a resurrection. If you weren’t buried when you were baptized, then you were not baptized; because the Bible says we are buried by baptism. A so-called baptism which doesn’t involve a burial isn’t the kind of baptism the Bible talks about. If you do something else, you don’t get it from the Bible. If you stick to the Bible, you have the matter settled. You can’t get anything else from it except a burial. It doesn’t say anything else.
Incidentally, do you know where the doctrine of sprinkling and pouring came from? It came from the man who is called the Pope of Rome! At the Council of Vienna, A.D. 1311, by no higher authority than the Roman Catholic Church, it was decided that sprinkling and pouring might be practiced for baptism. Most often today the people who accept sprinkling or pouring instead of baptism do not realize that they are following the man over in Rome who claims to be greater than the Bible. You probably got it from your parents, your parents from theirs and their parents from some preacher and so on, but the chain leads back eventually to the Roman Catholic Church. It has no higher authority. The Bible condemns it.
I beseech you in the name of Jesus Christ that you submit unto His will as revealed unto us in the Holy Bible. If you will follow Him, He will take you home to rest at last.
V
WHICH CHURCH IS RIGHT?
(Note: As this sermon was being presented the outline seen below was on the blackboard before the audience.)
Which Church Is Right?
Introduction: This is a question that concerns every person. I. God Has Only One A. See Matt. 16:18; Eph. 4:4; Cor. 12:20; Eph. 1:22, 23. B. There are more than two hundred in America. C. Which one belongs to God? II. The One That Follows the Bible A. Obviously they don’t all follow the Bible. B. The Bible is a sufficient guide (2 Tim. 3:16, 17; Gal. 1:8, 9; 2 John 9; Rev. 22:18, 19). C. What does it teach? III. Conditions of Membership A. Same as condition of salvation (Acts 2:47). B. Faith (Acts 16:31-33; Rom. 10:14; Acts 2:36). C. Repentance (Acts 2:38; Acts 3:19; Acts 17:30). D. Confession (Rom. 10:10; Acts 8:37). E. Baptism (Acts 2:38; Acts 22:16; Mark 16:16; Acts 2:47; 1 Pet. 3:21). IV. Worship A. Prayer (Acts 2:42; Acts 20:36). B. Giving (1 Cor. 16:1, 2). C. Studying and teaching (Acts 2:42; Acts 20:7; etc.). D. Vocal Music (Eph. 5:19; Col. 3:16). E. Lord’s Supper (1 Cor. 11:20-34; Acts 20:7). F. In spirit and truth (John 4:24). V. Daily Christian Living (Tit. 2:12; Jas. 1:27; Mark 12:30, 31; Matt. 7:12). VI. Bible Names for God’s Church A. The Church (Eph. 1:22, 23; 5:25; Rev. 1:4). B. The Church of God (1 Cor. 15:9; 1 Thess. 2:14; 1 Cor. 11:16). C. The Church of Christ (Matt. 16:18; Rom. 16:16). VII. Organization (Acts 14:23; 20:28; Phil. 1:1). VIII. Charity and Evangelistic Work (Acts 11:27-30; 12:25; 24:17; 1 Cor. 16:1-4; Acts 11:19-21; 11:22-26; 13:1-4; etc.). Conclusion: The church that follows the Bible on all points is the one that is right.